Disclaimer: I don't own 'Private' Kate Brian does
This night was one of the few nights that I slept uneasy. I didn't know if it was to the fact that in less than 14 hours, I would be standing in front of the entire Easton; or if it was that tomorrow a whole new set of girls were coming to Easton, and I was in charge of making sure that they're 'Billings material'. Either way, tomorrow would be a big day for me.
"You okay?" Dash asked me as I walked up to the 'Seniors' Billing's table. He had been sitting there, chatting with a few other guys from Ketlar, who had been happy to see him come back.
"Yea" I said pulling on a fake smile as I rested my tray of donuts and chocolate milk on the table. Josh would have been so proud.
"I think Hollis is starting to rub off on you" Dash said eyeing my plate, and then my face.
I blushed as I pulled out my chair and sat down in front of him.
"Ready for the big day" Constance said, resting her plate down beside me and sitting down.
"I'm so psyched to see who the new girls are" Missy Thurber said sitting next to Dash, and of course her partner-in-crime Lorna Gross sat right beside her.
"I just can't wait to haze them" Lorna added as she started to munch on a sliced pineapple. When she said that all eyes around the table turned to me (including Dash's). They all knew how much I hated having to haze people to get into Billings, and they all knew that I hated it even more when they took it to the extreme.
"We are hazing, aren't we?" Missy asked, sticking her freakishly huge nostrils in the air.
I tried concentrating my attention unto my tray, but I could feel all their stares on me. Finally, I lifted my head a little and locked eyes with Dash, I was hoping that he would notice my desperation and say something to distract everyone. After all, that was his talent, getting people to follow him.
He smiled at me and winked.
"So I hear the senior trip this year is going to be in Paris" Dash said.
Mummers immediately flew around our table. All of the sudden, the topic switched from 'Are we hazing?' to 'Which stores are we going to shop at?'.
'Thank-you' I mouthed to Dash.
'You owe me' he mouthed in return with a smirk.
"Reed" Constance said tapping me on the shoulder. I turned to face her and she gestured over to the doors of the cafeteria. I followed her gesture to the doors, where Michael was standing. He made eye contact with me and motioned for me to follow. I started to get up slowly, hoping that no one would notice me leaving, but Dash did. And instead of calling out to me, he simply just got up and followed me out the cafeteria.
"Dash, why are you coming?" I turned to ask him, he was right beside me.
He shrugged, "bored I guess"
We walked up to the chapel where Mr. Layette was standing there waiting.
"Thank you Michael" he said as we made our way to him.
"Ms. Brennan" he said looking to me, "are you ready?"
I nodded, and Dashed flashed me a smile that would have made my heart melt if I didn't have Josh.
"Lets go" he said. Instead of walking towards the chapel's steps, he walked around it and headed in the back. Michael fell instep with Headmaster Layette and Dash fell instep with me.
"Nervous?" Dash asked, causing his arm to glaze against mine with every step he took.
A blush started to creep up my face, but it went back down when I remembered about Josh.
'Friday' I kept telling myself. I had to wait until Friday to spend an entire 3days with Josh, but I knew the wait would be worth it.
"Not really" I said nonchalantly, even though my heart was speeding at 70mph, and I could feel a little sweat trickle down my neck.
Dash looked at me and laughed.
"Sure" he said.
"Where are we going?" I asked Dash when the headmaster took another turn around the chapel.
"You'll see"
Headmaster walked all the way to the back of the chapel and opened the oak paneled doors that was facing out to the hills of Easton. In the back of the chapel was a huge corridor that was painted a rich brown color. The corridor looked freshly painted, and it had doors running along the sides of it. Mr. Layette lead us down to the last door that was on the left of the wall, it was painted a deep red; unlike all the others that were painted brown.
"This is the door to the stage" Dash whispered to me. The headmaster opened the door and headed inside. We followed him and he led us up small steps and opened another door. Light seemed to be escaping through under the door, which bought a little light into this dark room.
"Here we are" Headmaster said opening the door. I walked out of the door and looked to my side, the door that we just came through was the side door to the stage.
Looking out unto the stage was like feeling a whole new emotion that I didn't even no existed. It was like a flood of excitement ran through my veins as I looked out to the empty chairs of the congregation. I've seen the chapel from this view before-when I was practicing- but now knowing that in just a few minutes these empty chairs would be filled with students made me feel like I was on cloud 9.
"I'll give you two 10minutes to get prepared" Headmaster said heading towards the door, "then we'll begin"
And with that, he left.
Michael took the opportunity to start asking Dash questions about Yale, I'm sure he was planning on attending next year. I on the other hand was to busy dreaming about what this Friday would hold for Josh and I. The main question that ran through my mind was 'Where did Josh plan on taking me?'. Were we going on a road trip that only lasted for 3 days? Was he taking me to see something special? Its funny. All Josh has to do is say he's coming to see me, and my heart immediately speeds up.
"Hey" a voice said behind me. I whirled around, and Dash was behind me with a grin on his face. I looked across the stage to where a podium with the words 'Headmaster Layette' was imprinted in gold, and Michael was standing right next to it, examining it.
"Hey" I said focusing my attention back on Dash.
"How about you?" he asked lightheartedly, "do you have any questions?"
"Nah. I'm good"
Dash's grin got even wider, then he walked up closer to me and turned his head around to get a full view of the place. When he was done, his eyes landed back on mine.
"A lot of memories in this place" he said smiling down on me. I shrugged and then nodded.
"You know, you really changed this year" Dash said, raising one of his eyebrows. I did change this year. After everything I've been through in the last two years, my entire perspective on Easton changed. I was no longer the naïve little Reed who came here as a sophomore, I'm more sophisticated now. And my sense of style defiantly changed, thanks to Billings that is. And most importantly, my definition of 'Friends' changed to. Each year I got close to a friend, and each year that same friend tried to kill me; I was betrayed by my friends, and also backstabbed by my once friend; but at least now I wont be so eager to get close to someone.
"Ready?" Dash asked pulling me out of my long drawn-out thoughts. I looked up at him confused. He smiled and turned my body towards the door. Students were starting to come in.
"Behind the door" Mr. Layette called stepping in from the side door. Dash pulled me by my hand behind the door and into the darkness, and I could feel Michael right behind me. Dash shut the door as soon as the three of us were behind it.
"Follow me" he said. He opened the door to the hallway and led us out. Dash walked up the hallway we just came from and opened one of the doors, and walked in. Michael and I followed him, until he came up to another door.
"This is the door to the entrance" Dash said.
This chapel place was seriously starting to confuse me.
"A lot of trick doors" Dash said smiling down at me.
"Yeah" I said.
After about 10 minutes of waiting behind the doors, Dash slowly opened it and we walked out of it. In front of us were the big double doors that lead to the inside of the chapel.
"I'm going to watch in the audience" Dash whispered, he squeezed my hand that he pulled me by, and then dropped it. The door to the chapel opened slightly and light poured inside the room, and then it closed again, and all the light escaped.
"You must be glad that your boyfriend is back" Michael whispered into the darkness. My heart immediately shot up. Josh was here! I thought. And then I remembered that he was back at Yale.
"My boyfriend isn't here" I said sorrowfully.
"Isn't Dash your-" Michael started.
Heat began working its way up my body, and I knew that the redness was coming soon. He thought Dash was my boyfriend. Then if he thought that, how many other guys thought that?
"Why would you say that?" I asked grim.
"Sorry" he said remorsefully, I could hear it from his voice that he didn't mean to say what he did, "I just thought…"
"Thought what?"
"Well, Dash was always staring at you and smiling… So I just assumed that you two were dating. And when he took you by the hand, I just thought it had to be true" he said in a rush.
I kind of felt bad for him. He didn't know what he was saying, he probably just went around saying what he heard others say.
"Dash is just my friend" I said calmly.
"Oh… okay" he said. I smiled up at him, and even though I couldn't see it, I knew that he was smiling down at me.
The door to the outside opened just a little and a head popped in. It was the administrator who was with us when we were practicing the ceremony.
"Here you go" the man said stepping inside. He handed Michael and I the volumes that had been used in every service before us. At first they were kind of heavy, but eventually I learned how to carry it without any problem.
"Get Ready" the administrator said, and as if on que he walked up to the door that led to the stage and banged on it, hard. He flashed us a smile and mouthed 'good luck' and walked out into the door that Dash had just bought us here in.
"Who request entrance to this sacred place?" the headmaster said behind the double doors.
"Eager minds in search of knowledge" Michael and I said in perfect unison, I was actually amazed at how well it came out.
"Then you are welcome" the headmaster said. Michael opened the door with the books, just like how Dash taught him, and we walked inside. I lifted my chin high and trained myself not to show any emotions. We walked down the dark aisle and headed towards the lantern. From the corner of my eye, I could see the expressions of all the amazed new freshman. They sat attentively, and smiled with envy in their eyes. Michael and I walked all the way to the front of the chapel to where the table was, and placed our books on it.
"Tradition, honor, and excellence" we said again in perfect unison. Then we turned towards the audience. "Tradition, honor, and excellence" they echoed.
And then we bowed towards our teachers and sat in our respective places. Mine in front of the girls, Michael's in front of the boys.
I looked forward to all of the girls, and the freshman girls kept there eyes clued on me, like they would miss something vital to their life if they removed their eyes.
The sophomore girls mouthed me encouraging statements like 'Good job' or 'fabulous'. The juniors and seniors were the only ones who looked kind of bored, maybe because they've been through this ceremony more than twice. I stole a quick glance to the boys side of the chapel, and met eyes with Dash. He was sitting in the back with all of the teachers, but he had been staring at me the entire time. When he noticed he got my attention, he gave me a thumbs up.
The headmaster stepped up to the lantern and tilted the microphone that was next to it.
"Welcome, students, to Easton Academy"
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"Did you see yourself!" Constance asked excitedly as we walked out of the chapel. We were heading towards Billings to get our things for the first class of the year.
"Not really" I said blushing. The entire time, Constance told me how amazing I was, and how focused I was, and how perfect Michael and I did the ceremony.
"Well you should have" Kiki said walking to the other side of me, she had her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail, "you were fantastic"
"Thanks" I said, blushing even more.
"Ms. Brennan" I heard someone call behind me. At first I thought I was imagining it, but then it was there again.
"Ms. Brennan!" the voice said louder.
I turned around and Headmaster Layette was standing in front of the chapel, glaring.
"He probably wants to congratulate you" Constance said optimistically, at least that was one thing I could count on her for.
"Can you get my things and meet me in first period?" I asked starting to walk back to the chapel.
"Sure" Constance called over the rawr of the chatting students. Thank God she and I had first period together. I walked up to Headmaster Layette and he looked down at me.
"Would you like to meet the members of Billings now?" he asked. I didn't say anything, and he took that for a yes. He lead me inside the chapel where 10 girls were lined up in a straight line. Each had a unique sense of style, and each had a unique feature, but each was beautiful.
"We have two freshman with us" Headmaster Layette said, "Ms. Lange requested it"
Ms. Lange. Of course. But then again, Headmaster Layette had no idea how to run Billings, and it was the duty of the previous Billings president to explain it to him.
I looked across the line and tried to spot out who the two freshmen were. I had no idea who they were. The CD Noelle sent me last night only had 8 girls on it, I was missing two. And then I spotted them, and my face instantly lit up, and so did theirs.
"Reed!" Tori and Tess Hollis said in perfect unison.
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Okay, so I know I took longer than I was supposed to. BUT BLAME FAN FICTION! The thing didn't work for days. So I couldn't update or anything. So I had to occupy my self by reading Paradise Lost over again. Uh! Anyway, I know some of you might be a little confused as to why Josh's little sisters are their, and why Reed had no idea about it. But I will explain that in the next chapter. I had to borrow my friend's 'Private' book just to do the ceremony scene. Okay, now I have a question for you people out there. LOL. Don't I always? But this is an opinion question. (Correction. Opinion questions. With a S. ) LOL.
1. Should Reed haze all the upcoming Billings girls?
2. If she does, should she haze Tess and Tori?
Because you know, Josh hates the hazing, and he would hate it even more if Reed did that to his sisters! Ah, so many possibilities.
-Anyway. LOL. I just wanted your opinion on it. I already know which way I'm going to go, but it would still be nice to hear from my fellow readers. Anyway… Oh… before I forget. If anyone else is upset with Paradise Lost, tell me. Because at first I was okay with it, but in the end I was kind of mad with Kate Brian. I mean who did she think she was (Besides the author)? Okay, I'm probably wasting your time now. LOL! Wow. I'm just really bored. I have been studying all week for my test in my World Geography class, and I really hope I passed it. *Fingers crossed. Well Thanks for reading my story, and I really hoped you liked it so far. I don't know exactly how long its going to be. But Oh well….
Thanks! For reviewing my story, I love reading them! Oh, and if you have any suggestions or comments or anything like that, please tell me. I would love to know.
P. S. Dont worry peeps. Reed and Dash were not flirting. Well atleast Reed wasnt.
Okay.. that's it.
Until next time…
~Pegasus