Page 98 of Slumming It

"Like on the Fourth."

"Exactly. So anyway, he leaves, and three whole hours go by. No Jason. No phone calls. No updates. And you wanna know what happens next?"

"What?"

"His parents show up."

Damn."Bad timing, huh."

"Yeah, no kidding. And Vivian knows she's not supposed to be there, so as soon as she hears their voices downstairs, she panics."

"So, what did she do?"

"Actually, she, uh…" Emily winced. "Hid under the bed."

Nowthatwas funny, especially considering how I'd first met Emily. "You're shitting me."

"I wish."

I wanted to laugh. "And they didn't notice?"

"No, she was in the guest room upstairs. But the bedroom door was wide open, and she didn't know what else to do. Shereallydidn't want to be found, especially with Jason nowhere in sight."

I tried to picture it. "But what about her luggage?"

"You mean why didn't they spot it? It wasn't even there."

"Why not?"

"Because it was still in the car with Jason."

What a pussy.And I meant Jason, not the sister. "That should've been Jason's problem, not hers."

"Exactly!"

"So why didn't she walk down and say hello?"

"Like I said, she wasn't supposed to be there. And Vivian isn't one to break the rules. If she'd known she wasn't welcome, she never would have gone there in the first place, which is probably why Jason didn't tell her in advance."

Yup. He was definitely a pussy.

Emily continued. "And get this. Do you wanna know theotherreason she stayed hidden?"

"Why?

"Because she didn't want to get Jason in trouble."

From my quick look at the guy, I would've put his age somewhere in his mid-twenties, which was too fucking old to be such a coward. "Maybe the guyneedssome trouble."

"Maybe," Emily agreed. "But Vivian sure didn't. His parents are really stuffy, and the way they act, it's like they hate Vivian already."

I'd met Vivian only a couple of times. Unless I was missing something, I didn't get the hate. "Why?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, both of Jason's parents are professors with PhDs. But Vivian doesn't have a degree at all, not yet, anyway." Emily's mouth turned down at the corners. "I'm pretty sure they look down on her."

Fuck those people. "There's nothing wrong with skipping college."

"Yeah, well try tellingthemthat. Vivian's really smart, and shehastaken a few classes. But she's always been more of an entrepreneur, you know? What shereallywants is to learn the hotel industry. And besides, who wants all of that debt?"