Ascension (39 page)

“Those are all the girls I want you to meet,” she told me cheerily.  She picked up a tray and put it in my hands.  “They’re all cool, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had anyone else join our group.  We’ve all been best friends since our first day here.  I think all of them will like you, but don’t take it the wrong way if you don’t get along with each of them right away.  It might take some time but everyone will like you. 

“Except for Ashley,” I muttered.

“What was that?  Never mind.  Anyway, like I said, they’re cool and all, and you seem to be as well, so far.  But, you have to promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“
Don’t
embarrass me.”  She said the three words so gravely it felt like they came from a different person. 

“Um, okay?  I’ll try?”

“Nuh-uh,” Liz said sternly.  “Not good enough.  You have to
promise
.”

I didn’t even know what I could do to embarrass her.  Still, she seemed to be taking the potential for it pretty seriously.  The way we were getting along so far, I didn’t want to jeopardize our budding friendship.  “Sure Liz, I promise.”

“Good!”  In an instant, she was back to her bubbly self.  “Not that I expect you to, of course, but it’s good to make sure.” 

“Of course,” I said.  The line to the buffet had moved quickly, and we were already at the front.  Liz scooped up a small serving of scrambled eggs and half a bagel, while I opted for a grapefruit and some oats.  Liz frowned at my selection, but didn’t make any comment.  Once we had both shown our student cards to “pay” for our food.  Everything was included in the yearly tuition, but apparently they still wanted to scan your card to keep track of how much you ate.  Then we headed back to the middle table. 

“That’s Ann and Jo on the left,” Liz told me over her shoulder, “and Eve, Madison, and Zoe on the other side.  Don’t worry if you can’t keep up.  You’ll get to know all of them sooner or later.”

As soon as we came close enough to be noticed, one of the girls – Madison, I thought, though it may have been Zoe or Eve – noticed us and quickly said something to the rest of the table.  Then, next thing I knew, Liz and I were being swarmed by all of them at once.

“Liz,
there
you are!” one of them said enthusiastically.  “We’ve been waiting all morning!”

“It’s so good to see you!” another one of them cried out, drawing Liz in for a hug.  “I missed you over the summer!”

“Oh my god! You won’t believe what happened to Zoe,” a third one said, shooting a glance at the first girl who spoke.  I assumed that one had been Zoe.  “She met a guy, and fell in love, and it all ended in heartbreak – all in the span of three weeks!”

“Is that so?” Liz asked quizzically.  Zoe shot an evil glance at the third girl who spoke, but nodded her head.  “I’m
so
over it by now.  But it was an exciting time.”

“And who’s this?” one of the two girls who hadn’t yet spoken asked, looking at me.  Her blond hair was cut a touch shorter than Liz’s.  Other than that, the two girls might have been twins. 

“My name’s Tracy,” I said, smiling at her.  “I met Liz this morning, and she invited me to come meet you guys.”

“Oh, so
you’re
the newbie,” Zoe said, smiling at me warmly.  “I’m Zoe, Liz’s roommate.”  She offered me her hand, and I took it in a firm shake.  Zoe had brown hair a few shades lighter than mine, and a delicate face that made her look almost like a porcelain doll.  But there was a spark in her eyes that said she was anything but.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, then glanced at Liz.  “I didn’t know you had a roommate!”

“What? You didn’t tell her about me?” Zoe teased, jabbing Liz in the ribs.  Liz gasped, looking superficially admonished, then laughed and tried to hit Zoe back.  Zoe dodged her efforts easily.  “I’m not really her roommate,” she admitted. “But I spend so much time in her room I might as well be.”

“I’m Madison,” the blonde girl who could have been Liz’s twin said.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” I answered, shaking her hand.  She flashed a smile that revealed perfect, white teeth.

“Come on! Come sit down,” Madison said, pulling me to the table.  “You’ve got to tell us everything about yourself!”

“Where do I begin?” I laughed.  “We haven’t even got through all the introductions yet!”

“Well, my name’s Eve,” a dark-haired girl said as she sat down beside me.  Her hair was cut short like a boy’s, and she had a small tattoo running down the side of her neck.  But, with her thick lashes and delicate face, there was no way anyone would mistake her for one.  “How’d you meet Liz?”

“Actually, she—”

“I ran into Tracy this morning,” Liz butted in as she sat down, “looking totally lost and clueless.  She needed help just getting to her room.”

“Not true!” I protested, and Liz laughed.

“Fine,” she admitted, “I actually had to introduce myself to her this morning.  You know, student council duties.”

“Oh.  So it’s all a sham?” I asked in mock indignation.

“
Totally
,” Liz replied with a gleam in her eye.  “Our entire friendship is built on a lie.”

“You didn’t have to be so
obvious
about it,” I laughed.

“No! But she’s cool,” Liz said to her friends.  “You know how I was worried the new kid would be a total weirdo?”  The question was met with nods around the table.  “Well, Tracy’s anything but.  I’ve got a good feeling about her.” 

“Me too,” Eve said beside me.  “She seems… normal.”  She flashed a smile.

“Oh!” Liz exclaimed suddenly.  “How rude of me – I haven’t introduced you to Ann or Jo yet.”

The two girls who had just sat down beside Liz both smiled at me.

“I’m Jo,” the one on the left said.  She had fiery red hair and pale skin, but a very self-assured manner.  She seemed to be the most composed one of the group.

“And my name is Ann,” the girl to Liz’s right said.  She extended her hand across the table, and I shook it.  Ann had straw colored hair, but other than that had no particularly defining characteristic or striking features.  In fact, she seemed to be the most reserved and shy one of the girls.

“Nice to meet you both,” I said in turn.  The introductions had all flown so quickly that I doubted I’d be able to remember most of the girls’ names the first time around.  But, if I was going to be hanging out with them, I was sure I’d pick them up quickly.

“So, where are you from?” Madison asked.  “And how did you end up here?”

“Long story,” I replied.  “Do you want the short version, or the long version?”

“I’ve already heard it,” Liz said, “so go for the quick one.  It should be good enough for now.”

“All right.  I’m from a small town you’ve probably never heard of in Washington state.  It’s  called Somerville.  The population is less than two thousand people, and we’re so far out in the mountains that most people don’t even know we exist.  The only contact we get with the outside world, really, comes from truckers bringing up groceries and supplies for the stores.  As for coming here? Well, I heard of the school one day, and thought that it would be a great place to come to before applying to college.  So, I sent in my admission app, and the rest is history.”

“Tell them about your dad,” Liz instructed in a stage whisper.

“My dad?  What about him?”

“Tell them
why
you wanted to come here,” Liz replied.

“Oh.”  I didn’t want to seem a braggart, and was a little uncomfortable telling them about my dad’s alma mater already. 

“Go on,” Liz urged.

“Oh, all right.  The reason I wanted to come here, originally, was because of my dad.  You see, he went to a really good college back in the day—”

“He went to
Harvard
,” Liz piped in, looking around the table with raised eyebrows. 

“Right,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed.  But, apparently, the name had an effect on the other girls.  Instantly, they started looking at me with a new respect.  “Anyway, that’s where he went, and I… kind of wanted to try to get into a similar school.  But, I knew I couldn’t do it from a no-name high school on the west coast.  That’s why I’m now at Oliver.”

“Is that really true?” Eve asked at my elbow.  “I’ve always heard of kids
wanting
to go to Harvard, but never of anyone who’s had relatives who went there.”

“Yeah,” I said.  This wasn’t really what I wanted to talk about, and looked for a way to change the course of conversation.  Luckily, just then I saw my way out.  At the other end of the cafeteria, I noticed Chris standing alone, glaring at our table.  We made eye contact briefly, and immediately he turned away.

“Excuse me for a second,” I said, pushing myself up from the table quickly, “I just saw a friend…”

I walked around the table, keeping my eyes on Chris’s dark hoody as he stalked away.  Suddenly, a hand on my upper arm stopped me in my tracks.  I looked over, and saw Liz holding me.

“Is your friend
Chris
?” she asked, pulling me back.  She put a shocking amount of vehemence in the name.

“Yes,” I answered quickly.  He was quickly getting away, and I was afraid I’d lose him in the crowd.  “How’d you know?” 

She made a face.  “Oh Tracy, you don’t want to be seen talking to
him
,” she said in disgust.

“What?  Why?” I asked, confused.

“Trust me on this one.  You’re new here.  So, I’ll give you a pass this time, but just between us…” she moved closer to whisper in my ear, “…he’s not somebody you want to be associated with.  Ever!”

“What are you talking about…?” I began, trying to pull away.  I wanted to make my own decisions about my friends, not be told by someone I just met – and barely knew! – who I could talk to.  I looked back at Chris.  But, he was already lost in the crowd.  Why had he run away like that?  I turned back to the table.

“Good choice,” Liz said.  “You’ll fit in with us in no time.”

Chapter Seven – A New Meeting

“Who was your friend?” Madison asked as I sat down.  I started to answer, but Liz gave me such a strong look that I had to change what I was going to say.

“Nobody,” I admitted, shaking my head.  “I thought I saw someone I knew, but I was mistaken.”

“Oh,” Madison said.  Liz gave me a tight, approving smile.  I didn’t like the way she seemed to think I needed her approval.  But, at the same time, I knew that I had to tread carefully if I wanted to become part of her circle of friends.  Whether I
really
wanted that or not, I wasn’t sure yet.  I didn’t want to preclude myself from the possibility by a few rash, ill thought out decisions.

“Oh my god, Liz! Look who it is!” Eve exclaimed excitedly. 
Too
excitedly.  She pointed with one finger to a crowd of kids behind Liz, who spun around in her chair quickly.

“No, no! Don’t
look!
” Eve warned her quickly, and Liz turned back.  “It’s
R-O-B
,” she mouthed.

“Oh!” Liz exclaimed.  For the first time since I’ve known her, she looked flustered.  Instinctively, she started stroking a hand through her hair.  “How do I look?” she asked eagerly, and with a touch of anxiety.  “How’s my hair?  My makeup?  Oh my god, I haven’t seen him since last year!” she gushed.

“Liz,” Madison said reassuringly, taking her hand, “you look
fine
.  Just take a deep breath, and try to stay calm.”

“Calm.  Right.  Calm.  Oh my god!  Do you think he saw me?”

“Why else would he be coming over?” Zoe said with that twinkle in her eye.  Liz snuck a peek back, squawked, and jumped back around.

All the while, I was trying to figure out just
who
the girls were so excited about.  There were other guys everywhere.  I couldn’t pick anyone out who seemed to be walking toward us.  Somebody named Rob?  I frowned.  There were literally hundreds of guys all around us, and at least the same number of girls.  The cafeteria was large.  But the influx of students for breakfast had it filled completely to the brim.

“Liz,” a strong voice said.  It took me a second to find its owner.  But when I did, I could see why the girls were so excited.

Standing at the side of the table, off to my left, was one of the most impressive guys I had ever seen.  He was tall – six-foot-two or -three, at least.  He wore a tight, black turtleneck that, on anybody else, would have looked completely nerdy.  But on him, it looked fabulous – because it showed off his body.  Every inch of him was pure muscle.  His body had the most beautiful shape I had ever seen.  His chest stood out and his arms were strong and lean.  His entire torso was shaped like a perfect “V”.  A trim waist built up to impressive shoulders.  The sleeves of his sweater were rolled halfway up his forearms to reveal perfectly striated muscle fibers that danced as he rolled his wrists.  His soot-black hair emphasized his dark facial features, which stood out under the cafeteria lights.