Reputation by Redhead16 MLM (the giving tree read aloud txt) 📖

"Sweetheart, we're going to Hawaii for a couple of weeks."  Alyssa Reption brightened at her mother's words.

"That's fine by me. I won't throw any wild parties or anything." she said in her most innocent voice. Her mother laughed.

"I know you won't. That's why we've hired a police officer to watch you." Allison said. She knew her daughter well. No matter what, she was bound to throw a party or do something stupid, which is why she'd hired Ledger in the first place.

"His name is Ledger. He's young, in his early twenties. You'll like him, he's very laid back."

"Your idea of laid back and my idea of laid back are totally different." Alyssa said, pressing her red hair against the crisp white pillows. Allison laughed, throwing her equally red hair back.

"Apparently so." she said, putting her hand on her Jessica Rabbit-like hip. Alyssa lifted her head off her pillow when she heard an unfamiliar car pull in.

"That would be him!" Allison said, putting her hands together. She ran out of her daughter's room and greeted an unfamiliar male voice.

"Alyssa, get your butt down here!" she called through the intercom. Alyssa rolled her eyes, grabbed her purple cell phone with a Hello Kitty keychain, and went downstairs. She didn't bother to fix her messy hair or adjust her bra straps. She tromped down the stairs, expecting a fat man with already-balding hair. Instead, she saw a flash of blond hair, and wished she'd put in more effort before she went downstairs. Too late now. She casually strolled in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of sparkling kiwi/strawberry flavored water before she turned around and saw...the best looking man she'd ever seen.

Thick blond hair covered his head. His cheeks were nicely chiseled and brilliantly shone with the power of a nice body. His most striking feature were his eyes, though. One was green, the other one was blue. He was more than fabulous. He was fabu-glamolorous. He was positively gorgeous.

"Ledger." he said, offering her his hand. She took it. Instead of shaking, he clasped her hand with both of his and kissed it. She was shocked, angered, pleased, and desperate all at once. She was desperate for him to like her. She was shocked because she had not expected such a beautiful man. She was pleased because he was a gentleman. She was angered because she had not put in more effort to make herself look halfway decent. She didn't have a drop of makeup on and her hair was tangled and in a loose French braid.

He stared at her. He thought she was all right-looking. She obviously hadn't expected him. Her eyes were wide and frightened and confused. In her eyes an array of emotions flashed through. Shock, pleasure, anger, love, desperation, lust. He turned back to Alyssa's mother. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.

"At least a week or two." she answered. So that meant that she didn't know how long she'd be gone. That might turn out to be a problem, Ledger thought. He didn't really have a home, but he had family. His mother and brothers.

He made her lunch. She'd been locked up in her room since her parents left and he wanted her to come down and talk to him. He was nervous, fearful. He grabbed the intercom.

"Alyssa, I made you a grilled cheese. I know what you're thinking, but it's the only thing I know how to make other than frozen food." He heard clinking on the polished wood floor. He turned, and was a bit surprised when he saw Alyssa. She was actually wearing makeup, and wore a cotton black dress. Her hair had been freshly crimped, and she looked amazing. His breath caught when he met her eyes. Somehow they seemed a brighter aquamarine than usual. They were astounding. He nearly clutched his chest when he saw them. Alyssa met his eyes and gave him a sultry smile as she grabbed a rose-bordered plate and helped herself to the sandwich using a spatula. It was still hot in the pan.

He asked her what she wanted to drink. She said that she would get her own drink. When his back was turned, she poured a little alcohol in her tea/lemonade mix.

"Do I smell alcohol?" Ledger said, sniffing the air.

"You can smell-I mean, why would you be smelling tequila-I mean, alcohol?" Alyssa stumbled over her words. Ledger gave her a knowing smile and her heart skipped a few beats, and not just because she'd gotten caught.

"I will let it go this time. However, you may only drink wine, and only if I'm around. I know what your parents' rules are, but I'm in charge, and a girl your age shouldn't be drinking. A boy shouldn't, either," he lectured.

"What about non-alcoholic wine?" she teased.

"That's fine." he said, turning his back and started to clean up.

"You don't have to do that, you know. Maria can take care of that," she said.

"Maria is a maid and a cook, not a servant or slave," he muttered. Alyssa was hurt by this and decided she wasn't hungry after all. She took her drink up into her room. Ledger looked back and pondered what he'd said. He regretted it immediately. He didn't know this girl, and he didn't know how she treated Maria exactly. At that moment, Maria appeared in a pink apron.

"I will do," she said in an accent Ledger couldn't place, taking the pan from him and taking over the dishes. "You speak to girl." It was clear Maria didn't know much English.

Ledger made his way to Alyssa's room. He knocked on the door, and she answered.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I should not have insulted you, I barely even know you." he said. Alyssa just nodded, and applied shimmer to her cheeks.

"Are you going somewhere?" Ledger asked.

"Why do you care?" Alyssa asked.

"Alyssa, you are under my guardianship. I have a legal obligation to protect you. And that means..." he paused for effect while she looked at him, "knowing where you're going."

"My friend has a party tonight. That's all that's happening. No alcohol, very few boys, I expect nothing illegal will happen. It's a night where we all get as dolled up as possible. It's just for fun." She was lying, of course, and he knew it. But he knew that she wouldn't tell him any more, so he let it go. He watched her for a minute. He found her...attractive. Hot, even. Her red hair was pulled around her shoulders in a seductive manner. Her entire entire posture screamed Come get me!

But no, he couldn't. That would be illegal, and her parents would fire him. That much he knew. He refused to believe that he could possibly love a girl so young. They would have an illegal relationship! She was only sixteen. But she was so sexy...so beautiful...so gorgeous...she fueled his desire.

Meanwhle, Alyssa made plans quickly to meet up with her best friends, which everyone called The Bossies. They thought they were the most important element in the social standing. They had their place, and everyone knew it, especially them. Jealousy, insecurities, and cattiness reigned among them.

Alyssa was at the top of the pyramid. Among them was Vickie, whom everyone secretly called Witchie, Pat, also nicknamed Bat, Victoria, nicknamed Era, and Xana, who lived up to the meaning of her name, golden-haired or blonde. Xana was also the nicest one, which is saying a lot.

She was direct, sometimes quiet, sometimes she was nice to those lower than her. Her dumb-as-a-twig boyfriend, RQ, rarely left her side unless he was with his basketball buddies.

They all looked menacing now as Alyssa approached them.

"I have a shocker to tell you all. No points, it's about me." They all leaned in to hear a juicy tidbit before they put their plan into action. Alyssa told them about Ledger and showed them a picture she'd secretly taken.

"OMG, he's hawt!" Xana shrieked. Alyssa nodded. "Totally. Plus he'll let me get away with stuff."

Change of plans, Vickie thought. She grabbed her cell phone, much to the obliviousness of Alyssa, and texted the other three.

VickieWitchie: Change of plans. Keep her in until we get the guy...

PrincessXana: He's totally worth cheating on RQ for.

PatTheBat: Completely. I wouldn't mind toning down the flirting with Jack until he's mine.

VictorianEra: Step aside, bitches!! I saw him first!!!

VickieWitchie: First we have to get this bitch out of the way!

PrincessXana: Not so fast. We need her first. Then we will drag her down and ruin her.

So it was agreed. Until one of them scored Ledger, thwy would use Alyssa to get closer to him. He was worth it.

What they didn't know was, Alyssa had that conversation on her phone as well. She had set up an application called Automatic Conversation App where if any of them began a conversation with the others. Creepy, yes, but necessary, not only to maintain her status, but to find out what these girls were really up to. They were witches, and they called themselves Beautiful Devils in secret.

Alyssa knew all this because of this one simple app that costed less than a new Prada bag. It was worth more than that. Now she had access to all the latest, all of her "friends" plans and ideas. She was able to trick them. She'd find a way to get back at them eventually.

Alyssa walked the halls of the school. Everywhere, she was stared at and gawked at because she was hot, and confident, and smart, and she knew what she wanted and didn't let anyone get in her way, especially not traitors. Her locker was right by some guy named Grabation. He was cute, but very weird. He always had some stupid smile on his face and he liked the Goth culture. His hair was long, past his shoulders, and it was CURLY and frizzy.

She ignored him, which was too easy, as he didn't acknowledge her. Next to him was a book from Remedial English. It was a classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. Alyssa had read it before many times and always found it intriguing.

Publication Date: 02-07-2014

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
This is based on a dream that I had