Carter Preston's Story

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Vivienne smiled proudly as her best friend addressed Vincent. She hugged Sydney tightly and tucked one of her perfect locks of blonde hair back. Vivienne might be manhattans untouchable princess in most people's eyes but among her friends she was the most understanding and the most affectionate.

She grinned at her friends, so happy to have the group back together again. [color=872657]" Oh I missed you guys."[/color] She tuned to Jane [color=872657]" You went MIA which I totally understand. I hid in France with the Prestons for like a week while people were hounding me down down about my relationship with Justin"[/color] She flipped her hair and glanced for prying ears. [color=872657]"He's a sweetie we made out but truth be told he is no where near over Selena. But he did put me in his music video."[/color] She added with a shrug.

She was going to tell them about her hormone treatments, hopefully before gossip goddess did but she saw an old friends face and stopped.

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Carter Preston awoke with a careful yawn. Leah laid under his arm her thick dark curls lay on his arm. He attempted to ease out of the California King bed without waking her but it proved unsuccessful because as soon as he sat up and eased to the edge of the bed he heard "daddy!" and Leah's tiny honey colored arms wrapped around his neck. Carter grinned at his baby girl, the light of his life. He stood up and carried her to the kitchen.

His sister CiCi sat on the kitchen counter but she hopped off immediately at the arrival of her niece "Morning sugar" She said in her honey sweet southern drawl. CiCi had the most prominent accent of the siblings because she went back to Texas every Summer. CiCi lifted Leah out of his arms and twirled her around.
"Hey!" A voice rang out making everyone drop their smiles, well everyone but Leah who squirmed in delight. Carlotta walked up to Leah and kissed her on her plump little lips before grabbing some green muck from the fridge and walking back to her room.

Emily woke up next. She trudged into the kitchen and grabbed a waffle of a plate. She put it in her mouth then left. Emily was far from a delicate sleeper or a morning person. She grumbled and mumbled and glared from the depth of her thick curly blonde hair.
" I'll get Leah ready"He began but she threw her hand up and shoo'd him away. So he went back to his room and after a quick shower and freshening up pulled on an outfit. It was a simple denim shirt and some khaki pants with a pair of loafers. He ran a hand through his hair with gel but then he was done. As he exited his bedroom he saw that Lea's nanny had arrived. So he kissed the top of his daughters head and whispered " I love you to the moon and stars and back" in her ear.

Carter walked to school he didn't live too far and he tended to see people on the way there. Unfortunately today he walked by himself. He spotted all his friends and a retreating Vince as soon as he approached the school. He smiled as soon as he made eye contact with Viv. He approached the group with his famous crooked dimpled grin. He kissed Sienna on the forehead, and waved at Jane before asking " Hey ya'll enjoyed your summer?" and laying his arms around Viv and Sydney.

---

Jane's phone had went off, signaling that she had a text, so she didn't see Sienna and Vivienne coming until Sienna's arms were already wrapped around her. It was a pleasant surprise though, and with her phone still in one hand, she returned the tight squeeze. "I missed you too! I told Syd to invite you and Viv over this morning but she forgot. We didn't even have time to talk much though, but she said you would catch me up on everything," Jane said happily. Her comment about having "a lot of explaining to do" for going missing got a nervous giggle out of Jane but luckily, Vivienne also approached with her. While she also called Jane out on going "MIA", she quickly related it to what had happened to her own summer where she spent a week off the social radar in France with Carter Preston's family.

Jane always found it to be peculiar how Carter blantantly cheated on Viv and got another girl pregnant in the process, but they still managed to be very close friends. In fact, Viv was the godmother to the girl who was a product of the affair! It was so strange, especially when comparing it to the similar, but less intense, cheating situation between Sienna and Vincent. That didn't even result in a pregnancy but they were still at each other's throats most of the time. She guessed that the relationships were just different. Sienna and Vincent had known each other since they were kids. They grew up together, their families were very close and everyone around them expected them to stay together for longer than a year or two, if not forever. Viv and Carter had dated for a similar length of time but had only known each other since high school started, since Carter had lived somewhere else for most of his childhood.

"Bieber?" Jane asked, after Viv spoke about some Justin guy. After she said added Selena Gomez's name in there, she was sure it was the singer. "Ew Viv, he looks like a lesbian. You could do so much better!". For most people, the talk of one of their friends looking up with a mega-celebrity like Justin Bieber would have been huge news. It was definitely interesting and not exactly something that most girls at Constance could brag about, but most of them had connections in some way or another so talk like this was just the daily gossip.

Vivienne's father was a fashion photographer and worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, so it wasn't surprising that Vivienne ended up associating herself with many of them. She was frequently invited to exclusive parties and did know quite a few famous faces. Although her mother was a Broadway star and her father some big shot in the government, Sienna's music career had really allowed her to make her own name. Sydney's grandfather had created Saturday Night Live which meant that she had access to many celebrities as well. Jane's father had a net worth that probably exceeded that of all of their parents combined, and his hotels hosted tons of events for the rich and famous, but Jane usually just associated with her New York friends. She couldn't stand the way she looked in most pictures that she took of herself, so dealing with a hoard of paparazzi chasing her and taking unflattering photos to be seen by millions was a horrifying thought. So, she didn't mind being fairly unknown to the media world compared to her friends, and her father preferred it to be that way too, especially based on Jane's past behavior.

She turned back to Sienna. "Harry Styles, on the other hand, is one musician that I wouldn't mind hooking up with, and I know you have connections there," she said playfully. She remembered Sienna had opened for one of One Direction's concerts and had been bugging her every since to get him to show up to one of her parties.

Just as soon as Vincent excused himself from the group, Carter appeared and just as Vince had placed his hands over her and Sydney, Carter did it to Viv and Sydney. He offered her a wave which she reciprocated and gave Sienna a quick smirk after Carter kissed her. It was just a forehead peck, but Jane knew that Sienna had been crushing on him and while she was doing well at the moment to restrain herself from bringing it up in front of him, she couldn't help but to acknowledge it to Sia with a glance.

She then remembered that her phone went off a few minutes earlier, and saw that it was just Nicole, reading: "Make sure you eat a well balanced lunch today :)! xoxo". Jane rolled her eyes and quickly deleted the message. She knew that Nicole meant well and was trying to mend their relationship but Jane didn't need her advice and she quickly strayed away from that conversation and texted Bastion.



It was the first message she had sent him since before leaving for the treatment center and by the texts that he had sent her while she was gone, she knew that he would be curious as to where she was. Her father insisted that he had went along with the lie that she was just spending time in California with some family, but she was unsure if Bastion of all people would believe that. They had grown up together and it was unlike Jane to disappear without a good explanation, at least to him. Despite worrying about having to explain herself, she was excited to see him. He was like a brother to her and she had really missed him after being gone for so long.

---

Sienna grinned, the faintest hint of dimples appearing in her cheeks as Jane returned her affection. She released the brunette and glanced at Sydney, who had actually responded. Sienna, of course, caught on to the fact that Sydney happened to "forget" to contact herself and Vivienne, not that Sia was actually complaining. To be completely honest, she was perfectly fine with being "forgotten." Not like it hurt anyone, anyway. But she did offer a genuine smile to Sydney's response.

"We all make mistakes, no biggie," she told the blonde in regards to not being called this morning. Even her voice seemed authentic enough to not arouse suspicions. As Jane and Vivienne seemed to talk a little about their summer, which seemed to be more of a two-and-two conversation, Sienna decided to be nice and remain focused on Sydney. "Besides, you were here with Gossip Goddess wreaking havoc and such, did you here about Madeline? She was one of the drama kids. Got pregnant by Mr. Whitlock. Guess who's not teaching here this year."

Yes, despite the fact that she had spent her summer away from New York, Sienna had heard all about Gossip Goddess. The tweets from classmates and well, the fact that everyone in New York visited this brand new blog lured her to the scene. And well, you would be an idiot not to have known about the original Gossip Girl blog and all the drama that entailed. Sienna was rather fascinated with the prospects of it. Her entire life was pretty much in the public eye in the first place. One more social networking site where drama was randomly stirred up would not hurt her. Well, unless...something else happened...

Brown eyes subtly followed Vincent as he walked away, a small tick in her jaw as she watched him leave. For once, neither of them were at one another's throats. Instead, they were...civil, even. But...no, she didn't want to concentrate on that, not now. Not when she was with her favorite three people in the world. She tuned back into the group convo when Jane made a comment about Justin Bieber looking like a lesbian. Sienna wrinkled her nose in distaste, wrapping an arm around Jane.

"Please, he looks like a child," Sienna corrected and eyed Vivienne distastefully. The fact that Vivienne would even consider giving Justin Bieber the time of day just...didn't sit right. "Besides, Selena's hardly thinking about that boy. We only go for men." Sienna even winked at Jane when she commented about Harry Styles. "Again, that's a boy, but I'll see what I can do." Sienna reached into her purse to retrieve her and Vivienne's muffins, her stomach grumbling slightly at only having some yogurt and strawberries this morning. Just as she handed the treat to her best friend, a pair of lips pressed themselves against Sienna's forehead and she was struck dumb for two seconds, looking up to see Carter's gorgeous blue eyes.

Yep, Sienna was definitely trying to restrain herself from squealing. Her cheeks were aflame and the wide smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth could hardly be contained. She spied Jane giving her a very knowing grin and she had to lower her own gaze for a moment, handing Vivienne her muffin quickly. Despite her growing affection for Carter, Sienna couldn't help but still be wary about pursuing him, especially when Vivienne was around. At the end of the day, Carter fucked up. At one point, even Sienna had commented that he was no better than Vincent in that regard and it felt highly hypocritical for her to develop a crush on a guy who did the same thing her ex did to her to her best friend. But the biggest difference was that at least Carter acknowledged that he fucked up and took responsibilities for his actions. One tearful night later, Vincent was calling Sienna a bitch for being mad and screwing one of the girls from her math class twenty four hours later. At least Carter understood that he made a mistake and currently had to care for his child.

"Hey, handsome. Seems like the summer treated you nicely. And how is that precious little angel," she replied to him with a now demure smile, picking at the crystallized sugar shards atop her own muffin. "And summer was great. Despite the fact that some people abandoned everyone for France." Sienna smirked pointedly at Carter and bit into the soft treat in her hands.

---

Sienna's entire demeanor shifted as soon as Sebastion appeared. Her entire body tensed, her grip on her travel mug tightened instinctively,and she tried to look everywhere but at the male. She even pressed herself a little closer to Jane imperceptibly. Despite how bold and rather cheery Sienna could be, all of that felt trivial when in Sebastion's presence. His aura, though alluring and charming at times, hinted at something that tugged at her survival instincts and overwhelmed her. She had out-rightly avoided his advances when she was with Vincent. She had been safe. And then, that one night where her safety net snapped, so did her resolve.

And she's been trying to pretend like it never happened.

Obviously, Sebastion decided that today was not the day to pretend. "Oh yeah, I loved that club. What was it, Utopia? We hung out the opening night that year," she stated in a hopefully authentic voice that dropped with fond remembrance. She grinned at the others, a sort of giggle on her glossed lips. "You guys missed it! I had a blast!"

---

"Boys, it's time to get up!" Colin's mother's cheerful voice rang out, causing him to stir only slightly. He was exhausted and wasn't ready to get back on the early wake up schedule that the school year required. It took him around ten minutes for him to manage to pull himself out of his bed and in that time, his two younger brothers had already hopped out of the bunk beds they shared on the opposite side of the room.

"School, school, school!" his youngest brother, Max, shouted as he pulled on a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. He was probably the wildest of the bunch and never seemed to have a shortage of energy, whether it was seven in the morning or eleven at night. Mikey, the oldest of the three adopted siblings had already gotten dressed and left the room by the time that Colin got to the closet. He shuffled through some button down shirts that were hanging before going to his dresser and pulling out a simple blue t-shirt and black pants. He knew that today was the first day back with all of his classmates, as well as the first time he would be seeing his longtime crush, Jane Lynch, since before summer break, but he didn't want to look too overdone. He figured that it was better to look clean cut and simple than to overdress and make a fool out of himself. His family wasn't broke, but they didn't have extra room in their budget for the frivalous and unnecessarily expensive clothes that his friends could indulge in. Luckily most guys didn't care about that type of stuff, but he still felt like it was better to just accept where he stood than to try to be something he wasn't.

After showering, he put his clothes on and made his way out to the kitchen. His father was already gone to work but his mother stood over the oven, placing pancakes onto his sister Calista's plate. She smiled when she saw him coming in and made a plate for him as well.

"My homemade, organic blueberry pancakes," she explained, handing it to him. "You know, they're Mikey's favorite," she said, motioning to her second son who sat at the table. She leaned closer to him and whispered with a wink, "and they're sugar-free for Max".

Colin laughed and quickly grabbed a seat at the table with his siblings. The pancakes smelled delicious and just like with all of his mother's other meals, Colin was quick to gobble the pancakes down. "Dude, second grade is gonna be awesome," Colin said to Max, ruffling his hair. "And Mikey, you've got Mrs. Becker for fourth grade, right? I had her back in the day. She used to be pretty nice but I don't know now man, she's probably getting old and cranky," he added with a grin. His mother lightly slapped the dish towel she was holding against the back of his head. "He's joking, Michael. Mrs. Becker is going to love you,". Colin nodded in agreement but as soon as Monica turned her back to them, Colin dramatically shook his head and mouthed "no way", getting a snicker out of Mikey.

After finishing his glass of water, Colin said goodbye to his siblings and headed to the bus stop. He lived in midtown which meant that he usually spent thirty to forty minutes commuting each way to Saint Jude's in Brooklyn during the school year. Today's school event was being held at Constance Billard, Saint Jude's sister school, which was located in the Upper East Side. It was around three miles from his apartment and although Colin didn't mind walking there, as he frequently did when he went to hang out with Vincent or other friends who resided in the area, he knew that it would take too long and opted for the bus. Because of all of the stops and the typical New York traffic, it still took around twenty-five minutes for him to get there. The bus stop that he got off at was about a block from the school and by the time that Colin got off, he had a text from Vincent, telling him to hurry up because Jane was there.

The mention of Jane brought butterflies to his stomach. She had disappeared without good reason this summer and even though Colin didn't have her number to inquire about it himself (not like he ever would, even if he did), he had heard through Vincent that she spent all summer in California. Colin had convinced himself that she probably had some wealthy boyfriend there and that even if when she did get back for school, his chances of her liking him would have decreased even more than before she left.

When he saw her standing with her friends, he new that Vincent was right. She was gorgeous and as much as she turned him on, he still felt like he had no chance with her. Rather than approach her and deal with his sudden awkwardness that always seemed to make a grand appearance whenever he was in Jane's vicinity, he headed over to Vincent who was standing by the school's door.

"Hey man," he said with a half-wave as he approached Vince. He nodded his head back towards Sienna, Sydney, Carter, Vivienne, Jane, and now Sebasitan Jardine. "I don't know if it's just because I haven't seen her in a while or if it's those glasses, but dude, she's hotter than I remembered. You think you can talk to her for me tonight?" he asked, not wanting to seem too desperate, although he knew that Vincent already knew just how badly he wanted her.

Although there was always a bit of tension present between Sydney and Sienna, even if it was only Sydney who felt it, she was glad to be back with all of her girls again. They always had so much fun together and being with them reminded her of how excited she was for the party tonight. It was going to be the perfect start to a perfect senior year, or at least Sydney hoped it would be.

Sydney maintained a friendly smile when Jane brought up her "forgetting" to invite Sydney and Sienna over and she was glad that Sienna didn't make a big deal out of it. "I was working out the final details for tonight and it totally slipped my mind," she commented, glad that the conversation quickly switched gears after that. "Hey! I think Justin is kinda cute," Sydney objected when Jane ignorantly compared his look to that of a lesbian and Sienna, less offensively corrected her and said he just had a childish look. "I would have went for it too when I met him last summer, but he was still with Selena then too," she said to Vivienne with half a smile.

She met the singer at the end of the summer last year when he hosted SNL. Her grandfather and most of the cast wasn't too fond of him but Sydney had a short conversation with him and he didn't seem like the arrogant punk that the media made him out to be. Vivienne and Sienna obviously knew his personality better than she did though, but she at least found his appearance to be attractive.

Sydney maintained her smile as Carter appeared and wrapped his arms around her and Vivienne. Carter was one of the nicest guys that she knew. Not only was he respectful, intelligent and responsible, but he was also attractive. They had been friends since he started dating Vivienne and had continued to be that after they broke up, but once Sydney heard from Jane that Sienna was interested in him, she also developed a sort of affection for him too. She knew that it was probably more of a desire to compete with, or steal from Sienna, than a genuine romantic crush, but she wouldn't admit that to anyone. "Mine was good too," she responded to his question. "But I definitely missed you and Leah. That baby is probably so much bigger than she was last time I saw her!" Sydney had always admired Carter's dedication to his daughter. It was brave of him to take on such a role when caring for a child probably wasn't exactly the biggest dream of most teenage boys.

Before their conversation could go any further, another familiar face appeared. It was Sebastian Jardine, someone who Sydney didn't know particularly well personally, but knew much about reputation-wise. Jane had always warned her against getting too close to him, claiming that she had "friends who said he was bad news" but his bad boy persona was intriguing. He wasn't her usual "type" of guy, but she considered the idea that maybe a new school year would mean new experiences too.

Sydney raised an eyebrow when his first comment was to Sienna about past "fun" that they had. She had never heard of the encounter and didn't believe that whatever Sebastian was talking about was as innocent as the club opening that Sienna tried to explain it to be. She didn't call Sienna out on it but added it to the list of things that she would scope out later on. After he complimented Jane on her glasses, Sydney gave her a gentle elbow to the side and a confused look. Jane insisted that he was basically a villain but she really only saw the charming side of him.

She caught sight of Jane's iPhone screen and saw that she was texting Sebastian Arrendale. Sydney rolled her eyes and didn't hesitate to announce it to their group. "She's texting the other Sebastian. Sorry Seb, but it looks like she's more interested in your name twin than you," she said, her tone a bit spiteful towards the boy but typical for her. She liked to see how people would react to her bitchiness. Some were intimidated and backed down instantly but others, the ones who she would either click well with or clash immensely with, liked to play the game too. Seb was one of the ones who know how to counter her comments, but in an intriguing way. There were others, like Lacey Cartier-Porter, who did it in a way that just pissed her off.

---

Jane only looked up from her phone for a second before returning her gaze to the screen. In those few seconds, she had spotted Sebastian Jardine a few yards away and she hoped that maybe if she kept her head down, he wouldn't notice her. That wasn't the case though, because within a minute, he had joined their little circle and was talking to Sienna about something they had done in a previous summer.

She didn't think too deep into what Sebastian said and hoped that he would continue his conversation with Sienna about their memories at Utopia. Of course, he didn't, and as she lifted her gaze away from her phone and towards him, he gave her a wink and complimented her on her glasses. In response, she made a mental note not to wear the glasses out again and offered him a weak smile. It was the first time that she had seen Seb in months and she could only imagine that he would be eager to sell her more Adderall. The pills were an old guilty pleasure. While their intended use was to assist people with attention deficit disorders, one of their side effects was weight loss and after learning that, Jane was eager to start taking them. Her psychiatrist wouldn't prescribe them to her for the obvious reasons that she didn't have ADHD and was being treated for losing too much weight already, so she turned to the only person who she knew could get them for her: Sebastian Jardine.

She had never outright told him that she had an eating disorder and really, Adderall was a typical go-to prescription drug for students who wanted to ace a test or focus on studying for finals, but Jane knew that Seb wasn't stupid. She had asked him before buying the first time if he could confirm that they would help her lose weight and after that, it was hard to cover up her need for them with some phony excuse that she wanted to start doing well in school. So, she assumed that he probably knew but because of their agreement, he had kept her disorder and the fact that she even knew him well, a secret from everyone else.

After all of the work she had put into recovery over the summer, she knew she couldn't start taking the pills again. It would be the push to sent her back down the slippery slope of her eating disorder. Even though part of her wanted to get back down to her unhealthy goal weight, the healthy part of her knew that she was okay where she was. She was healthy and fairly happy, and was motivated to stay that way. However, she knew Seb. She knew that he wouldn't be pleased with her refusing to help fuel his business. He thrived off of her disorder and now that she wanted to abandon that, she was going to be abandoning their silent agreement too, and Jane knew that he wouldn't react well to that.

She was glad that her phone went off again, directing her attention away from Seb as she read Bastion's response. The mention of him being with Daphne made her mood go from bad to worse. Being away all summer meant that Jane didn't have too many good comebacks on hand, not like her normal ones were very good anyway. However, she did want to see Bastion so she wasn't going to let her ruin it.



Just as she hit send, she felt Sydney leaning over her shoulder and before Jane could nudge her away, she took a cheeky shot at Seb about how she was more interested in conversing with Bastion than him. It was true, simply because Bastion was more than a genuine friend and Seb was now an enemy, whether he knew it or not, but Jane didn't need Sydney to make a point out of that. She knew that it was just Sydney's personality. She wasn't trying to be disloyal or mean by throwing her under the bus, but just liked to cause little problems to see how people would react. Still, Jane wasn't in the mood for it, especially with everything else going on. She focused her eyes beyond the group, hoping that Bastion would arrive soon so she would have a reason to cheer up again.

---

Viv winked at Jane as she commented on him looking like a lesbian. "I promise he's very much man " She said with a giggle. She was enjoying herself, was being the operative word. She stopped when Seb arrived and started doing his asshole antics. When he began to antagonize Sienna she stepped in. "Don't start the school year out being a dick Seb " She said stepping away from Carter. She heard Carter's rich chuckle. He knew what was about to happen.

See, Viv was a super sweet girl but she was also a very powerful girl. She may not be the head bitch like Sydney but people didn't mess with Viv. She stood in front of him with her hand propped on her hip her piercing eyes fixed in a glare and her perfect plump mouth turned downward. " Don't start this year trying to be something your not" She chastised "Some people may think your the big bad wolf but I know your just a dog. That being said I will kick your ass this year if you pull that attitude crap you pulled last year"

She was going to chastise him farther but she knew that gossip goddess was always watching and she really didn't want to be portrayed as a bitch. To those who watched it would seem harsh but it was really just tough love.

---

A surge of pride swelled up within Sienna's chest when Vivienne spoke out against Sebastian, unflinching and audacious even against the guy who emanated nothing but darkness and danger. A tiny smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, though discreetly, as she pretty much felt Sebastian become irritated with her best friend's response to his presence. It surprised her, really, that she - the girl who lived for spunk and being over the top and never ever backing down - actually needed someone to come to her rescue. And on the first day back, on all the days that something like this could have occurred?

Above everything and possibly anyone, though, she knew she would probably have to tell Vivienne the truth, at least. She could tell Jane and Sydney, but Carter was here and admitting something as embarrassing as being weak enough to sleep with Sebastian Jardine just was not on her agenda. Especially not in front of someone she actually wanted to impress. Maybe on a sleepover or while they were all getting ready for the Kiss On the Lips party tonight. But she knew someone was going to ask. Besides, she'd rather get that out of the way before Gossip Goddess got her hands on such precious information. It was one night, a little fun in the sheets. A drunken mistake, that's it. Nothing too salacious, right?

"Asshole," Sienna muttered under her breath when Sebastian finally decided it was time to depart.

Sienna nudged Jane gently soon after, a quirk of her eyebrow signaling her curiosity. As far as she was concerned, Jane did not like Sebastian in the least bit. Yet, when he walked over to their group, his addressing Jane was far from that of a stranger or someone who detested her presence. It was...like they were familiar with each other, more familiar than Jane ever let on. Finally, Sienna's shoulders relaxed just a little and she smiled at her friends, needing some kind of a distraction.

"Now, that that's gone, we should all get ready for the party together," Sienna announced, bumping a distracted Jane's hip with her own. The brunette had been way too caught up in her phone in the last few minutes and the day had only just started. She tossed a quirky grin at Sydney afterwards. "I can't wait to show you guys what I'm wearing and I'd love to see what you've got planned for tonight, Syd."

Sydney was surprised when Vivienne threatened Sebastian for his attitude. She actually found his cunning demeanor to be entertaining, if not attractive. Then again, it wasn't her in Sienna's place, who was at the end of his suggestive remarks. It was out of character for Sienna to not stick up for herself but judging by how the quick conversation had just played out, she assumed that there wasn't much to object to. It was obvious to Sydney that there was at least some truth in what Seb had said, and whatever had happened was more than just some innocent hangout session.

Seb left after giving one parting shot to Viv's defensiveness and oddly, a comment to Jane about speaking to her later. It was unexpected because not only had Jane constantly warned her against associating with him the previous year, but even now, she seemed uncomfortable in his presence. Sydney couldn't tell if Jane's lack of energy was just part of today's overall mood, or if it had stemmed from Seb's appearance, but either way she wasn't having it.

"You better just be in a bad mood because school's starting again," Sydney began. Because let's be honest, we all know that Jane isn't very school smart. "We don't need any bad vibes at the party tonight," she said, looking at Jane with an unsure expression. With the sudden appearance of Gossip Goddess, Sydney hoped that if there was drama tonight, which she would be stupid not to expect, that it at least wouldn't involve any of her friends. Sienna's earlier mention of one of their former classmates, Madeline, getting knocked up by a teacher was just a reminder of how, whoever this blogger was, seemed to find out everything. Although Sydney was sure that there was no way that any of her secrets, especially her fling with Vincent, would ever come up, it still worried her.

Sienna then continued on the topic of the party, pulling her attention away from Jane and to her other friend. "Oh my God, yes. I'm so excited to see who you guys are wearing," she said. Although she was speaking to Sienna, she was genuine in her words. Their relationship was strange. Sometimes it was fake and forced but because they did hang out so much, it was hard for Sydney to not actually like her and want to be real friends with her most of the time. "I already told Jane she's banned from wearing heels since I already look like I'm three feet tall when I'm next to her and she's not even wearing them, so we might need to stop at Barney's after school," she added with a playful roll of her eyes. "We can get ready and pregame at my place, but you two better not go over the top tonight." She spoke lightly but eyed Sienna and Jane, knowing how the pair had a tendency to drink too much when they were together. After being separated for a few months, she imagined that they would go even harder on their first night after being reunited.

As she looked away from the two, she remembered that Carter was standing with them. "You're coming tonight, right babe?" she asked, looking over at him before turning her attention back to the girls again. "I don't know if I should have told you two in advance, but I invited Seb too. I didn't know you two knew him so well but I guess it worked out that he's coming. You can work out your... unfinished business," she said with a small laugh. It was obvious that her two friends, and even Viv, appeared to be uncomfortable in his presence but she couldn't be to blame when neither of them had confided in her about their apparent connections with him.

---

Sienna's grinned widened when Sydney spoke to her. Excitement bubbled up from within and her earlier discomfort was forgotten. She laughed - genuinely laughed - when Sydney said that she banned Jane from wearing heels, which probably would have ruined Sienna's mood if she didn't feel lighter now that Sebastian's presence was gone. Plus, this was Sydney. Sure, her demands could be bitchy and at times selfish, but Sienna couldn't judge her in this instance. Pursing her lips lightly, Sienna glanced down at her own nude pumps before raising a teasing eyebrow at Sydney.

"I hope that ban isn't extended to the rest of us," she said, running a hand through her hair as a breeze swept over them. Sienna clucked her teeth thoughtfully. "Not sure if my dress would approve of flats, but I'm down for a shopping trip." Yeah, with the shimmering silver that blended down into a glittering blue, the mid-thigh length dress deserved heels. Or, at least wedges. In her musing, Sienna almost missed Sydney's comment about her and Jane's tendency to...party hard. She grinned again, this time at Jane with a conspiratorial wink.

What could she say? When she and Jane got together, they had tons of fun. Whether that meant shopping or partying, the two were pretty much a formidable duo. Yes, they sometimes...had a little too much fun, but it wasn't like they weren't in safe hands. Surely, Vivienne - if she wasn't right along with them - and Sydney watched out for them. But Sienna typically had someone looking out for them and they always managed to at least get back to her place safely before the night was truly over. They were never too reckless.

At least, she wouldn't admit if they were.

"You have my word," she told Sydney with a mock salute, the grin never leaving her face. "Scout's honor." Not that I ever was a girl scout. For a moment, Sienna almost forgot that Carter was with them, having chosen to avoid his gaze throughout the whole Sebastian ideal. However, as soon as Sydney acknowledged him with that insufferable "babe," Sienna's eyes fell on his athletic-looking form. Perhaps it was another surge of jealousy at Sydney simply interacting with someone else she cared for - considering the words wanted or liking were too much at the moment; it would be insinuating that Sienna still wanted that asshole she calls an ex and Sienna would go to war with Blair Waldorf before she ever allowed herself to admit that - that caused Sienna's voice to become silkier in her address of Carter, smooth and flirty. "Yeah, you should come tonight. Wouldn't be a party without that handsome face." A rather lascivious grin formed on her face. "We'll have you home before the clock strikes midnight, pinky promise."

Vincent didn't have to wait long before Colin came into view. He watched intently as his pal admired his crush from afar and then came over. Although Vincent had spent most of the summer at his family's home on Long Island, he did come in frequently to go out to the many clubs in Manhattan with his friends. Even if he hadn't seen Colin in a while, he wouldn't have made some big "OMG I haven't seen you in forever!!!" deal about it like he imagined the Constance girls to do. He simply nodded in acknowledgement as Colin approached and then began to comment on seeing Jane for the first time since spring.

"I'll talk to her, but dude, you need to step it up," he said, his eyes glancing back towards the girls. Carter Preston and Sebastian Jardine had joined the circle but judging by Vivienne's stance, she didn't seem to be taking well to whatever Sebastian was saying. "Both of us were born into families that don't make a shit load of money, so that puts us at a disadvantage compared to some of these other guys. To a lot of these girls, money is a big deal but what makes it irrelevant when it comes to me is how fucking irresistible I am, man. You know, you just gotta turn on the charm. Look, Jane is the only- well, one of the only, girls that I haven't slept with in that group, so I don't have any specific tips there..." he said, quickly correcting himself when he remembered that no one was supposed to know about him and Sydney. "All I'm saying is that you've got to stop being such an awkward dick and turn on the charm. Be confident. Don't ask her if she wants to hookup, just make the move. You've been chasing her for what? Three years? Four? And she doesn't even know you exist. I was serious with what I said- if you don't hit that tonight, she's fair game.

Someone who didn't know Vincent's behavior as well as Colin might have taken what he said offensively, but Vincent's arrogance was well known by most, especially Colin. He leaned against the wall of the school and glanced back towards the front of the campus where the girls stood. Seb Jardine was walking away but the others remained. Vincent couldn't help but to focus on Sienna, watching as she smiled and spoke to Carter. He was over her, or at least he insisted to himself that he was, but her beaming smile reminded him of their good days and he couldn't help but to get annoyed with Carter for even speaking to her. It was stupid and petty, especially because he talked to and even hooked up with Carter's ex, Viv, but it still bothered him.

---

Although Viv's response to Seb was probably a reaction to him antagonizing Sienna more than to his seemingly harmless comment about her glasses, Jane was glad that Viv stood up to Seb. It was clear that her friend didn't know her in the same way that she did and had nothing to lose by playing hero. She wasn't tangled up in his manipulative games and Jane envied Vivienne for that. The same went for Syd, but now Jane was curious to know what Sienna's connection to him was too.

She wondered if she had also went to him for drugs. Sienna was under a lot of pressure with her music career and growing fame, so maybe she was feeling stressed out enough that she needed pot or something to relax her. Jane studied Sienna while everyone was distracted with Seb responding to Viv, and considered that maybe she had also used weight loss drugs from Seb. Sienna's body was curvier than Jane's was, but her hourglass figure was slim and enviable. As Jane looked at her, she thought that it might be possible that Sia had fallen prey to Seb's trap too. However, she didn't think that any of her friends were as obsessed with their weight as she was. Sure, it was something that they would all talk about when they tried on clothes and commented on how fat they looked in the garments, but she couldn't imagine any of the other girls being as desperate as she was- desperate enough to go to Seb, of all people, for help.

As curious as Jane was, she decided that she probably wouldn't be the one to bring up Sienna's connection to him. She guessed that her friends would be just as curious to know how she knew Seb and what he needed to talk to her about later, as they would with Sia's relationship with him. Seb had left the group and Jane didn't want to have to dwell on the topic any longer, so when Sienna nudged her and offered a curious look, she shrugged, trying to appear clueless to what Seb had been talking about. "He is so bizarre," she said, shaking her head as if she had no idea as to why he would have acted like he knew her.

When the conversation shifted to the Kiss On The Lips party, Jane was definitely relieved. She didn't even mind when Sydney broadcasted that she was banned from wearing heels because she then mentioned going shopping. Although she was unsure if Sydney would come with her earlier, she knew that either Sienna or Viv would be willing to come along. "I know, my dress is going to look gross with flats too.", she said to Sienna before looking back to Sydney. "If you want me to wear flats, I'm going to have to get a new dress too."

Sydney's comment about her and Sienna drinking too much brought a grin to Jane's face. There was more truth to the fact that she and Sienna sometimes overdid it with the drinking than Jane would like to admit, but after a summer of sobriety, she felt like she deserved a couple more than a few shots tonight. She caught Sienna's wink and played along. falsely claiming, "We have school tomorrow morning and I'm not trying to get a hangover for the first day of classes!" It had never stopped her from going out on a school night before, and even though Jane definitely planned on drinking tonight, part of her did want to do better this school year.

Sydney and Sienna started fussing over Carter, which Jane had gotten used to but still felt strange about. Not only did it put her in between both of them wanting the same guy, but she also thought it was weird to do with Viv, his ex, standing right there. Although Jane had nothing against Carter, she didn't like how he had screwed Viv over and gotten another girl pregnant, even if Vivienne had forgiven him for it. "Is it time to go in yet?" she asked as her gaze moved towards the Constance Billard school building. She was getting bored and even though whatever waited inside would be more boring, she wanted to get the school day over with so they could go shopping and get drunk, probably her two favorite things to do.

---

Vincent's response wasn't the most supportive but Colin expected it. He was probably right that Colin had missed many chances with Jane and if he truly wanted to woo her, he was going to need to just go for it. It was easier said than done though, because even just looking over at her from afar made him tense up. He couldn't help but to tell himself that he had no chance and trying to "make the move", as Vincent put it, would probably just end in an embarrassing rejection.

"Yeah... yeah... I know," Colin said throughout Vincent's lecture, only raising an eyebrow when his friend repeated what his text message had said. "Who says that she'd even want you?" he asked with a small laugh. Even though Vincent probably could get nearly any girl at Constance, Sydney's group of friends were more exclusive than most girls, especially since Vincent had screwed over Sienna. He was surprised when Vivienne hooked up with him and doubted that Sydney or Jane would be ballsy enough to make a similar move. Besides Sienna being a deterrent, those girls didn't need the reputation of hooking up with Vincent to make them seem cool. They already were without him.

When Vincent didn't respond, Colin glanced over at him and followed his gaze back to the group of girls and Carter Preston. Just by the look on his face, Colin could tell that Vincent was watching Sienna interact with Carter. They were clearly too far away to hear what was being said but the endearing smile on her face as she looked at the blond was probably enough to bother Vincent, who constantly insisted that he was moved on from Sienna the minute he cheated on her. Colin knew Vincent well enough to know that was just talk, and he had given up on trying to find out who it was that had been "so good" that Vincent forgot about his girlfriend that easily.

"I've got to make a good impression today. You know Mr. Edwards? He taught that astronomy class I took last year and nearly failed me after I said that thing about his hair cut. Well, now I've got him for physics and there's no way I'm getting another D in his class." Colin figured that it would be easier to change the subject to what they would be doing in a few minutes than to continue on the topic of Jane or Sienna.

---

Viv shook her head causing her light blonde tresses to fan around her honey hued face. "That boy is a mess "She concluded, placing her perfectly manicured hand on her hip.

She turned to her friend who was gushing about her dress and smiled. She was excited to show her fiends her outfit. She had snagged a white bandage dress straight off the runway that looked crazy sexy against her dark tanned skin and light blonde hair. She also caught Jane's little distraction. Truth was Viv was a bit suspicious about Jane's summer story but she found that when it came to her friends less was more. If Jane wanted her to know she would tell her but for now it was none of her business.

Viv rolled her piercing blue eyes as Sydney began to chastise Jane for giving her party "bad vibes". I mean yeah Jane may not be the smartest or the most responsible but jeez she was allowed to have bad days. But she had to admit Syd had a point. If anything went wrong gossip goddess would know and none of them could take that hit right now. I mean between Maddy and gossip goddess's incessant reminders that she couldn't "keep a man" Viv really didn't need any more drama.

Viv started to space out and go into her own world but quickly pulled herself back into the conversation. At the mention of heels she scoffed, " Just so we're clear you know I'm wearing them right?" She almost laughed. She winked conspiratorially at Sienna. Viv loved shoes with a passion. But her true love was heels. She loved how powerful she felt in them and she loved how sexy they made you feel.

She, however could not hold back a grin when Syd mentioned not going over the top. In her head she couldn't help but think Good Luck

She pulled out her phone and opened a new message.

---

---

---

Carter was started to space out as the girls gushed about their outfits. I mean he always appreciated a pretty woman but a man had his limits. But one thing was sure, he was glad Seb was gone.

Carter and Seb used to be friends until he became the douche he is now. It annoyed him even more that Viv had felt the need to save him. He didn't like the situation at all. He meant to bring it up to Viv but he could tell it was important so he couldn't bring himself to do it. Plus Viv was so stubborn, he didn't want to put her in a bad mood for no reason either. "You're coming tonight, right babe?" At that Carter snapped back into attention. " Of course I wouldn't miss the kick off party of the year" He said with a dimpled grin.

Carter liked Sydney. She was fun and loyal and protective. But it made him a bit uncomfortable when she did it in front of his ex. He cocked his head to the side as he listened to the girls talk. He had to admit he was lucky. Not many people can say they are friends with the hottest girls at the most exclusive prep schools in New York. "Yeah, you should come tonight. wouldn't be a party without that handsome face." He smiled at her but felt a flush of heat from inside him when her pretty plump lips turned it a grin We'll have you home before the clock strikes midnight, pinky promise."

He laughed off the sudden feeling by saying " Make you a deal darlin' save me a dance and I'll stay till' 12:30" He grinned wickedly at Sienna.

At the mention of going inside Carter glanced at his watch "You ladies just about ready to head in? " He asked easing away from the girls and making his way to the steps.

Sienna and Vivienne were both also a good few inches taller than her, but Jane still had two or three inches on both of them, so Sydney wasn't as concerned with them wearing heels. "You guys are fine," she confirmed with a smile. It wasn't unexpected for Jane to complain further about the heel ban, especially since the other were going to be wearing them, but Sydney knew she was also using the opportunity to further her own shopping addict when she claimed that she would need to get a new dress too.

If Jane's parents weren't worth so much, or if she was even just at the same level of wealth as the rest of them were, her spending habits would probably be concerning. Sydney liked buying things just as much as the next girl but Jane seemed to take that to another level and as Sydney promised herself earlier, there was no way that she was getting stuck in one of those shopping sprees before her party. Before Sydney could respond to her though, Jane had separated from the group without warning, but as she glanced back in her direction, Sydney saw that she had gone to greet Sebastian Arendale. He was a childhood friend of Jane's and even though she usually invited him to all of her parties at Jane's request, she didn't have a real relationship with him. Sydney doubted that they had many similar interests and he wasn't her type appearance-wise, so she never had a real reason to engage him in deep conversation.

"I don't have enough time to watch her try on every dress in the store so I'm using my 'get out of jail' free card on this one," she said, running her fingers through her hair again. She knew that Jane would expect someone to go with her but Sydney needed to get ready for her party and get their on time. There wasn't a chance that she was going to be late for her own party, and she knew that Sienna and Vivienne shopped with Jane frequently too, so they would probably have more patience with her there anyway.

Sydney wasn't surprised when Sienna also urged Carter to come tonight, but she maintained her smile when he said that he planned on coming. Because of his situation with Leah, she wouldn't have been offended if he decided not to come, but he was probably the only person that would apply to. Her parties were pretty exclusive, even though she did invite a few randoms to this one, and depending on who it was, Sydney would take it personally if they decided not to attend.

People were beginning to file into the school building so she followed Carter's lead and headed towards the building. "Are you guys bringing anyone tonight?" she asked, eagerly looking over at Viv and Sienna as she lagged behind Carter a bit. Talking about new guys with Viv in front of Carter probably wasn't the best idea, even if they had been over for two years. Still, she was interested in hearing if the girls had found new guys, besides Bieber, over the summer who they planned on bringing tonight.

Because they hadn't mentioned anything up until now, she guessed that they were starting the year off as being single, which Sydney was pretty much doing as well. She was hooking up with Brody Wade and was bringing him as her date tonight but it was really just for the show. He was handsome, intelligent and powerful in their school community, and his family was well-established and respected in the business world. Although he was fairly bland and definitely not spontaneous, he looked good standing next to her and he benefited her image enough that the good weighed out the bad.

---

---

---

---

---

Sienna positively beamed when Carter actually promised her a dance and with a rather triumphant dance in her head.

"Can't wait," she told him and returned her attention to the group just as Jane managed to separate herself. She was with another group, one that included the guy from earlier. She tilted her head curiously, he really should have been familiar, especially if he hung out with Sebastian Arendale. Not that she hung out with Sebastian often or anything, but she didn't recall seeing this guy much before. Shrugging, she returned her gaze to the others.

Jake was too busy checking his phone. His Dad had started sending him more texts this summer, oftentimes wanting to hang out more than they typically did. He raised an eyebrow at Bastion's apparent friendship with Jane, who really wasn't that bad but it always surprised him how close the two were. Connections or no, the relationship was puzzling because they seemed like two very different people. People like Jane didn't hang out with people like them and well, Bastion...just didn't seem like her type. Not that Jake really knew what her type was or even cared.

He chuckled at Daphne's expression and followed Persephone and Daphne inside the school, ready to get the day over with. He hated being a bore, really, but he wasn't a fan of these unnecessary school mixers. All they did was tell them rules, classes, and all this other information that could have been sent via email. Then again, he had been excited to see his friends, so there's that. Just as they came inside, Sephy was gone and he smirked at her excitement at seeing Brody. It was obvious that the relationship was definitely closer than what Sephy originally transcribed, though Jake would have never been known as someone who delved too deep into unwanted territory. In fact, all he cared about was that Brody did right by Persephone. He grinned subtly at Daphne.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Daphne," he replied just as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Curiously, Jake pulled it out and smirked. It was a text from Vivienne, which surprised him because he thought he saw her outside along with Sydney and Sienna. Thinking back, Jake remembered having the biggest crush on Vivienne, not that he ever told her. It had never been in his character to make a move like that, especially moving in on a girl like her. Vivienne was one of the hottest girls in school and actually nice to him, which surprised him when they first met. It was more surprising when Sydney actually wasn't as bitchy, but still. He hadn't had feelings for Sydney; it had always been Vivienne. However, the crush wasn't as huge as it was before, not as all-consuming and nerve-wracking. Now, he was better with having a conversation with her. He sent a quick text.

To: Vivienne
Yeah, w/ friends. U?

Jake glanced at Bastion just as he came over and his brow furrowed curiously. Sebastian didn't have this face typically and he was just happy hugging his friend Jane. So, what the hell happened in two seconds?

"Hey, are you alright?"

Sienna considered Sydney's inquiry about her guest for the night. Surprisingly enough, she had thought of inviting the guy she sung to at the iHeart radio concert; he was the ultimate cutie patootie. Even her mom approved. At the same time, she didn't really feel like bringing a date. Truthfully, the idea of arriving single appealed more than being seen with a guy. Especially after the questions about who some of her songs were dedicated to, which was a very easy question if she actually chose to answer it. She shrugged at Sydney, smiling at a few classmates she remembered from last year. She peeked at Sebastian's girlfriend, still trying to figure out what the girl saw in him in any way, shape, or form.

"Didn't think I was bringing anyone," she replied honestly. "I might be able to bring Lyric, just because my publicist thought it would be good to keep up images since people know that we're good friends and I've worked with his band. Hmm, speaking of..." Sienna whipped her cell phone out, looking for a hint that Lyric was even here yet. She had told him she didn't need a ride, but his drive shouldn't have been that long. She was aware that he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of her friends; he found them all fake, which would have been true if Sienna didn't know them. Sure, she didn't always favor Sydney, but the girl was a lot better than some of these wanna-be mean girls.

To: Lyric
Hey! In school. Where r u? I didn't get a hug yet D:

---

Jane felt relieved yet guilty when Bastion agreed that they could finish their conversation later that night. She wasn't sure that she would even get a chance to speak to him later on but if she did happen to come across him, she hoped that with a few drinks in her system she wouldn't be so uptight. Whether the alcohol would loosen her up enough where she would say too much was yet to be determined but at this point, Jane was ready to drink herself to a point where whatever she did say wasn't more than slurred, incomprehensible words.

Offering only a half way, she was quick to turn back in the direction she came from, only to find that her friends were already on their way inside of the building. She increased her pace, managing to catch up with them before they stepped into the gymnasium. She caught Sydney's question on whether any of them would be bringing a date tonight. "I'm single and so ready to mingle tonight," she added with a small smile. Jane was more of a drunken-mistake hookup kind of girl than one who could maintain a serious relationship with someone. When sober, she was very picky with the guys she associated with, so even if she had hooked up with a semi-decent guy the night before, he rarely met her standards the next morning. Besides that, the past few years had been chaotic enough with her own problems for her to want to add a romantic relationship into the mix.

Now that she was more emotionally stable, getting a boyfriend was definitely on her senior to-do list, but even among the hoards of wealthy and attractive boys at Saint Jude's, none of them really captured her attention. The most "qualified" guys like Carter Preston and Brody Wade had their flaws. Carter already had a kid and was Viv's ex, not to mention that he was on Sienna and Sydney's radar. Brody didn't like Jane and she didn't like him in return. He was a bore and although he was attractive, Jane was sure that if anyone was going to bring 'bad vibes' to the party tonight, it would be him. However, she kept quiet for now. There was no benefits in complaining about Sydney, in front of her anyway. Besides the obvious guys, there was Vincent who was a possibility for a hookup, although Jane would never admit it in front of her friends. He wasn't boyfriend material though, as perfectly portrayed through his betrayal towards Sienna.

When Sienna brought up possibly bringing Lyric, Jane couldn't help but to giggle. She really didn't know Lyric outside of his connection with Sienna, but his name always reminded her of the comments that Sydney would make about his mouth. He was definitely attractive, Jane would give him that much, but his lips reminded her of those that women in New York would die for. Despite the unnecessary comments that Syd would make about them, Jane guessed that they probably made him a pretty decent make out partner. "His lips look better than Kelley Yearly's, and I'm pretty sure she gets lip injections like, every other day," Jane exaggerated, referencing a fellow classmate. "Is he a good kisser?" she then said to Sienna, convinced that even though she had never admitted to hooking up with him, that she must have.

Although most of the students had now entered the gymnasium, it was large enough that it didn't appear to be packed. Friend groups could easily be picked out as they were scattered throughout the room and Jane was able to spot Bastion back with Jake and Daphne. Even if Daphne wasn't enough of a deterrent, Jane quickly moved her gaze away from them, not wanting to make eye contact with Bastion after her less than friendly encounter with him moments before. She also spotted Brody, who had just embraced Persephone Soung. With a raised eyebrow and small smile, she couldn't help but to glance over at Sydney to see what her reaction would be. From what Sydney had told her, she and Brody weren't exclusive or even dating, but she doubted that her friend would appreciate him hugging Sephy before even greeting her. As petty as it was, that was Sydney. The smallest things could set her off and getting on her bad side wasn't wise. That was evident with the next girl who entered her sight: Lacey Porter. Jane didn't like her, but Sydney's hatred towards her far exceeded Jane's. "That girl is such a loser," Jane said, eyeing Lacey with disgust as she strutted past them. It was bizarre for Jane to expect her to acknowledge them in the slightest, especially because of how many viscous rumors Sydney had started about her with no real motive, but she still disliked the idea of anyone just ignoring them.