The school bell rang for Lunch Break.
Ciara strutted through the halls, now the most popular girl and the hottest item in Prestige High. Coolness radiated through her school uniform as she cat-walked in slow motion, a spectacle underneath a fantastic spotlight, with the wind in her orange hair and a killer smirk on her lips like some classy assassin from "0O7".
Her proud glow illuminated the entire hallway. Her beauty caused gardens of sparkling roses to bloom all around her. Ciara was now obviously queen of Prestige High again.
Tony, a classmate and dear friend of Ciara's walked up to her dazzling frame at her locker with eyes of admiration. He was currently nicknamed "Head of Socials" of Prestige High; an informal title given to the charismatic social butterfly he was.
"Wow, Ciara! You look like the hottest combination of Romb Taider and Mrs Slith! Did anyone tell you you're actually glowing?!...", he dramatically complimented.
Then he noticed the wind in Ciara's hair and the blooming flowers in the hallways.
"...Wait, where's all this wind coming from?... And are those actual roses blooming in the hallways!!?...", he added with wide eyes.
Ciara and Lana burst into snickers.
"Haha! That's exactly what I said, Tony. She's glowing. My bff is currently the hottest item in school history, or any history whatsoever. Fact!", Lana declared with a bat of her eyelashes and a sassy flip of her long black hair.
She rested her freshly manicured fingers on the high waist of her short pleated skirt and continued,
"...It's the Reo glow. That's what I'm calling it now. I mean, who wouldn't glow after meeting Reo in person and getting a concert ticket worth my entire college tuition?... A V! I! P! ticket to the biggest, hottest, trendiest concert in music history?!...
...Ara, I hope you're holding that ticket tight like your life depends on it because right now, it is more valuable than the queen's crown! It's the talk of the ton!" She whispered the last paragraph of her statement like it was top secret information.
Ciara giggled out loud. "Haha! Tony! Lana! Quit joking around.", she said quaking with heartfelt laughter.
Tony smirked charmingly.
"Nah, I'm dead serious. You always think I'm joking around. You look killer pretty! Don't tell me you don't feel the entire school staring at you?...", he replied circling Ciara with a flirty smirk. Then he paused right in front of her.
With one swift step forward, he cornered her with her back up against the row of lockers. His darker finger rested under her chin and his piercing blue eyes stared straight into her amber ones with a dead serious expression.
"Ciara, please be my girlfriend.", he said.
"Pffffffttt... Hahahaha!!!"
"Pfffffttt... Hahahahah!!!"
Both girls curved with explosions of laughter.
...
"Yup, and there go the laughs. Again. Why don't you ever believe me? I like you! I always have! Instead, it's either Luke the school prince, or Reo, the absolutely unreachable celebrity and 3-time sexiest man alive!! What about Tony, the sexiest DJ and programmer of Prestige High, huh?! What about me?... I'm right here, baby.", Tony confessed for the umpteenth time with an irresistible smile and wink combo.
Another round of giggles exploded.
"Hahaha!!", Lana collapsed unto Ciara, quaking with torrents of laughter.
"Hilarious, Tony! Hahaha!", Ciara wiped a stray tear, leaning backwards on the row of lockers behind her with hysterical laughter.
Tony's head dropped with a sigh. He ran his fingers through his messy curls.
He too was quite a looker: tall, tanned, handsome, funny, naturally charismatic, and those unique piercing blue eyes made it impossible to resist him. His eyes were a unique feature of his multi-racial background. The darker colour of his skin and bubbly personality, African and his blue eyes, European.
Lana, still heaving from Tony's last statement finally got back on her wobbly feet. She tried to speak between giggles.
"First Tony, haha... Back off, ok? Haha... She's already got Reo. And if that doesn't work, she's got me...", she ended with a hot wink and then she added, "I'm her plus one to the concert.", raising her eyebrows twice at him in a smug look. She popped a lollipop into her smirking lips.
Tony looked devastated.
"What?! No fair! What about me, Ara?! I'm basically your soulmate!", he complained, earning him another sweet round of giggles.
"You've already got a hot girlfriend, Tony. What's her name... err... Amy from ballet?", Ciara racked her brain for the name of Tony's latest love interest.
"Haha no, Amy was last week. He's with Linda now, the Brazilian foreign exchange student... Haha!", Lana informed with a teasing tone.
Another round of cheerful laughter filled the air.
"Oh, C'mon she needed someone to show her around Prestige High... You know, get her settled in... It's not my fault I'm this irresistible...", he said, flashing a charming smile at the giggling duo.
The giggling increased.
"...Haha... Alright, alright! I get it. But I'm only with all these other girls because you won't take me seriously, C. You're my number 1. Always have and always will be.", Tony the hopeless flirt placed a palm on his heart to show the sincerity of his confession.
"Yeah sorry, Tony. We know you too well. Haha! Go deceive some other girl.", Ciara stuck her tongue out at him.
...
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...
The multi-racial trio walked into the school cafeteria, still chatting away. The topic had somehow boomeranged back to the Steam Concert tonight. It's all anyone was talking about anyway.
"This is gonna be the best night of my life! Aahhhh!!! I think I'm more excited than when 'Dynamite', my all-stars cheer group won 1st place last season. Haha!", Lana, all-star cheerleader and distinguished culinary genius celebrated with some clapping and excited bunny hoping.
"Wow, it's amazing how Lana transforms from this super hot and sexy Korean model into an easter bunny and back in a split second. Haha! Always surprises me.", Tony said, patting her cute head with a light chuckle.
The half-American half-Korean doll furiously slapped at his wide palm on her head.
"Stop that! I'm a month older than you, you know?", she ordered with an annoyed bunny pout.
"Haha! Too cute! Yeah! Lana, I think your alter ego is the Easter bunny! haha!", Ciara teased away.
The happy trio took a seat with 3 other cool seniors at their preferred table; Josh, star basket-baller of Prestige High, Sally, pro gaming champion and robotics guru, and Pete, lover of extreme sports. With the wide array of talent the 6 friends had, it was no wonder their cafeteria spot was nicknamed the 'Talent Corner'.
However, Ciara couldn't care less about Prestige High's hierarchy and class system. To her, it was absolutely ridiculous. 'Just let kids be kids!', she always said even though her coolness created the Talent Corner.
...
A few feet away, at the 'Popular Corner', Sonia and her clique stared daggers at Ciara and friends.
"That bxtch!...", Sonia growled.
"Babe, you look stressed. Relax...", Luke, prince of Prestige High gently rubbed his girlfriend's shoulder to calm her down.
Then his eyes strayed again to Ciara's table... to Ciara...
...
"Was I wrong?...", he wondered.
...
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...
...
****** BEHIND THE SCENES ******
...
Director: Aaand Cut! Nice! Good scene. Prop crew, please take out the spotlight, fan, gold dust and fake flowers from the hallway. Prepare for the next shoot.
Prop Crew: Yes sir. (Prop team complies).
Ciara: (cleaning her eyes with wipes). Omg! Lana! Some of the gold dust for sparkle got in my eye. Haha! So painful!... My eyes got teary, I just had to pretend those were tears of joy! Haha!
Lana: Haha! Great job girl!
Reo: (Takes a stride towards Ciara and stops right behind her) Yeah, it was hard to notice. You did great. I was gonna get the Director to stop shooting, but your acting was ingenious. You're a professional. I'm impressed! (Pats her head and flashes a charming smile)
Ciara (blushing): Uhh Thank you, Reo.
(Lana in the corner raises eyebrows at Ciara with a mischievous smirk.)
(Ciara runs off to powder room with a silly smile and shy hands cupping her red cheeks)
Director: Reo, what are you doing on set? It's not yet time for you to shoot. You're constituting a major distraction here. Our female crew can hardly focus! And your fans are about to crash the gate I just fixed!
Reo: Haha... I think I like oranges.
Director: (facepalm)
...
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