Saturday 12th October
When I woke everyone was gone,and it was just after 11. I went downstairs and Joan had left a note telling me she'd pick me up and take me to get my hair done at half 2 sharp. Until then I lay about alternating between playing the x-box and reading a James Patterson novel of Joan's called Guilty Wives. Yesterday I had a great time. I had watched TV went for a three mile run round the neighbourhood. I was starting to get used to being on my own in the house. Thankfully,Joan was home exactly on time and we headed off to beautify ourselves for George's party.
"How was work?" I asked Joan once we were at the hairdresser's.
"Good,I managed to get a lot done despite the staff meeting" Joan rolled her eyes.
"You have staff meetings?" I snorted. It sounded ridiculous,staff meetings at the CIA!
"Don't get me started".
The Mani pedis went perfectly,Joan got the usual traditional white tips and I got false nails (to hide my bitten down stubs) with tiny cherry blossoms drawn on them. Right after that we got our hair appointments.
My hairdresser,a lovely blond woman named Cheryl,wouldn't touch my hair colour saying it was perfect for my skin tone,but she did give me a middle parting and chopped three inches off of my hair and yet it still hung down my back. For the party she curled my hair and it was hung just a few inches below the nape of my neck. Joan however got her usual cut and colour only this time she had side bangs and a shorter look and for the party Joan's stylist Marco put her hair into a side bun. All in all a productive afternoon. When we got home it was just after five pm and Arthur wasn't home yet.
Me and Joan sat in the living room gossiping about the people who would be at the party.
"So you're telling me that Senator Ted Rowlinson or as the press call him-Mr Morals-has a mistress?" I asked.
"His girlfriend Sun is also the nanny of his three year old son Tyler. Poor Sara,she's absolutely devastated" Joan sympathised.
"What's she going to do?" I asked.
"Well she'll never look her nanny in the eye again,and she'll never fully trust her husband" Joan said.
"So you're telling me they won't be punished" I asked amazed.
"No. In DC scandals hit the paper pretty fast,and these political guys can't afford that. Ergo,they usually marry women who are willing to forgive anything" Joan tried to explain,but this Stepford Wives world was to bizarre.
"I couldn't do that. If it was my husband I'd kill him in his sleep" I said and Joan laughed.
"Which is why I don't hold out much hope for you being the next ambassador's wife. You're way to honest for it-and that's a compliment" Joan said and she looked a little sad.
"Well you don't seem like the typical DC wife. And that's a compliment" I mirrored her words.
"I try not to be. Honestly it can cause a lot of tension for Arthur and I,especially when he got promoted to DCS. For a few months he was tense,constantly worried about what people thought of him. Wanted to be thought of as Mr Perfect. I seriously considered divorce. Arthur's first wife Gina was a lot more suited for the role of DC wife and it made me a little paranoid" Joan was speaking honestly and from the heart. It was the deepest conversation I'd ever had.
"Arthur wouldn't have married you if he didn't love you" I reminded her.
"I know that now. About two and a half years ago Arthur was having a couple of legal issues and he thought he might lose the job. We were at our worst and even through all that,he managed to give me an amazing birthday surprise" Joan smiled.
"What was that?" I asked.
"One week in Barbados without cell phones. It meant a lot to me that he would do that with all of his work problems" Joan smiled softly.
"Plus a gorgeous Tiffany's necklace" Joan winked and was back to her usual self by the time the front door slammed shut announcing Arthur's arrival.
In just over an hour we were all dressed and ready to go. I was wearing a halter neck black velvet dress with a pair of Joan's black Christian Louboutain's (thank god we were the same size) with some diamond earrings that belongs to Joan. Arthur was in a usual suit and blue tie that Joan picked out. Joan look fantastic as usual wearing a one shouldered sapphire ruched dress with gorgeous diamond earrings and a bracelet. I was kind of excited,I had never been to a fancy party,and this party was in the VIP lounge of an up-scale restraunt.
Once we got to the party Joan led me straight inside and after giving our names to the management we went up the spiralling staircase to the huge room George's party was in. I am embarrassed to say I had a tight grip on Joan's hand the whole way,I almost felt afraid to let go. People were waving and smiling and Joan reciprocated but moved us quickly to the booth where her friend Eileen stood.
"Hi sweetheart" Eileen leaned down to hug Joan.
"Hey the party's great. Everything looks perfect. Now where is the birthday boy?" Joan asked.
"Here he comes" Eileen sounded excited and I turned to see the guy she was talking about. George was cute,with brown hair and blue eyes and he wore Armani glasses that actually made him look very intelligent. Arthur shook his hand and he kissed Joan twice then turned to me.
"You must be Joan's niece. It's Jordan right?" he said and leaned in and kissed each cheek. What was with the air-kissing? Even Joan did it.
"Yes it's nice to meet you George. Happy twenty first!" I handed him the envelope that had a card and cheque in it from me,Joan and Arthur.
"No problem you're fifteen right?" he asked.
"Yeah,my birthday was in June" I told him.
"Oh okay,well you should meet my friend's little sister she's going to Sidwell this year-is that where you're going?" I asked.
"Yes I am so that would be great" I smiled and followed him leaving Arthur and Joan mingling with William and Eileen and a bunch of other people.
He led me to a smaller table at the other side of the hall and I immediately noticed an absolutely stunning,tall blond tanned girl in a gorgeous orange halter neck short dress.
"Jordan this is Laurel Watson. Laurel this Jordan,Arthur's niece" George said and left us to chat.
"So how come you just moved?" she asked.
"My mother passed away. Joan and Arthur decided to take me into their home" I told her.
"Oh I'm sorry. I really need to stop being so damn nosy".
"It's fine. So deep conversation aside,tell me about you" I said.
"I was born April 24th 1998. I'm the youngest child,my older brother Aaron is studying Bio-Chem at Brown University. My favourite colour is anything bright,I love feel good teen movies. What about you?" she asked.
"I was born June 18th on the same year as you. I'm an only child. I love to read and write. I do a lot of exercise,I like to run and I do a little martial arts".
"No wonder you're so thin" she said which was funny to me because she was a million times skinnier than me.
"Do you ride horses?".
"I've never tried before-" I admitted.
"Oh my god I have to take you sometime! You'll absolutely love it,there's nothing more freeing. I love taking care of horses. I own two-Cherry and Sandy,one boy and one girl. She's a gorgeous brown with a light coloured tail and my stallion's totally black. Sandy I got as a present for my birthday this year and Cherry I got when I was thirteen. You know I've even competed in equestrian competitions. This year was my first time riding in the Hampton classics" she said and I couldn't help but be impressed and interested. Laurel was one of those people who was so ridiculously beautiful and energetic you couldn't help but like her.
"Did you place? And where do you keep your horses?" I asked.
"I came in third,but next year I'm going for the gold" she flashed me a grin before continuing. "In a stable about twenty minutes from Spring Valley. That's where everyone boards their horses. I ride every Wednesday,Thursday and Sunday. You should seriously think about coming riding,Cherry's a great horse she wouldn't hurt you or buck you off" she told me.
"I'll definitely do it,how about I go this Thursday?" I asked her.
"Perfect,here give me your number as well so we can text back and forth and plans won't get screwed up" she said and we swapped numbers into our phones.
"So tell me about the kids in our year".
"Well the president's daughter Malia is in our year. She's nice enough,very private though she has like three friends and that's it. Umm the Speaker of The House's twin boys Cameron and Steven Webster are in our year. Cameron is really great,and very sporty,we've been friends since I was seven or eight. Steven is nice enough but very quiet. He's just a little odd and kind of an introvert. Prue Meyer is in our year as well she's lovely,really sweet and a total technology genius. I would bet my trust fund that she'll end up in Caltech or MIT. Prue's in our school on a partial scholarship and she lives about an hour out of DC" she finished and I nodded and I digested this while she grabbed two glasses of champagne off a passing waiter's tray.
"Who else? Oh,my first crush. The ever handsome Brendan Barr,son of Steve Barr and his wife Cristina. He's gorgeous,tall with short dark curly hair and totally ripped. We dated up until the summer. We broke up after I found out he made out with a then tenth grader now an eleventh grader. He never told me who she was. And he's been gone since the beginning of summer staying with his mother's sister in Sydney. He only returned in September. But in short, he's bad news" she said and we clinked our classes and sipped.
"Are we aloud to be drinking" I whispered to her.
"Don't worry most parents have a very quasi European attitude on drinking. So you can drink but don't act like a hot mess in front of anyone important,so no puking or peeing in the streets. That's reserved for nights out with friends" Laurel smiled happily at me.
"Hi gorgeous" a really short girl with curly brown hair came bouncing up and kissed Laurel and then pulled back to stare at me.
"Hi I'm Gretchen Michaelson who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Jordan MacKenzie I'm Joan and Arthur's niece from LA,but I live here now. Do you go to Sidwell?" I asked.
"Yeah is that where you're attending?" she asked.
"Yes. Are you in my year?".
"No I'm a Sophmore. So I gotta go but I'll see you Monday" she said and after a quick cheek kiss she bounced away into the crowd.
"Who was that?" I turned to Laurel and saw she was actually pulling a face like a toddler.
"Gretchen Michaelson is the daughter of Conner Michaelson and he owns the stables I was talking about. He also owns the nightclub Flash and an Italians called Il Palazzo in Spring Valley. I cannot stand her,she's so competitive it's embarrassing. Oh and she despises me because she got fourth at the Hampton classics and I got third. Trust me,behind that simpering smile there's evil" Laurel drained the rest of the glass and placed it on the table.
"I have to go see my Aunt Joan but if I don't see you later tonight I'll text you tomorrow" I told her and then she leaned in and gave me quick hug and then we went in opposite directions.
I couldn't figure Laurel out. She certainly wasn't a sweetheart but she seemed really cool and very fun. She also seemed a little feisty,which I liked. I like people who weren't calm or quiet.
Aunt Joan was sitting between two people and she looked really happy and Uncle Arthur was engrossed in a conversation with a tall gray haired man.
"Jordan meet Pamela Forbes,journalist extraordinaire and Lee Thompson he designed my fabulous house" Pamela had dirty blond hair and hazel eyes and Lee had spiky brown hair and was wearing a pink and white striped pastel shirt.
"Hi sweetheart" Pamela said and Lee done the same but he was kind enough to give me another flute of champagne.
"Is that your first?" Joan asked suddenly sober.
"My second. I met another girl from Sidwell who's in my year and she gave me a glass" I told Joan.
"Okay well I suggest you make that glass last because two's the limit. So tell me about this girl".
"Her name is Laurel Watson and she seems very nice. She's my age,we're born two months apart. Also she's an Equestrian and invited me to go riding with her on Thursday and I accepted".
"That's great I'm glad you're making friends and- Sara!" she stood up to greet the tall blond woman walking up.
"Hi Joan how are you? You look beautiful" she said and kissed Joan's cheek and they hugged.
"You know Pamela and this is Lee he's my interior designer. This is my niece Jordan from LA she's coming to live with Arthur and I now. So where is Ted?" I heard Joan ask and realised she was talking to the poor woman who's husband was fucking around on her.
"He's at the bar talking to William and Timothy and getting a drink" she said and then after a few more minutes where Joan asked about her son they said goodbye. What did confuse me that although she spoke to Joan,Lee and even me a little but she completely ignored Pamela.
"What's up with Pamela and Sara?" I asked.
"Pamela done a pretty harsh report on Sara's brother Jeff about three years after he was arrested for gambling debts and embezzling from his firm account. His wife and four kids are still bankrupt" Joan explained.
"It wasn't harsh it was the truth. Everyone here knows that I'm not going to be biased just because we see each other at the occasional cocktail event and charity ball" Pamela justified and I could see her point.
"No I know. I don't even think what you wrote was that harsh,but you know how Sara can be about it. In her eyes her brother can do no wrong" she said.
"Neither can her husband" Pamela said rolling her eyes.
I didn't understand why they were all so fake to each other. My mom always used to say that I was "honest to a fault". And by that she meant that if I didn't like somebody I just wouldn't be their friend. I might speak to them socially but I wouldn't invite them over to my house. Whatever,I was so confused I literally downed the rest of my glass and walked to the edge of the dance floor.
All of a sudden the extremely handsome brother of George came up. George was cute,but he didn't have anything on William III.
"Hey you're George's brother William" right I shook his hand and we done the cheek bump kiss.
"Yeah it's Will though. You're Jordan Campbell right?" he said and I just agreed,I couldn't be assed to explain that I was technically Jenkins,although I went by MacKenzie even if my guardian was a Campbell.
"So are you enjoying DC?".
"Yeah I like it,the weather sucks though. LA wins hands down there" I smiled. He was so handsome with his brown eyes and dark brown hair that I felt like a dumb kid. He had to be older than twenty-one because he was George's older brother.
"California's great,I went when I was nineteen. Now I'm studying law like my at Georgetown. Following in my father's footsteps" he said and I wasn't really sure what to say so I just stayed silent.
"Come with me to the bar. I want to get a drink but I don't want to lose sight of you" he was flirting with me.
"Sure thing" I followed him across the dance floor and through the people to the bar where he ordered two more glasses of champagne. Of course I could have always insisted he buy me a Diet Coke but I was young enough already without drawing more attention to it. Plus I felt totally fine,I was in complete control.
"When's your birthday?" I asked Will.
"August 12th 1990. I'm studying my first post graduate year" he says.
"Where did you go before?" I asked.
"North Western but I missed home so I came back. You have any idea where you want to go?".
"Not really. Somewhere good,that's close to a big city. I wouldn't mind going to USC".
"Some of my buddies went there and they love it. Do you want to dance" he asked and led me onto the dance floor
The song We Are Young by Fun had just came on and Will pulled me close to him and took my right hand in his left and placing the other on my waist we moved together like one person.
"You look beautiful" he whispered making me shiver.
"Thank you". I had never been so nervous before,I had dated a few guys but Will seemed older,cooler and confident. Part of me was saying this was wrong,and actually illegal,but at the same time we weren't children. If Will was forty and I was four I would see the problem but it was an eight year age difference. Arthur and Joan probably had at least that much of an age gap between them.
"You're a pretty good dancer" I said wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I have a great partner" he replied.
All of a sudden the room started spinning and I though I would be sick.
"I need some air,I don't feel good" I managed to get out.
"Come on. I'll go with you" he said and pulling my close he walked me off the dance floor,down the stairs and out into the parking lot. I leaned against a brick wall and tried to catch my breath. After a minute I opened my eyes feeling a little better I saw Will standing really really close to me.
"I feel a little better now" I forced myself to give him a smile.
"That's good" he said before really going in for the kill.
He kissed me really deeply and at first I thought it was sweet but then his hands started wandering and I had to stop.
"Not now...Not here" I said.
"Shh you'll love it,I promise" he pushed me back against the wall and started pawing at me.
"Let me go Will" I started to move him back but he wasn't moving and he was a lot stronger than me.
I shoved him back using what little strength I had and he stumbled back.
"What the hell are you playing at!" he yelled at me.
"I told you to stop" I tried to explain.
"Hey! Don't be like that. I thought you liked it,you were only teasing me" he tried to justify. We were shouting now,and I knew people would come to check what was happening any minute.
"Fine,miscommunication,whatever. I'm going inside" I tried to walk past and he grabbed my shoulder and I reacted.
Not that I'm completely proud of my actions but I punched him right on the nose and he dropped like a fly.
"What the hell is-Oh my god what happened" I looked up and saw Aunt Joan, Eileen,Pamela and someone I didn't recognise looking at me.
"Jordan can you explain what is going on please?" Joan's voice was way to calm and I could tell she was pissed. I just wasn't sure who she was pissed at.
Author's Note: I'm not totally thrilled with this chapter but oh well. And I want more reviews. Just a quick question from me to you: Is this fic worth an M rating or should I move it to a T rating for the time being?
Read And Review Pretty Please!