Chapter One—Welcome to Covington

Athena Martin stared around at her surroundings in bemusement. The room was fairly big, admittedly, but she really did not belong there. What was she supposed to do in Covington Preparatory School, a boarding school for the elite of the world? She had never before fit into the category. With a slight sigh, she looked at the room that had two twin beds, two desks, two closets, two chests of drawers, and an open area in the middle of the room. She also noticed a small door opening from the middle of the room, leading to what she assumed was the bathroom.

She walked forward, sitting on her bed. Her roommate’s things were already unpacked, and her roommate was conspicuously absent. She did not even know her name. The headmaster had led her to her room quickly, and after he had handed her the key, he left just as quickly.

Athena knew, since this was a school for the richest of the rich, that everything would be set out for her, and she was correct. Not even a day after she found out that she would be attending the school, the brochure came for her in the mail, giving Athena choices of the type of wood for the furniture, the types of bedding, the quality of mattress, and the like. Athena was easy to please, however, selecting only a standard desk, chest of drawers, and a rather large lamp for her side of the room. She did ask for a rather plush mattress and 500 count sheets of a pale green.

As she glanced around her room again, she noticed each closet had a full-length mirror, but to her surprise, there was no television. She noticed that her roommate had an Ipod docking station, as well as an Ipod mini. Athena herself also had an Ipod docking station and a brand new Ipod Nano, bright blue. The color, truthfully, hurt her eyes somewhat, but she was pleased to have it. It was better than not having any type of music to which she could listen. She also had a 500 gift card to Itunes, a brand new laptop, and a new portable DVD player, which, it seemed, could come in to good use.

Athena stood from her bed and walked over to the closet, noting that all of her clothes had been unloaded. She felt very odd about the fact that some one had taken the time to unload her clothes, hanging them neatly in the closet, and putting all of her unmentionables in the chest of drawers, along with her winter clothing, that she had to send ahead. Athena finally moved back to rest on her bed, tired from the events of the past few weeks, and started reflecting once again on the school.

Covington was so focused on catering to the elite students (although there were some people who had gotten in based off of their grades on need based scholarships, and they were lucky enough to receive the same treatment), that there were maids for each floor of the dormitories; these maids even cleaned the individual rooms. There were also people who did all the laundry, because of course these teens could not take care of their own laundry, as well as gourmet cooks for every meal of the day.

Athena was not actually as aware of all of this information as she could have been; she was unable to attend orientation. She was actually quite lucky that the school had let her attend, especially since the orientation was mandatory for all students, regardless of whether they were new or returning students. Athena was so lost in these thoughts that she jumped when the door flew open and three girls made their way in, talking loudly to one another.

“I can’t believe that Troy Daly just showed up! I mean, come on! He’s like the most fantastic boy on earth! He’s so hot, and I love him. Like seriously, isn’t he hot? And, why was he late? His dad is so rich, though, that I’m sure that the board of Covington didn’t even blink when he said that Troy would be missing orientation, though. God, I wander, why? He’s so hot. Do you think that there was a family tragedy?” Athena bit her lips, looking at the force that just walked into the room. Force was perhaps a strange way to describe the girl, but Athena could think of no better way.

The girl was assuredly shorter than Athena, although since she reached 5’10”, this was not a big surprise. The girl appeared to be about 5’6”, with long brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders, ending at her upper back, and her dark brown eyes were glittering with excitement, presumably at seeing the amazing Troy Daly. Her voice was loud and echoed through the room, and her giggles were very tiresome. There were two girls following her, both brunettes as well, with brown eyes. They were following behind her as if showing their deference to her, but they clearly saw Athena long before the leader, and one finally interrupted her spiel by pointing out the tall redhead lounging on her bed.

“Hi, I’m Heather Collins. This is Jackie and that’s Tiffany,” the leader said, indicating each girl with a quick flick of the hand. “You must be my new roommate, even though I was supposed to get a single room this year. I guess, when they accepted you, there was simply no other lodging. What’s your name?” she asked with a clearly fake smile.

“I’m Athena, Athena Martin,” Athena said softly, not feeling incredibly comfortable around Heather. Heather shook her hand, before quickly appraising her.

“Are you one of those scholarship kids? Because I totally can’t live with a scholarship kid. Who could? Ugh.”

“No, I’m not a scholarship kid. My stepfather is sending his kids here, and when my mom married him, he said that I get to come too,” she softly mentioned.

“Oh, well, that’s acceptable, I guess. Um, yeah, so we’re pretty popular. A few things you might want to know about the school—Troy Daly and his best friend, Dominic Rodriguez, are the hottest guys in the land. Dominic rarely if ever dates, but when he does, he’s serious. Don’t get me wrong; he always has dates to the social events, but besides that, no way. Troy, however, goes through tons of girls. He’s a little player. Every girl wants to tame him, but they won’t. I’m going to get him,” Heather said with a predatory smile. “Let’s see, anything else? Classes aren’t that hard. Well, okay, they are, but at the same time they make sure that everyone can pass because, well let’s face it, our parents would totally blow a gasket if we didn’t pass the classes. There are no TVs in the rooms, but there is a common area, classes start at eight, and breakfast opens at 6:30, but no one is there at that time. There is a curfew, but it’s like 11:00 on weeknights, and 3:00 on weekends. The nearest town is not bad for shopping, and I think that’s about it. If there is anything you need… well, I’m not the type of person who extends those kinds of offers, but you could at least ask and maybe I’ll play nice,” Heather rattled off. Athena smiled at her mysteriously.

“Thank you for the advice. I think I’m just going to rest and listen to my Ipod; I’ve had a really long day,” she mentioned. The other girls simply nodded, almost instantly ignoring her again. She reached over for her Ipod, quickly switching to listen to the smooth voices of Il Divo.

Athena already knew most of the information that Heather had given, however. She knew Troy Daly and inside information, mainly because he was her stepbrother. Athena still could not believe that she had a stepbrother. The events of the past few months had seemed surreal to her.

Athena had been the best child that a mother could have wanted. She and her mother were always super close, and Athena never did anything that would make her mother angry with her. They were happy together, even though times were often rough. Athena knew bits and pieces about what had happened to her mom and her dad. Her mom and her father had been high school sweethearts, and got married shortly after they both graduated from high school. Her mother hadn’t gone to college, while her father had. In the middle of his senior year of college, her mother became pregnant. They had wanted children, but not that soon, so her dad dropped out of school, fifteen credit hours short of getting his degree, and had started working.

Her mother already had a full time job working at a small bank downtown, but she had no benefits or vacation days, and was fired when had to file for maternity leave. Athena always had a feeling that there should have been some kind of affirmative action clause that prevented this, but apparently neither her mother nor father thought about that during the time, or perhaps if they did, didn’t have enough money to make a fuss about it. After Athena was born, they had many medical bills and her mother had trouble finding another job, but finally managed to get a secretarial job.

Around Athena’s first birthday, her father had apparently burst in from his job, angry beyond belief, yelling about how the baby was ruining his life. Athena, of course, did not remember this, but had no reason to not believe her mother, especially considering all of the encounters she had during her life with her father. He basically told her mom that it would never work, and that he had found someone else, someone who didn’t want kids and wouldn’t be stupid enough to get pregnant. Her mother was extremely upset, which was completely understandable in Athena’s eyes.

Luckily, her grandparents on her mother’s side offered to take care of her during the workday, which was wonderful, because baby-sitters were expensive. Her mother moved in with her grandparents initially, helping ease some of the bills. Her mom’s sister watched her during the nights after her mother got a second job. While Athena was growing up, she was always with her mom’s relatives, as her mother worked job after job to make all the ends meet. Although Athena saw her mother for only brief periods, she knew how much her mother loved her, and they became extremely close, especially when her mother was able to stop working as much, cutting back to only three nights awake at the restaurant, two of which were the weekends. Athena never remembered lacking anything, even though she knew they always lived in a small apartment.

When Athena was eight, her aunt moved away to be with her new husband, who got a promotion in another city. At the age of nine, her grandfather died, so it was just her mother, grandmother, and her. Her grandmother died when she was eleven, and her mother was under more strain, trying to take care of the mounting expenses from funeral costs and the like. Luckily, Athena had grown old enough to look after herself when her mother was working.

When Athena turned thirteen, she immediately started babysitting for anyone she could. Her rates weren’t too exorbitant, and she felt wonderful being able to contribute towards the money problems that she knew her mother had. She bought her own clothes, and food. She knew her father sent a check every month as child support, but she also knew that it wasn’t very much at all.

She had met her father once, when she was eleven. He came to town, mainly to see his mother for her seventieth birthday. His mother, however, insisted that he see his daughter. He spent maybe half an hour with them, before quickly leaving and saying that there was no reason for him to ever see that child of his again. He said that she really should tell people that she didn’t have a dad, because he told people he didn’t have any children. Athena couldn’t believe that her father said that to her, and neither could her mother. She was shocked, and that’s when she tried to explain his ridiculous views, and how she thought that she placed the blame on Athena for him having to drop out of college.

Athena was shocked, then, when one day over the summer she abruptly announced that she was getting married. Athena hadn’t even realized that she was dating again. Apparently, when Athena was out babysitting, her mother had been trying to re-immerse herself in the dating world, and it didn’t take her very long to find a man that she was happy dating. He apparently had two sons, and neither really cared to pry into their lives, asking about whether the children knew about them. After five months of dating, he decided that they would be happy together for the rest of their lives, and proposed. Her mother said she didn’t even have to think about the answer.

Athena realized that this man was probably the end to their financial troubles, although she was sure that her mother wasn’t thinking of it in that way. The engagement ring he bought was at least a carat set in a platinum band. Her eyes widened when she first saw it. Her mother was so excited, and told her that the next night, they would be having dinner at his house.

Athena immediately called her best friend, Gabi, and told her everything. Gabi was shocked, of course, but happy for Athena’s mom. Athena wasn’t unhappy for her mother, but it was hard for her to swallow. Her mother hadn’t even mentioned that she was dating anyone, but now she was engaged? And, she found out later that evening, getting married before the end of summer? It was too weird for her.

The next night, her mother and she went to the Daly house for dinner. She gaped at the house when she saw it; the house was large and gorgeous. A huge lawn surrounded it, and she noticed that the driveway had a garage that had a basketball hoop on the ledge. The garage looked big enough to hold three or four cars. The house itself was made of brick, and had tons of windows, and even a chimney, which Athena couldn’t believe. She had never seen a house that seriously had a fireplace before.

Her mother led her to the large oak door, where she pushed the doorbell. When the door opened, Athena saw a boy who looked about her age, with sandy blond hair that was falling slightly into his grey eyes. He was taller than her, and looked like he was very athletic. He appraised the two of them in silence, while Athena bit her lip softly and her mother smiled widely.

“You must be Maggie Martin?” he asked her mother politely. Her mother’s blonde bobbed excitedly. The boy managed a smile, which Athena thought must have been faked, and extended his hand. “I’m Troy. Are you Maggie’s daughter?” he questioned Athena. Athena blushed at him, nodding quietly.

“This is Athena! May we come in?” Maggie asked cheerfully. Troy nodded, stepping back to allow the two in. The first night they were there was extremely awkward, with James, Troy’s younger brother, being extremely bratty and telling Maggie that he hated her five minutes into dinner. Maggie started crying at that point, and Troy quickly excused himself, and led Athena into the backyard, where there was a huge pool, a hot tub, and a soccer goal set up.

“Sorry about James,” Troy finally said after a few minutes of awkwardness. Athena shrugged at him.

“Not your fault,” she said quietly. “Hey, question, if you’re my age, why haven’t I seen you at school? Not that I know everyone at school, or anything, but you look like one of those popular kids that everyone knows, and oh, God, I’m rambling,” Athena said quickly. Troy shocked her by chuckling, and leaning against the wooden deck, looking down at her.

“I don’t go to school here,” he said simply. “I go to Covington Prep, which is basically a boarding school where rich people send their equally rich and bratty children. Okay, I’m exaggerating. We aren’t all brats. Basically, it’s a boarding school that I started going to in sixth grade. Before that, I attended a private local elementary school, so we wouldn’t know each other. James goes there, and you’ll be going there, Athena,” he said. Athena felt her mouth drop. “It is a great education, but Dad wouldn’t know what to do if we were here during the year. It’s not that he doesn’t love us, ‘cause he does, but he’s not very good with kids. Mom wasn’t either.”

“What happened to your mom?” Athena quickly asked, before clapping her hand to her mouth. “That was really insensitive of me. You don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s cool. Actually, it might help you understand James a bit more. Mom left when I was thirteen, and James was only eleven. Mom wasn’t ever really there for us, and when she decided that she couldn’t deal with anything anymore, she told James that she hated him and never wanted him. I was the one that they needed. Dad’s from a traditional family, and he needed an heir. That sounds so hideous, but it’s the truth. I’m pretty much groomed to take over the business, which dad owns. My great-grandfather had started this insurance business, and under Grandfather it expanded to national, and Dad is in charge of everything. I was never regretted, but apparently James was, at least by Mom. She was such a bitch,” Troy muttered to himself. Athena was raptly listening. “I think James may think that you guys are just using dad for money. I don’t; I get this vibe from you all as innocent and nice. You don’t have it in you. So, yeah, James won’t want you around,” he said.

“Thanks for your honesty,” she said, touching his shoulder briefly. He smiled at her.

“Hey, feel free to come by here any time over the summer. You can drive, right? I’m going to be around all summer, and it’d be nice to get to know my new stepsister. Besides, maybe James can get used to you.”

“I might take you up on that, but I don’t have a car. My best friend would have to drive. Plus, I kind of want to spend my time with her. I don’t know how she’ll take this boarding school thing. She’s my only friend, as it is, and I’m not sure what I think about it,” Athena admitted honestly.

Over the summer, Gabi and Athena did go over to Troy’s occasionally over the summer, but not that often. They spent the majority of the time together, because Athena’s mother had confirmed that they would be sending Athena to Covington, and she was pretty upset.

Athena was late and missed orientation for Covington because her mother had married Brad Daly the day before, and they flew to Covington the next afternoon. She looked up when she heard the door slam, and noticed that Heather, Jackie, and Tiffany had disappeared. She pulled out her new cell phone—when Brad had seen her old one that came free with the plan, he insisted upon buying her a new one—and quickly dialed Gabi’s number.

“It’s about time I heard from you!” Gabi said when she answered. Athena grinned at hearing her best friend’s voice. “How’s the school?”

“Not bad. My roommate is obsessive with Troy. I understand that he’s attractive, but seriously, he’s not all that. But, other than that, it’s fine so far. I’ve just met my roommate, and her two friends who are basically just her sycophants. Just thought I’d call and let you know that I’m here. I’ll talk to you later, after I’ve had a class or two.”

“Okay, chick. I’ll talk to you after class tomorrow. Bye!” They both hung up at the same time, and Athena was looking through her things and getting her stuff for class the next day ready. When Heather, Jackie, and Tiffany came back, Athena was set for the next day, and was logging in on her laptop to check her email. Heather and her friends ignored Athena, and Athena ignored them right back. They all started when there was an unexpected knock at the door.

“Troy!” Heather squealed, after opening the door. Athena glanced up sharply, noticing that Troy was stepping back from the door, cringing slightly. Athena stood up, and walked slowly over to the door.

“Hey, Athena,” he said with a smile. She smiled back at him hesitantly. “How do you like your room?” he questioned, leaning against the doorframe slightly.

“It’s cool. Want to come in?” she questioned. He shrugged, moving in the room, sitting in the chair on her side of the room.

“Looks nice. Tomorrow, I’ll help you find your way to the headmaster’s office, okay?” Athena nodded at him. “Anyway, just dropping by to say that if you ever need anything, you can just come over and ask for help. I’m in junior level room 2, and I share with Dominic Rodriguez. You can come over anytime,” he offered. Athena gave him a smile.

“Thanks. You never know when I’ll take you up on that.” Troy grinned and gave her a half hug. Athena hugged him back and he left. When he left, Heather, Jackie, and Tiffany immediately turned on her.

“How do you know Troy Daly?” Heather hissed.

“Chill, he’s my stepbrother,” Athena said. Heather’s eyebrows shot up, and Athena sighed.

“Why didn’t you mention that earlier?” one of the sycophants asked, although Athena wasn’t quite sure which one. Heather looked strangely impressed with the question, and Athena got the impression that neither of the girls were the smartest children ever.

“I didn’t mention it earlier because, honestly, I’ve known Troy for about two and a half months, and I wasn’t sure if he would even acknowledge me here. I knew he seemed like he was cool, but that doesn’t always mean that he will be at school. Plus, what would it accomplish, really? I don’t really care about the status that being friends with him would invoke, so it’s essentially pointless.”

“Do you have to use so many big words?” the other sycophant asked. Athena rolled her eyes heavenward.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you what, Athena, why don’t you do your best to show Troy that I am the girl he should be with. I’m gorgeous, and obviously the best person for him to date. If you told him that, you would become my best friend!” Heather said. Jackie and Tiffany shared a quick look.

“I’m not going to try to convince Troy to date anyone. Troy’s decisions are his to make, certainly not mine. For the record, when you try to push me into something, I’m slightly more adamant about not doing it,” Athena mentioned quietly. She then pulled out her cell phone and opened the text messaging section, quickly pressing the keys.

Gabi. You won’t believe this. My roommate is super obsessed with troy and wants me to hook them up. Crazy huh? Esta loca1. Anyway, text me back or call me tomorrow.

After sending the message, she quickly switched to a new message.

Hey, will you show me to the cafeteria too? I’m definitely going to need to eat. Btw, did you know that my roommate is obsessed with you?

She quickly sent the message off to Troy, before going to the bathroom and getting ready for bed. When she came back, she had two new text messages, and she could tell that the girls had been dying to go check her phone out with their stares over at her. She quickly opened them.

Ha, you hook troy and ur roomie up? Muy loca. Hasta manana2. Athena laughed slightly at Gabi’s message, before going to Troy’s.

I kind of figured that she was into me when she seriously broke my eardrums at ur door. I’ll be by at 7:15, so make sure ur ready by then. Btw, u have ur uniform, right? Athena was momentarily happy about the having a way around, but frowned at the mention of uniforms. She had seen the required uniforms before: a white button down top, jean (mini)skirt for girls, jeans for guys, and a red blazer with the school crest on it. They were permitted to wear any shoes they wanted, but the damage was done. Athena was appalled by the uniforms.

“Are you going to bed already?” Heather scoffed from her side of the room. Athena sat up slightly, nodding at her roommate. “It’s only ten.”

“And I have to be ready when Troy gets here at 7:15 tomorrow, so that I can have my guide. So, I guess that means I’ll be getting up at 6:00 to get ready, and I personally like my eight hours of sleep. If you really don’t care, that’s fine. I’m just going to listen to my Ipod, chill, and ignore you guys, okay?” Briefly, Athena wondered at her candidness with these girls. Normally, she was terrified of new people, not talking to them unless she had to, but she assumed that they disgusted her with how they talked about Troy and expected her to help set them up. She quickly set her alarm clock, before rolling over and going to sleep.

Spanish translations

she’s crazy

very crazy. Until tomorrow.

A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this! Just a few quick notes: I am not affiliated with Apple/Ipod, further than I do own one. Also, the uniform that is described is completely taken from the telenovela Rebelde (soap opera “Rebels”). This story came to mind after watching the final episode, so there are certain incidences that seem familiar to the show—if any of you have seen it, that’s what is going on. The story, however, is not completely based on it, because I really don’t know enough Spanish to completely understand what’s going on.