of bullying before but from what I’ve seen, it can be brutal. I’d like to think that I'm strong enough to laugh as other people’s bullshit sails off me like water off a duck’s back, but when it’s constant and comes from people who are higher up in this world, I'm sure it’s going to get me right where it hurts.
I’m not looking forward to this.
I finally silence my alarm and pull the blankets up over my head. I wonder what kind of trouble I’ll get in for missing the start of school. Would it be shrugged off like it was at my old school? Am I looking at getting detention, or is this the serious kind of bullshit that goes down in movies? Though one thing is for sure, Charles Carrington won’t be happy.
We all sat around the dinner table last night and shared a meal together. It was awkward as fuck. Colton sat, ate his dinner in three seconds flat, and then left. So with him gone, it wasn’t as bad, but it was still weird. I wonder if Charles ever invites his other staff to eat with him or if we’re special because we’re going to be living here. I hope he doesn’t think this is going to be one of those big happy family situations, because if so, I’m out. I didn't sign up for that bullshit.
The pool house can’t come soon enough.
The sound of someone barging through my door assaults my ears, and if I wasn't certain that it was mom I probably would have flown out of my bed and demanded some privacy.
I groan and murmur under my breath. “In three … two … one.”
The blanket is torn from my body and thrown across the room, leaving me shivering on the bed. “Up and at it,” mom says in a singsong tone. “Time to get ready for school. I thought you’d be up and ready by now.”
“Just ten more minutes,” I plead, wondering why I even bother.
“Nope. Up. You heard Charles at dinner last night. This is important for him. The dean at Bellevue Springs Academy owed him a favor and he had to pull strings to make it happen. You’re not going to embarrass me and disrespect the effort he went to. Now get up. I want to see you in your uniform. Maryne had it pressed for you last night.”
I fly up out of bed and stare at mom who happens to be wearing her own uniform. “Uniform?” I demand. “You didn’t say anything about a uniform. I’ve never worn a uniform.”
“It’s a private school, Ocean. What were you expecting?”
I gape at her and watch as she makes her way across my room and opens the walk-in closet. She returns a moment later with a white blouse that dons the BSA crest on the breast pocket and a grey pleated skirt that looks like it needs to be hemmed.
I let out a heavy sigh. It could be worse. Much, much worse.
“Fine,” I groan, trudging across the room and taking the hanger out of her hand. I hook it over the bathroom door before taking note of mom’s blue uniform and apron. She looks like a hotel maid and from the look on her face, she’s not thrilled about it.
“How’s it going?” I ask, remembering her mention that she was starting at six this morning. Considering it’s almost eight, I’d dare say she’s had enough of a test run to know if she’s going to like this position or not.
Mom shrugs. “It’ll do,” she says. “The other workers are nice ...”
“Except Harrison,” I cut in, recalling his scowl as he watched mom and I relax over dinner while he worked around us.
“Harrison is just one of those old guys you have to get used to. He's harmless.”
I roll my eyes and make my way over to my bag of clothes. I start rifling through, looking for some underwear and a bra that won’t show through the white blouse. “I think this is going to be a good thing,” mom continues. “It’s good pay and assuming you can keep out of trouble, there’s no drama.”
I give mom a blank stare.
“You’re right,” she says. “Trouble has a way of finding you.”
“What did you expect when you accepted a job in Bellevue Springs. It’s not exactly our scene. The two of us stick out like sore thumbs. You might as well have stuck a sign to my back saying that we don’t belong.”