Page 10

CHAPTER TEN

On Tuesday morning the dining halls are finally open. As I’m getting ready to head down there for breakfast, the phone rings.

“Jade, it’s Frank. How’s it going?” His voice is strong which I take as a sign he’s getting better.

“Hey, Frank. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, but I called to ask about you. Are you doing okay out there in Connecticut?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

“We sure miss you. It’s just not the same without you around.”

I wish he wouldn’t say that. I miss them, too, but I can’t keep thinking about it. “I’m sure Ryan’s keeping you company.”

“Yes.” Frank hesitates. “But he and I aren’t really speaking right now so—”

“You’re fighting? Why?” I ask, although I’m pretty sure of the answer.

“Ryan dropped out of school. Did he tell you that?”

“Yeah, but it’s just for a semester.”

“He made it sound like he’s taking the whole year off. He’s ruining his future. I tried to tell him that, but he won’t listen. He’s stubborn, like me. I was thinking maybe you could talk some sense into him.”

“I already tried to talk him out of it. He wouldn’t listen to me. I’m sure he’ll go back in the spring.”

“So classes start tomorrow?” Frank’s tone brightens.

“Yeah, I have orientation this morning. I was gonna grab some breakfast quick. The dining halls are finally open.”

“Ryan mentioned they’ve been closed. He said some boy has been taking you out a lot.”

“Just a few times.”

“Be careful, Jade. I want you to have fun, but just be careful, okay?”

“Yes, Frank. I’ll be careful.” For crying out loud, the way Frank and Ryan lecture me you’d think I was going to college with a bunch of criminals. They act like every guy I’ll ever meet will try to harm me in some way. And that I’m some helpless female who can’t defend herself. It’s really getting annoying.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve got a busy morning, so I’ll let you go. We’ll call you later in the week to see how classes are going.”

We hang up and I hurry over to the dining hall. I was expecting a crowd, but the place is almost empty. Apparently I’m the only one who’s excited about the arrival of on-campus dining. I grab a tray and get a couple donuts along with a hard boiled egg for some actual nutrients. Then I fill a glass with soda and sit down at a table by myself.

“Jade.” Harper appears, looking much better than the night before. “Can I join you?”

“Of course. How are you feeling?”

“My stomach’s still a little queasy, but I thought I should try to eat something.”

“I’m sorry about the taco—I mean I’m sorry about making you go to that restaurant.”

She laughs. “It’s okay. You can say the T word now that I’m feeling better. And it wasn’t your fault. I’m gonna get some food. I’ll be right back.”

Moments later she returns with a plate full of fruit and some dry toast. “So who was the hot guy I saw you with last night?”

“That was Garret. I told you about him.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say he looked like that.” She takes a bite of her toast. “He’s freaking hot, Jade. And he’s on the swim team, right? I only got a quick look at him but it seemed like he has a good body.”

I peel my hard boiled egg. “He definitely has a good body.”

She reaches over the table, stopping my peeling. “Wait. Are you saying you’ve seen him naked? Already? You just met him. I didn’t even know you two were dating.”

“Relax. We didn’t do anything. And we’re not dating. I just went swimming with him so I got a good look at his body.”

I go back to peeling my egg.

“And? What about it?” She sits there staring at me, waiting for a description.

“He’s hot, okay? All muscle. Six pack abs. The works.”

She smiles like she’s imagining him naked. “When are you going swimming again? I might have to go with you guys.”

Just the idea that she’s interested in Garret irritates me. I know it shouldn’t but it does.

“So what’s the deal with you two?” she asks as she cuts her strawberries in half. “Has he asked you out?”

“We’re just friends. I really don’t want a boyfriend right now. I need to figure out college first.”

“What’s there to figure out? You go to class and study. That’s it. If you like this guy, you should date him. A guy that hot won’t be single for long.” She takes a bite of her strawberry. “And if he gets a girlfriend you guys won’t be able to hang out anymore.”

I hadn’t thought about that but she’s right. If I don’t date Garret someone else will and our friendship will end. The thought depresses me which is concerning because I shouldn’t even care. I barely know the guy.

Harper gets up from the table. “We should get over there. It’s almost 10.”

We put our trays away, then walk over to the Student Services building for orientation. People are already lined up inside to check in and get their orientation packet. Harper and I go to the back of the line and wait, the low roar of idle chatter all around us.

The building is hot and stuffy, like they don’t have the air-conditioning running. I’m already sweating.

“Are you signing up for any activities or clubs?” she asks as she takes an elastic from her wrist and puts her hair up.

“I don’t have time for that stuff. I need to find a job. Are you joining anything?”

“Probably. It’s a good way to meet people. In high school, I was in show choir, drama club, French club, cheerleading, student senate, prom committee.”

We inch up in line. “And you still got your homework done?”

“It doesn’t take as much time as you’d think. Plus I like being around people. I’m a total people person. I hate being alone.”

I gather my hair into a ponytail and hold it away from my neck, trying to get cool. “Do you have another hair elastic? It’s so hot in here.”

“Sure.” She digs one out of her purse and hands it to me. “You have great hair, Jade. I’d kill for thick hair with natural waves like yours.”

“Really? Because I’d rather have your straight hair.”

As I’m putting my hair up, she turns me around. “Check out the hot blond who just got in line.”

The guy she’s referring to is Blake, who I don’t find even the tiniest bit hot, but at least he cleaned himself up for orientation. His hair isn’t a shaggy mess and he’s got on light-colored shorts, a navy polo shirt, and preppy canvas loafers instead of his usual board shorts and flip-flops.

“That guy’s a total jerk. Don’t even think about dating him.”

“Why? How do you know him?”

“He’s Garret’s friend. He lives off campus, but he was hanging out here last night and he was so drunk we had to drive him home.”

“But you like Garret, so how bad could his friend be?” She continues to stare back at Blake.

“I don’t know why they’re friends but I’m telling you, Harper. Just stay away from the guy.”

Almost an hour later we’re finally at the front of the line where four women are seated behind tables with signs listing different letters of the alphabet. I go to the “S-Z” section for Taylor and Harper goes to the “A-F” section for Douglas.

A woman takes my name, crosses it off a sheet on her clipboard, and hands me a large binder that has the school logo emblazoned on the front.

“This is for your computer.” She hands me a bright green piece of paper that has my name and student ID number on it. “Take it to the bookstore any time after 1 today.”

The college provides laptop computers to incoming freshman, which is good considering I have no money to buy one.

As I turn to walk away, the woman calls after me. “One more thing. It looks like this is for you.” She holds out a red square envelope. “Jade, right? You’re the Kensington Scholarship recipient?”

“Um, yeah,” I say, taking it from her.

I meet up with Harper. “What’s that?” she asks, eyeing the envelope. “I didn’t get one of those. Was I supposed to?”

“I don’t think so. Let’s get out of here. It’s too hot and stuffy.”

When we get outside we see students gathered in large groups in the open quad. “Did you see that you’re in my orientation group? We’re supposed to meet over there.” Harper points to a group of students standing in front of the science building.

When we get to our meeting spot, her phone rings. She answers it while I open the mysterious envelope. There’s a note inside. Jade, We’re looking forward to meeting you at dinner tonight. A car will arrive at 6:30 to bring you to our estate. You can expect to return around 10. Sincerely, Mr. and Mrs. Kensington.

Crap! I completely forgot about this dinner. Back when I accepted the scholarship, I received an invitation but that was so long ago. It hadn’t even crossed my mind since then. What am I supposed to wear? I’m sure jeans and a t-shirt aren’t appropriate. I do have one black sleeveless dress and some black shoes with a slight heel. I wore the dress to graduation, so it has to be good enough for dinner.

Harper’s still on the phone. Our orientation leader is shaking hands and getting our names. In the open quad ahead of us, I see another large group of students. Garret is in the group, standing off to the side with a couple guys. I decide to walk over and say hi. When I’m almost there, his phone rings and the other guys walk away as he answers it. I know I shouldn’t, but I listen in wondering if it’s Blake calling. I’m sure he saw me in line. He’s probably asking Garret if he knows anything about the cute blond girl I was with. If Harper ends up dating Blake, I’ll have to reassess our friendship.

“I told you I’m busy,” I hear Garret say. “I don’t have time.” He listens. “I don’t need to—” He turns toward me and I duck behind a tree to hide. “It’s one time. Let me out of this and I promise I’ll—” He stops again to listen. “Yes. Fine.”

I peek from behind the tree to see him sitting on a nearby bench, the phone clutched tightly in his hand. He’s bent over with his forearms on his knees staring at the ground.

“Hey.” I take a seat next to him on the bench. “How’s it going?”

He pops upright and smiles, but it’s not his usual smile. It seems forced. “Hi, Jade. Did you get your orientation packet yet?”

I hold up the giant binder, which he had to have noticed. “Yep. Got it right here. So do you wanna have lunch later?”

He has this strange look on his face like he’s about to break up with me even though we’re not even dating. “I can’t. I’m busy.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, we could go on a run this afternoon. I’ll even go slow.” I smile, hoping to wipe the serious look off his face.

He gets up. “I’m sorry. I can’t. Maybe some other day. I have to go. My group is leaving.”

I look back at my own group which is now walking away.

“Bye, Garret,” I say, but he’s already gone.

I don’t understand any part of what just happened. Yesterday he wanted to be best friends and now he wants nothing to do with me. Was it because of Blake? Did he say something to make Garret reconsider our friendship? Or did Garret already find some other girl to hang out with? After my outburst in the pool, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.

As I join up with my group, I tell myself that I don’t care if he found someone else. But I do care because over the past few days I’ve come to really like Garret. He’s one of the few people I actually don’t mind being around. I even look forward to seeing him, which is especially strange given that I’ve never looked forward to seeing anyone, other than Ryan and Frank who don’t really count.

The orientation takes all morning. Afterward, Harper and I have lunch, followed by a trip to the bookstore to get our laptops. Then I go running to ease my nerves about the dinner tonight. I have no idea what to expect but I’m not looking forward to it. I’ve seen photos of Mr. and Mrs. Kensington. They looked uptight and almost scary. They did not look at all friendly.

* * *

A black luxury sedan arrives promptly at 6:30 to pick me up. I have on my black dress and more makeup than I normally wear. My hair is down and I even went to the trouble of straightening it.

A half hour later, the driver pulls up to a large iron gate attached to stone pillars. The gate opens to a flawless lawn topped with large shade trees and manicured bushes. The long driveway leads to a mansion that seems to go on forever. I guess that’s why the invitation called it an estate. House doesn’t do it justice. The mansion is covered in light colored stone and has white trim, black shutters, and a large black front door. Four chimneys line the roof.

Off to the right I notice a smaller house. Small is relative in this description. It’s way bigger than Frank’s house but compared to the mansion next to it, the building looks like a small cottage. It’s probably where the hired help stays.

The driver opens my door and takes me to the front entrance. The door immediately opens and a thin woman with straight blond hair and deep blue eyes appears. She has on a short sleeve black dress that looks much nicer than the black dress I have on. My eyes focus on her diamond necklace and earrings. I’ve never been this close to that many diamonds.

“Jade, welcome to our home. I’m Mrs. Kensington. Please, come in.”

I enter into a large open room with shiny white tile floors and tall white walls. The room is so big it looks like a hotel lobby but I think it’s technically called a foyer. On each side of the foyer there appears to be a room but the doors are closed so I can’t see what’s in them. The area ahead of me seems to branch off into the many different sections of the house.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Kensington. Thank you for inviting me for dinner.”

“Certainly. We always enjoy having the scholarship recipients over to the house. Let’s go to the sunroom. My husband is still at the office so dinner will be in a half hour or so.”

She takes me to a room that has windows along three walls. It’s cloudy outside so the sunroom isn’t exactly living up to its name but I’m sure on a sunny day it does. I sit on a small white sofa. The cushions are so stiff I feel like I’m sitting on a wooden bench. Mrs. Kensington sits across from me in a high-backed white upholstered chair. She looks like a queen sitting on her throne.

I glance out the back windows and see a massive in-ground pool surrounded by black metal patio furniture with white cushions. I’m sure just one of those chaise lounges costs more than all the furniture in my old house. There’s a flower garden behind the pool that is so perfect it could be featured in a magazine.

“Would you like a soda or some water?” Mrs. Kensington asks.

I notice a woman dressed like a maid standing next to me. “Oh, uh, yes. A soda would be great. Any kind is fine.”

The maid leaves and I’m left there with nothing to say. I should have made a list of things to talk about. Luckily, Mrs. Kensington starts telling me about the history of the college and what a wonderful school it is, leaving me free to sit there and listen.

Just as she seems ready for me to talk, a man appears in a butler’s uniform. “You may sit down for dinner now,” he says.

“Excellent. Right on time.” Mrs. Kensington gets up. I stand up, too, my drink still in my hand. I’m not sure what to do with it. Do I take it with? Leave it there? I feel like there’s a proper protocol I’m supposed to follow. She nods at me to leave the glass on the table by her chair, then watches as I set it down.

We walk down a long hallway to the dining room and I think about what a nightmare it would be to live here. Everything looks so expensive that I wouldn’t dare touch anything. And the house is spotless. Eerily spotless. I check behind me as I walk. Heaven forbid if a piece of dirt from my shoe lands on the white tile floors. They’d probably send me right home or take my scholarship away.

“You can sit there, Jade.” Mrs. Kensington points to a chair in the middle of the long dining table. “My husband will be arriving shortly.”

She stands at the end of the table but doesn’t sit down so I remain standing as well.

Mrs. Kensington makes me very nervous. When she speaks her tone never changes. Even when she went on and on about how great the college was, there was no emotion at all. No excitement. Nothing. And her expression never changes. The whole time I’ve been here she’s had this half smile on her face that seems to be hiding something. Anger. Depression. Mid-life crisis. Who knows. But she doesn’t look happy, at least not genuinely happy.

She seems to be analyzing everything about me. My hair. My dress. My posture. I’m sure she’ll be judging me all through dinner. Knots form in my stomach as I imagine how awful this dinner will be. It’s 7:30 and she said I’d be home by 10. So I have to make it through two hours. That’s not that long. I can handle two hours. We’ll be eating for part of it.

My internal pep talk isn’t working. I feel my palms start to sweat when I look down at the array of silverware on the table. I’m not at all familiar with the correct usage of different-sized forks and spoons. I’m sure I’ll screw it up.

“Jade. Welcome.” Mr. Kensington walks in wearing a dark gray suit and tie. He’s handsome for a man who I’m guessing is in his late forties. Thick, dark hair and dark brown eyes. He’s a big man. Not fat, but tall with broad shoulders. He’s at least 6’5, maybe taller. He towers over me as he comes to shake my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Thank you. Nice to meet you, too.”

He motions me to sit, then takes a seat at the head of the table while his wife sits at the other end. I’d read that Mrs. Kensington is his third wife. She’s younger than him. Probably around 35. I think they have a kid although I don’t see any signs of children around this place.

“Should we begin?” The butler is standing next to Mrs. Kensington.

“No, we need a few more minutes, please.” Mrs. Kensington shoots an angry look at Mr. Kensington. I guess she can show emotion, if necessary.

“Are we waiting for someone?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Are we?” she asks Mr. Kensington, a harsh sting to her tone.

I hear fast walking in the hallway.

“Sorry I’m late.” I look up to see Garret standing there.