Chapter 3 - An American Flavour

We spent the rest of the week on the stupid nature trip. I hate the trip. For one thing, I always have to share a tent with someone, usually a couple of someones, and I miss having my privacy more then anything else. At least this year the weather was gorgeous and I spent all of my down time working on my tan.
The really huge downside of the trip for me? I don’t eat much. I hate meal times because it means that everyone stares. I hate being starred at. So I stay away from the campfires and don’t eat much. I guess the kid noticed, because a couple of times I found a muffin and a diet coke sitting on my beach chair. At least I think it was the kid.
Either him, or Mr. Parisé, the director of hockey operations and my Zachie’s Dad. I’ve spent a lot of weekends at the Parisé’s off campus house. I’d prefer to think it was the kid at least, because he’s a lot cuter then Mr. Parisé is.
I know you probably think that you’d like to hear all about the trip, but the fact of the matter is nothing exciting really happened. I didn’t see much of the kid at all, except every now and then, and all we did was wave and say ‘hi’. The fact is, there were a lot of times where nothing interesting happened, and I’m not going to waste time telling you about nothing.
Either way, when we got back to the school, late on Friday afternoon, I wanted nothing more then to have a shower. I was sticky and gross and I’m sure I smelled more then just a little.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards, because when we got out of the vans at the arch, there was someone standing there, waiting for us. I let him greet his Dad first, and then flung myself into his arms, ignoring the stares of my classmates, and some of the teachers, who always look so shocked when I show anything other then contempt for someone.
“Zachie!” I cried.
He swung me around twice and hugged me tightly before setting me down. “How’s it going Kally?” He asked.
“Sorry Zachie, I probably smell.” I apologized with a grimace, realizing that this probably wasn’t a fun experience for him. “I’m cool, but I should be asking YOU that. How’s North Dakota?”
“You probably could use a shower.” Zach said helpfully. “But you don’t smell too rank. Just like smoke.” He paused. “As for North Dakota, its school, only kind of less structured in a way, since classes are only a few times a week.”
“Sounds nice.” I said as Zach came with me to pick up my bags.
“It’s not that bad for you is it?” He asked, looking concerned.
“Zachie you know full well what it’s like for me here.” I reminded him gently. “And with you gone, I’ve had no one to talk to all week. So I just intend on enjoying the fact that you’re here and I’ve got someone to hang out with this weekend.”
Zach frowned. “I don’t get why so many people here are so fucking stupid.” He grumbled, apparently not caring about the proximity of teachers. “You’re great. You’re fun to hang out with, and just generally awesome. Why can’t they see that?”
“Because I’m a whore darling.” I said with a wry smile. “And girls are jealous that I get more then they do, and that I’m not ashamed of fucking around, which most of them would be, since apparently good girls don’t fuck boys they don’t love or some bullshit like that. That means they blacklist me, and guys are afraid of being blacklisted if they acknowledge me when other girls are around.”
“It’s stupid.” Zach grumbled.
“I agree.” I said with a shrug. “But I only have to put up with it for one more year.” I reminded him. “And then I’m out of there.”
“Well I worry about you.” Zach told me as we headed up to my room… the same one I’d been in the year before, the one where Zach and I had spent his last night at Shattuck’s.
“Don’t Zachie. I’ll be fine.” I told him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. “I always am.” Zach shook his head in disgust as some girls starred at him, and simpered and waved at him as I unlocked my room. “Were they always like this?” He asked, indicating the girls, who continued to stare.
“Yep.” I said. “You could get laid so many times… by so many different girls this weekend if you were interested.”
Zach laughed and wrapped his arms around me tightly, his face buried in my neck. “I’d rather have a cuddle with you.” He said his voice low, telling me how much he’d missed me. I sighed. Zach was one of the many guys I’d slept with over the past few years. We were friends and we’d been lovers. That had ended long before he’d left for North Dakota, but our cuddles hadn’t. We didn’t have any kind of sex anymore, but we did kiss and grope a little from time to time, and Zach was clearly in the mood for some kissing and groping.
“Are we going to stay here or am I coming to your house for the weekend?” I asked, unperturbed by his extremely clear intentions, which would never end in us dating.
Zach grinned and flopped down on my bed. “My place of course.” He said. “This single bed is nice for cuddles and all, but I think my Mom would be pretty sad if I didn’t go home to visit, which was kind of the purpose of me coming home for the weekend.”
I laughed. “Well can it wait until I’ve had a shower and got some clean non-smoke smelling clothes together?” I asked.
“Of course.” He said, laying down and closing his eyes. “I could use a nap anyway.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed my shower stuff. “I’ll be back in, like an hour.” I told him. “At least I feel like it’s going to take that long to get clean.”
Zach chuckled. “Take your time Kally.” He told me generously.
So I headed into the shower, where a bunch of other girls already were. Not surprisingly, since everyone had seen Zach and I, Natalie Fisher glanced at me and asked. “So how long is Zach here for Kallista?”
I shrugged. “Just for the weekend.” I said, knowing she was only talking to me because she wanted details about Zach. “And I don’t think that he’s staying here. He has to go home to see his Mom. He came straight here from North Dakota.” I explained. “Because he knew from his Dad that we’d be getting back today.”
“Are you sure that you can’t talk him into staying around?” Natalie asked. I rolled my eyes. “Why?” I asked. “So you can try unsuccessfully, again, to get into his pants? Darling it hasn’t worked every other time you’ve tried it. What makes you think it’s going to work this time?” I asked.
She glared at me. “Well you’d know all about what’s in Zach’s pants now wouldn’t you?” She snapped.
“Of course I would.” I replied honestly. “It’s not my problem that you’re jealous….” I paused grinning wickedly. “I will tell you however, that you are definitely missing out. But if I did talk to him, and convince him to stay, he still wouldn’t want you darling, and then you’d get all upset with me, as if it were all my fault that Zachie doesn’t want you.”
“He just can’t see past your fake boobs is all.” Natalie snapped. “If you weren’t around he’d so be with one of us. I don’t even care if it’s me, as long as its not you.”
“Darling, I am New York money, NOT Los Angeles money. Los Angeles money gets boob jobs. New York money gets botox. Clearly, I do not yet need botox, nor will I for several years.” I informed her. “Get the facts straight. I’m all natural darling. As for Zachie, he maybe blonde, but he isn’t stupid. Even if he’d never met me, he still wouldn’t want you darling. Deal with it already and quit taking it out on me.”
Natalie and her friends snorted. Showing me that she totally didn’t believe me. I just shrugged. I didn’t eat much, and was naturally petite (thanks ever so Grandmama) and had inherited my boobs from my Mom. “There is no way a girl can be your size and have such huge boobs.” Sarah Meredith snapped.
I shrugged again, shrugging off my robe as I did so. “Take a look ladies….” I said tauntingly, turning. “No scars.”
I turned and headed into the shower, ignoring their whispers. They were just jealous and there was nothing I could do about that. I got into the shower and turned the hot water up as high as I could. I was in the shower for a good 45 minutes. I wanted nothing more then to feel clean, and their venom hadn’t helped that at all.
When I was out of the shower, Natalie, Sarah and the rest of their friends were long gone, to my personal relief. Harassing them when they were trying to harass me was fun from time to time, but I just wanted to go, get dressed and leave with Zach for the weekend.
I put my hair in a towel, carefully applied my make up (I hate being without make up and I’d been without it for so many days… I hated it), and went back to my room. I walked into the room, wearing only my robe (which was a black silk number and far sexier then it probably needed to be), and shrieked in surprise.
“Calm down Kally.” Zach said from where he was lounging, just as I’d left him, on my bed.
Zach wasn’t the person who’d scared me however. It was the person sitting in my chair. Sidney looked at me, eyebrows raised. “So you said you knew Zach Kally… you didn’t say how well you knew him….”
I glared at him. “What the fuck are you doing here kid?” I demanded.
He shrugged and grinned. “Nice legs Kally…. I didn’t get to see much of you on the trip, although this is certainly making up for that.” He said appreciatively. “So I asked Drew where your room was, and so I dumped my stuff, had a quick shower and came up here only to find Zach lounging on your bed and telling me you’d gone for a shower.”
“Which is what I did.” I said pointedly. “And now I would like to get dressed, so out kid.” He raised his eyebrows and Zach laughed. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before Sid.” He said pointedly, basically telling the kid what he’d suspected was true.
“She’s got nothing I haven’t seen before either.” Sidney said, looking a Zach.
“No, but what she’s got is nicer then anything you’ve ever see before Sid, trust me.” Zach replied chuckling.
I threw a wet towel at him. “Out both of you!” I said pointing at the door.
They both scurried out the door and I hurried to get dressed. I pulled on a cute beachy dress that Grandmama had bought me in the Hamptons. It was light blue with big pink flowers (not something I would usually buy, but Grandmama told me to try it on and it looked stellar), a pair of gorgeous low heeled sandals and I blew my hair out before letting the boys back in. “You look great Kally.” Zach said, kissing me softly on the cheek, holding both my hands. “Thanks.” I said, kissing him back.
“Don’t let me interrupt the two of you.” Sidney said with a smirk.
“Believe me, if there were something to interrupt, you wouldn’t be here kid.” I told him. I paused and plopped down on the bed next to Zach, who had lain back down. Zach placed a proprietary hand on my thigh. “So how was the retreat for you kid?”
Sidney shrugged. “It was kind of cool. I met all the guys trying out for the team and got to know them pretty well.” He paused. “But like I said, I didn’t see much of you.”
I shrugged, re-crossing my ankles. “I spent a lot of time tanning and reading. I don’t hang out with everyone if I can avoid it.”
Sidney nodded. “Matt told me some of the stories. I could see why. I wouldn’t want to hang out around people who talked about me like that.”
“Then you probably shouldn’t be in here kid.” I told him point blank. “Because the next thing you know they’ll have me fucking you and Zach at the same time. And I might not mind sharing from time to time, but well, no I do mind sharing. I lie.”
Sidney shrugged. “And I told you that I didn’t really care what people gossiped about. I stand by that."
I shrugged. “Well you can stay and all, but I have to pack.”
“For what?” Sidney asked. “We just got back.”
“I’m taking her to my parents place for the weekend.” Zach told Sidney. “She’s just spent a week with a group of girls who hate her guts, with no way to escape them. I’m going to give her a chance to get away for the weekend.”
Sidney ignored Zach. “Is it true you live here year round?” He asked me softly.
“Pretty much.” I said with a shrug, “I go to The City for two weeks in August usually.” “What about Christmas?” He asked.
“The City.” I replied. “With Grandmama and Grandpapa, if they aren’t going some place else. Sometimes they like to go to Greece or France over Christmas.”
“Thanksgiving?” He asked.
“The Parisé’s have taken care of me the past couple of years.” I said with a shrug. “Look kid, there’s a few things you need to know about boarding school that Smaby neglected to tell you, apparently.”
“Like what?” He asked.
“Like there are three kinds of kids who board here. There are reward kids, like you and Zach and that girl Katie that was talking at me when you and I talked on the first day of school. Kids who are here for a couple of years for a special program, and then go home.” I paused taking a deep breath. “There are punishment kids… kids who’ve been sent here as a punishment, because they got booted out of their day school. And then there are kids like me.”
“Kids like you?” He asked, eyebrows raised.
“Throwaways, kid.” I said. “Kids whose parents are too busy, too rich, and too wrapped up in their own lives to give a flying fuck whether or not their kids are happy. I’m here, whether I like it or not, until June. Then I’ll spend a couple of months in Europe, to keep me out of the way, and then I’ll ship off to wherever I go to University.” I paused. “That’s what happens to throwaways. We bounce from place to place until we’re old enough to have kids of our own that we can throwaway. And the cycle continues.”