Casteel 05 Web of Dreams (21 page)

"All right, I'll tell you some of it, but first, let's get my things put away, before the high priestess comes looking for me."
Jennifer squealed with delight and hugged me. In just a few minutes she drove away the troubled thoughts that had crowded into the darkest corners of my brain. I knew it was the beginning of a great friendship.
Jennifer gave me the tour, showing me the cafeteria, the assembly hail, the underground tunnels and gymnasium. Then she told me the quickest way to get to each of my classes.
"Our teachers usually make a big thing of your being late to class, so watch out for that--otherwise . ." She ran her right forefinger across the base of her neck. "It's a meeting with the high priestess and one of her long lectures about decorum and the need for discipline and order. Ugh."
"You've had a few, I gather?"
"A few," she confessed, "but she's been nice to me ever since . . . ever since," she added. It was enough. I understood. "You'd better go to see her now. I've got to make science class. Then we have lunch and you'll meet everyone."
"Thank you, Jennifer."
She shrugged.
"Glad you're here. You're my first roommate."
"Really? But I thought you said you've been here for three years."
"Just the way the cookie crumbled," she said and went off to make her class. She was definitely what Grandma Jana would call "a fresh drink of water." I hurried back to Miss Mallory's office to get my schedule and first lecture. Now that Tony was no longer present, there was a distinct change in her attitude. She was far more formal and her expression lost its softness. With hard-eyed calculations, she looked me over, weighed me, measured me, guessed at my character, my weaknesses, my strengths.
"When the bell rings at seven each weekday morning, you are to rise and dress as quickly as possible. Breakfast is at seven-thirty, so there is little time to dillydally over makeup and hair.
"I must tell you, we don't play any favorites here. You will have to earn the respect of your teachers and your classmates.
"Most importantly, at Winterhaven, we don't flaunt our wealth. I hope you keep this in mind. As I told you earlier, I am very proud of my girls, proud of this school, proud of what it has come to mean.
"I'm sure you will be an asset," she finally added. "Well, see it's just about time for lunch, so you might as well go directly to the cafeteria. Come by if you have any questions or problems. My door is always open."
"Thank you, Miss Mallory," I said and left quickly.
The moment I entered the cafeteria, Jennifer stood up and beckoned. Our table was the farthest to the right, near the big windows, so we had a view of the front of the school. I hurried over. Jennifer had my seat saved right beside hers.
"Hi," I said. All the girls studied me just the way I would study a new girl who entered my old school--checking my clothing, my looks, the way I wore my hair. I was sure, however, that Jennifer had filled them in on some things already.
"I'll introduce everyone," Jennifer declared. "Leigh, this is Ellen Stevens, Toby Krantz, Wendy Cooper, Carla Reeve, Betsy Edwards, and Marie Johnson." All the girls nodded and said "Hi." I thought Marie Johnson was the prettiest and I understood she was the leader of the group.
"How was your meeting with the high priestess?" Jennifer asked.
"All right," I said. "She gave me my schedule." I held it out and Jennifer confirmed we shared all our classes. Some of the other girls were in some as well.
"Didn't she tell you how distinguished and respectable Winterhaven is and how we are all model citizens?" Marie asked, batting her eyelashes. The other girls tittered. I nodded, laughing myself. "Well, we are when we want to be," Marie continued, looking sly. ". . . when it suits us."
"You better get your food fast," she told me. "We don't have all that much time for lunch."
I went off to the lunch line. The food was a lot better than what I was used to at my old school. At least one thing reflected the cost, I thought.
"Jennifer told us your stepfather's name," Ellen Stevens said when I sat back down. "Does he have anything to do with Tatterton Toys?"
"He
is
Tatterton Toys," I said, surprising myself at how proud I sounded.
"I knew it," Carla Reeve chirped. "My mother knows him. We have three Tatterton collectibles."
"Really?"
"Is he as good-looking as Jennifer claims?" Marie asked, her eyes narrowing. She had a much more mature look than any of the others.
"He's very good-looking, otherwise my momma wouldn't have married him," I said, not meaning to sound as snobby as I did.
"My momma'?" Betsy said. Marie flashed a sharp look at her and she wiped the smirk off her face. Then she turned to me.
"You're lucky," she said. "You're sitting with the best group of girls in the junior high wing. We have our own special club. We stick together. I'm having a party in my room tonight after curfew. You can come."
"But what about the rules?"
"What about them? Don't tell me you believe the things the high priestess told you. She's fast asleep herself by nine o'clock and as far as Mrs. Thorndyke, our dorm mother, goes, you could explode a bomb at her door and she won't stop snoring."
Everyone laughed.
"Don't worry," Jennifer said. "I'll bring you with me."
I had just enough time to finish eating before the bell rang and I was off to my first class. School anywhere was more or less the same, I soon found out. Pages to read, questions to copy from the chalkboard. I didn't have as much to catch up on as I had feared I would. The teachers were nice about it, asking me to describe the classes I had had at my old school and then taking the time to show me what I should study and review. Because our classes were small, there was a great deal more individual attention than I had in the public school.
That evening, when Jennifer and I went to the cafeteria for dinner, there was a rose on the table at my seat. The girls were all chattering about it when we arrived.
"What's that?" Jennifer asked excitedly.
"It's for Leigh," Wendy said enviously.
"For me?" I looked at the card, which I was sure they had read already. It said, "Good luck, Tony." "It's from my stepfather," I explained.
"How thoughtful!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"How romantic," Marie said and gazed at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Why isn't your mother's name on it as well?" All the girls turned to me to hear my reply.
"I imagine he thought of it at the spur of the moment," I said. "And ordered it from his Boston office."
Marie smiled at the others and all of them, except Jennifer, giggled.
"Why is that funny?" No one said anything, but I saw them look at Marie.
"I would have thought he would sign it 'Daddy,"
" Marie said.
"But he's not my daddy. My father is not dead. My parents are divorced," I announced. I was glad Jennifer had not gossiped, but each of the girls stared at me with lips agape, as if I were an apparition straight from the cemetery of bad taste. All of them came from wealthy, upper-class families, families concerned about their lineage. Some had proof their ancestors came over on the
Mayflower.
Divorces weren't tolerated.
When Jennifer and I returned with our trays of food, we found the conversation at the table more subdued. I could see from the looks on the faces of the other girls that they had been discussing me. The warm greeting I had received at lunch chilled. The girls began to argue about what kind of makeup they liked the best. When I started to offer an opinion, no one but Jennifer seemed to be listening.
After dinner we were all supposed to begin our study hour. As the girls rose to leave, Marie leaned over to me.
"I'm canceling my party tonight," she said. "I forgot I have a science test tomorrow."
I just nodded and watched her join the others.
"She's not canceling her party," I told Jennifer. "They don't want to associate with me because my parents are divorced."
"Don't worry," Jennifer whispered as we started out after them, "they'll get over it."
"I don't care if they do or they don't," I said, but in my secret, putaway heart, I was crying. Why did Momma want me to go to school in a place filled with blue bloods who walked with their noses so high, you couldn't see their eyes? None of them, except Jennifer, would want to invite me to their homes, I thought. Why was I being punished for the things Momma did? Would people always blame me? I shuddered to think of what these girls would do if they knew the truth about my birth.
I wanted to be back home in Boston more than ever and going to my old school, where my real friends would feel sorry for me instead of think me a leper. Now, at a time in my life when I needed friends more than ever, I was thrown in with these spoiled, wealthy girls. I wanted to run away. I even thought about how I would do it. I would go to live with Daddy, even though he was always traveling. Anything would be better than this.
Jennifer was very sweet though and made every effort to cheer me up. We worked diligently on our school assignments, but spent a lot of time talking about fashion and music and boys. Like me, she had never really had a boyfriend, but there was a boy she liked who attended Allandale, an all-boys prep school that occasionally had dances with Winterhaven.
Recreation hour was well underway when we left our room to go watch television, but when we arrived, we didn't find any of the girls from our table, or what Marie had called "the special club."
"They're all in her room, having their party. You should go. 1 don't mean to spoil anything for you, Jennifer," I said.
"I don't want to go, not if you're not invited," she replied. "Besides, they're being horrible. I'm surprised at them, not that they've always been that nice to me."
"I hate hypocrites," I declared and something proud sprung into my spine. Jennifer saw the flames of anger in. my face.
"What?" she asked, holding her breath.
"Let's go," I commanded and marched out of the recreation room.
"Where?" Jennifer called, following.
"To Marie's room," I snapped, not pausing a step.
"But . . .
^-
So embarrassing. Shouldn't we just ignore them? I mean . ."
"Jennifer Longstone, I'm tired of ignoring things that make me unhappy. If I am going to attend this school, I am going to be accepted for who and what I am, and none of these snooty girls are going to make me suffer."
"Lead the way," Jennifer said. "It's the last room on the right down the corridor."
We tramped forward. Aggressively, no longer willing to play humble and helpless, a victim of this or that, I held my head high and proud as we approached Marie's door. We could hear the music, "Rock Around the Clock." I pounded on the door. The phonograph was lowered and there was some whispering. Then Marie opened her door.
"Just thought I'd come by and help you study for your science test," I said. I walked past her. The moment I came through the door a deadly quiet descended, while the cigarettes burned. The room was full of smoke. Ellen and Wendy were sitting on the floor drinking Cokes, and Carla, Toby and Betsy were on the beds with fashion and fan magazines. For a moment, no one said anything. Then I spun on Marie.
"I'm sorry for how you all feel about my parents getting a divorce, but it's stupid for you to blame it on me and to make Jennifer suffer, too, just because she's my roommate. I had hoped we could all start out as friends. I'm sure no one here is perfect or has a perfect past," I stated with fire.
"Anyway, I just wanted you all to know you didn't fool anyone. Come on, Jennifer."
"Wait," Marie said. She glanced quickly at the other girls. "You're right. It wasn't a nice thing to do."
I looked at the other girls. All of them lowered their eyes. "Anyway, you're here; you might as well stay," Marie said, flashing a smile.
"Well, I . ."
"Please," Marie said. "Want a cigarette?"
"I never have," I said staring at them.
"Good a time as any to start," Marie said. "Quick, Jen, close the door before old Thorndyke comes by. Ellen, put the record back on," she commanded.
"Welcome to our special club," Marie said. "Anyway, with your temper, I'd rather have you on our side. Right, girls?" Everyone laughed. I looked at Jennifer. She was smiling widely, too.
We remained until nearly eleven, talking about school and about music and movies. No one dared ask me any questions about my parents, although Betsy Edwards remembered now that she and her family had once taken a cruise on a VanVoreen ship. I told them about my trip to Jamaica and then we all snuck back to our own rooms.
Jennifer and I lay in bed talking until after twelve. She told me about the day her father died and how empty and alone she had felt. It sounded a lot like I felt the day I learned my parents would divorce. Finally, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. "I've got to go to sleep, Jen."
"That's all right. I'm tired, too."
"Good night, Jennifer."
"Good night, Leigh." She giggled.
"What?"
"You were so great, the way you pounded on Marie's door and told them all off. I wish I had had the courage to do that before. How did you get so brave?"
"I'm not," I insisted.
"Oh yes, you are," Jennifer said. "You're the bravest girl I know and I'm so happy you're my roommate. Welcome to Winterhaven, Leigh."
"Thank you, Jen. Good night," I said again and closed my eyes, exhausted from the turmoil and the effort it took to be happy and safe in a world that could be so mean and cold.
The next day Miss Mallory came to the cafeteria during lunch to find me.
"Mr. Tatterton is here, my dear," she announced, smiling at me in a tight way. "He's in my office and wishes to speak with you."
"Is anything wrong?" My heart raced with fear for little Troy.
"Oh, I am sure not," she said.
When I looked at the others, they were all hiding smiles and containing their laughter.
"Thank you," I said and followed her out of the cafeteria.
"Please," Miss Mallory said, "use my office as long as you wish." She left Tony and me alone. He was sitting on the leather chair near the desk and looked very distinguished in his double-breasted, dark blue suit.
"Is everything all right?" he asked, his gaze steady. "Yes," I said. "I'm fine. How's Troy?"
"He's doing much, much better. I think we'll be able to bring him home in a week or so."
"That's wonderful, Tony." I shifted my eyes for a moment because he was still gazing at me so intensely. "How's Momma?"
"The same," he said with a sigh. "Now she's on a new diet regimen, lunch consists of a little champagne and cucumber sandwiches. Oh, and she's taking up bridge."