Crowned in Chaos 

Summer’s supposed to be perfect, right? Yeah, well, don’t hold your breath. To be honest, I’ve always hated summer: the weather, the parties, the heat waves, and, worst of all, the broken friendships—okay, I added that last bit on, but you'll understand why soon—that leave you hurt. It started on the last day of school. I, Lexi Rivers—the most popular girl in school—was handing out invitations like a commoner for my summer party. It was gonna be the bomb. I invited all the popular kids and my bestie, Blair Hart. She'd been by my side since birth, and if I were the queen, she was definitely my right-hand girl. But even queens make mistakes—and my biggest one? You’ll see.

Blair flashed her usual picture-perfect smile when I handed her the glittery invite. “Pool party of the year?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know it,” I said, flipping my hair like I wasn’t already sweating under the summer sun. Too bad I didn’t know that would be the last smile she’d give me all summer. Even though Blair isn't as popular as me, I still made an exception—popular girls are kind too, y’know. Anyway, I told her all the deets—who was coming, who wasn’t—subtly dropping that some people didn’t make the cut. When I mentioned that Sophia wasn’t coming and Lola was, Blair froze. Like, literally froze. Her smile faded for just a second, and I could’ve sworn I saw something like... jealousy? Anger? It was hard to tell. Me, Blair, and Sophia used to be thick as thieves before all the drama started, but she never seemed too bothered about it before.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Me? Yeah, I have no problem with Lola or… Sophia.”

She hesitated. Just for a second. But in Lexi’s world (I like to speak of myself in third person when I'm stressed, confused, annoyed, angry—you’ll get used to it), a second is everything. I narrowed my eyes, but I let it go. For now. Just then, Sophia walked by, talking like she was the main character.

“Hey Blair! How are you? I haven’t seen you since, like, last period. I sent you the deets to my summer party—love ya!” Then—get this—she shoved me. Like, who shoves a queen? and scurried off. I stood there looking at Blair, shocked. And let me tell you, shocked does not look good on me. Just kidding. Everything looks good on Lexi.

Queen rule #1: If someone shoves you, you better tell your servants.

Blair croaked, “I forgot to tell you, me and Sophia are cool now.”

“That isn't cool, that's bestie material… when did this happen, why didn’t you tell Lexi?” I spat.

Blair replied, “I was gonna, and I was also gonna tell you Sophia invited me to her party, but you looked so happy.”

Queen rule #2: If your bestie keeps secrets from you, you better send them to the dungeon for treason.

I felt the glittery invitation in my hand like it was burning a hole through my royal fingers. Sophia’s party? My bestie? At her party? This summer just declared war.

“I don't even know you anymore,” I squeaked.

Blair scolded, “What do you mean, you were allowed to invite Lola and I’m not allowed to talk to Sophia just ‘cause you're the popular one! You're the one who had a problem with her, not me.”

“I never said that, and stop bringing popularity into this!” I puffed.

“If Lexi only cared about being popular, she wouldn't be friends with you,” I continued.

“Fine. Be besties with Sophia,” I said, flipping my hair one last time. “Lexi wouldn’t wanna be seen around a traitor anyway.”

Queen rule #3: Always be the last to talk. It gives you an edge in every convo.

As I slept in my queen-sized bed, I surprisingly couldn't get any beauty sleep, and believe me, I drank enough milk to last the summer. As I scrolled through my phone, soon after I got a message from Sophia and Lola.

Sophia: “Ha. Just heard you & Blair aren’t besties anymore, I hope you cry about it.”

Ugh, I almost threw up after I read that.

Lola: “Heyyy, just wanted to say, can't make it to your party, Sophia said she's gonna have it at the beach, gotta be there, sorryyy.”

It was well past 11 PM when I finally laid my phone down, staring at the ceiling in the darkness of my room. The buzz of the day still lingered in the air—the drama, the betrayal, the shock. Blair chose Sophia. Lola bailed. Fine. They could have their little party. But Lexi Rivers doesn’t fall. She rises. I reached for my phone again. This wasn’t over. I’d make my summer my own. A new party. A better crew. No room for traitors. As I scrolled through my contacts, something nagged at me.

Maybe I messed up. Maybe we both did.

Queen rule #4: Fix your crown, but don’t forget who helped you wear it.

The night was quiet, but my mind was racing. And no matter what happened tomorrow, one thing was certain.

The summer wasn’t over. Not for Lexi Rivers. And definitely not for the queen.

Creative Writing by Gabriella Iwobho (S3)