Kat's POV
"I am BRILLIANT!" Gabrielle flounces into the living room of Uncle Eddie's brownstone where the whole crew is gathered.
"Really? since when?" Hale ducks as Gabrielle throws a pillow at his head.
"Well, since I got us all enrolled at Worthington Academy!" Gabrielle exclaims.
"Why would we want to go to school?" Angus looks at her like she's high.
"Yeah school sucks," Hamish agrees with his brother. Gabrielle ignores the Bagshaw's complaints.
"Well this school happens to house a Vermeer," Gabrielle smiles triumphantly.
"Gabs, I'm not going to help you steal a painting," I try to remind my cousin that I no longer steal for personal gain.
"Well Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, you might be interested to know that the painting doesn't belong to the school. It belongs to the Covington family but it disappeared from their home over a decade ago. Charlotte Covington hired me to retrieve it for her and I discovered its current location, Worthington Academy," Gabrielle explains.
"So why do we have to go to school there? Can't we just sneak in and steal the painting?" Angus asks.
"The painting is kept under heavy security. The only people who get to see it are the students, faculty and alumni. If we're going to have any chance of stealing it then we're going to have to go to school there."
"But won't it look suspicious that six new students start attending Worthington right before the painting is stolen, they leave once the painting is gone and they all happen to know each other?" Simon points out.
"Angus and Hamish, your new names are Henry and James Anderson," Gabrielle hands the boys a couple of uniforms and a manila envelope with the Worthington crest on it and ignores Simon's questions.
"Kat, you are going to be Nicole Duncan," Gabrielle hands me a hideous, blue and green plaid skirt, a navy blazer, and an envelope identical to the one she gave the Bagshaws.
"Simon, you are Nathan Carter and Hale you are William Kingsley," Gabrielle finishes passing out the envelopes and uniforms before announcing her new identity.
"You may all call me Lana Rose."
"So we know who we are and all but what do we do once we get inside Worthington?" Hamish asks.
"This job is going to take some time. So we will all have to be perfectly normal students for a week or two. Then we steal the painting; we remain at the school for a few weeks after to not raise suspicion. Our cover story will be that we all attended a very exclusive and small French boarding school, but it had some mild damage due to a fire and needed a month to get fixed. It explains our sudden presence all at the same time, how we all know each other and our abrupt departure from Worthington."
"Hey Gabs, how exactly do we steal the painting?" I ask my cousin since that is the one thing she never explained.
"We'll figure it out when we get there," She dismisses my question with a wave of her hand.
"Don't worry guys. I've worked out all the details, I just need you to get some rest and be up bright and early for your first day of school tomorrow!" I think Gabrielle is genuinely excited to start school. Probably because it means there will be a ton of new boys to fawn over her, while I'm just the plain girl.
The Next Morning
Hale's POV
I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals
I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa
I slap my alarm clock trying to shut it off. For some reason I can't get the alarm to stop.
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
I finally find the off button so I roll out of bed. I still can't believe I have to go to another boarding school. Gabby should really know better. Boarding school and W.W. Hale the Fifth DO NOT mix well. I mean just ask Colgan, they kicked me out for allegedly starting a fire and told my father that all current and future W.W. Hales should continue their educations elsewhere.
"Hale! You're going to be late!" Kat barges into my room wearing the Worthington uniform.
I start checking her out. Kat's wearing a white button-up blouse with the top two buttons undone plus Kat has the ends rolled up, the Worthington which is blue and has the schools crust on it, a short blue-green plaid skirt that really shows off her legs(She has REALLY great legs), an a pair of nude heals. Let me tell you she looked hot as hell. Wait did I just check out my best friend? My partner in crime? I notice Kat is staring at my bare chest. I smirk at her.
"I can't get dressed while you're in here, unless you want to see me naked. Is that it Kat? Do you want to watch me change?" I proclaim.
"Gross, Hale", Kat says a blushes "Just hurry up!" Kat ends up covering her eyes and backs out of my room.
At Worthington Academy
"Does everyone remember their names?" Gabrielle asks us for the millionth time.
"Yes Gabs. Now will you let us out of the car?" I gently push her aside and climb out of the limo before she can answer. Worthington looks like every other boarding school I've ever been to with its perfectly manicured gardens and large, archaic, brick buildings.
"Welcome to Worthington Academy! I'm Headmaster Hollis and this is Elizabeth Lange," A tall, graying man in his fifties approaches us and gestures to the girl standing next to him. "Elizabeth will be your guide today. If you have any questions you may ask her."
The headmaster walks away and Elizabeth turns to us.
"What do you guys have first hour?"
"Some class called Life Preparedness," Angus reads off of his schedule.
"That class sucks. Everyone has to take it before you graduate but you can get it any year. I haven't had it yet, but when my friend Lucy was in it she had to be fake married to some disgusting kid for a whole month!" Elizabeth tells us.
"Sounds fun," Kat quips sarcastically.
"Don't you want to be married to me for a month?" I throw my arm around her shoulder. Because I sure would like to marry you for a month. I finish my thought silently.
Kat's POV
"Good morning class! I'd like to welcome our new students from France. Their school had a small fire so they'll be with us for the next month. Why don't you all tell us your names?" Mrs. Cunningham the Life Preparedness teacher beckons us to the front of the classroom.
"I'm Nicole Duncan," I smile at the class. I never really had any friends at Colgan, but if we're stuck at Worthington it might be fun to hang out with some normal teenagers. The rest of the crew finishes with their introductions and we return to our seats.
"Ok class, today we are going to get married!" Mrs. Cunningham claps her hands together excitedly. The whole class stares at her blankly.
"Life Preparedness is all about preparing for your future and most of you will get married in the future," I automatically glance at Hale as Mrs. Cunningham continues on, "Every boy in the room will put their name on a slip of paper and place it in a bowl and then the girls will draw one out. This simulation will last a month and during that time you will spin the Wheel of Destiny. The wheel will determine if you have a child, get divorced, suffer an injury, move, etc. This will be worth half of your grade for the semester so I suggest everyone gives their best effort even if you hate your spouse because you might not always like your husband especially if he's a no good, jobless bum who spends all day watching infomercials and spending your hard earned paycheck!" I think Mrs. Cunningham needs marital counseling. She sounds like she's got a lot of problems, and I only met the lady ten minutes ago.
"Ok, pick a slip out of the bowl. And you MUST keep the slip. No exceptions!" I reach my hand into the glass bowl and draw out a piece of paper. William. I drew Hale's fake name! I suddenly feel the paper get snatched out of my hand.
"Who's your husband?" Hale asks in a sing-songy voice. I turn around and smile as he unfolds the paper.
"Oh!"
"Yeah oh smartass. It's you," I smirk as I take the paper back.
"Everyone please go sit by your new fiancé," Mrs. Cunningham instructs the class. Hale shifts his desk so he's next to me instead of behind me.
"We are going to start our simulation with everyone engaged. Boys you do not need to propose to the girls, we'll pretend that's already been done. Today you will all work on designing your dream wedding together. It can be as outrageous as you want but you must agree on everything. Tomorrow we will have a small all class ceremony and then proceed with your honeymoons on Wednesday. You have the whole hour and anything that is not completed will be homework," When Mrs. Cunningham finishes giving us our assignment I turn to Hale.
"So babe, who do you want to invite to our wedding?" I tease him.
"Well not your dad or Uncle Eddie because they'll kill me," Hale says thoughtfully. I swat his arm playfully.
"Hale focus!" I yelled at him, "We actually have to pretend to be good students," I chastise him.
"You're kind of a bridezilla," Hale laughs.
"Why couldn't I have married Simon?" I groan.
"I think Gab got him and there's no way she's giving him up," Hale points across the room to where Gabrielle is leaning her head on Simon's shoulder and giving him the specific details of their wedding.
That evening in the dorms
Kat's POV
"I always knew you would marry Hale!" Gabrielle grins slyly at me.
"It's just a simulation! It's not like he got down on one knee and proposed," I remind her. Although I wish it wasn't. OK I did not just think that Hale and I are just friends event though I wish we were more.
"Just wait, it'll happen one day," Gabrielle sounds as if she's stating an indisputable fact. I sure hope so. There I go again. HALE AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS! Why can't my mind believe that?
"Oh and what about you and Simon? You guys make the perfect couple; the gorgeous fashionista, plus the nerdy but hot guy…" I try to distract my cousin.
"Well thank you for calling me gorgeous but Simon and I have nothing going on," Gabby insists.
"Neither do Hale and I!" I argue but I know I'm not going to win this. When Gab is sure she's right arguing with her is about as successful as having a dispute with a brick wall.
"C'mon you can practically slice through the sexual tension between you two."
"Gabs, since you don't seem to understand this I will say it really slowly, Hale and I have nothing. We are friends and there is no tension between us sexual or otherwise. Okay?" I drag each word out painstakingly slowly.
"When you two have your tongues stuck down each other's throats and are ripping your clothes off just remember that I told you so," Gabrielle smiles and turns her attention to painting her toes.
"Whatever," I grumble but I can't keep images of a shirtless Hale kissing me out of my head. What is wrong with you? Hal e is part of the family! He's like a brother to you, not someone whose clothes you rip off!
"Well actually you guys are married for the next month so feel free to rip his clothes off. You can just pretend that you REALLY want an A on that assignment," Gabrielle smirks at me and I realize that I said that last thought aloud. Crap! Way to keep your feelings for Hale a secret.
Hey everyone its babysister1997! This is my first story I uploaded on fanfiction, however not the first time writer. This is an adopted story form dancislife13. I made this story mine by re-writing and changing some key things for the first chapter that you have here. The rest of the story will be all of my ideas though. The plot will still be danceislife13. I hope you enjoy the story. Please Pm if you have any questions.
Babysister1997 3
