Teresa Toten - Beware That Girl

Im not a pathological liar and I dont lie for fun. I only lie because I have to. Thing is, Ive always lied, because Ive always had to. Im comfortable with the weight of my lies. So Im good. Thats all there is to it. Well, that and I want a better life. Wait, thats a lie. I want a big life.

And another thingdogs and little kids love me, so there goes that lame old saying. Demented rich girls love me too. I am that friend, the how-did-I-live-without-you friend. The you-are-such-a-riot friend. The friend with the shoulders that are soggy from your tears. I am the lifeline friend, and lifelines come with a price. But I digress. Love that word, digress. Its snotty and not as easy to work into a sentence as youd think.

Id been watching her for days.

The first few days were all about the hunt, about not walking into walls. There was that familiar head-spinning hell of where to go, who was who, dont make an ass of yourself at the new school, etc., etc. But I can focus like nobody else. A handful of girls were examined and dismissed. Too regular, too normal, too together or (the true kiss of death) not genuinely loaded, even though they seemed to have all the trappings. I know the difference. Before coming here, I spent most of high school out west in the very best private girls schools. I was the scholarship kid, the boarder. The girl you convinced your parents to bring home for weekends, for holidays. Ive had plenty of practice.

See, I know how whack these girls are behind their armor of Range Rovers and Louboutins. There had to be someone. My meal ticket was in this senior class somewhere.

And then, at the beginning of week two, there she wasall born blonde and rich and just messed up enough. Beautiful, no cliques and reeking of Lexapro or Paxil or something. Mind you, that could apply to half the school. But this girl was like an extra. There was definitely something. Olivia Michelle Sumner: if that doesnt spell money, I dont know what does. She was head-to-toe Barneys and Bloomies, preppy with a price. The rest of the girls gave her a wide berth even as they squealed, Welcome back, Olivia! Youre back! Great to see you! Hey, wow! But they werent her people. That was clear. Olivia kind of glided around on remote control. There was a story there. Excellent. Olivia Sumner and I shared only one class, AP English, but thats all it takes.