A/N: Okay, this is basically Gone With The Wind set in the present. The awesome character like Mammy, Ashley, Melly, and, of course, the unforgettable Aunt Pitty, will all make appearance, just later on. Since it's kind of hard to write a GWTW fic without Rhett, he'll be joining us next chapter.
Though I wish I owned GWTW, sadly I have to admit I don't (I bet you're all shocked, huh?).
God. I should not have drunk that much last night, was the thought that kept running through Scarlett O'Hara's mind on the morning of November 20th, 2006, during second period of Lincoln High School, Atlanta. She was currently slouching in the back of Mrs. McDermott's eleventh grade English class, musing on the evils of drinking while the old hag droned on about something or another. Scarlett had planned to sit in a dark corner of the classroom to nurse her hangover, but some jocks even sicker than her had beaten her to it and she didn't have the strength to flirt them out of their seats. The truth was, she was absolutely unused to hangovers. The first time she had gotten drunk, in tenth grade, her mother had caught her and given her a lecture such as only Ellen O'Hara could, with a gentleness that made Scarlett more ashamed of herself than any yelling could have done, and she had vowed to herself never to drink again, a vow that had been quickly broken (though, she justified to herself, she had never gotten drunk again, which was the truth). Until last night, that is. Something she regretted immensely as she sat, doing her best to be invisible.
What the devil is she talking about? Scarlett wondered, bewildered. She had absolutely no idea, and honestly, she didn't really care to find out, since it seemed as dull as a doorknob. But then, she mused Mrs. M can make even math sound boring. Something that was quite a feat in Scarlett's eyes, seeing as she thought Math was the best subject ever…
"Scarlett!" the teacher's voice snapped. She winced. Why the hell did Mrs. M need to speak that loud?
"Yes, Miss?" she said meekly, causing a few sniggers. Everyone knew about the long-lasting feud between Scarlett and the English teacher, which had started two years ago and showed no sign of letting up.
"Are you listening to what I'm saying?"
"Of course I am, Miss," she replied, widening her striking green eyes innocently. Mrs. McDermott was not fooled.
"Then would you like to tell me about why Wang Lung tried so hard to get more land during the famine?"
Scarlett looked at her blankly. Who the heck was Wang Lung? And what earth did he want anyway?
"Because he thought land was pretty?" she guessed. Roars of laughter erupted. Guess not, Scarlett sighed inwardly, bracing for whatever essays Mrs. M would assign her.
"Very funny, Miss O'Hara. Since you seem to find earth so beautiful, you get a ten-page essay on the most beautiful landscape you ever saw. I expect it on my desk before the first bell tomorrow. You're dismissed," she added as the bell rang, covering Scarlett's swear. She was immediately approached by a gaggle of boys, all sympathizing with her and exchanging McDermott horror stories, not realizing that it didn't do much to improve her headache, which had gotten worse as she heard about that last assignment. There was already so much homework that was due tomorrow. Let's see, thought Scarlett ironically, there's that that chem. Project, 2 hours worth of AP Calculus, that paper on WWll, oh and let's not forget about that five-page story in French. And God knew what else those jerks in today's classes would come up with. And, she remembered with a sinking heart, I have horseback riding tonight. How the hell was she expected to do all that tonight? The Tarleton twins chose that moment to announce their presence.
"Scarlett!" they shouted in a booming voice.
"Stu, Brent! What's up?!" she replied in a falsely cheery voice.
"You're up, that's what!" they answered, laughing as though they'd said the funniest thing ever. Scarlett, too, laughed obligingly, though personally she thought they were acting like immature ten years olds. Dropping her bag by her locker, she did the combo while they caught up with her. Leaning on each sides of her they grinned.
"Guess what," They said in unison. She took out her French book.
"You just did this amazing prank," she replied, leaning over to pick up the markers that had fallen out of her locker.
"Yes, but what else?" Stu asked, grinning.
"We got caught!" Brent shouted gleefully, not waiting for her answer.
"And what do you thinks our punishment?" they asked cheerfully.
"Tell me," she said, slamming the door shut and starting to walk. They followed, matching their strides to hers.
"Suspension. But Dr Zeytoon says if we do anything else we'll be expelled," the twins said this happily, obviously not bothered at all by the threat. Which doesn't surprise me, Scarlett thought, considering that would be their, like, 5th expulsion since they got in High School.
"You're mom's gonna be delighted," she commented dryly, leaning by the door outside M. Guillouet's classroom.
"She ain't gonna hear about it," Stu said confidently.
"That's right," Brent said self-assuredly, "we're planning on chilling at Kennedy's for the next three days." Frank Kennedy was a college student who allowed all high-schoolers to hang at his house if they were in trouble, wanted a party, or simply felt like it.
"And give up pranks forever?" Scarlett asked, ignoring the first bell's shrill ring, "this is only November, if you get caught again you'll get expelled, and I doubt you can spend every day until the end of the year at Frank's. Besides, what about college? Next year you gotta go, and it'll be hard to get recommendation letters when you don't have any teachers."
"All valid points," Stu admitted.
"Which is why we'll make sure we're not caught," Brent finished triumphantly. Raising a skeptical eyebrow, she was about to object when the final bell rang. Giving both boys a light kiss, she watched them saunter off to get their stuff ready to leave before she turned around to go to class, not worried in the least about getting a tardy since everyone knew that the French teacher had a perpetual hangover and didn't bother to mark any latenesses or absences he did notice (which weren't many). Sliding into a seat besides Cathleen Calvert, she realized with mild surprise she felt much better. Glancing at Cathleen, or Cath, as everyone called her, she raised an eyebrow. Though Cath was one of her few female friends at Lincoln, Scarlett would be the first to admit she was an idiot and a slut. Today would only reinforced her opinion. With an absurd amount of makeup on, supremely high heels, a shirt that could be better described as a bikini top, and a skirt that left very little to the imagination, it was hard to believe she realized it was winter. But then, Scarlett thought dryly, Cath was not exactly known for her powers of observation.
"Guess what," Cath hissed, leaning over. Backing away, Scarlett hid her repugnance as she wiped the spit of her ear.
"Tell me," she whispered back, pushing the frosted cupcake from her desk where some freshman must've left it. Dork, she said mentally with self-satisfied contempt.
"Cade's visiting tomorrow. Dad's away, the Yankee's gotten rid of, and he's bringing some college friends." The Yankee was Cath's name for her stepmother, a woman from the north that she absolutely hated. "We're gonna party all night," she leaned back with a smirk and popped some gum into her mouth." Scarlett smiled back, a Cheshire smile full of satisfaction, arrogance, and pleasure, which seemed to accentuate her cat-like features. A party! Scarlett loved parties. At her mother's insistence, she had taken dancing classes when she was younger, though she realized it was a waste as soon as she went to her first party, where dancing was not so much dancing as contortioning into weird positions while music played in the background.
"What time?"
"Seven to God knows when," was the reply. Scarlett grinned. That sounded like fun. And Cade would be there! Cade was a hot, smart guy, who was head-over-heels in love with Scarlett (though that wasn't very unusual, considering she could make anyone fall for her with a look). And college boys too! This would be interesting; Cade went to Harvard, she imagined that all of his friends would be smart, and it would be fun to see how many she could make fall in love with her in one evening. Scarlett loved challenges, and she was sure these would be harder than the local boys, like Kennedy, an absolute nerd who actually seemed interested in her sister Suellen.
"I'll be there."
When she got home after horseback riding, Scarlett immediately holed herself up in her room and told the maid to bring her a pack of Redbulls, her lifesaving energy drink that she used whenever she had tons of homework. Turning away from the TV resolutely and signing off MSN, she opened her history book and started.
Four hours later she was done. Closing her Calculus book, which she always saved for last because it was the only thing she actually enjoyed, she grabbed the two leftover Redbulls and brought them to the kitchen, where her sister Careen was studying with the help of chocolate cake, which she always referred to as her "homework food."
"Baby Sis! S'up?" she shouted, cheerfully slamming the refrigerator door.
"I got a history exam tomorrow," she said with a sweet smile.
"Manana? Lo siento, amiga," Scarlett answered, banging down a glass.
"I'm sorry?" Careen asked, looking at her with blank blue eyes.
"Never mind," she replied. Unlike Suellen, Careen was a sweet girl whom she did not like to tease much. For a moment, both sisters sat silent, one studying while the other sat and sipped a glass of milk in a vain attempt to was away the bitter taste that to many caffeines left in one's mouth. At last Careen spoke:
"Are you going to the party tomorrow?"
"'Course I am," she answered, "why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you're always complaining about homework. I thought you would want to stay home." Scarlett looked at her sharply, searching her face for any signs that her comment had been sly in any way. Reassured, she berated herself. This was Careen. Sweet, innocent Baby Sister, who had never been nasty to anyone in her life, and probably didn't even know what nasty meant, unlike Suellen.
"I'm home!" a shrill voice shouted, accompanied by the banging of a door and hurried footsteps. Scarlett sighed. Speak of the devil.
"Scarlett…" a honeyed voice said. She looked up warily. Suellen was being nice to her. That could only mean one thing: her sister wanted something.
"No," she spoke curtly.
"No what?" Suellen asked with the fake innocence that always rankled Scarlett.
"You know what. You want something from me, and I have no intention of giving it to you," her voice was cool, with a slightly mocking undertone. Careen looked on with wide eyes. She knew her sisters loved each other, of course, but sometimes she thought differently when she heard them squabbling.
"Want something for you?! Of course not! Can't I be nice to my eldest sister without everyone being suspicion of my motives?" Again with that false innocence, Scarlett noticed, irritated.
"Tell me what you want. I'm feeling generous, who knows, I might even give it to you!" This was a lie, of course. When it came to Suellen, she never felt generous; but she didn't want to have her sister hovering around all afternoon, brown-nosing her to get what she wanted. Scarlett hated when people acted sweet to get what she wanted. She did all the, of course, but that didn't mean she had to tolerate it form others. Scarlett O'Hara, it can safely be said, was not a great believer in "Do unto thy neighbor what you would have done unto thyself." (A/N: or something like that. Sorry, I'm not very religious.) Suellen hesitated. Perhaps she should ask now. Something might happen later that would put Scarlett in a bad mood, and if she'd promised she wouldn't take it back. No matter how much Sue disliked her sister, she knew she never went back on her word.
"You've heard of Cade's party tomorrow, of course. Well, Frank'll be there, and I want to look nice for him. I wondered if you'd be so generous as to lend me that green top of yours, you know, the one that matches my eyes," she asked a pleading look in said eyes. Scarlett raised her eyebrows. Suellen always insisted her eyes were as green as her sister's, which was an absolute lie. Scarlett's eyes were pure green, often looking like emeralds, while Suellen's eyes were hazel with the barest hint of green. The sweater in question was a dark green that hugged Scarlett's curves perfectly, and she had been planning to wear it tomorrow.
"Sorry, nope. I'm wearing it," she enjoyed the outraged look on her sister's face.
"But you said you were going to-" she shouted her face turning red.
"I said no such thing," Scarlett intervened, annoyed, "I said I was feeling generous, that's all."
"YOU'RE THE MOST SELFISH, NASTY, SELF-CENTERED-"
"What seems to be the problem, girls?" said a calm voice. There was a deathly silence in the kitchen as the girls looked at their mother, who had just come home from the fields. Careen, book in hand, was sitting at the kitchen table. Suellen, fists balled and face red, was standing on the middle of the floor facing Scarlett, who was leaning against the counter, scowling with her eyebrows slanting dangerously, the first warning signs that she was soon going to lose her temper. Yet at the sight of her mother, her face relaxed, to be the relaxed, calm expression she always wore around her Ellen. In Scarlett's opinion, Mrs. O'Hara was too good and pure to be taken in the confidence of her squabbles with Suellen.
"Scarlett's being hateful, as usual!" Sadly, her opinion was not shared.
"I was going to wear that sweater anyway!" she retorted. Ellen sighed. She had a pretty good idea what the problem was.
"Girls, girls," she started, "first of all, where and when is the party?" For a moment there was a silence as the three girls admired their mother's ability to divine their problems, then Careen answered.
"Tomorrow, at the Calvert's," her sweet voice made the tension in the room ease.
"Thank you, honey," Ellen said, giving her youngest daughter a soft smile, "now, what is it that you won't lend your sister, Scarlett?"
"My green sweater that I was planning to wear anyway," she answered defensively.
"It matches my eyes! And it would look better on me anyway!" Suellen cried. "It's not fair! Scarlett gets all the nice clothes!" and with a decisive stamp of her foot, she pouted pleadingly at her mother.
"Now, sweetheart, your sister was planning on wearing it herself. And you know you just have to ask and I'll get you whatever you want. If you want, we can go to town this weekend and get you some clothes." At these last words, Suellen's face brightened considerably, and she dragged her mother to her room to help her decide what she should wear at the party tomorrow. Looking relieved that the conflict had ended, Careen went back to studying for her test the next day, leaving Scarlett to silently admire the way Ellen could solve everything with a few words.