To say that she had perfected the art of moving was an overwhelming understatement. For an individual who had lived such a colorful life in such a short amount of time under the circumstances in which these colorful opportunities presented themselves, moving had not only become the expected but the only way of life she knew. To hear that she would be settling down had almost been unconceivable. But she should have been used to the unpredictable by now- especially considering that change had become the predictable. Still there was some part of herself that thought all of this was just a bit too ridiculous.
They'd been in Key West this time. And besides school she had found an afterschool job waitressing at this surf crab shack thingy while her mom sold cupcakes in the day and sang in jazz clubs at night. She really couldn't blame Steve. Her mother had always been an alluring type of person with all her curves and her big blue eyes, eyes that reminded people of all sorts of things from tranquil picturesque ponds to dreamlike romance. He had been there on business and his two week stay turned into him renting an office space and a summer of barbecues in the backyard of their rental homes, a ruffled haircut and saxophone lessons, and actual enjoyable mom's boyfriend-girlfriend's daughter bonding fishing trips.
But she thought by the summer they'd be somewhere else, like Denver, and Steve would slick back his hair, lay down his fishing pole, and return to the East Coast to do…well whatever it was he did. Except that didn't happen. Except her mother came back from what was supposed to be another "I like you, I really do but I'm just not the relationship type. I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal. And now I just need some space for me and Zola to experience something new" (yeah, she'd heard that speech a few times) break-up dinner with a ring on her finger and the news that they were moving to Ipswich, Massachusetts. She had actually had to get out her map to find it.
On the night that the news was delivered, her younger sister had climbed into her bed to ask her what she thought about it. She knew Clo was secretly excited. The girl wasn't cut out for the gypsy vagabond lifestyle her and her mother had carved out. And to be honest with herself she wondered, wondered it would be like to have roots. Not to have a rental, not to have to play catch up when she switched schools. So for her sister and her mother's happiness she hadn't voiced her misgivings about the circumstances. Besides she liked Steve, he was a good guy. Some people might say that three months wasn't nearly long enough to decide to make a lifelong commitment but hey if they loved each other what was the big deal, nobody knows what tomorrow holds. However, if she had known that she was going to be enrolled in Spencer Academy she probably would've changed her mind.
In a black Henley, sweatpants, and her hair piled atop her head in her signature top knot Zola directed Steve to the room she had been assigned in Hollis Girls Dormitory, tugging at the strap of the duffel bag that was slung across her chest she pushed open the door only to stop when she saw a bubbly blonde and a pretty black girl with stunning long dark hair in the room. She sighed, she had been hoping for a bit more privacy but she would make due. This was nothing like the time in Atlanta when she had been eleven and they spent time in various homeless shelters while her mom found steady work. Clover had been six.
"Uh hi. I'm Zola Barrett. You guys must be my roommates?"
"Yeah I'm Kate. This is Sarah, it's nice to meet you," the black girl made introductions, extending her hand. Zola noticed her grip was a tad flimsy. She filed that away, flimsy handshakes said a lot about a person. Sarah did the same, except her handshake spoke of character. Zola smiled.
"Steve, you can drop this-."
"Over against that wall will be fine," Sarah interjected, lending a hand to her step-father and grabbing a box from the stack he was carrying before walking over to a wall where packed luggage was propped up against it, "We were wondering if you were going to show up Zola."
"Yeah, Grey's a bit of a late riser. And call me Zo- everybody else does."
"Who's Grey," Kate asked, fiddling with a lock of her hair. Before Zola could answer a tall pale woman with dark hair and a strong seductive pair of blue eyes walked in. she was wearing a pair of red skinny jeans, a black and cream tribal print sweater and caramel brown knee high boots. She looked young, old enough to be a mom but not Zo's.
"That would be me, I'm Zola's mom. And I'm not a late riser, everyone just simply wakes up to early," she politely corrected, a tad of her Alabama accent slipping in. In her hands was a disposable camera and trailing behind her was a brunette who looked to be twelve in a pair of glasses, "Now let's get a picture of you with your roommates before I get."
"Grey are you serious? Mom, I'm in sweatpants."
"Zola Clover Barrett do not deprive me of this moment."
"Mom, Zo still has to get a few of her bags out the car," Clover spoke up for her big sister, a nice shade of pink beginning to creep up her neck. Unlike her sister, Clover was immensely shy and found new people on the edge of frightening. It was one of the reasons why she hated moving.
"Just for that Clover Zola Barrett you get in that picture too!"
Zo rolled her eyes and dumped her large military duffel on the floor, making a loud thud against the old, in need of refinishing, hardwood floors. Kate and Sarah and exchange looks before one of them deciding to speak up. Turning to her new roommate she whispered, as not wanting to offend her parents, "You and your sister have the same name?"
"Oh yeah. Grey thought it would be a whole lot less confusing. But I'm grateful, my name was almost Alabama and Clo's name was almost Milwaukee, we were going to call her Millie for short."
"No way. Why Milwaukee?"
"That's where we were when Clover blessed the universe with her presence," Grey said with a straight face, "Okay now stop jabbering and trying to make me forget about this photo. You know the drill, new place, new photo."
Clover rolled her eyes subtly but crept up next to her big sister who stood in front of the little girl and side by side next to her two new roommates smiling. When the moment was captured on film Steve tapped his wife on the shoulder to politely ask her to move out of the way, "While you were commemorating I got the rest of Zo's luggage."
"See that's why I married you."
"To lug boxes," he asked with a mischievous smile.
"Before you can reply I'd like to remind you that you are guests in my room and I would prefer not to have to rush our goodbyes for kicking you out because of indecent behavior," Zola interrupted, crossing her arms with a smirk.
"Okay I can take a hint," Steve said pulling the boxes next to the stack against the wall before giving his new step-daughter a quick hug. He didn't bother her to tell her to stay out of trouble. Zo was a good kid and never went past the usual teenage shenanigans. Clover was next, hugging her sister a bit longer. Zola had already promised to call every day. It was understandable, Clover was entering middle school and kids could be extremely cruel at that age. Grey was last, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead and telling her to keep straight. That was Grey's way of parenting. She recognized that Zola was at the age where decision making was up to her but always letting her know that her mother was there if she ever needed anything. When the quirky family had left the dorm room, closing the door behind them Zo plopped down on the floor and firmly announced she needed a drink.
"I can help you with that. There's going to be a back to school party tonight at the Dells, you guys interested," Kate asked.
"The Dells?"
"Yeah. Beer. Bonfire. Beach."
"Kate you had me at beer," Zola smiled throwing her hand over her make-up free face.
"I'm in," Sarah said flopping down on her bed, "your family seems cool. Where you from?"
Zola sighed before removing her arm from her face. She hated questions like these. Because everyone seemed to be so fascinated by what she called her life.
"Nowhere in particular. My mom's from Alabama and we-my mom and my sister and me-have lived all over. Albuquerque, Boston- we were in Key West before making the move here. My mom met Steve and married Steve over the summer- he's from here. Ipswich I mean."
"Wow that's pretty awesome. That you've lived all over. I bet things might be a bit boring here," Kate joked with Sarah.
"Well every place I've lived, there's been something good about it, something that made me love it."
The three girls spent the next couple of hours talking and packing leisurely at their own pace, dividing up space. Zo decorated her side of the room with photos and postcards from the places she'd lived, set up a small bookshelf filled with some William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams plays and threw the handspun quilt she got in New Mexico over her bed along with her aged stuffed bunny Skywalker that had seen her through many dark nights and monsters under the bed. When she had told that to the girls with a straight face, all three of them had broke into a fit of laughter.
By the time the moon had started to creep up into the sky all three girls were putting the finishing touches together to make an entrance to this party. Kate was ready and waiting, decked out in jeans and a nice top that showed off a fair amount of cleavage for an adolescent beer fiasco on the beach. Sarah was currently wiggling into a skirt while Zo sat at the vanity in a lacy sheer black bra and cheeky panty set and black tights putting the finishing touches on her red lipstick. Most days red lipstick and a statement eye with a cat eye were her make-up regime. It was bold and classic.
"Zo, I swear, I want to be there when Pogue gets there," Kate whined.
"Kate, I swear, if he's not sexy as fuck in person I will tease you about your whining for the rest of your life. You cannot rush perfection…but I'm done," she said with a teasing smile before reaching for the blue chambray shirt to slip into.
"I wasn't whining."
Sarah and Zo shared a quick look that spoke otherwise before she wriggled into a pair of high waisted leopard print shorts, tucking the shirt in and rolling the sleeves up to her elbow revealing the tattoo of a cloud with a cluster of feathers pouring from it on the bend of her inner left elbow. She threw on a pair of calf length black combat boots with studs on the heels. When she looked up Sarah and Kate were staring.
"What?"
"I hate you," they both chimed.
They took Sarah's car and the two blondes made an agreement to stick together while Kate was busy introducing them to other Spencer students. With both being the new girls on the block, they figured hanging close would be a great battle strategy. Theoretically, not literally. Because it wasn't long before Zo had a couple of beers and dragged whoever she could into dancing, which normally turned out to be guy who was all too willing to get his hands on the attractive pixie like girl with a bold sense of fashion.
Sarah had to admit that when she had met Kate she had sensed a drama queen. But Zo was all too real and honesty in her behavior. She was there to have fun, to drink to let go of some of her inhibitions and to dance. And damn if the girl didn't look good doing it. The girl had style. Anybody who looked amazing with pint tinted hair had to have style. As if right on cue, Zo readjusted her top knot that was suffering from her hardcore silly and far from awesome yet entertaining dance moves as she threw down her red plastic cup and approached her two roommates.
"I need a slice of pizza and a Dr. Pepper so fucking bad it's not even funny," she giggled, "And now that I'm slightly tipsy I feel inebriated enough to stop drinking."
"You're fun," Kate announced, her arms crossed over her chest like she was assessing the other girl and had given her a stamp of approval. While Zo had been dancing and telling really bad knock knock jokes she had been getting asked about her new roommate from a couple of guys. She could definitely see the allure. The girl had spunk. And for a while Kate felt threatened until she realized that Zo had no interest whatsoever in what people thought about her. Anybody who danced like that in public and who rocked pink tinted hair couldn't.
"Why thank you," she laughed before throwing an arm around Kate's shoulder when something caught her eye over the hill, "What's that all about," she asked gesturing to a group of boys who strode seamlessly through the crowd like they owned this beach. And guessing by the way everyone moved out of their path, they did.
"They're here."
"Who," Sarah asked just as confused as Zo.
"The Sons of Ipswich."
For some people dropping in never meant literally. And though he would probably never admit it, Caleb Danvers loved the bit of thrill from the moments when he was literally able to drop in on a party from the tops of rocky beach cliffs, the slight fog and the darkness offering some sort of seclusion to the act that they, he and his best friends, kept secret. The act of using. But those moments when he could feel himself begin to revel in the power he thought instantly of his father and how this gift he had been born with had wreaked havoc on his life- the secrets, the isolation, the impending doom. And he wondered about those times when he enjoyed it if he liked using because it made him different, unique, it was what made him a Son of Ipswich or if he liked using because he had no choice in the matter- because he was hardwired, born to be this way. It was a frightening thing the thought of betraying your own free will involuntarily.
Hands in the pockets of his black jacket he gave a slight nod to some drunk kid off to the side who called his name. His peers called his name on a regular basis. It came with the territory he supposed. He wasn't sure where they were headed but when he spotted Kate he naturally made his way over to the girl. Despite the fact that Kate had been his best friend's girlfriend for almost three years now he never really could bring himself to like her. She was clingy and dramatic and whiny- and she liked to play games. In reality she had no idea what she was messing with, what the results of playing games with teenage boys who could be quite volatile would bring for her. That was probably why he never really liked her. Because Pogue would never be able to tell Kate about who and what they really were. They were destined to play out their romance in high school and follow it with some serious grieving heartbreak. As if to prove his point, Kate launched herself in a rather over the top fashion into Pogue's arm. Failing to introduce the two blondes standing next to her.
The tallest of the two wore her golden hair down and showed off a nice tanned pair of legs underneath her denim skirt. She was smiling and her big blue eyes sparkled- or maybe it was just the reflection of the bonfire flames playing tricks. She was pretty. She looked bubbly. And he could feel a spark of something when he looked her. But he wasn't entirely sure if he was interested. Probably because of the girl standing next to her who was glancing around looking slightly disinterested. She was small, petite, almost fairy like with a pastel pink tint to her white blonde hair that was made even more appealing in the firelight. Her eyes were big, almond shaped, and green. She sported a nose ring and he thought he could make out the beginnings of ink on the inside of her elbow. Besides anybody who rocked a pair of really short leopard print shorts was definitely intriguing.
"Well since Kate is wrapped up into sexy as fuck," she enunciated, winking at Sarah, "we'll introduce ourselves. I'm Zola."
"Sarah," the smiling blonde offered to Caleb, giving Zola a quick nudge as she spotted Kate's less than amused profession.
"Really? You know Sarah's my grandmother's name. I'm Reid, Reid Garwin," came the attractive blond in the fingerless gloves. Sarah and Caleb shared a look that ended in a mutual rolling of the eyes.
"Wow does that really work? Hitting on a girl by saying she reminds you of your grandmother? They have therapists for that."
The group chuckled-well, except for Reid, who's charming smirk was replaced by a snarky one as he eyed the petite girl, making sure to rake his eyes over her body. Zola flushed and frowned at the thought of being sized up like a piece of meat or something. So when he replied, "Well what kind of name is Zola anyway" she had a comeback.
"A better one than yours seeing as it means peaceful in Zulu. As compared to the name Reid, Old-English in origin meaning red-haired which you are not or as being by the reeds, which now that I think about it might be a bit dead on seeing as that's where you can find slime."
Zola glared at Reid and it was returned until he unexpectedly broke out into laughter and extended his hand. She hesitantly took it.
"I like you. You're quick witted."
"Thanks. Wish I could say the same."
Ignoring the jibe he introduced his comrades-Pogue, Baby Boy who was quick to remind him that his name was in fact Tyler, and Golden Boy Danvers, who politely reintroduced himself as Caleb. Zo felt that each name suited each individual. And she smiled when she caught Sarah looking up at Caleb all coy like through her eyelashes, even if something about the situation didn't feel right. There was a tingling in her toes and something was off in the pit of her stomach. She would chalk it up to nerves but she hardly ever got nervous, it was something she inherited from her mother.
"So where are you two from," Pogue asked trying to be polite as he tried to be inconspicuous about detangling his arm from Kate.
"Boston Public," Sarah replied.
"How do you like Spencer so far?"
"Things are looking up," Sarah said flirtatiously.
Zo smiled. She liked Sarah and there was something about Caleb that made her into their whole being into each other. Yeah it was definitely weird but for some reason it didn't seem to bother her at all.
"How about you Zola," Pogue asked with a nod.
"Oh Zo's from "all over"," his girlfriend answered the question with a tone that spoke of latent lack of niceties.
"Thanks Kate," she replied with a smile, "Grey's a bit of a gypsy. But she met Steve over the summer and they're married and now I'm here."
"Grey your mom," Tyler asked and smiled at the warm nod the pixie like girl gave him, "So how do you like Spencer so far?"
"Judgment's still out on the table."
It was at that moment that a redheaded girl maneuvered her way into the conversation standing between Caleb and Sarah or totally invading Caleb's personal space-depending on which way you looked at it. Zo rolled her eyes. There was one everywhere you went. The petty, jealous, entitled type. And when Caleb dismissed her conversation by looking over her shoulder at Sarah, the claws came out.
"Sarah is it? The girl from Boston Public? Tell me, Sarah, how does one get into Spencer Academy from a Public?"
"Hey back off Barbie Ginger," Zo called out, coming to her friend's defense.
"Is that really necessary," the redhead said looking over Zo with disdain, "And I mean really what are you trash going to do?"
"This trash is going to tell you what's necessary. What's necessary is for you to apologize to my friend here before I give you a new face."
But before Reid's hope of a girl on girl smack down could ensue, Kira's douchebag of a boyfriend (and even he used that term loosely) intervened by stepping in front of Caleb. Oh God did he hate that kid. Seriously Reid knew he could be an overcompensating asshat but Aaron was just an overcompensating asshole piece of shit. Maybe he was letting his own passionate hatred for that guy cloud his judgment but he was more than sure if he took a poll of the student population at Spencer it would be official that the guy was a complete and utter tool. And he was so ready to deliver a right to that guy's face even before he shoved Caleb. Sure, they fought like cats and dogs but if anybody was going to be shoving Caleb it would be him and him only. But before he could let off some steam some new kid- gees how many new kids were there this semester-broke up the pending physical altercation by grabbing Aaron by the lapels of his letterman jacket.
"Hold on, let's all calm down," then turning to Kira, "you were being a bit of a bitch."
Now that she was calm she could laugh at that one kid's stamen and all of this male testosterone lying around. But she still wanted to smack the mess out of that one chick. It wasn't really that she was angry for herself. She had been called trash before and a lot of worse things. But really Sarah had as much right to be here as she did with her pansy heel wearing ass. And who wears heels to a bonfire on the beach-seriously?! Rich kids. Not that all of them were bad. The guys seemed fine. But she would have to hold her judgment out on Pogue. She knew it was wrong to judge a guy by his girlfriend but really. If these guys were such a big deal then why the hell would he have ended up with Kate? She scrunched up her nose at the thought and before she could catch her breath the DJ announced that the cops were on their way. And the party was over.