Disclaimer: If I owned the sons of Ipswich, I wouldn't be writing. J
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I didn't notice when she appeared next to me. Leaning up against the wall with my eyes closed, my cat nap was interrupted by the strong scent of coffee. As my eyes opened reluctantly, she showed no emotion. "Sip." she said matter-of-factly as she handed to cup to me.
I shrugged. "Give it to me via IV." Obviously, my darling sister Alona didn't find it funny as she prompted poured the entire glistening powerful contents into the trash followed by the cup. "What the hell-lll." I whined.
"Look alive. Victoria Bellows." I straightened my screaming muscles joints protesting and plastered a smile, that thanks to my life in the politicos, didn't look at all forced and turned to encounter the richest, bitchiest girl in the world.
"Bella!" The fake high pitched shriek threatened to pushed me over the homicidal edge. WAAAY too perky for that ungodly hour of my Saturday morning. The blonde C breasted thing in pink waved and skipped, seriously, over to us.
My sister's glance kept me in line from murdering the girl for using such a retarded shorting of my name, for the moment anyway. This pink girl was getting married in a couple weeks at Tempest Hall and my name is Isabella Tempest. "Hey Vikki." I fired back. "How are you?"
She smiled at my concern. "Oh I am just great. Weddings are wonderful aren't they?"
I smirked. "Of course." My face turned serious. "I heard you had a bout with the flu last week." The great Victoria Bellows had been spotted in the parking lot of a baby gap all the out of the way as Kingston with her husband-to-be.
Her eyes flashed with fear for only a second, but it satisfied me. "Oh yes, terrible the flu." After a brief pause, "I must go meet Brian, but it was wonderful to see you."
The smile once again was plastered on my face. "And you." Victoria moved faster than Bizarre to a cheeseburger getting away from us. That satisfied me to. My sister again didn't have a sense of humor. I shrugged and tossed her a flippant "Get laid." as I started walking to the rusted trashed used to be blue truck my best friends Greg and Harley were leaning against. "Hello boys." I said with a cheerful smile. My mood had done a 180.
Greg glared at my happy demeanor, while Harley said something about girls and a direct correlation to time that I chose to ignore. "Hey Lonny." Greg directed at my sister who was suddenly very… pink.
"Losers" I muttered as I moved to help Harley start moving boxes.
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Reid had stopped helping over an hour ago. Since then, he had retreated to the throne room. Currently, Sarah and Tyler were fighting to keep from being crushed to death by Sarah's fat old heavy ass TV. Finally, they negotiated it to the floor in the corner.
The pair were fighting for breath as they looked at the lone TV. "Okay." Sarah said her hair ragged and falling out of her ponytail. "I can just get used to the height." She glanced over to Tyler for his two cents.
Tyler shrugged. "Well I'm definitely not touching it again." After getting his ass kicked by an inanimate object, he was weary and wished they had moved in some couches or something, but all Sarah had was a bean bag chair. Unfortunately, the unfurnished dorm looked just that.
"Whew." The pair turned to see Reid leaving the bathroom with a grin. "Nobody light a match." He caught eye of the TV. "Hey shouldn't that be up on something?" he asked. With one last burst of energy, the two went after Reid with a homicidal look in their eye.
Suddenly, a knock at the open door caught their attention. A delivery man stood with a clipboard. "Hey there."
Sarah stepped forward. "Can I help you?"
The guy shot her a sympathetic look. "Delivery for Isabella Tempest?"
Sarah shrugged. "She hasn't showed yet."
In the distance a scream pierced the air. "I'm here. I'm here. I'm here."
The frantic cries worked their magic as I ran full speed to the dorm. Who woulda thunk? A delivery guy who actually was on time. I was impressed and also unfortunately out of breath as I waved and took the clipboard as I gasped for breath.
Now, this evidently tickled the blond boy and I shot him a death glare as I waved the guy in, still gasping. I waited for my heart beat to slow as I watched the guy's crew bring in my big comfy skull print couch, it was custom made, along with a black and white checkered coffee table, and a beanbag custom to match the couch. I noticed the tiny TV in the corner as they moved to bring in a big screen my mother had gotten for me.
As they hooked it up onto the wall, I took a seat on my couch. I picked it out when I was fifteen. My mother blamed my dad's death. I say I'm just morbid. Harley appeared at the door smiling and holding a huge box. "Delivery for filthy rich girl." He joked glancing at the big screen.
I giggled sitting up and pushing my self off the couch. "Hey babe." I turned to Sarah who had been watching the installation with rapt concentration. "Did you pick a bed yet?" When she shook her head I smiled. "Well since I dominated the common room with my freaky shit, take your pick."
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Pogue and Kate had long since fell into a make out session on the couch in the living room as Caleb stood unpacking his clothes into the closet. The boys had decided to share an apartment off campus. Since Pogue had opted for business school instead of Caleb's beloved Harvard, he felt this was the best way to try to keep the group together. He would never admit it, but he was scared. Something made him weary of the future. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he had the distinct feeling he wasn't going to like it.
Giggling from the other room brought his thoughts back to the couple. Sarah knew the big secret, but Pogue had yet to tell Kate. Caleb had asked him not to and he had conceded. Neither one of them was quite sure why, but the agreement had been struck.
"Caleb?" Caleb turned to see Kate watching him with Pogue's arms wrapped around her waist. "We're going to meet the guys and Sarah for lunch. You coming?" Kate wasn't stupid. She knew something was up with Caleb. She had pressed Sarah time and time again their last year at Spenser, but Sarah had just always said he had a lot on his mind.
After her accident, she'd seen Pogue in a whole new light. She needed him and could rarely go an hour without thinking of him, and usually smiling. Caleb and Sarah seemed to do the opposite. While Kate Pogue couldn't or wouldn't keep their hands off each other, Caleb and Sarah were less PDA. She always knew they were together. Caleb would spend the night just holding her sometimes. To each their own, she guessed and chose to dismiss it.
Caleb nodded. "Sure. Lemme just grab my coat."
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Alona showed up not ten minutes after my roommate Sarah and her friends had left. My side of the bedroom was still littered with boxes as was Sarah's, but I had been able to put up my Manson, Bush (as in the band not the prez), and Headbangers posters and set up my laptop on my desk connected to an alternate hard drive. I had set it to start downloading a list of specific songs and the screen was constantly flipping back and forth which always seemed irritate Alona.
My sister sat on Sarah's bed watching me unload a box of hair styling products and gadgets into the bottom drawer, my biggest drawer. She glanced slightly fusterated at the computer and I dipped my head smirking. I started hanging my clothes as Alona opened a folder and started rattling off figures and statistics. I paid attention, though it didn't look that way since at one point I completely left the room and went to get a water from the mini fridge.
When I came back I found Alona looking up at me. "I think we might have a problem with Jimmy."
I shook my head, opening another box. "You mean you may have a problem with Jimmy. I told you. You can't trust an accountant. It pays to do your finances your damn self."
"You trust Freddy." She fired back.
I stopped my movements for only a moment to turn and look at her. "Freddy doesn't owe us money." As much as I love my dad, he was an ass. James Turner, his accountant had subbed at one of his weekly poker games and lost almost fifteen grand. It wasn't my dad's fault that Jimmy hadn't mentioned that he was a gambling addict. He kept returning and losing until he amassed and IOU of over fifty grand to my dad. Then my dad died and the IOU went to us.
Alona looked down at her pages shaking her head. "I think he's skimming." she finally declared.
I sat on my bed looking at my sister. We were twins, but we were absolutely nothing alike. She was born bald-headed, but soon grew out these gorgeous Auburn colored locks. I was born with a tuft of dark chocolate hair that didn't really start growing out until I was almost two. In elementary school; she was in the spelling bee and came in second, and I was caught making out with the boy who won first. In high school, she participated in the student council and took extra math and science courses while, I played poker and pool at downtown bars and blew up the jock's table (though they never tied me to it). My friend Greg likes to joke that we can hustle with the best of them. I always respond that I can hustle the best of them.
Alona looked up at me bringing me back to the present. "Rework the books. If he's screwing with us, drop him."
My sister nodded. I had a creeping suspicion this wasn't going to end well, but I shrugged off the feeling as I continued to unpack. Soon Sarah joined me and we both unpacked each of us listening to our own mp3 players.
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