very different backgrounds. "Aren't you grounded?" I asked as she shoved some of my belongings to the side so she could perch on the edge of my bed and pet Player.
"I was. I guess I got time off for good behavior. I think my parents feel guilty about dishing out punishment since for the most part I never get in trouble, except when I'm with Leslie."
"Figures," I said disdainfully. I hardly knew Leslie, but I'd definitely gotten my share of her and Paris after the few times we'd hung out. The fact that they'd gotten off scot-free from the party still irked the shit out of me.
She laughed. "I take it you're not a part of her fan club? My parents aren't either. It's not like we're all BFFs or anything. I just sorta hang with them, but I'm never really with them. You know what I mean? I've known them since my parents got the idea to send me to the same private school in Connecticut. For me it's always been a survival-of-the-fittest kind of thing. Choosing to be with Leslie rather than against her was the easier move." She shook her head reluctantly. "I've never said those thoughts aloud before. Hearing them that way is kind of sad."
"I get it. I didn't realize you guys were that tight. I guess I assumed you only knew each other when you came down for the summers."
"That's how it started. We moved here when I was twelve. I met Leslie and Paris that summer. Then my parents met their parents and heard about this exclusive private school, better education, blah-blah-blah. So, before I knew it I was living the back-and-forth life. Now that's all changed again though. My parents have decided not to send me back to Danbury Academy. The party was kind of icing on the cake. They'd seen enough trouble over the years that I never got into before meeting Leslie and Paris. I kinda have too," she admitted. "It'll be nice to go back to public school, especially since you and I will be friends."
"I hate to break to you, but I don't have the best reputation either. I guess you could say that I got into my fair share of trouble back home. I was supposed to be turning over a new leaf here, but things haven't exactly worked out that way yet," I said ruefully. "And that's not even mentioning how everyone will react when they realize how eccentric my parents are. I'll be the butt of everyone's jokes. You sure you want to align yourself with that much drama?"
She snorted. "I'm not sure what life was like in Kansas, but I hate to break it to you also. Your parents aren't all that weird. Look around the boardwalk sometime. We're talking wacky instrument players, roller skaters, dated surfer dudes, and eclectic elderly people. Compared to that, your parents have got to be pretty normal."
"I'm sure Evan and the others would feel differently," I said sharply.
"That's just Evan. You only knew him for a few days and look what you saw. You have to understand, with people like him and Leslie, the way they are is more because of their parents than anything. They just tend to only want to interact with people within certain social classes. That's why Leslie was pretty cold from the beginning."
"Yeah, well, maybe if I would have realized that sooner I wouldn't be serving some insane debt to society. It was only a matter of time before Evan and Leslie figured me out anyway. I didn't belong in their group."
"It's not just you. Hell, the only reason they accepted me was because parents are filthy rich; otherwise, I never would have been included," she said, smiling wryly. "I mean, look at me. I'm fat, short, and ordinary."
I glared at her. "First off, you're not fat. You have curves. In all the right places, I might add. Secondly, you're not short. Most girls aren't Amazons like Leslie and Paris," I said, opening another box. "In any case, things turned out good anyway. If it wasn't for Evan, I wouldn't have you as a new friend."
Farrah smiled brightly at my words. "Do you need help?" she asked, watching me open one of the cartons filled with my
"I was. I guess I got time off for good behavior. I think my parents feel guilty about dishing out punishment since for the most part I never get in trouble, except when I'm with Leslie."
"Figures," I said disdainfully. I hardly knew Leslie, but I'd definitely gotten my share of her and Paris after the few times we'd hung out. The fact that they'd gotten off scot-free from the party still irked the shit out of me.
She laughed. "I take it you're not a part of her fan club? My parents aren't either. It's not like we're all BFFs or anything. I just sorta hang with them, but I'm never really with them. You know what I mean? I've known them since my parents got the idea to send me to the same private school in Connecticut. For me it's always been a survival-of-the-fittest kind of thing. Choosing to be with Leslie rather than against her was the easier move." She shook her head reluctantly. "I've never said those thoughts aloud before. Hearing them that way is kind of sad."
"I get it. I didn't realize you guys were that tight. I guess I assumed you only knew each other when you came down for the summers."
"That's how it started. We moved here when I was twelve. I met Leslie and Paris that summer. Then my parents met their parents and heard about this exclusive private school, better education, blah-blah-blah. So, before I knew it I was living the back-and-forth life. Now that's all changed again though. My parents have decided not to send me back to Danbury Academy. The party was kind of icing on the cake. They'd seen enough trouble over the years that I never got into before meeting Leslie and Paris. I kinda have too," she admitted. "It'll be nice to go back to public school, especially since you and I will be friends."
"I hate to break to you, but I don't have the best reputation either. I guess you could say that I got into my fair share of trouble back home. I was supposed to be turning over a new leaf here, but things haven't exactly worked out that way yet," I said ruefully. "And that's not even mentioning how everyone will react when they realize how eccentric my parents are. I'll be the butt of everyone's jokes. You sure you want to align yourself with that much drama?"
She snorted. "I'm not sure what life was like in Kansas, but I hate to break it to you also. Your parents aren't all that weird. Look around the boardwalk sometime. We're talking wacky instrument players, roller skaters, dated surfer dudes, and eclectic elderly people. Compared to that, your parents have got to be pretty normal."
"I'm sure Evan and the others would feel differently," I said sharply.
"That's just Evan. You only knew him for a few days and look what you saw. You have to understand, with people like him and Leslie, the way they are is more because of their parents than anything. They just tend to only want to interact with people within certain social classes. That's why Leslie was pretty cold from the beginning."
"Yeah, well, maybe if I would have realized that sooner I wouldn't be serving some insane debt to society. It was only a matter of time before Evan and Leslie figured me out anyway. I didn't belong in their group."
"It's not just you. Hell, the only reason they accepted me was because parents are filthy rich; otherwise, I never would have been included," she said, smiling wryly. "I mean, look at me. I'm fat, short, and ordinary."
I glared at her. "First off, you're not fat. You have curves. In all the right places, I might add. Secondly, you're not short. Most girls aren't Amazons like Leslie and Paris," I said, opening another box. "In any case, things turned out good anyway. If it wasn't for Evan, I wouldn't have you as a new friend."
Farrah smiled brightly at my words. "Do you need help?" she asked, watching me open one of the cartons filled with my
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