Admire Me 2 - 1. Chapter 1 Beware of the Plastics

The Christmas and New Years break was over.

Two holidays equal lots of food. Everyone knows lots of food means weight gain! One of the worst things an alpha like myself could deal with.

In the history of popularity, cliques, and groups, there has never been a fat alpha. I am certainly not planning on being the first.

Over the holiday break, Jade told me many times I had not gained any weight. Even though he could be telling the truth I had to take extra precaution.

Jade was the right-hand man in my clique. He was the second in command. What alpha’s would call ‘beta’. His loyalty always was there. He stuck with me all through last semester’s drama. Even when I spilled milk on myself and no one helped me and I wouldn’t talk to him or anyone in my clique. Jade kept trying to reach me. He was a true jewel of Jade. A gem in all his rights.

My clique was broken last semester. There was Keylan, who was a football sports jock, very sexy Hispanic with green contacts. Then there was Ryan, who was quiet, black haired, and hazel eyed rich guy who later we found out was adopted into the fortune. They both were excommunicated from the clique due to their ultimate betrayal. These two refused to join the clique and found a new alpha to serve. Which was David.

David is a player, nothing needs to be said about him. He is currently a nobody. When my new and improved clique finished ruining David, Keylan, and Ryan, their entire clique broke up. All three of them lost their current titles in the popular scene.

It was mean and spiteful, but things must be done to maintain my social order at school. I’m the ‘King Bee’. I wear the crown at high school. If my throne is being threatened, my clique will eliminate it. Simple.

Anyway, I was happy to see I could fit into my jeans from last semester. It gave me the clue that Jade was telling the truth. (which he always does) I hadn’t gained a pound. I believed my pants wouldn’t lie to me, neither would Jade but I had to make absolutely certain that I hadn’t gained weight.

I scheduled for my clique a trip to the mall today. It was only three of us in the clique now ever since last semester’s war. So we traveled in small numbers.

We drove to the mall in Korbyn’s car.

Korbyn was my boyfriend. Who happens to be the third member in our clique. Our history was complicated. With him being in the clique and being my boyfriend made things more complicated but not to the extent they used to be.

Korbyn and I started off as bitter enemies. It’s crazy how it happened. We started off on rough ground after a violent spat between us. We would argue, give each other crazy stares, and be really mean to each other. Looking at us now, no one would believe we were enemies at first, because how close and nice we were to each other. We really came a long way. He figured in the end there was more he wanted out of me, and arguing was not the key to getting it.

I chose Korbyn as a member in the clique because he was witty and hot. He had the skinny tight muscles in his body, the Hollister style, and a good social status. In simple format, Korbyn was a Hollister model! Hot all the way around. There’s not one thing about him anybody would call ugly… even his silver lined braces were a plus. No points could be subtracted from him no matter what he did.

At this moment, Korbyn’s head of Blond spikes were in motion trying to keep up, and carry my shopping bags. He was behind us. It was funny how my enemy turned out to be my boyfriend. I still couldn’t get over that. I can’t deny it, his piercing green eyes are pleasing to stare into, even when we were fighting. He was better as a boyfriend than an enemy.

While we shopped Korbyn was trying to keep up with Jade and I. We were experts at shopping. My footsteps were taking me from store to store. I was not only picking up pants, but searching through racks for only the best clothing to wear on my body.

As everyone knows fashion in the popularity world means everything. Especially in high school. Keeping your appearance up, and your clothes up, is always a must. After all, it is another way of showing the people what category of social group you fit in.

Soon after plenty of shopping, I found a changing room in a store. While Korbyn and Jade sat on a bench near the door talking, waiting for me to come out.

I was trying on a pair of never before worn pants. These new pants will really show me the truth. Trying them on will tell me if I have expanded from eating that big Christmas dinner my brother Jason begged my mom to make.

Jason was my older brother. He wasn’t in high school thank god. My brother always invited his urban friends over to smoke and talk about dumb guy stuff that no one cares about. My brother was a thug, and even though he wasn’t in high school and we didn’t agree on anything. He somehow managed to be in high school. All his urban/thug friends seemed to be his eyes and ears in the high school. Watching me, and protecting me.

It was weird to know my brother had that much say-so in a crowd of gangsters but it came in handy last semester.

Putting on the pants, I burst from the changing room, “How do I look?” I asked, taking a small spin to give them a full view of the pants. “Do they make me look fat?”

Jade and Korbyn stopped their talking, to look at the view.

Jade was the first to reply. “Oh no, no, no! Those are too cute on you Bray.” He blinked excitedly. “Skinny and fabulous.”

My stare went from Jade to Korbyn. Who was staring at something else now. Jade quickly nudged him, making him come back to our planet.

“Oh what did you say?” Korbyn shook his head dumbly. Jade gave him a rude glare.

“I said, do these make me look fat?” I forced out almost losing my temper. He needs to be paying attention. What does he think we invited him along for?

Korbyn waited a minute putting a finger to his red lips. He checked out my legs, then said, “I think they make your butt look plump and round.”

Jade’s jaw dropped he put a hand up to his mouth. He was appalled at Korbyn’s comment… and so was I. How could he say that?

“Plump? And round?” I snapped angrily looking at myself in the pants. “Are you kidding me?” I stepped back into the changing room slamming the door shut. I took my pants off, “Oh my god!” I can’t believe he said that. Those words are so not me.

“What did I say wrong?” I heard Korbyn asking.

Jade was making him understand ‘plump’ and ‘round’ were two words for fat! The precise words I didn’t want to hear while trying on clothes to see if I gained weight. How dare he offend his alpha/boyfriend like that!

“You never in a million years tell any popular person that Korbyn. Especially, Braylon.” Jade explained to him. Jade had been in the clique for years. Korbyn only joined last semester, so he was still in a learning process of what works and what doesn’t work. “You basically told Braylon he was ‘fat’.” Jade translated in my defense.

That is why Jade is beta in the clique. He knew the way things were ran. He knew how to support his alpha and he knew what it took to please me. His Beta attitude was fierce, he could do any task I assigned to him. He was the energetic, feminine type of guy who was a light complexioned beauty. His hair was black short even cut. Eyes were strong, and his lips were full. I remember when we kissed last semester. There was something very rewarding about his lips. I knew then his lips weren’t only meant for gathering gossip and telling it.

One thing I know about Jade, he would do anything I told him. If I wanted another kiss I would have got it. He started to date this guy named C.J. so we never truly went down that road. I never put much thought into that since then. Maybe it was a good thing. Who knows.

I could still hear the two of them bickering.

“I only said-“

Jade cut Korbyn off, “Don’t say that again! Especially if you want to keep Braylon as a boyfriend.”

I came out of the changing room. Ready to leave this freaking mall! Korbyn had ruined my shopping mood. “We are leaving.”

Korbyn picked my bags up from the floor standing up. “I’m so sorry,” he constantly apologized for his mistake. “I didn’t know.” I heard him but I was too mad to care. If I said something now, it wouldn’t be cute. “You know I’m still new.”

Yeah he was new, but he should be adapting to the rules. He can’t just say what he wants and think ‘I’m new’ will save his hide time after time. A punishment is required for mistakes. That way, he knows next time not to do it.

Punishing someone in your clique that is new is the quickest way to teach them the do’s and don’ts of the rules.

Before we left the store, the guy at the register rang up the prices of my pants and shirts. When he finished scanning everything he looked at me, “Paper or plastic?”

Jade knowing what mood I was in spoke, “Duh, Plastic.”

Korbyn rolled his eyes, dropping the bags. He got his wallet and slid his credit card out to me.

I smirked a little sliding his card. Knowing that I purposely bought those pants he said I looked round and plump in, and an expensive shirt. It was his punishment for his mistakes.

We all got in Korbyn’s car. It was a black Camery. It was a nice car his dad bought him for Christmas. It was our transportation to go out and spend time together. He always wanted me right next to him in the passenger’s seat. I normally would sit there beside him proudly, but not this time.

I sat in the back seat. His comment was rude and I didn’t want to deal with him. Jade took the passenger’s seat instead. As the car began to drive, Korbyn already seemed to feel awful.

Jade turned to face me in the back, “Braylon, you aren’t fat, plump or round.” He told me, in the dearest way. “You are petite, well defined thin and your butt is perky.”

I started to smile. He knew just what to say. Somehow the words he spoke put ice on my temper.

Now that is a compliment!

I’m sure Krobyn was taking notes. Everytime he messed up in the clique he gets to feeling down. It’s almost like a look of failure on his face, and then he starts to silently mouth words. It was probably his way of remembering the lesson being learned.

We pulled up at my house. From the front seat I saw Jade messing with his phone. I exited Korbyn’s Camery feeling better and less aggravated. I didn’t want to be around him.

My phone buzzed.

   Bye

Jade text me. It was so sweet. He wanted me to calm down and be happy. I knew it from that single text.

When I approached the door to my house, I suddenly didn’t want to be there either. Now I would have to deal with my older brother Jason and my mom. Ughh.

Jason answered the door wearing his boxers and a white shirt. Yawning and stretching in the door way, where I couldn’t get by.

“Move out my way Jason!” I shoved him aside, walking into the house. I wasn’t in the mood to put up with him either. Yawning while answering the door was beyond rude.

“Boy, I almost knocked you out.” Jason threatened after locking the door. He pushed me from behind, and walking to his room.

Jason was lazy. Everyday it’s the same thing with him. He wakes up late in the day, invite his friends over, get rowdy, and then fall back to sleep. Nothing adventurous or important.

He doesn’t clean anything in the house. My mom pesters me to do the chores and pick up for his slack. While I’m cleaning, Jason is laying in his bed. It is one of the reasons I would kick his butt if I could beat him up.

Jason flopped on his bed, laying down. I looked around his room and there were dirty socks of the floor. His clothes were hanging out of drawers. He had an ash tray knocked over. There were hangers on his dresser, and old paper plates scattered on top of the clutter. He was too dumb to throw his plates in the trash. What really crawled under my skin was seeing him lay down in the midst of his clutter. I left after seeing snack wrappers in his covers. I couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Ewww, like clean up!

I went to my room. Sitting on my bed, It was always orderly here. I could always count on that.

My room was my safe haven from the world. I went through the shopping bags arranging my new clothes. Afterwards I took a shower and decided to relax myself by laying down

Today in the mall was horrible. I couldn’t believe Korbyn’s choice of words. It just makes me so mad and Jason’s room is so nasty I can’t stop thinking about it and tomorrow starts the second semester of school. I was feeling the stress.

I was already missing the holiday break, but I have to go back to school not just to learn, but to keep my throne as the social king. God knows what would happen if I wasn’t running the school.

“Braylon!” my mom screamed.

“What?” I was so annoyed. I didn’t feel like doing anything.

Can’t she see I am relaxing?

“Don’t you ‘what’ me.” She yelled. I don’t know where she was in the house. I think she was yelling form the kitchen somewhere.

“Ma’am?”

“Take out the trash! It stinks.”

I got up and stomped all the way into the kitchen. Why couldn’t Jason do this? His room is closer anyway.

I gathered the trash, trying not to get any on me. It was just my luck that I lifted the bag and it had a small hole in it. A brown sticky slime, poured out of the hole and got all over my feet.

This was sick!

I hurriedly doubled the bag, power walked to the dumpster and slung the big, stinky retarded bag of trash in there. I was gradually building to a breaking point. This was so sick.

The brown mess that came out of the trash was smelly, and it was cold on my feet. This made me take another shower after taking out the trash. Jason and my mom were getting on my nerves. Ugh!! That is why I said I didn’t feel like dealing with them.

My mom wasn’t finished bothering me. I thought after a second shower I would be clean and everything would go to normal.

I was wrong.

My mom made me wash dishes, and clean the bathroom. I felt like a tired slave when I finally laid in my bed. Something had to be done about lazy Jason. Thoughts of ‘tricking him into cleaning up’ crossed my mind… before too long, words started to come up in my head like: ‘plump’ and ‘round’. I rolled over in my bed hearing the words again. Wishing they would leave. Wishing they were never said.

It’s the start of a new semester. Meaning, I have to put today behind me, and at least when I go to school, everybody will be jealous, and begging to hang out with me. They all will try to be a part of my clique as usual, and try to sit at my table.

I can already see them bowing down as I make my way through the halls. Especially when I go there with my new outfits, that is something great to expect.

Thinking of my return to school, helped get some of the negativity out of my head.

Tomorrow, I Braylon winters, will return to my throne. Enemies beware.

School was moving slow. One of my classes changed since last semester. It was convenient because this new class I had with Jade. The school made a major mistake putting us in a class together.

Jade and I, alpha and beta, sounds like a takeover already.

In our new class, Jade spent most of the class period gossiping while the teacher was teaching. It was better than hearing the lady tell us things I would never care about. Instead I was getting the 411 on everybody’s lives over the break, and who did what.

“Oh my gosh, Bray remind me to tell you about C.J. at lunch.” He whispered softly.

I stopped giving him a bewildered look, “Why not now?” I had to know.

“Because we have nosey people,” he let out, turning his head to a girl with glasses behind him. “Trying to listen to everything I say!”

I couldn’t stop laughing. The look on the girls face said it all.

“Okay,” I laughed grabbing my sides. Jade was going to be my amusement for this class. So there is a good chance I won’t get bored.

 *****

Later at lunch. Jade, Korbyn and I took seats at our original table. Looking down on everybody else. Students we didn’t know were walking by smiling, some were waving at me. I didn’t know or care to know them. Um I know they missed me, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lower my standards and wave back.

A chubby girl came by our table as we discussed clique business. It was a trashy thing to do, but what else could you expect from a bad built geek.

Ignoring the geeky girl, I announced, “So anyway, I want our clique name to be…”

“Hi Jade!” the chubby girl waved happily. She was red in the face as she was rocking back in forth looking down at her mixed matched socks.

“Eww Jade.” Korbyn jabbed, “Who is the follower?”

“I don’t know.” Jade said through a fake smile towards the girl.

“Someone get rid of her before I do.” I was upset. It was going against every social code in the book. How could this girl? You are never to interrupt a plastic’s conversation with his clique. Especially the alpha. That is a bad move.

The girl invited herself over to our table.

“What is she doing?” I said watching her coming closer to us. This was a double violation! No one is allowed to sit at our table. It was clique member only. If you weren’t Braylon, Jade, or Korbyn you have no right coming to the table.

“Hey! Stay where you are.” Korbyn told her holding his hand up to stop her in her tracks. “We can hear you from there.” being that he was new to the clique he knew a follower when he saw one.

We started to sniggle a little before she started talking again, “Oh I was only trying to say hi…” she started to say but was cut off by Korbyn again.

“We don’t even know you!” he said in disgust. His gorgeous green eyes were shooting darts at her. “We would like to keep it that way. So stay back!”

“Yeah, and to be honest, I don’t care about what you had to say.” Jade jumped in.

The girl started to tremble from the words. She stood at a distance, like she had a problem. I wanted to finish my conversation with my clique. It was way more important than this ‘thing’ standing in front of us.

Korbyn focused his model like face on me. “Ignore her, she’s desperate for popular people’s attention.”

Jade’s attention was now on me too. “Yeah, she isn’t worth anything. Let her stand there until she faints.” He suggested with a smile. “I hate when someone calls my name like I know them.”

Taking their advice I moved on with the conversation. Hoping the geek would leave or disappear when she was ignored. “So anyway, like I was saying before ‘grandma’ over there interrupted me…” I referred it to the girl, in a shady way. Korbyn and Jade howled with laughter.

“Awww sweetie you are mean.” Korbyn braces gleamed. I’m sure if there was no one around he would have kissed me.

“I know,” I smirked glancing at the girl who was crying now, but who cared about that? “I want our clique name to be: The A-list.”

They both exchanged smiles at each other. Then they turned to face me, with looks of satisfaction.

“Yeah ‘A-list’ fits.” Korbyn said drinking his powerade. He seemed to be proud.

“Braylon, I’ve always said you were a social genius.” Jade chimed with a grin. “That is a perfect title.”

“A-list it is.” I finalized.

We gossiped a little more about people. Korbyn listened in, but he never said much about anything. I don’t know why I guess he thinks he is too manly for a gossip secession. Everyone feels good after a bit of gossip.

“Oh, Jade.” I swallowed a piece of lettuce. I was on a diet. I know I didn’t gain a pound over the break but I feel like I ate too much. So I’m only eating salads and granola bars, at school. “You haven’t told me about C.J. yet.” I excitedly reminded him.

C.J. was a guy at school. Who happens to be one of my brother’s urban friends. Last year he and Jade started talking.

“Oh God, him!” Jade grabbed his forehead frustratedly, “okay, C.J. broke up with me,” Jade whispered.

“What!” I exclaimed, Korbyn giggled. “What happened?” I couldn’t believe Korbyn was wanting to hear this. This was new.

“I don’t see anything funny.” Jade replied to Korbyn.

“I wasn’t laughing at you.” Korbyn shot back.

“Anyway Braylon,” Jade smacked his lips disbelievingly. “C.J. told me ‘it was over’. Then he hung up the phone in my face.”

“What!”

“That’s not all.” Jade said. “He is trying to date Candice now.”

“Oh no! we have to ruin him.” I automatically spoke. Not caring if C.J. was one of my brother’s friends, who watched out for me. “You never, dump a gay guy and then date a girl flaunting her in your ex’s face. That’s a no, no.”

Korbyn laughed again. Something about this was funny to him.

“What is so funny?” Jade struck at him again.

“Not you.” Korbyn started, he pointed at something, when Jade and I looked we saw a fat chubby girl still standing there watching us.

How long had she been there?

Jade started laughing then I was tired of the girl stand around. She wasn’t near our table but the sight of her was pressing my buttons. I couldn’t even enjoy time with my friends because she was standing around like we were going to feel sorry for her.

“Excuse me. Do you have a problem or something?” I shouted, she just looked down crying.

She replied, “You are rude. Why do you treat people like that?” she wiped her eyes. “You can’t treat people like you do.”

“Well to answer you correctly, I can do whatever I want, to whoever I want.” I made the statement rising from my seat. It didn’t take Jade and Korbyn long to follow my lead joining me to stand. “Another thing you should know, I always treat grandma’s with mix matched socks and bad bodies, like garbage.” I smirked hard. “Now could you please stop drooling over my perfect figure, and continue your geek agenda elsewhere?”

People in the cafeteria took notice of what was going on and they joined in on the insult by laughing at her. She looked like she wanted to run as far away from school as she could get.

“Aww don’t tell me you are going to cry.” I said in a baby voice. “I truly don’t care. The gig is up pig lady… you are dismissed.” There was fire streaming from my mouth. I didn’t know I was going to say that much. What I said must have burned her pretty bad. She hung her head down, wiping her eyes. When I sat back down, I felt so much better. Jade and Korbyn couldn’t stop jeering. They both kept saying things like:

“Pig lady. Haha!”

“Grandma with mix match socks.”

“Geek agenda”

“Braylon you are a legend.”

The chubby, attention seeking, girl ran off. The whole cafeteria laughed at her as she left.

I guess she had enough humiliation for one day. I’m sure next time she will take the warning when we say leave us alone. Sometimes you have to make an example out of someone just so everyone gets the hint.

After a short discussion and a few more laughs we settled down. So did the onlookers in the cafeteria. Everything was back to normal, and the geek was gone.

“Oh my goodness,” Jade eyes grew, he gasped and paused his laughter. “Look who it is.” He pointed to a table in the distance. “It’s the new girl, Andrea I heard everyone talking about.”

I glanced at the brown haired girl. She had pink lip gloss on her small pair of lips. She wore a pink and white skirt, she had a purse thrown over her shoulder, hat also happened to be pink. I didn’t see anything important…

“She doesn’t matter.” I told the flatly, “As long as she knows not to cross us she will live to graduate. Good thing we made an example out of that geeky girl.”

They listened to me but it seemed like they were studying the girls actions. “Look at who she is sitting with!” Korbyn urged, he was sending an alert to me.

Andrea this ‘new girl’ was sitting with Missy, Hannah, and Sarah. Which is another group, known as: The Girl Plastics. The only other group of plastics besides us. That was something I hadn’t even noticed. The girl plastics has never changed their group in years. For this new girl to be sitting with them all of a sudden was a sign.

Missy was the alpha for the girl plastics. I believe they let Andrea sit with them because she wore pink on her first day of school. Pink is Missy’s signature color. Wear it on the first day, or more than often she will have Hannah and Sarah keeping an eye on you. If her henchmen tell her you are worthy to be in the ‘Girl Plastics’ she will recruit you.

It must be what’s happening right now.

The thing about Missy’s clique is, they are popular. All the Jock guys wanted one of them. Missy and I had one problem in middle school. We both wanted the crown over the school. It was a war to see who was the King or queen of the school. social order had to be established and I was going to take that seat early.

Our battle for the top was a brutal one. It almost came to physical blows. We ended up signing a social treaty. It was ‘never to ruin each other ever again.’

It was that bad. In 7^th grade the school had turned upside down, and there was a little anarchy happening. Teachers were even getting involved. It became a zoo. We were both alphas fighting over the popularity crown. It was dangerous and bad. A lot of people stopped coming to school, or got burned accidentally in our battles for power.

Ever since the treaty, Missy and I have no problems. We haven’t since 7^th grade. She stays on here side, and I stay on mine.

Looking at their table I saw Missy playing with her hair as her beta who was Hannah chewed gum and gossiped. I wonder what it could be about.

“Who cares about who the ‘new girl’ sits with.” I blurted feeling a bit agitated. I didn’t want my friends paying attention to any other clique or alpha besides me. For some reason I was getting a bad signal from this all.

sub>First Chapter of Admire me 2. I thought I got such good responses from the fans of ‘Admire Me’ that I started the sequel. Tell me what you think and if you would like more.