Chapter 3
After I woke up from my horrible nightmare, I only slept for an hour after that. Annabelle came into my room to wake me up around 6, and I was glad she didn't wake me up like she did yesterday.
"Rose, wake up, you have to get ready for school," she said softly, lightly shaking my shoulders. I immediately sat up, knowing that if I rolled over, I would go right back to sleep. I went into the shower and tried to wake myself up, and thankfully, it did. I picked out one of the new outfits; a pretty floral summer dress. I started to get dressed, pulled out the curling iron and decided to curl my hair just for added look. I was nervous, because it was be the first time that I would be going back to a private school, and I didn't know what to expect. Nicholas knocked on the door to call me down to breakfast.
"Breakfast is ready," he announced. He saw what I was wearing and he grinned. "You look very nice."
"Thank you," I said timidly. I put on a pair of sandals and headed downstairs to the dining room. Zach was already dressed, in a school uniform, eating breakfast. He smiled when he saw me, and then continued to eat.
"Do they have uniforms?" I asked, sitting down at my place at the dining table.
"Yes, oh, I forgot to tell you that. Don't worry, they'll have one for you there," Nicholas said, sitting at the head of the table.
"I know," I muttered under my breath, hoping that he didn't hear me. He smiled and started to serve breakfast.
"Are you excited Rose?" Annabelle asked, reading a fashion magazine as she daintily picked at her food.
"Yes, and nervous," I answered, taking a sip of orange juice. I could hardly eat; I only got about four hours of sleep and I wasn't very hungry. Once everyone finished their meals, we headed out to the car.
"I'll be taking you to school today, but after today Richard will be taking you. Maybe one of these days we'll take you to get your drivers license and you can drive yourself," Nicholas said, sitting in the drivers seat. Zach and I crawled into the backseat and waited until we arrived at the school. My stomach was tying itself into knots before we arrived, and once we got there, I thought I was going to be sick. But I told myself that it wasn't going to be too bad, and I walked into the administration building with pride. Nicholas directed us to the principal and we took a seat in his office.
"Nicholas, it's been a while," the principal said, shaking hands with Nicholas. "This must be her."
"Yes, this is Rose Clairmont. Rose, this is the principal, Mr. Harold Montgomery," Nicholas introduced. I shook his hand, and his fingers lingered. I pulled it away with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you," he said. "Welcome to the Montgomery Academy. I think you'll enjoy your stay here."
"I'm sure I will," I said softly. He smiled and handed me a guidebook.
"Here is a book with all of the school rules and guidelines. You don't have to memorize it, but I would like it if you looked it over. Here is your school uniform; hopefully it fits you well," he said, handing me the pile of clothes. I looked them over and smiled. "Here is your schedule, a school map, and a list of activities that you might want to look into. I hope your year at Montgomery will be enjoyable. If you need anything, please don't be afraid to come to my office, I'll gladly help you in any way I can."
"Thank you very much," I said. I looked at my schedule and saw that I was going to be in eleventh grade, which I was supposed to be. We stood up and left his office, Mr. Montgomery smiling as I walked away.
"You should probably go and change into that uniform," Nicholas suggested. I nodded, handing him the other things that I had, and I found the nearest bathroom, and slipped into the uniform. It was a blue plaid skirt with a navy blue blazer and a white shirt underneath. The skirt was a little short, but it wasn't to bad. I handed my summer dress to Nicholas, and he went out to the car to get my backpack.
"Here you go. Have a good day. Call me if you need anything," Nicholas said with a sigh, handing me a slip of paper with his phone number on it. He leaned over, kissed my cheek, and walked toward the door. I turned to Zach.
"I have no idea what I'm doing," I said, shaking my head. He ripped my schedule from my hand and glanced at it.
"We have a lot of the same classes together. Just follow me and you'll be fine," he ordered, and he started to walk down the hall. I chased after him and walked beside him. Some of the other students were arriving and they gave me odd looks as I walked down the halls next to Zach.
"Why are they looking at me so strangely?" I asked Zach as we neared his locker.
"It's because you're new. Most of the students here know what's going on, like if there's going to be a new student, but obviously the word didn't get around," he said with a shrug. "And it's because I'm so popular."
I laughed. "Sure."
He gasped. "I am. I'm on the swim team, the basketball team and I'm extremely good looking," he said with pride. I giggled and looked up the combination to my locker. I quickly opened it and put the guideline book inside.
"You ready? OK, First class, English," he said with disappointment. I grabbed the straps of my backpack and headed down the hallway, walking toward class.
"Good morning class, my name is Mr. Halloway, and I'll be your English teacher this year," he announced. "We'll be starting off this year with a writing project; a memoir, and then we'll be doing a poetry unit, and then a little bit of Shakespeare..." He continued to list the things that we were going to do this year, and I smiled. I was going to like this school after all.
The first four classes passed by like a breeze, and finally, lunch came along. I was nervous, wondering if I would have to sit alone the first day, but Zach walked up to me in the lunch line.
"My friends are dying to meet you," he said, picking up a tray.
"Why?" I questioned. I wasn't that interesting.
"They think you're the best thing that has happened at this school," he said with a chuckle. I raised my eyebrow.
"OK then, save me a seat," I said, putting various foods onto my tray. It didn't look to appetizing, but I was hungry. I followed Zach to his table after paying for my lunch, and a bunch of his friends were lightly talking to each other. When I sat down, they smiled.
"Guys, this is Rose. She's living with me," Zach announced. It wasn't the best introduction, but it was alright with me. Everyone waved, and Zach matched names to faces.
"Rose! Rose!" I heard from behind me, and I turned around to see who was calling me. A tall, blonde girl with fair skin and brown eyes was waving at me. Instantly, it was a voice that I could never forget. It was Nicole Arden, my best friend from the Poitier Academy.
"Nicole!" I exclaimed, flying out of my seat to run over to her. The guys at the table let out a girlish giggle and I wrapped my arms around her.
"Oh my goodness... I can't believe this. I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been!" Nicole asked.
"I've been...me," I answered truthfully.
"Hey, why did you leave the academy?" Nicole asked. I had a seat back at the table and sighed.
"My Grandmother died. She was the one paying the tuition, and after she died, there was no one else in my family that could pay, so I had to leave," I said, shrugging.
"Wow, I'm really sorry," Nicole said, sighing sadly.
"It was years ago," I answered. "So, enough about that, what have you been doing these past few years?"
"Well," she said with a laugh. She started to tell her life story, and it reminded me of the times back at the Academy. We would be sitting in the lunchroom, and Nicole would be blabbing away about something pointless. It brought a smile to my face.
"OK, now it's your turn. What have you been up to?" She asked, propping herself up on the table. I started to look around at all of the boys that were looking at me, and my eyes landed on one particular boy. He was tall and thick, with the prettiest green-brown eyes I had ever seen. He had light brown, messy hair and black framed glasses. I sat there, staring at him because he was one of the most attractive boys that I had ever seen.
"Rose!" Nicole screeched in my ear, dragging me out of my dreamland.
"Oh, sorry," I said, and began to explain what happened the last few years. Finally, the bell rang, and Zach and I walked together to our next class.
"It's official; my friends are in love with you," Zach announced, and I laughed.
"Who was that boy with the glasses?" I asked as we entered math.
"Oh, that's Stephen Burns. He's an outcast. Nice guy though. Why?" Zach asked suspiciously as we took our seats.
"Oh, no reason," I said quickly, trying to keep myself occupied by flipping through the math textbook. He raised his eyebrow and shook his head. During the class, I found myself thinking about Stephen constantly. He was permanently imprinted in my mind and I had a hard time concentrating in class. Finally, the last two classes of the day passed, and Zach and waited outside of the school for Nicholas to pick us up.
"Rose!" Nicholas cried as he ran up to me. He kissed my cheek and we walked back to the car.
"How was your first day?" Nicholas asked as he got into the car.
"It was great," I said, looking over at Zach. Nicholas had completely ignored him, and I suddenly felt back. I felt like I was taking away the spotlight from Zach and that he was being pushed away, and I was replacing him. I felt like an interruption in their life. Zach looked over at me and pulled out his cellphone, and didn't care that his father hadn't said anything to him. I rested my head against the window and stared outside of it until we got home. Just as we were pulling into the driveway, Richard was pulling out bags from Annabelle's trunk. Annabelle was standing close by, watching like a hawk.
"Hello dear," Nicholas said as he got out of the car. "Another shopping trip?" He walked over to her and automatically kissed her on the cheek. As I watched that, I could tell that it was void of love, just duty.
"Yes. I decided that we needed to re-decorate a little bit. I plan on having a banquet soon," she announced. "We needed new things anyway. I swear, if Tiffany Levinson recognizes that Tiffany lamp in the den after I told her that I re-decorated, I'll have a complete meltdown," Annabelle said with great distress. I would have laughed if she were joking, but she was dead serious. Zach stifled his laughed and went inside the house to drop his things off. I followed him inside and dropped my backpack on to the floor. A sudden image of Stephen popped in my head, and I smiled. It reminded me of when I was back at the Academy, and I had a crush on Jonathan Sites. I felt thirteen again, and I felt great. Zach came into my room and I wiped my silly grin off of my face.
"So, do you want to swim first, and then eat? Or Vice Versa?" Zach asked. I shrugged.
"Let's swim first," I decided. I went to my dresser to find a bathing suit, and Zach had left the room. I quickly changed and went downstairs to the pool and saw that Zach had beat me to it. He was doing laps back and forth across the pool and didn't realize that I was there until 5 minutes later.
"You scared the hell out of me," he said, wiping his eyes. I smiled and went to the other end of the pool and started to get in.
"Ok, shall we get started?" Zach asked. I nodded, and he started to show me how to do laps in the pool. I started doing some, and after the fist lap, Zach's phone rang.
"Hold on," he said, and I leaned against the pool and waited.
"Who was it?" I asked when the conversation was done.
"It was Danny. He and a few friends want to come over and they want you to come and hang out with us."
"When are they coming over?" I asked. He started to dry off.
"Right now," Zach answered. I scrambled out of the pool and started to dry off. "Hey, where's the fire?"
"They're on their way!" I cried, running into the house and bolting upstairs. "I'm a mess."
"You look fine," Zach said as we entered my room.
"I look horrible! My makeup is running all down my face, and my hair is ratty because of the chlorine," I said, going into the bathroom to start the shower.
"OK Annabelle," Zach said, and I stopped in mid-step. I glared at him, knowing that it was an insult.
"Am I really that bad?" I asked softly, lightly hitting my thighs.
"For a minute, you sounded just like her younger version," Zach replied. I sighed.
"I'm sorry, I just want to make a good impression on your friends," I said quietly, laying out an outfit on my bed.
"Rose, you had them at hello. Just be yourself. I don't who you are when you are yourself, but just be you," Zach ordered with a nod. He left the room, and I quickly hopped into the shower and washed my hair. I got out of the shower, got dressed in a pair of jeans and a cute shirt, put on makeup, and let my hair dry before I went downstairs. They were all waiting in the foyer, and all heads turned toward me as I was walking down the stairs. Just as I had hoped, Stephen was there, smiling up at me. I tried to remain calm as my heart pounded furiously against my chest. I walked over to Zach and stood next to him, shoving my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
"Hi," I said timidly, looking at the floor.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Zach asked, looking around the house.
"Let's go out to a movie, or we could just drive around," Andrew said.
"Let's show Rose the better side of New Orleans," Danny offered. Zach frowned.
"Guys, remember it's a school night," Zach said. Everyone laughed.
"OK Dad," Andrew said with a chuckle. "C'mon Rose, you can ride with me," Andrew added, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the front door. Zach grabbed my free arm and yanked me toward him.
"She rides with me," Zach grumbled. Andrew looked surprised.
"OK dude, calm down," Andrew said. He turned around and picked a few people to go into his car, and Zach did the same.
"Sorry, I just don't want you riding with him," Zach declared. I nodded, realizing how strong Zach really was, and I looked at the group that Zach had picked. It was Danny, Daryl and Stephen. My heart leapt for joy when I saw that he was going along.
"Shotgun!" I called girlishly, running toward the front door. Everyone erupted into light laughter as I went out to the driveway and waited for Zach to pull his car out of the driveway. It was a brand new Ford Mustang, and it was dark blue. Zach unlocked the doors and we all piled in.
"Where are we going?" Danny asked.
"I guess to lover's lane. I dunno, I'm just gonna follow Andrew," Zach said, revving the engine. Andrew and his group zoomed down the street and we stayed close behind him.
"You ever been in a sports car Rosie?" Danny asked, leaning forward to look at me.
"No," I said, looking over at Zach.
"Come on Zach, rev it up for her!" Danny yelled, turning up the radio.
"No way man. Last time I did that with you guys, I got a ticket for speeding," Zach said, shaking his head.
"Do it later then," Danny demanded and sat back. I glanced into the back seat of the car and saw Stephen smiling at me. I smiled back and waited until we arrived at our destination. We all climbed out of the cars and Andrew had created a bon fire and we all sat around. Everyone started their own conversations, and I went to the car to get my jacket because it was a breezy night. Stephen was leaning against the side of Zach's car, looking at the sunset.
"How come you're not with everyone else?" I asked him, putting my arms into the jacket. He shrugged.
"All they talk about is basketball and girls," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. I stood next to him.
"You're not interested in that?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"Not really. I'd rather talk about something important," he said with a shrug.
"Like?" I questioned.
"Like, TV, or something."
"What's your favorite show?"
"8 simple rules," he said, and I laughed. We talked for a long time about just random stuff, and I really had a great time. The guys sitting around the bon fire didn't even notice we were gone until someone pulled out a twelve pack of beer and started to drink. Zach didn't have one; he was driving, but he also didn't drink. Everyone started having a good time until someone saw headlights traveling this way.
"Hey, guys, we better get out of here," Andrew yelled as he tried to stand up and go to his car. His attempt failed, because he dropped to the ground and started to laugh. Everyone scrambled into their cars after putting out the bonfire and started to speed around the corner. I shrieked, fearing that we were going to plummet off the edge, but Zach turned the car in the other direction. I quickly clicked on my seatbelt and turned my head to look behind us. Red and blue flashing lights were following behind us, not close enough to see the license plate, but close enough to catch up. I looked over at Zach, who smiled nervously and sped up around the corner.
"Where are we going?" I asked, not remembering how we go up here.
"There's another entrance up around here," Zach said angrily, wishing that Andrew would go faster. He was swerving all over the road, obviously intoxicated, and I prayed silently that we would all get out of here alive. The police car swung around the corner behind us and started to catch up, but there was an opportunity to escape. Andrew's car suddenly halted in front of us, and Zach swore out loud.
"What the hell is he doing?" He yelled, gesturing his hands at the car angrily. Zach stomped on the brakes and tried to find away around him. Zach's phone rang and he answered it.
"What?" He snapped, edging closer to the car.
"Dude, Andrew's passed out," I heard through the phone.
"Dammit," Zach hissed. "Get him out of the drivers seat and pull the car over or something, I need to get through!" He added. I turned around to see how close the police were, and I couldn't see them around the corner. Zach closed his phone, shoved it into his pockets and waited impatiently as someone got into the drivers seat and moved the car over. Zach waved at them as we passed by in a torrent of dirt and he floored the gas pedal, going 80 as we sped down the dirt trail. My heart was racing so far I thought I might have a heart attack because every turn was sharp, and Zach wouldn't slow down at the turns.
"Zach, slow down!" Danny yelled at him. I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. In the distance, I could hear the siren of the police car following us. We finally were back onto solid pavement, and Zach sped down the road, turning a few sharp corners to lose the officer's trail. It had turned into night now, and in the distance you could see the glow of the officers lights. We were nowhere near the house, and Zach had to think quickly. We turned into a private neighborhood drive and pulled onto the side of the road that was covered with thick bushes and long trees. Zach turned off his headlights and then engine and waited. I sighed with relief when we stopped moving, and I turned around to look at Stephen. He looked a little shaken, but he flashed me a comforting smile. Danny and Daryl started to talk in the back seat, and Zach hissed at them to shut up as the police car drove by. His lights and siren were off, and we all ducked down in our seats. I could hear him drive by, stopping the car to look around for Zach's car, but when he didn't find us, he turned around and went the other direction. We waited a few minutes after that, and Zach started the car and sped off down the street.
"Why are we going down this way?" Daryl asked as Zach concentrated on the road.
"Because he's a stupid cop, and he's wait at the entrance of the street for us to come out," Zach answered, and I nodded in agreement. "Besides, this way is shorter." Zach's phone rang, and he answered it quickly.
"Hello?" He asked. "Great. Is he Okay? Did you guys get out of there alright? Meet me back at my house; I'll drive him home." Zach closed his phone and sighed.
"They got out of there okay, but Andrew's passed out. They pulled over to fake the cops out, and they sped away. He's probably got their license plate number, so now they're in trouble," Zach announced to the caravan. I sighed. I certainly hoped that this didn't happen all the time. After a few minutes of driving, we finally arrived at the house and Zach pulled his Mustang in the garage just in case. Everyone got of the car, my knees wobbling as I stepped out of the car.
"Go inside and go to bed. If Mom and Dad ask about what we did tonight, say that we went over to Andrew's and hung out or something," Zach ordered as the other car pulled up. I looked at Stephen, said a quick goodbye to him and went inside the house, hoping not to come into contact with either Annabelle or Nicholas.
"Rose!" I heard from behind me, and I paused, slowly turning around to see Nicholas coming out of his study.
"Hi," I said quickly, flashing a fake smile.
"What did you guys do tonight?" He asked, looking around to see if Zach was around.
"Oh, we went over to Andrew's house and we played pool and just hung out," I lied quickly, hoping that I wasn't seeming too nervous.
"Oh, sounds fun. Where's Zach?" Nicholas asked curiously. My mind drew a blank. What was I going to tell him?
"Oh, he's outside. I think that he said he was going to go to Andrew's house to pick up something," I said as carelessly as I could. Nicholas nodded.
"Well, I'm going to bed. Long day," I said, heading toward the stairs. "Goodnight." I reached my door and ran inside of my room, slamming the door and jumping on my bed. My hands were slightly shaking and I couldn't breathe very well, and I laid down on my bed and sighed. I realized that I had neglected some of the homework that I had, and I started to work on that, realizing that it was almost ten. I changed into my pajamas, crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately, trying to keep my mind focused on the events that happened tonight instead of the re-occurring dream I had last night.