Author's Note:

The last chapter I'll probably upload for tonight, as it is almost midnight here at Pacific Asia.

For those who were hoping for shorter chapters after the very very long setup, you guys were just in luck with the last one! Can't guarantee the other chapters will be as "short" though. But I hope you can see that I try to only incorporate moments and insights that would be important to either the characters or the story.

On to the story...

Chapter IV

The next few days leading up to the weekend only brought more misfortune to Rhonda. Of all the things that would mysteriously follow her from Hillwood, the spirit of Eugene's jinx was not at all what she expected.

While skiing on the first day, she let the orange juice, sausage, pancake and volumes of maple syrup dictate her. Adrenaline was pumping, the sky was bright and the snow was white and pristine, just like her cashmere tees. While yelling out how much fun she was having, as if to prove to herself that such upscale sporting activities is just the satisfaction she was looking for, she found herself starting to get bored. As if she was on cruise control, she decided to stare up at the clouds and briefly made out a football shaped cloud. About a split second later, she found herself flying...and landing straight into a nearly complete snowman. As she got up, miraculously injury free, the kid with a ruined snowman kicked her in the shins and told her that he'll hear from his father.

While eating in the lunch buffet, as she wasn't in the mood to read menus in the club's ala carte restaurant, she decided to really feast on some proteins to balance all the carbs she ate. Steak, turkey, halibut and some lobster just to spoil herself. She thought of the half-eaten salami and sock stew that was served to her on the 3rd night of her stay in the boarding house, along with all the other "experiments" Arnold's grandma administered to the dining boarders. As disgusting as those were, Rhonda found herself laughing as she looked back on those not so fond memories. Unfortunately, her sense of smell wasn't up to par, as she failed to notice the faint but foul odor of the lobster bisque. Maybe that's why no one seemed to be going near it? And to think she just watched a similar episode of Mr. Bean...

The next day, while taking it really slow in the spa, she unwisely decided to sweat herself out in the club's sauna. While letting her thoughts run in the pleasantly warm haze, she recalled the less than ideal bathroom situation she was subjected to in the Sunset Arms. She learned the hard way that the hour didn't matter: if you were gonna bathe in the tub, check the drain for unwanted back hair from mister Potts. As seemed to be the theme of her stay the past few days, dumb bad luck would rear its ugly head, as she and several other women were accidentally locked in for an extra 30 minutes. As soon as they were freed by the spa personnel, Rhonda felt like she could drink a lake and she still wouldn't recover the water weight lost.

Friday noon...

The third day brought no misfortune unto Rhonda. Although, she was lucky enough to avoid a deceptive spot of thin ice while skating earlier this morning. But at this point, she was on the fringes. She is in the premiere country club in Aspen, skiing and pampering herself to her heart's desire. She was living the good life. Only problem is that she didn't feel like it was.

'But that's the problem though, isn't it?' Rhonda thought to herself. She did not want to admit it, but it was as if she had no desire to be there. Even as she was sipping on hot cocoa, sitting on the club's luxurious leather couch and "admiring" the scenic view in front of her, all thoughts seemed to be focused on being back home. Oh, and is that the same football shaped cloud she saw days ago? She returned to the cabin, unenthused about her stay so far.

Rhonda, in a desperate attempt to make herself feel good and get some semblance of the life she used to...er, still likes but needs remembering, opened her bedroom's closet and decided to mix and match outfits. If she can't make herself feel good about this trip, maybe looking good will light some spark. Despite having no real interest in signing up for more activities or attending more events, she really made it a mission in that single hour to find the outfit that would make even some teenagers drop their jaws in awe of her beauty. If she could virtually make the whole PS 118 male population incapable of keeping their eyes away from her in a sundress and straw hat, what more with the designer outfits she had at her disposal?

After about 45 minutes, she knew she had something. Rhonda looked into the mirror to marvel at her ensemble: a ruby v-neck blouse that fit well enough to show her figure, though admittedly not as flattering as the shower curtain sundress. Not to worry, as Rhonda paired it with a thick pearl lynx coat that felt almost as lush as her mother's mink coat. To round it up, she put on a matching pair of ruby warmers, and a beautiful emerald necklace for some contrast. While it didn't quite have the desired effect of raising her spirits, she at least smiled with the knowledge that even in the doldrums her style can't fail her. Now, where did she put her boots...

Rhonda got what she wanted from her outfit when she stepped down to the club's lobby. Boys her age, boys younger than her and even a few middle schoolers couldn't help themselves as they kept on glancing her way. For the boys within age, she knew they would all be lining up to talk to her once she picked her afternoon cocoa and sit down to once again admire the scenic view. As expected, it's as if they went single file.

Rhonda had entertained what felt like a dozen boys in a span of 2 hours. She met a star athlete's young prospect of an offspring, the secret child of some rockstar, and even met the son of some oil tycoon that her dad would talk about occasionally during dinner. Yet, none gave her what she's still been desperately searching for since the beginning of the trip: satisfaction. By the time the unlucky number 13th boy - some geek in a club jacket he clearly took from his dad to try and impress girls in the lobby - Rhonda had had enough. She better leave before Peapod Kid gets any funny ideas.

She was going to return her mug of half finished cocoa to save the server the trouble. In the process, she knocked some of the contents onto the person she accidentally ran into.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, I am so so sorry!" Rhonda immediately and profusely apologized.

"No it's ok...miss Lloyd, if I'm not mistaken?" the stranger replied, with what Rhonda received as honest to goodness warmth. She hasn't felt this kind of warmth since leaving the boarding house...no way could he be here! She looked up, hoping that somehow despite the unfavorable odds, THAT familiar face is what would be looking back.

Not quite. But, Rhonda had to admit, quite handsome. She was looking into the eyes of a boy, who seemed like he was in the 6th grade, with possibly the most alluring green eyes she's ever seen. He had light brown hair, a bit messy but in a way that gave off that bad boy vibe that pre-teen magazines always present to be the craze. He had a strong but lean build, and based on Rhonda's observations, she wouldn't be surprised if this boy was a lacrosse player.

"Just call me Rhonda." The Lloyd heiress said with a flirtatious smile, as she accepted the dashing young boy's hand to help her up. 'Oh my, he's quite tall too. Jackpot!' Rhonda thought.

He introduced himself as Chadwick James Montgomery IV. He told Rhonda that if it was a mouthful, he did go by CJ. At that instant, Rhonda remembered who he was. CJ Montgomery was a popular student from one of Hillwood's upper echelon of private schools. There, he was class president, star lacrosse player, and was already doing a few modeling gigs. To top it off, he was reportedly getting straight As, came from a long illustrious line of wealth and was very popular among the ladies. Even Connie and Maria have talked about him.

After about an hour of pleasantries between them, Rhonda knew there was some definite chemistry. She was happy, or at least glad and flattered, that CJ invited her later to his family's cabin for some high school send off party for one of his brothers. He told her that their cabin door opens at 6 pm for those who want some dinner, but she can always swing by a bit later for them to get more acquainted.

This wasn't Rhonda's first tango with rich boys. Admittedly, his delivery and swagger weren't exactly high marks, as he came off a bit awkward, but Rhonda couldn't help but be drawn in by the surprising warmth he displayed throughout their conversation, and those beautiful deep green eyes...that reminded her so much of...

Rhonda knew that this was likely gonna be just a mess by the end of the night. Just what she wanted. She needed elation, and desperate times call for desperate measures. She needed a good mistake...