"Ariel, stop there and I'll pretend I didn't see you. Try to sneak out, and
I won't be so lenient," Reverend Moore said barely looking up from his
paper.
"You're up late," Ariel commented, spirits sinking slightly. Her father just raised an eyebrow.
"And you're grounded," he retorted. Ariel stared at him.
"What!" She exclaimed indignantly. "Since when?"
"Since you pulled off that B- on that English Literature test." Ariel groaned, and pressed her hand to her head in frustration.
"Dad! I pull off something other than an A for once in my life and I get grounded! Can't you let it go?" Rev. Moore seemed to consider this, and nodded.
"Sure, but tell me where you were the night before the test," he replied evenly. Ariel knew she was trapped. She mumbled an answer. "What did you say, Ariel?" Ariel sighed and tried to avoid his eyes.
"I was with Ren," she said emotionlessly. Rev. Moore smiled.
"And you should have been…."
"Studying."
"Right. Studying." He smiled again. "Now," he glanced purposefully upstairs, then at Ariel, who turned and stormed up. Once in the confines of her room, she pulled out a picture. It was a group photo of Willard Hewitt, his three cronies Jeter, Bickle, and Gavin, Ariel's three best friends Wendy Jo, Rusty, and Urleen, and finally herself and Ren McCormick. Studying Ren's grinning face, she sighed. It seemed to everyone that she went for the rebels. First Chuck Cranston, then Ren. But Ren wasn't a rebel. He was just a guy who came from a place with a different outlook on things, and wasn't ready to accept Bomont's regulations. Even after Ren proved himself a worthy guy for Ariel, and convinced her father to throw a dance, it just wasn't good enough. He would never be good enough for Reverend Shaw Moore. Closing the drawer, she slid into bed.
"Alright, I've got great news!" Ren smiled at his friends, who mumbled things about it being too early. "Come on guys!" Rusty's head was drooped against Willard's shoulder, who was trying to keep his eyes open. Gavin, Bickle, and Jeter were sleeping, Urleen and Wendy Jo looking at Ren like he was nuts, but Ariel was up and interested.
"Ren, buddy," Willard yawned. "We ain't throwing another dance or something, are we? 'Cause I think you made your point on that one." Everyone laughed, and Ren just shook his head and grinned.
"Nope!" Ren replied. "I'm goin' back to Chicago!" his announcement was greeted by silence as his friends stared at him. Finally, Ariel rose shakily to her feet.
"You—you're going back to Chicago?" she echoed haltingly. The others exchanged uneasy glances. Ren was leaving? After all they'd gone through?
"Look at him, grinning from ear to ear," Wendy Jo muttered to Urleen, glaring briefly at Ren. Everybody had grown close to the Chicago native, especially Ariel and Willard. One by one, the group drifted off.
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Ren exclaimed suddenly. "Don't jump the gun, you guys! I wasn't finished." Willard sighed audibly, clearly irritated with his best friend. "I'm going back to Chicago under one condition…" Everybody's mind began working, straining to find a way to keep Ren in Bomont. "Only if you all come with me!"
"You're up late," Ariel commented, spirits sinking slightly. Her father just raised an eyebrow.
"And you're grounded," he retorted. Ariel stared at him.
"What!" She exclaimed indignantly. "Since when?"
"Since you pulled off that B- on that English Literature test." Ariel groaned, and pressed her hand to her head in frustration.
"Dad! I pull off something other than an A for once in my life and I get grounded! Can't you let it go?" Rev. Moore seemed to consider this, and nodded.
"Sure, but tell me where you were the night before the test," he replied evenly. Ariel knew she was trapped. She mumbled an answer. "What did you say, Ariel?" Ariel sighed and tried to avoid his eyes.
"I was with Ren," she said emotionlessly. Rev. Moore smiled.
"And you should have been…."
"Studying."
"Right. Studying." He smiled again. "Now," he glanced purposefully upstairs, then at Ariel, who turned and stormed up. Once in the confines of her room, she pulled out a picture. It was a group photo of Willard Hewitt, his three cronies Jeter, Bickle, and Gavin, Ariel's three best friends Wendy Jo, Rusty, and Urleen, and finally herself and Ren McCormick. Studying Ren's grinning face, she sighed. It seemed to everyone that she went for the rebels. First Chuck Cranston, then Ren. But Ren wasn't a rebel. He was just a guy who came from a place with a different outlook on things, and wasn't ready to accept Bomont's regulations. Even after Ren proved himself a worthy guy for Ariel, and convinced her father to throw a dance, it just wasn't good enough. He would never be good enough for Reverend Shaw Moore. Closing the drawer, she slid into bed.
"Alright, I've got great news!" Ren smiled at his friends, who mumbled things about it being too early. "Come on guys!" Rusty's head was drooped against Willard's shoulder, who was trying to keep his eyes open. Gavin, Bickle, and Jeter were sleeping, Urleen and Wendy Jo looking at Ren like he was nuts, but Ariel was up and interested.
"Ren, buddy," Willard yawned. "We ain't throwing another dance or something, are we? 'Cause I think you made your point on that one." Everyone laughed, and Ren just shook his head and grinned.
"Nope!" Ren replied. "I'm goin' back to Chicago!" his announcement was greeted by silence as his friends stared at him. Finally, Ariel rose shakily to her feet.
"You—you're going back to Chicago?" she echoed haltingly. The others exchanged uneasy glances. Ren was leaving? After all they'd gone through?
"Look at him, grinning from ear to ear," Wendy Jo muttered to Urleen, glaring briefly at Ren. Everybody had grown close to the Chicago native, especially Ariel and Willard. One by one, the group drifted off.
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Ren exclaimed suddenly. "Don't jump the gun, you guys! I wasn't finished." Willard sighed audibly, clearly irritated with his best friend. "I'm going back to Chicago under one condition…" Everybody's mind began working, straining to find a way to keep Ren in Bomont. "Only if you all come with me!"