She’s right. I haven’t been out since I started school, and I realize that she’s insinuating that if I don’t finally go this time, it might hurt me socially. I’m trying my best to balance school work and this new world of a real social life. It seems so stupid sometimes, but this is wha
t I’m here for … right? I sigh and nod.
“Okay. I’ll come.” I really don’t want to, but I feel like I don’t really have a choice.
“Great! It’ll cheer you up. Meet us out by the boathouse at the lake after dinner. Oh, and dress warm.” She winks at me and turns to Alisha and Laura to talk about Astor.
I’m headed down the hallway later that afternoon when Mr. Davis walks out of his classroom and sees me.
“Miss White!” he calls to me. I don’t want to face him, but I can’t ignore a teacher like I do the boys.
“Yes, Mr. Davis?” I ask, walking toward him hesitantly.
“I’m glad that you found your paper and turned it in. You’ll get a full grade for it.” He looks at me sternly, “Just make sure that you’re better prepared next time, or else I’ll have to make a deduction. I don’t like drama in my classroom.”
I blink at him as my brain comes to a stop.
“Turned … turned it in?” I ask in total confusion. He just keeps going, reminding me of my detention on Monday. Like I could forget. It’s not my first time, but it is the first time I didn’t actually do anything to deserve it.
“I know you’re new here, but it’s important you learn. We do not tolerate public displays of affection between students on campus. You and your boyfriend will have to remember that in the future.”
I gasp. “He’s not my boyfriend.” It’s tough for me to temper my frustration again.
“Whatever he is, keep it PG,” he admonishes me, then shakes his head. “These millennials and their labels.”
I’m pretty sure he isn’t using that right, but I’m not going to disagree. I want to get out of here before he changes his mind about my grade or tries to turn one day’s detention into two.
“Yes, sir,” I answer, and turn to head off to my next class, still astounded that my paper got turned in after all. I know Astor is behind it, and while I’m relieved that I don’t have to write the paper again I’m so angry that he put me through it all to begin with. All of that just to embarrass me? Really?
He’s the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.
After dinner I head to the dorm room and I start changing into warmer clothes. Despite my earlier promise to myself, I’ve had no choice but to put a few things on ‘mom and dad’s account’.
There’s just been no getting out of it. I was able to get away with basically nothing in foster care, but here … people notice. I tell myself I’ll find a way to pay them back eventually. This new life will afford me that, at least.
Dana looks up from her book and frowns at me slightly. “Are you getting dressed to go out?” she asks, sitting up in her bed.
“Yeah, I guess I am. Victoria and the others are doing something tonight. It might be nice to blow off a little steam.” I consider inviting her too … but then think better of it. I know Victoria wouldn’t like it. She hasn’t said as much, but I’ve seen the way she looks at Dana when she thinks neither of us are looking.
I feel a little guilty, but there’s no way around it.
Dana groans and pouts. “It’s a cruel irony. You barely care about Victoria and she invites you to go out, when here I am desperately in love with her and she doesn’t even acknowledge my existence.”
I offer her a sympathetic smile, but don’t know what to say to that. She picks her book back up and puts her nose in it. I want to tell her the boys might be there too, or at least Blair, but I know she’ll start lecturing me about how I should stay away from them … so I don’t.
Better for her to be jealous than worried, I think as I head out.
I can see a group of people by the boathouse as I come closer to it. They’re talking and laughing, and I can hear familiar voices. Victoria appears from the darkness and comes toward me with a bottle of wine in her hand, a big smile on her face.
“There you are! I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to come!” she chastises me gently, hugs my shoulders, and then hands the bottle to me. “Have a drink. You need one.”
I shake my head. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I need to have my wits about me tonight. “No thanks, it will give me a headache.”
Victoria shrugs her shoulders and takes a big swig off of the bottle. “Okay. More for me, then!”
She walks me toward the group and as I draw near to them, I see Alisha and Laura first. Alisha is draped over a boy I’ve never seen before … but the others standing behind them in the darkness are impossible not to recognize. The holy trinity. Astor and Wills both give me cold looks, but Blair grins as he strolls lazily toward me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pushing Victoria off of me in the move. She laughs and saunters over toward Astor, offering him the bottle of wine, and whatever else he might like to taste. I notice that once again he’s not watching her. He’s watching me.
He needs to stop that, and soon, or Victoria isn’t going to like it.