Taking The Reins - Book 1 of The Rosewoods (teen romance)

First Day of Classes

By the time Emmie was ready, we were just a few minutes from being due at breakfast. She came bursting out of the bathroom (her hair looking très cute and like it had been cut by a pro, I was relieved to see), saw the progress I’d made in putting her clothes away, gave me another quick hug and herded me out the door, claiming she was dying of starvation.

When we got to the dining hall, I fell into the background as she greeted the many girls who hadn’t seen her since last spring. And I could tell that she was genuinely liked by many; I seemed to have hit the roommate jackpot.

Before we knew it though, it was time for morning announcements and then our assembly with the dean.

Even though I knew where the auditorium was, thanks to my tour the evening before, Emmie led me down the hall, chatting as we went.

“The dean’s a dragon, but I guess I’m going to have to chat with her about this rooming situation,” she sighed. “I’m sure my mother left a message on her voicemail before they even left the premises last night.”

I wasn’t surprised; her mother was totally the type. “What are you going to tell the dean?”

Emmie glanced over, a sheepish look making her look adorable under her pixie cut. “The same thing I do every year: that I want to be treated like every other girl here and if she doesn’t like it, I would be just as happy to go to a public school where everyone is treated the same and parents don’t donate buildings.”

“Scandalous!” I said with a gasp and a dramatic palm pressed to my chest. But I appreciated her moxie. Though… “Would your parents ever let you go to a public school?”

She laughed. “Not in a million years. And believe me, I’ve tried. I would rather their money go to something truly good, like building wells in third world countries or AIDS supports in Africa, but they want no part of it. They grew up in the age of Dynasty and love to be ostentatious and disgusting and spend their money on ridiculous things keeping up with the Joneses.” 

I didn’t mention the diamonds she’d been wearing the night before could probably go a long way toward funding a third world well-digging project; maybe they were a gift or something.

“Anyway, like I said, the dean is a dragon, but with this she’ll leave off and it’s not a big deal. It’s actually easier for them that I’m not demanding like my parents; I just need to reassure her it’s not a problem where I am.” She looked over at me. “I don’t mean it that way—not that you’re a problem. Oh you know what I mean.”

I did and waved her off with a smile.

“So what do your parents do?” she asked. It was a simple enough question, but one I couldn’t answer honestly. I hated lying to people, but by now it was a regular enough occurrence that I was able to let the lies roll off my tongue.

“They’re both professors. Mom teaches English and my father is a professor of mathematics. They’re both on sabbatical—she’s studying at Oxford, which is why we were in London.” Part of it was true in that Mom was studying at Oxford part-time and used to teach English before she quit her job to follow Dad around on assignment. Without a job, she attended classes and accumulated more degrees, which I guess is as good a way to keep busy as any.

It seemed to satisfy Emmie, anyway, which wasn’t surprising—it was a boring enough story to discourage more questions.

We stepped inside the auditorium then, hit by a wall of voices as the girls awaited the call to order. “Where should we sit?” I asked.

Emmie scanned the crowd and then nodded toward the front. “Down there; Kaylee’s got seats for us.”

We made our way down the aisle and excused ourselves past a bunch of girls, me going first and trying not to bash into anyone. I smiled and nodded at the girls as I shuffled past, while Emmie greeted the ones she knew.