High school is supposed to be the best years of a teenager's life. Jade however, could not claim such a thing. Four years of high school had felt like an eternity, more than any teenager's mind should endure. Jade often wished her high school experience had been a lot better, but for some reason, not everyone agreed. The "cool" kids constantly tormented her, and she never understood why.
It's not like she meant any harm, or got in anyone's way. She walked the halls of that school minding her own business and doing her own thing. So, what was the hap with the popular crowd and Jade? Oh yes, Olivia Reynolds. Miss Queen Bee herself. Jade had known Olivia since the first grade. And their interactions were never pretty. She was a spoiled, entitled brat who fancied herself the leader of the entire student body. She was your typical fashion-obsessed rich girl, not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed either.
Pigeons were smarter than her.
Thankfully, there were still a few decent students who treated her kindly. One of them was Adrian Carter. He was a straight-A student and the hottest guy in school. He wasn't on any sports team, nor did he participate in school activities or clubs. His popularity stemmed purely from his good looks. It was perfectly normal for all the girls to crush hard on him. But he had eyes for only one girl: Olivia.
Adrian and Olivia were the most well-known couple in school. Honestly, Jade could never understand what Adrian saw in Olivia. Sure, she might have been considered some kind of teenage royalty both in school and town, but she was also the biggest jerk you could ever meet. Anyone who claims to have liked her, were deluded or pretending to like her.
Disliking Olivia came with some serious consequences. If you crossed her, you'd end up broken, humiliated, and hiding away in some corner of the world you created to escape the fallout. It was easier for everyone to either pretend to like her or simply stay out of her way. Adrian, on the other hand, was a different story. Everyone adored him. He was the nicest guy, got along with everyone—even the teachers. Despite their fear of Olivia, it was never clear if the teachers actually hated her.
Thanks to Olivia, Jade was tormented by her friends and anyone else trying to fit in. To them, Jade was just your average loser. But then, in 6th grade, Grace Vitello came along and changed everything, completely shaking up the social dynamics. Olivia and Adrian remained popular, but Grace helped Jade find her courage—and even gave her a makeover. Grace quickly became Jade's best friend, without question.
This was when Jade began to get noticed by everyone. Olivia was furious as she watched Jade's popularity rise. Worse still, Jade wasn't just smarter than Olivia—she was also much nicer. Naturally, more people started gravitating towards Jade. What had once been a one-party system at school now turned into a two-party system, much to the amusement of Jade and Grace. By the time high school rolled around, Jade and Grace were just as popular as Olivia and her crew of followers.
When Grace met Olivia for the first time…well, it was instant hatred. The exchange of insults between them was legendary! Meanwhile, Jade stood off to the side, quietly enjoying the fact that Olivia couldn't intimidate Grace.
High school was a war zone: Olivia's crew vs Jade and Grace's crew. These ladies did not get along at all. Jade knew she was going to get along fine with Grace. The more they hung out, the more she discovered they liked the same things, had the same favorite foods…they were almost like twins.
Those high school years were filled with never-ending drama. Olivia just wouldn't give up her crusade against Jade and Grace. Freshman year felt like torture, sophomore year flew by quickly, junior year was filled with pranks and practical jokes, and finally, senior year was all about having fun and slacking off.
xxxXxxx
Six years have passed, and Jade, now 24 years old, leads a simple life. She resides in North Carolina with her best friend.
On this sunny afternoon, Jade steps outside to check her mailbox. After retrieving her mail, she returns indoors, locks the door. She stands at the end table next to the front door, sorting through her mail and discovers an invitation to her high school reunion in Los Angeles, California.
Hosted by Adrian and Olivia. Damn, they married each other?
Jade laughs to herself, sitting down in the arm chair across from Grace. She looks up from her laptop, "What's so funny?" She asks.
"Check this out, we have an invitation to our high school reunion." Jade says, showing her the envelope. Her friend snorts.
"Pffft. Who cares? Why waste our time at this party when we could go to Miami to pick up hot dudes? Now that's my kind of vacation!" Grace shrugs her shoulders, "Besides, this party will be all about Adrian and Olivia feeling themselves for being awesome and rich, and rubbing it into our faces." She says with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Adrian was never like that…" Jade scoffs at her friend.
"Oh god, you still like Mr. I'm-so-perfect, don't you? Even after all this time?" Grace was incredulous. She shrugged her shoulders with a small smile, not really going to answer that.
"I don't know…Maybe we should go and check it out for laughs." Jade mutters.
"Hell to the no! I'm not going to waste my three-week vacation at a party listening to everyone talk about how hot Adrian and Olivia still are. I mean, gawd man! Kill me, why don't you!" Grace responds with a roll of her eyes. Jade laughs at her best friend.
"Ahhh, it'll be fun! This might not be as bad as you think, Grace. You never know." Jade replies.
"Listen girlfriend, you can waste your vacation trying to make friends with these ass-kissers…but count me out!"
"I just want to check this out…maybe even see my old high school crush after so long."
"I'm still not going!" Grace replies in sing song voice.
"Tell you what…how about we go for a week, then spend the last two weeks in Miami." Jade offers reassuringly. Grace gives a grunt, rolling her eyes again. Sighing in frustration, she pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Alright, fine!" Throwing her hands up in surrender. "We go for one week…however, I reserve the right to leave early and without you on the grounds this'll suck ass." Grace says, her decision final.
"Fair enough."
"Ugh, I hate it when you do that." Her best friends grumble.
"Do what?" Jade asks innocently.
"That whole diplomatic compromise thing you do."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied coyly.
"Whatever. Just remember: one week. One week, we out and off to Miami. And this party better be the bomb, dude."
"What could go wrong?"
Sunday evening, they went to their closets packing up for their 3-week vacation starting in LA. All night they spent preparing for a long plane ride.
They took a taxi to the airport and by the afternoon, they were boarding the plane. As they stowed their bags in the overhead compartment, Jade closed the lid, turned around, and was startled to see an old high school rival—Lucy Anderson.
"Lucy? Wow, it's been a while," Jade said, her tone lacking enthusiasm. Lucy had been Olivia's best friend up until Lucy tried to take over the whole school. Junior year, Olivia broke her leg during a cheerleading tournament, so Lucy stepped in to take her place as "queen-bee" for a few months. She let her newfound power go to her head and when Olivia found out she didn't like that one bit.
To make things even worse, Lucy tried to seduce Adrian, which ended disastrously. Adrian humiliated her in front of everyone, and after that, their friendship fell apart completely. They haven't spoken since that incident. A month later, Lucy moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, and no one had heard from her since—until now, that is.
"Jade? How long it's been? It's so good to see you!" She said sounding anything but sincere. She sounded like she didn't want to be seen here.
"It's been a while. Are you working here now?" Jade asked, eyeing the stewardess uniform. She had expected Lucy to be out in the world pursuing an acting career, not working as a flight attendant. It seemed her so-called dream had sunk to a new low.
"Yeah, I do. I'm traveling the world just like I said I would," Lucy replied, though her tone was tinged with sadness. Jade couldn't help but think that, as a stewardess, Lucy probably never got to truly explore the cities she visited, only seeing them from inside the plane.
"That's…interesting. Have you heard about the reunion Adrian and Olivia are hosting?"
"Yes, I've heard about it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend. I have work to do," Lucy said, glancing down.
"Sorry to hear that. Good luck with everything," Jade says, settling in the aisle seat.
Damn, that was awkward.
About ten minutes later, the plane took off, and for the next few hours, Grace and Jade debated fiercely over who was hotter: The Rock or John Cena, and who would win in a wrestling match. Jade and Grace requested coffee when a flight attendant came by offering refreshments.
"I'm telling you, The Rock would crush John Cena in a wrestling match," Jade said, her hands animated as she spoke. "He's got the experience, the charisma, and let's not forget the sheer size advantage!"
Grace shook her head, her eyes sparkling with the kind of certainty that only a true wrestling fan could muster. "Are you kidding me? John Cena's been in more high-stakes matches, and his strength is off the charts. Plus, his resilience is legendary. He's never backed down, no matter the odds."
Jade took a sip of her coffee, now lukewarm and only slightly comforting. "Sure, Cena's resilient, but The Rock has that star power. Remember his matches with Stone Cold? The crowd went wild every time. It's not just about strength; it's about showmanship and experience."
Grace raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Showmanship? John Cena has his own brand of charisma. The 'You Can't See Me' move is iconic. He's had the crowd in the palm of his hand for years. And he's faced some of the toughest opponents out there. If anyone can take down The Rock, it's him."
Jade leaned in, lowering her voice slightly as if to emphasize the gravity of her point. "But The Rock's comeback has been something else. His wrestling style has evolved, and he's bringing a new level of intensity. Cena might have the edge in stamina, but The Rock's got that raw power."
Grace chuckled, shaking her head. "You're really selling Cena short. Remember that match with AJ Styles? He took a beating and still came back. Cena's got that never-give-up attitude. He's like a wrestling superhero."
Jade rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, alright. I'll give you that Cena's pretty impressive. But I still think The Rock's experience and strength would win out in the end. How about we agree to disagree and call it a draw?"
Grace laughed, nodding in agreement. "Fine, but only if we can change the subject. I'm getting tired of debating fictional wrestling matches."
"Fair enough," Jade said, leaning back in her seat. "Hey, you know I ran into Lucy Anderson back there?" Grace pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed. I take it she's on her way to the reunion as we are?" Grace asks, not really caring.
"Ah, not really. She'll be skipping the party, and working…as a flight attendant." Grace's eyes widened comically.
"No way?! Miss I'm-gonna-be-an-actress is a frickin' flight attendant? What happened to her big dream of becoming an actress?"
"I guess it didn't pan out." Grace scoffs.
"Serves that bitch right for all the drama she caused. I mean, I don't like Olivia by any means…but stealing your best friend's boyfriend…really? Who the hell did she think she was?" Jade laughs.
"Yeah, I know. That shit was some crazy shit, dude. I have a feeling this reunion is going to be really interesting."
"Interesting is one possible way to put it," Grace said with a wry smile. "It's been ages since we've seen some of those people. I wonder what everyone's been up to?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun to catch up," Jade agreed, wiggling her eyebrows at her best friend. Grace chuckles. "But I'm also kind of nervous. Especially remembering how things were back then."
Grace laughed softly. "Of course. But I'm not nervous, I'm quite excited to raise some hell as I'm known for…" Grace responds, smirking. "Regardless, we'll have each other's backs, right?"
"Definitely," Jade said, giving her friend a fist bump, a grin spreading across her face. "And who knows? Maybe Adrian and Olivia will surprise us."
Grace shook her head. "I don't think so. I wouldn't hold my breath."
"It's been a while since we've had a reason to dress up and party like it's 2009." Jade raised her coffee cup. "Here's to high school reunions and friendly debates. And to whatever the future holds."
Grace clinked her cup against Jade's. "Cheers to that."
As they finished their drinks and prepared to leave, their laughter filled the air, a testament to the enduring strength of their friendship and the excitement of the reunion ahead.