Hey guys! I'm impatient so I'm uploading the second chapter. BOOM. OK, read- now :)
"Daddy!" I cried as I saw Neal turn the corner of the street. I ran to him and hugged the surprised con artist.
"Is this really necessary?" Neal asked.
"Get into character, Caffrey."
"By the way, who am I?"
"Richard Westbrook, a retired art restorer who has an impressive private collection. You have a very talented daughter that you want the best for. You've searched for a school that would help her develop her artistic talents."
"And that talented daughter is you?"
"Do I have to say it? Well, duh." I used my old catchphrase, "Cecilia Westbrook will be going into all Honor classes with extra courses in painting."
"Are you sure you want to do Honor classes?" Neal asked warningly.
"If I'm going to do it, I'm going to go all out," I grinned.
"You haven't been in school in two years. It's going to be a lot of work."
"How hard can it be? Besides, if the kids I see on the streets today can do it, I'm pretty sure that I can handle it," I shrugged, I was probably the youngest self- made millionaire, school can't be that hard.
"What math are you taking? Algebra 2?" I nodded, so Neal continued, "Good luck on your own. If you need a tutor, well, you know where I live."
I got a sinking feeling in my stomachache, "I just realized. I'm going to have homework again!" Neal laughed really hard, "It is not funny! The last time I had to do that was in seventh grade. Do you realize how much harder tenth grade will be than seventh?"
"I actually do realize. I went to school like a normal kid," Neal replied.
I snorted, "I doubt you were ever a normal kid, Neal."
"You're right, Miss 'Yearning for Normality'."
"Oh, shut up," I said. We arrived at LaGuardia.
"Alright, Ceci, are you nervous?" Neal said.
"Ceci?" I asked, seriously? "Ceci"?
"You should go by it. Normal kids don't really have dramatic names like 'Cecilia Westbrook'. It sounds like it came from a novel. It will give you a more fun and care free appearance."
"It may or may not have been from a novel, thank you very much. But, I will take your advice and use 'Ceci'," Felicity shuddered, "This normal teen thing is not working for me." I looked down at my paint splattered flare jeans and top from Aeropostale.
"You're doing a great job; you should do it more often." Neal answered.
I scoffed, "Listen, Richard Westbrook, just do the interview and let me do my work."
"That's no way to talk to your father!" Neal grinned teasingly.
"Let's go Daddy," I said with a sugary sweet tone.
Neal opened the door to the Headmaster's office and I followed Caffrey in.
"Good afternoon," the headmaster said politely.
"Hello, Dr. Joslin. My name is Richard Westbrook. This is my daughter, Cecilia."
"Dad, you know I go by Ceci," I said with annoyance. Not the annoyance that the headmaster thought. It was annoyance that Neal was right. It was better for my cover to be called that ridiculous shortening of a poetic name.
"Sorry, dear," Neal continued, "So, what do you need to know?" He was playing his part really well, maybe some of the money I get for the painting will go to him. Maybe.
"We just need her transcripts and all that paperwork," Dr. Joslin said with a smile.
"Ceci?" Neal said. I pulled out of her jacket pocket an envelope with all the papers needed, forged, obviously.
"Excellent. Well, we are very excited for Ms. Westbrook to be attending our school. She's an exceptional student and judging by her audition, a wonderful artist."
"Thank you, I gave her lessons myself, you know." Neal smiled at me. I masked my annoyance by plastering a smile on. This should be fun…
"Oh, it was not all gumdrops and butterflies, you know. He held me to quite a standard. This," I started to point at a long scar on her arm, "Is from when I…"
"Ahaha," Neal interrupted, hushing me with his hand, "Kids these days."
The headmaster looked a bit confused, "Well, anyways, how did you hear about us?"
"I've been searching for a quality school for my beloved child to develop her artistic abilities."
"There's only so much my father can do, you see," I smiled sweetly.
The headmaster did not reply, but studied father and daughter. They were an odd combination, but artists will be artists, he reasoned.
"I have an engagement soon, is there anything else you'll need?" Richard questioned.
"We'll mail you all the school information in a few weeks," Dr. Joslin concluded.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Joslin," I, now officially Ceci, said.
"Let's go, Cecilia."
"Ceci!" I insisted as they exited the office. There was another family waiting. I had been reading up on my psychology and decided to try to do an evaluation. It was a father and son. No wedding ring on the father, so single parent. They were clearly related. The son, he looked around my age, had short blonde hair with a little spike in the front. He had green eyes, just like his fathers. His body language was relaxed, confident. He had one sign of nervousness, though. His fist was clenched loosely at his side. He glanced up quickly when Neal and I left the office. They both seemed to have recognized Neal. The boy had caught me looking. He smiled at me. I awkwardly gave him a half smile and walked out of the office.
"He was handsome," Neal noted once they were out of ear shot.
"What? Well, I guess." I said, blushing in spite of myself.
"Do you have a crush?" Neal asked, trying to conceal a grin.
"Don't be daft. I saw the guy for a couple seconds."
"That's what they all say," Neal couldn't hide it any longer. He smiled broadly.
"Shut up!" I said, blushing further. Neal knowing I actually did normal kid things like crushing was not Ok with me. I couldn't be a normal teen. I saw him for a couple of seconds, no big deal.
Sure enough, he had to say something, "Welcome back to being a normal kid."
"Yeah right, Neal. Me, a normal kid… Now that's a joke worth sharing at a party," I forced a laugh.
"For a con artist, you really are a terrible liar."
I didn't reply right away, "This isn't the kind of stuff I usually lie about. Give me a couple of days, and I'll be the best child pathological liar that lived, if I want to be."
"Tell me when the PTA meetings start," Neal joked as he headed home.
"Oh, ha-ha, that almost made me laugh." I said, not being able to find a better response quickly enough. First, I was joining school and now I'm not thinking of comebacks. What is the world coming to?
A/N: Hey, you! Yes, you! I see you, you didn't review the first chapter and now you think Peter and I will let you off easy. Think again! You better review at least one of the chapters. Remember, if Peter can catch Neal, he can catch you. I really like feedback so if i get enough I won't threaten you with Peter. Me and him are like this (imagine me crossing my middle and pointer finger). You really should review, though :)