Private: Cheyenne
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: All of these characters were created by Kate Brian.
Author's note: I changed two minor pieces of Private canon for the purposes of this story. First, Dustin and Cheyenne had a two-week fling over the summer. Because I wanted to explore the relationship, I made it start earlier and last longer. Second, Reed actually sat with the Billings girls in the dining hall even before she moved into Billings, so Cheyenne probably wouldn't have been that shocked to see her there. Again, for dramatic reasons, I changed this.
Cheyenne Martin woke up late Saturday morning and stretched out catlike on her bed. She had gone out with Dustin the previous evening, and hadn't gotten back to campus till after four in the morning. They had made love again last night, and Cheyenne was pleasantly surprised to find she actually enjoyed it this time. Of course, Cheyenne was in love with Dustin, and she would have gladly done it even if she hadn't enjoyed it, but the pleasure was like finding a cherry on top of her favorite ice cream.
Cheyenne showered, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair exactly one hundred strokes. Since it was Saturday, she slipped into something fairly casual—black slacks and a white Ralph Lauren shirt. Cheyenne's roommate Rose Sakowitz had already gone to breakfast. Cheyenne's lips twitched into a smile as she thought of Rose, the only person who knew Cheyenne was seeing Dustin. Rose's family had been the crème de la crème of Vienna society before the Holocaust. Cheyenne certainly didn't pity Rose—Cheyenne herself would rather have died than be pitied—but she couldn't help feeling a little sad at the thought of all those beautiful houses, all that art and culture vanished into the flames.
On the way to breakfast, Cheyenne left a message on Thomas Pearson's cell phone. Where the hell was he? A bad boy from one of the best families, Thomas dated townies and scholarship girls like Reed Brennan, but he had his uses. Specifically, he was a drug dealer, and Cheyenne was one of his best customers.
Cheyenne made no apologies for her use of drugs, although she certainly didn't proclaim this openly in front of adults and other people who wouldn't understand. After all, it was her birthright. Cheyenne considered herself a student of history, so she knew that narcotics had been legal during the Gilded Age, when her family had been at the height of its power and influence. That was all the justification Cheyenne needed. Although she thought it was slightly vulgar that Thomas was a dealer, at least it saved Cheyenne from having to buy her drugs from an actual townie.
By now, Cheyenne had reached the main doors to the dining hall. She squared her shoulders as she prepared to go in. As a child, Cheyenne had spent hours walking slowly back and forth with a leatherbound first edition of Ivanhoe balanced on her head, and this had given her the perfect, almost regal posture she was so proud of today. Tilting her head ever so slightly to one side, so as not to appear too rigid, Cheyenne entered the dining hall.
After getting a bagel with cream cheese and a glass of orange juice, Cheyenne walked toward the elite table where the Billings girls all sat. As she approached, Cheyenne's jaw literally dropped. Reed Brennan was sitting at the Billings table chatting animatedly with Noelle Lange, Cheyenne's greatest rival. At least, that was how Cheyenne saw it; Noelle often seemed oblivious to Cheyenne's very existence.
Cheyenne set her tray down on the table, forcing herself to remain calm. "Hi, Cheyenne," Reed said cheerfully. Cheyenne gave her a tight smile, the bare minimum politeness required. Rose, who was sitting across the table, could tell that Cheyenne was upset about something, so she reached over and took Cheyenne's hand. Cheyenne smiled at her, a real smile this time, then turned to Noelle.
"Can I talk to you in private?" Cheyenne asked.
Noelle nodded and led Cheyenne over to the side doors. Noelle's best friend Ariana Osgood accompanied them, much to Cheyenne's annoyance. Cheyenne did not like Ariana, although she pretended she did. In addition to being a terrible poet, there was something off about Ariana. Cheyenne trusted her even less than she did most people.
"What is Reed Brennan doing here?" Cheyenne hissed. It wasn't like she hated scholarship students or anything. The ones who were actually here at Easton to learn could be good company, provided they knew their place. But some of them were fortune hunters and social climbers, and those Cheyenne despised more than anything. By daring to sit at the Billings table, Reed had shown Cheyenne exactly which category she fell into.
Noelle looked bored. "She lives in Billings now, in Leanne's old room. We initiated her last night."
"You did what? Without consulting me?"
Noelle shrugged. "We looked for you last night, but you were gone." Her eyes narrowed. "Where the hell were you, anyway? You didn't get back until after four a.m."
Cheyenne knew she had to change the subject immediately. She loved Dustin more than life itself, but he was married and Cheyenne was only sixteen; there could be dire consequences for him if their affair was exposed.
"But she's a scholarship girl!" Cheyenne almost shrieked, controlling her temper with difficulty.
"Lower your voice," Noelle snapped. "You sound like a freaking harpy."
Cheyenne turned to Ariana for help. "Your family used to own a plantation, Ariana. Surely you understand what I'm saying."
Ariana's lip curled up, and Cheyenne remembered belatedly that Ariana was ashamed of this fact. "Actually, I was the one whose idea it was for Reed to live in Billings."
"You don't get it," Cheyenne told both of them slowly, as if explaining something to a child. "She's just not one of us."
Noelle looked at Cheyenne with an expression of pity on her face. "Don't be ridiculous, Cheyenne. Everyone knows your ancestors came over on the Mayflower. Throwing it in people's faces all the time is just tacky."
Noelle walked away as Cheyenne seethed. One day, Cheyenne vowed, one day she would rule Billings, and then they'd all be sorry, especially Reed.
Ariana stayed to talk to Cheyenne alone. "You know, if you really want to humiliate Reed, there's always chores. I'm sure you'll think of something." Ariana walked after Noelle, the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the breeze.
Cheyenne smiled to herself. She had no idea what kind of game Ariana was playing, but maybe, just maybe, Ariana understood after all. Cheyenne snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. Pink blush beads ground into a rug would take hours to scrub out…she hated to sacrifice her blush beads, but at least it would be for a good cause. Humming the opening notes of the Planets symphony, Cheyenne walked back to the Billings table. She knew Dustin would be proud of her.