Chapter 1

The alarm ringing beside me sent goosebumps up and down my arms because it was very unusual for a girl like me to set an alarm for a Saturday, everyone loves to sleep in on weekends and I am no exception. I could sleep the day away.

But of course, there was a reason for the alarm on a Saturday at exactly noon, my first day at Edwin and Co. (no it's not a company...it's a sub-division of it)  group of Schools as a boarder, a school with tentacles reaching 3 continents and 24 countries. A school dad could afford for me with his now elevated status as Managing Director of the new Edwin branch and because Mr. Maximillian Edwin was very "generous" he suggested that dad should let me attend school at his private boarding school. But I will still have to pay my fees, Mr. Maximillian is no Santa. 

Mom already packed all I need to survive the hostel for the school year and since it was the beginning of another school year I wasn't too concerned. Besides, I always wished to stay at the hostel back then at Lake George. The only private school we had there had students who thought they had it all because their fees cost an arm well bad news for them when they hear about my new school because Edwin school fees include the leg. The little chance those little Lake George brats get to come out of school they paint the town red, more like they paint the hearts of we who have to attend the public school green with envy. Now I'm in the league of hostel students, it would be great to wipe my ass with the face of one of those students and let them see what's it's like to school in Edwin and Co. 

 Quick warning: I just have to tell you before you experience it, I used to be the bad girl, the naughty kid, the got-sent-to-the-office kid, and mom has always been on my case about my behavior. Guess what? Part of my new school resolution is to be the good kid, gotta make mom and dad proud of their last kid.

Dad assisted mom in heaving my bags into the trunk of the car, closed it and went round to open the driver's door. 

I'm definitely not going to be missing anything here besides my friends and my ex Mark.

Mom's phone rang and I knew immediately it had to be grandma, she had asked me to call her before leaving but for the best of reasons I chose not to, knowing if I did I could spend years on the phone listening to her say the same things over and over. 

I know out there some kids adore their grandparents like they are their stars and all of that but with grandparents like mine, you would wish you never had ears.

Mom received the call and handed the phone to me. 

"Jessica my girl " grandma said over the phone even before it touched my ears. She definitely had it on speakers.

I stretched my lips into a smile that hurt my cheeks "Yes grandma. I'm leaving for school today and may not have the time to say a lot." I said quickly.

"Are you trying to get rid of me quickly? Don't you dare. Be a good girl at school, none of those mischiefs you orchestrated here in Lake George "

"Yes granny " I replied dutifully keeping the sigh struggling to come out in check.

 

"And I'm happy Mark would not be there with you, that should keep you out f trouble. I hate to know what sort of mischief you both would get into. No pregnancies " she added more firmly. 

I tried not to roll my eyes because mom was watching and granny is her favorite person on earth.

 I didn't even get pregnant. 

I'm not saying I wouldn't have gotten pregnant if Mark and I hadn't been caught having sex during that beautiful holiday runaway we planned but everyone, especially granny likes to make a big deal of it. Dad knows better than to make jest of me for that simple act of making out with my boyfriend, Mark. 

They really think I've never had sex before, they just didn't know what other mischief Mark and I had planned in the past. They are only making a big deal out of this one because it's the only one they saw and know. If they are getting worked up about this one that nearly happened I hate to know what would happen when they find out Mark and I have done worse at his house. But why tell them about it and kill the joy of watching them work themselves up over something that has happened twice before?

Even as I thought about it I was tempted to laugh and put on a genuine cat-in-cream smile on my face but I stiffened my expression because from experience mom has this uncanny ability to see through smiles and frown. The least I need right now here is finding out the reason for my smile and because mom is also good at squeezing out the truth no matter how good a show you out up I put up a straight face and wiped the initial smile off my face in case it turned too real and answered grandma. 

"Yes, grandma, no pregnancy ". Mom would kill me if she finds out what Mark and I have done, gran would have a heart attack. 

But I will miss Mark, I hope he finds another girl as good as me though. Or as bad as me

Dad started the car and started backing out of the drive. From the threshold of the front door, Beatrice waved. Get this, she isn't waving because she's going to miss me but to get rid of me in the fastest way possible. I stuck my tongue at her but returned a wave of my own knowing my 4 years senior sister would turn my room inside out scavenging the clothes I didn't pack in my bags because for some unfortunate reason my sister and I have the same foot and body size. 

Do you want to know how annoying that is? Ask me! 

Bea borrows my clothes, rocks them with her crazy friends and leaves them for me to wash. She takes my shoes, the ones I never tried to wash in my life, waddles with them through mud and dumps them in front of my room. Just how annoying is that?!

* * * *

Ask Diddy your most personal interrelationship questions. Tell Diddy everything. Go on! We dare you!

Remember, the reason Ask Diddy is added to the school newspaper is to help students interact with a fellow yet an anonymous student. All secrets told to Diddy remain secret.

Hey Diddy, just want to let you know you stink. Like always. 

But I really want to know why you advise if you have a life. I mean why sit there as an anonymous person and give advice? Who are you?

- LLC

Dear LLC, 

I  am glad not all teenagers think like you. 

But Diddy is here to hear your problems, and I have helped a lot of students with those, not to listen to the whines of some baby in an adult body. 

I can't tell you who I am because in case you can't read I am supposed to be anonymous. Anonymous means unknown identity or name. 

- Yours, 

Diddy.

* * * *

The school gates yawned open revealing the magnificent complex behind it. When I say Magnificent I don't want you to think I love the fact that it's a school building but to let you know it's really beautiful.

 

The gates opened directly to a drive that stretched as far as the eyes could see. The guard post where the security man with the blue and black uniform stayed was attached to the gate. Along the tarred drive flowers of every color were planted. I'm not really a flower person but it was great. Beautiful in fact.

 Dad honked at the security as we passed through and veered off the long drive to a non-tarred part where a single, tall, large building sat. All brick and glass I knew the building was the administrative building where I'll get all my necessary things like my room key, know who my roommates are, my locker and schedule. The road which wasn't tarred was covered with white gravel which crunch under our feet as we walked up the building. 

The door opened as soon as we stepped in front of it and a blast of cold air hit me and I almost sang aloud with pleasure. The hot weather was boiling enough to grill some meat with, bake some cakes with too, it made my clothes stick to me and made me want to take a bath over and over something I am no fan of. Not because I'm dirty! Have you ever seriously experienced a Saturday or any holiday for that matter? Do you just want to sit down on your bed or couch with your phone in your hand and a box of chocolate crisps? That's what I'm faced with every single damned day!

The front door led opened directly to the receptionist's desk where a brunette was frantically typing something into the computer in front of her. The desk was cluttered with papers, files, thumbtacks, brown envelopes and all of that it's no wonder she didn't notice us when we pushed through. 

Dad cleared his throat once then again before she noticed we three standing in front of her desk. 

Her lips formed the perfect "O" and for a sec she looked genuinely confused.

 

"New student Jessica Underwood, supposed to resume today " mom helped with a smile only I could tell was full of pity to the obviously overworked receptionist. 

The receptionist's face broke into a sudden smile as recognition dawned on her "Yes, yes please give me a minute ". She looked through some of the files on her desk, raising some up to look beneath them. After a moment she came up with one that had a small photograph of me on it. Lord, I dread the day I had to take that picture. It looked like a mug shot, I felt it was a mug shot. I was dragged from my bed (I love sleeping a lot) early one beautiful Tuesday before we moved here, made to stand in front of Beatrice who held the camera. Beatrice didn't even try to be nice! She took the picture of me looking sleepy and drunk with bags underneath my eyes. I don't blame the receptionist if she finds a little entertainment out of laughing at the picture. To my amazement she didn't even look at it, she'd probably laughed over it for too long it's already boring to look at but I know somewhere somehow Beatrice has another copy of it to file away for future use. On some important day of my life.

"Jessica Underwood second year as a senior? Class 2?" she asked as she read from the file without even stopping for a little air. 

"Yes," I replied, my voice coming out softer than I thought I trained it to sound. Since I promised my whole family to be of good behavior now and no longer stay in my comfort zone, everything changed every single thing from my once purple-streaked hair to my high knee boots. Now my hair is pure black, my voice is deceptively soft, my knees are always held together when I sit, my strapped sandals (mom's choice) are always laced. To be honest I'll rather wear boots and sneakers and leave my legs as wide as I want them to be. But I have no choice, I have to play the good girl.

"I need you to sign this". The receptionist's voice came to me from a faraway land of boots and panties, breaking through my happy days, pulling me into a new nightmare. I took the pen from her and signed my prison term as a student of Edwin and Co Schools. 

"Right," she said pushing her chair back "I'll call a porter who would show you where your room is" she glanced at dad and mom "I'm sorry I'm so disorganized today. It's not a workday but I have to finish some reports for the school board meeting on Monday "

Mom's smile was almost patronizing, dad's looked.....understanding. You don't want to know what he's been through with mom. 

After speaking a few words into the phone the receptionist whose nameplate whose had been hidden beneath the piles of papers read Elizabeth Cole told mom and dad they could bring in my bags and go since there was nothing they could do around anymore. 

I have a bad habit of reading deeper meanings to things but hear me out first... Doesn't it sound like Miss or Mrs. Elizabeth was trying to tell them to leave so they could stop hanging around uselessly adding more care to the ones on her table? Uh?

Miss Elizabeth invited me to sit on one of the chairs in her comfortable office. Mom and dad already brought my bags and left so I kept them beside me and waited for the porter. 

A few minutes later the porter walked in, a tall woman with short brown hair, dull brown eyes, a slim build and a huge stomach.

Only one thought crossed my mind. 

She's pregnant.

I mean imagine if a nine months belly was as a result of late-night beer and pizza. The porter nodded my way reminding me of a security guard at a prison, the only difference was she had a nice smiling face.

 

"How's the baby doing, Stella? " Miss or Mrs. Elizabeth asked. If she wasn't typing so fast I would get a glimpse at her hand and know whether or not she's married. 

Mrs. (maybe) Stella smiled "Strong and healthy," she turned her attention to me and gestured to my bags "Get your things to let's go ".

I got the impression there and then that she was a no-nonsense General of a woman but I gotta tell you I got disappointed later.

But that's a story for later.