by K. Walker
I just wanted that moment over. It wasn’t that I felt like they didn’t want me there. All I felt was cold indifference. I was sure they would exhibit better responses to a dog.
“Okay, so, as you all know, this is Quinn,” Aunt Celine started and I groaned inwardly. I had always hated being the center of attention.
“Hi Quinn,” Tyson drawled mockingly.
Robert was on his phone, and Liv still looked bored. She even yawned. “Sorry,” she said when she caught herself. “Go on.”
I snickered a little, and she smiled at me. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to be there.
“Okay, so, life here is new for Quinn. I expect you both to make her feel welcome. She’ll be going to school with you until we get a car sorted for her.”
“What about the bus?” Tyson scoffed. Aunt Celine cocked her head to the side. “What?” he shrugged. “I was just asking.”
“Tyson, stop being an ass for a second, will you?” Robert said as he finally looked up. “Quinn, you’re more than welcome here. Your aunt will make sure you have everything you need.”
“Thank you,” I said to him. I felt like a god damned charity case, and I sighed and waited for someone else to say something.
Aunt Celine kept reeling out her expectations, but I didn’t think the twins cared. As far as I realized, if I didn’t get in their way, they were fine. And the house was big enough for us to avoid each other.
It was what I was expecting, anyway. No news there!
Brunch followed, and we ate fruits, muffins, crepes, and some other foods I couldn’t identify. I stuck with the eggs, bacon, and sausages I was used to. I noticed that Liv barely ate anything – typical rich girl, always consumed with her weight and her look. She was probably on the cheer team.
“Oh,” she said eventually, “my friends are here. May I be excused?”
“Fine,” Aunt Celine said and waved her off.
She ran out right away, yelling orders to someone I couldn’t see about drinks at the pool. Everyone else took her leave as a cue for their own, and Tyson followed after, and then Robert.
“I guess that’s it, then,” Aunt Celine said after they had all left. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“I guess not,” I shrugged.
“I’m sorry, too, but I have to run. I have an appointment, but I’ll be back soon. And,” she said and bounced into my shoulder, “maybe on the weekend we can go car shopping.”
“Really?” Now that I could look forward to.
“Yep,” she grinned. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Later, honey.”
She breezed out of the room and I was alone again. I had a feeling that was going to happen a lot. I figured I had better go back to my room. I remembered seeing a laptop on the desk in my room – at least I could entertain myself there.
I was walking towards the stairs when I ran into Liv. “Oh, hi,” she said without stopping. She started walking backward so she could finish what she was saying. “You can join us by the pool if you want.”
“Okay,” I smiled.
At least I got an invite. I weighed my options – upstairs with my laptop, or by the pool with people, I didn’t know. Hmm. I wasn’t sure which would be worse. I also didn’t want to turn down her invite and seem like the grouch. In the end, I decided to join them. I might even go for a swim while I was out there.
I knew my way to the pool, and I took the hallway that opened up close to the pool house.
Bad idea!
I spotted Tyson as soon as I pushed the door open. I should have gone the other way – that was where the girls were.
Tyson jumped up at once and rushed over to me, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “This is Quinn,” he told his boys, who were all staring at me like I was the freshest slab of meat at a table of rabid animals. “Fresh from the trailer park of Miami.”
My skin burned hot under his touch, and I tried to move away, but his arm weighed a ton. “Was that necessary?”
“Well, everyone needs to know what they’re up against,” he replied, and he brought his lips so close to my face that I could feel the warmth of his breath.
I managed to turn and narrow my eyes at him, just seconds before a stud with sandy-blonde hair grinned as he stood. He came over to me, and his green eyes swam. “Pleasure, Miss Trailer Park, I’m Liam. Or should I just call you Miss Park?” he laughed.
They all did, and I had never felt so embarrassed in all my life. “Glad to see this is how Silicon Valley’s finest behave,” I spat and flung Tyson’s arm from my shoulder.
I tried to walk off, but another of them caught my wrist. “Not so fast,” he said and pulled me down onto his lap. “Where are you off to?”
“Let me go!” I barked, attracting the attention of Liv and her friends.
It didn’t help that they were as hot as hell, but I hated the way Tyson just watched his friend manhandle me. His eyes gleamed like he got a fair amount of pleasure from it.
“Noah, let her go,” he finally said with a smirk. “And in case you’re wondering, that’s Jonathan,” he said and pointed at another of his three friends. He looked just as yummy, and I wondered if all the boys I’d meet would be as hot. Jonathan nodded at me from his chair and lifted his leg to rest on the table with the red cups. He had dark curly hair and blue eyes that winked at me before he turned his attention to the cup again.
“I wasn’t,” I shot and wrestled from Noah’s grip. In hindsight, the laptop in my room had clearly been the better option.
I could feel my cheeks burning hot and my head ballooning when I noticed Liv and another girl, a red-headed bombshell, walking towards us.
“What are you doing over here with these jerks?” Liv asked me. “Come sit with us.” She walked by us and into the house, but the redhead fell into Jonathan’s lap.
“Damn, Charlotte,” he said and rested his palm on her ass.
“What?” she asked and looped her hand around his neck. “Don’t act like you didn’t want me to come over here,” she purred and brushed her lips against his. “I know she can’t handle you.”
I felt like everyone already knew I used to live in a trailer park. Where I was from, that was no big thing. But here, in a world of castles and mansions, I stood out like a black dot on a white page.
“Hey, I’ll take her if you don’t want her,” Tyson laughed as he walked closer to them.
“Eww! Why would I even think about you, Ty?” she asked and scrunched up her face. “It would be like making out with Liv.”
Jonathan and Liam laughed and sputtered.
“What?” Tyson asked, and I was already forgotten as they became engrossed in their ordinary conversation.
I walked off, and for a second, there was a hush.
“Where did she come from?” Charlotte whispered.
“I don’t know,” Jonathan replied. I could tell by the tone. “Who cares?”
“Ignore her,” Tyson chipped in. “She’s just someone who’ll be around for a while.”
Their words stung, and I was tempted to walk right past the other girl lounging by the pool.
“Hi,” she said in a chirpy voice as I passed. Her long legs glistened in the sun, and she removed the shades she wore so I could see her face properly. “I’m Bella,” she smiled and extended her hand.
“Quinn,” I told her.
“So, you’re staying here with the Pierce twins,” she smiled.
“I guess so,” I shrugged.
“Good luck with that,” she said and replaced her shades. She smoothed her long blonde hair and settled back into the chair as Liv returned and took the chair next to hers.
“I think I’ll go for a swim,” she said to Bella, moments before Charlotte returned and waltzed right by me too.
She stepped out of her shorts and dived into the pool. “The water’s great,” she shouted to the boys and used her index finger to call Jonathan.
“Right behind you, sweetheart,” Jonathan said and ran off. The spl
ash from his entry sent sprinkles in my direction and polka-dotted my Capri.
I thought about sitting with the girls, but they huddled together, chatting about something I had no clue about, so I took the lounge chair furthest away from them. I could still enjoy the scene by myself.
But it continued like that for the better part of an hour, and by the time I got up and walked away, I was sure no one noticed.
Chapter 6
I was up early.
There was no way they were going to leave me at the house when they knew it was a school morning, and I wasn’t going to let them.
I waited for them where I knew they had to pass me – where I had to see them. Aunt Celine was the first to appear as I paced the common space close to the kitchen.
“Hey, good morning,” she smiled as she adjusted her earring. She was dressed in khaki linen slacks, a soft-yellow sheer top that flowed from her with grace, and gold sandals. “I see you’re all set,” she said and looked me over.
I glanced down. I didn’t think I looked that bad – white tee, denim jacket, faded denim jeans and a pair of tennis shoes, all the things she had bought. “What?”
“Nothing,” she replied. “You look like you’re all set. But I have to run.”
“Sure,” I said and she kissed my cheek and hurried off. “Call me if you need anything.”
I should have asked her for a ride instead. That thought occurred to me after she had already breezed out of the house. I stood and circled the room for another ten minutes before I realized they might not pass by that way.
I had no idea where the garage was – I hadn’t seen any cars when I had arrived, so that meant it was probably underground.
“Shit!” I said when I checked and realized it was already 7:15 – I had fifteen minutes to get to school. I didn’t know where it was or anything about it, so I was stuck with hitching a ride with one of the twins until I figured things out.
“Good morning,” I called breathily when I saw Lily. I was glad it was someone I knew. “Where’s the garage?”
“Morning, sweetie,” she smiled. “It’s off the,” she began, and then she remembered I wouldn’t have a clue about what she was going to say. “Let me show you,” she said as she took my hand like an elderly matron would, and led me downstairs and into what I believe Aunt Celine meant when she said the entertainment room. It was no room. It was a movie theater, opposite a glass wall that separated it from a basketball court and gym.
Freaking hell!
We finally made it to a door and she opened it and pointed. “Can’t miss it.”
“Thanks,” I said and hurried off through the opening, barely getting a chance to admire the furniture and the never-ending rooms in the house – if it could be called that.
I had just spotted the garage door when it slowly rolled up and a black Range Rover slowly rolled out. I stood watching, bending and weaving as I tried to make out who was driving. I walked out further into the way as the entire car emerged.
It was Tyson. I flagged him down. “Hey!”
He rolled down the window. “What?”
Damn!
“What’s with the attitude? I need a ride.” I snapped at his shitty attitude.
“Not my problem,” he replied, rolled his window back up again and drove off.
I stomped my foot in frustration as I watched his taillights disappearing down the back driveway.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Hey!” I heard Liv call from behind.
I cringed before I turned. I was screwed if she decided to leave me, too. “Hey. Can I catch a ride with you?”
“Did Tyson just leave you here?” she asked and cocked her head to the side.
“Yep,” I told her.
She shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder how we’re twins,” she said and called me over. “Come on; you can ride with me.”
“Thanks,” I said gratefully. It was bad enough it was my first day in my senior year – that alone would pose its own problems. But no! Tyson thought I could use more. I was opening the door to the front when Liv stopped me.
“Oh, no. Not there! I’m picking up Mia.”
Of course. How dare I go to the front of her Porsche!
I nodded and climbed into the back. She started down the driveway, and I had never felt more out of place in my life. Yesterday, I thought I had capped it. I was grateful though that I didn’t have to find my way to school alone on the first day, but I didn’t plan on being anyone’s fifth, sixth, or donut wheel for much longer.
Mia’s house slash mansion slash castle was just down the road – the one I had seen on my way to the Pierce’s that stretched what looked like a mile long.
Liv stopped outside the gate and honked. The huge gates opened and she drove down the cobblestone path. I took the opportunity to admire the landscape from a better angle before she pulled up by the courtyard.
Mia exited the house, her purse draped over her arm, and her long, toned legs bare under the white mini and a pleated skirt that she wore. She had on a black and white striped midi-top, and her Versace shades were positioned at the top of her head.
“What took you so long?” she asked as she slipped inside the car.
“We’ve got company,” Liv told her and motioned to me in the backseat.
“Oh, hi,” she turned and smiled. “I’m Mia.”
“Quinn,” I replied and took the hand she offered. It was soft and delicate, and it was obvious by her perplexed expression that she noticed how not soft and not delicate mine were.
She let go and looked over at Liv. “Is she…?”
“Yep,” Liv replied before Mia could finish asking her question and glanced briefly at me through the mirror. It didn’t take a genius to fill in the blanks. Suddenly I felt like I was suffocating.
They started off with what would be defined as their usual banter – shopping, boys, all things that didn’t interest me. I just wanted to get through my senior year without incident.
But my luck hadn’t been great so far. I had no reason to believe it would get any better because I happened to be living in a mansion with strangers, and driving in a Porsche. Okay, maybe that was the one awesome part – the Porsche. Maybe Aunt Celine would get me one of these.
I wouldn’t bet on it, but hey, a girl could dream.
Bridal Creek High wasn’t far from the house – it was about two miles away. That meant only one thing – I was going to meet a lot of rich snobs and jerks.
I wanted to puke.
Liv pulled into the parking lot and several people waved to her as she passed. She honked her horn a couple of times before she parked right next to her brother’s Range Rover.
Designated parking, I assumed.
They got out and walked over to a small gathering of seniors. They launched into a raucous debate about the summers they’d had. I had nothing to share or anyone to share it with. In fact, I didn’t want to remember my summer at all.
And, like the other times before, I was already forgotten. I noticed Tyson, Noah, Liam, and Jonathan, and I waved at Jonathan, the only one in the quartet that had seemed semi-nice. He narrowed his eyes at me like he was wondering what the hell I was doing that for, and turned back to Tyson like he didn’t know me at all.
Did no one have any courtesy or common decency in this place?
I walked off. Until I got back home, I didn’t need to think about or speak to them. I sucked in a deep breath and walked up the steps and into the beige-colored building. I noticed the eyes from some other seniors, and maybe juniors, as I brushed past students in search of the lockers.
I had no clue what I was doing or where I was supposed to be going.
“Hi,” a girl walked up to me and smiled. “I’m Kyla. Are you new?”
“Yes,” I replied. She had a pleasant face, and her dimpled cheeks made it easy to smile back at her.
“Okay,” she said and looped her hand through mine. “Let me
show you around.” She leaned in closer before she spoke again. “I came here in the eighth grade, so I know what it’s like to feel out of place.”
“Thank you,” I replied and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m already lost and clueless.”
“Okay, so, it’s this way to the lockers,” she said and turned me around. I was going in the wrong direction. Naturally.
“Do you have your class schedule?” she asked as we walked off.
“Yes, it was emailed to me. I don’t know where homeroom is, though,” I grinned sheepishly. My old school was not that big, though it was just as populated.
“Here we are,” Kyla said and led me to the locker area. “They’re numerical from that order,” she said and pointed to my left. “Where’s yours?”
I checked the pad in my backpack. “1104,” I told her.
“That way,” she pointed.
“Thanks so much, Kyla,” I said gratefully.
“No problem. I have Math first period. Maybe I’ll see you for lunch if you want a table to hang. You do not want to sit at the wrong table in this place,” she said and rolled her eyes. I could tell she was just as unimpressed by the snobs, though, if she was going to Bridal Creek High unless she was another charity case, her family had more than spare change to accommodate the lifestyle. But she was nothing like what I had seen so far – she was actually human.
“I’ll remember that,” I told her, and she smiled and walked off.
“Later.”
I waved and watched her leave. She joined up with two other girls who glanced back at me before they turned the corner. And I was alone again, but at least, I wasn’t as lost as before.
I opened my locker and stuffed my backpack inside. The door was still open when I checked my phone for my homeroom number. Now to find where that was.
I closed the door and jumped when I saw a boy standing behind it with a smirk on his face.
“Let me guess,” he said as he towered over me. “You’re new, and you don’t have a clue what to do.”
I looked behind and around him, but the eyes that found us were just as frightened as mine. I could tell this was someone no one wanted to mess with.
