Chapter One: Boston!?!

MALIBU PRINCESS OFF TO BOARDING SCHOOL!

Parents Sending Roxy to Boston

Roxy Austin groaned as she read the headline. She ran a hand through her curly blond hair, mentally reminding herself to kill the person who leaked this story to the press. She looked back at the cover of Scandal Magazine skeptically. It couldn’t hurt, could it? She casually flipped to page 32 and began to read.

Malibu Princess Roxy Austin, 17, is allegedly being shipped off to boarding school somewhere in Boston, Massachusetts. Inside sources say her parents, ex-pop icon Evelyn Austin and plastic surgeon Dr. Adam Austin have had enough of her antics. “They’re just worried about her. After her DUI and alleged drug scandal, they feel it is best for her to surround herself in an environment that differentiates from her Los Angeles home,” says a close inside source. Austin was arrested with DUI yesterday while driving down a California highway and apparently ignoring stop signs and going well over the speed limit, as well as breaking simple laws by not wearing a seatbelt or giving a signal before turning. Reports say that although Austin was with two other people, one of whom was over the age of eighteen, she was tested positive for a high level of alcohol. “She couldn’t stand and was slurring words,” says the officer who arrested Austin. Upon searching her car, police found six empty bottles of beer, as well as three unopened bottles. However, when they searched her trunk, they found unidentified substances, unspecified drugs. Evelyn spoke out to press yesterday, saying “We care for her. We want to give her a better future, but she has to decide whether she wants that as well. We are slowly progressing towards improvement, but it will take a long time, and a constant effort. Nevertheless, we are prepared to give that, 100.” We can only hope that Roxy may finally grow up, and become the responsible individual she is meant to be.

Roxy felt like tearing out her hair. Not only was this rude and inaccurate, but the details were sketchy. Although she had been drunk, she had only missed one stop sign and accidentally drove through a yellow light. She had been wearing her seatbelt and she couldn’t stand well because it had been five AM. The drugs were definitely not hers, and even though she had tried them before, she had not been under the influence of them. And it was her publicist, not her mother, who spoke out to the press.

Sure, she had been drinking a lot over the last two years. She did smoke, and had tried some substances. And she had been on the cover of this magazine almost every other issue for the past seven months. But really, she was just as normal as any other Hollywood teen, so why were her parents sending her off to Boston? She groaned as she remembered the conversation last night, just after she had been bailed out from jail.

“What do you think you’re doing with your life?” Asked her mother.

“I’m living like any other kid does, Mom. Big deal, a DUI and some drugs, who cares? Other Hollywood teens do it all the time!”

“I didn’t do those things when I was your age.”

“Yes you did! I saw some of your magazine covers from back then. You did even worse things!”

“But I never got caught driving drunk and missing signs and signals. On a highway, mind you.”

“Well, at least I never slept with a record producer when I was sixteen so he would listen to my demo tape!!”

“That’s it. I’ve had enough of this, Roxanne. It seems every time I try to go shopping, I end up seeing my daughter on the cover of Scandal Magazine! Its time for a change. We’re sending you to boarding school.”

“You can’t just do that!” Roxy protested.

Her father broke in. “Yes, we can. We’ve been thinking about this option ever since that nude picture scandal came up last year. We’re not going to risk you becoming another drugged, drunk, out-of-control celebrity!”

“You mean you’re not going to risk Mom’s rep, and the fact you might not get as many celebrities to come to you for Botox. I hate you!” Roxy screamed this as she ran up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door loud enough for the population of China to hear.

As she remembered, she felt tears coming to her eyes. She hated her life, and her parents. They didn’t understand how hard it was to be growing up in the spotlight, especially when you were constantly stuck in your mom’s shadow.

“Flight 321 for Boston will begin boarding in five minutes,” said her best friend Leanna “Lee” Lowell. “You can put that magazine back.” Roxy sighed and placed the magazine on the rack with the others. She slowly picked up her suitcases, trying to find possible escape routes in the building.

“Come on,” said Breanne, her younger, 11-year-old sister. She slowly pulled Roxy along to the gate. Robert Desdue, her second best friend, followed suit. He slowly walked along with Roxy and Lee, a sad look on his face. Roxy had to go to Boston, leaving behind her home, family, and friends. He briefly gave her a big bear hug, and whispered “Be good, Rox. Don’t do anything stupid.” Tears stung at her eyes. So this was what goodbye felt like. Lee was next in line. She threw her hair back over her shoulder and smiled, hugging Roxy tightly. When they broke apart, she said “Hey R. Have a bon temps in Boston. If you meet a cute boy, give him my number.” Roxy momentarily laughed through her tears. She turned to look Breanne, or Brie, as she called her. She leaned down and hugged Brie, crying the hardest. “Have fun in Boston. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to break you out as soon as possible. Mom and Dad will never know what happened.” Roxy held on tight. She couldn’t believe that in less than five hours she’d be at some icky private school in Boston, away from the people she loved most. She walked towards the gate, casting one final look back at her closest friends, smiling through her tears. Waving with three fingers, she gave her tickets to the attendant and boarded the plane.

Walking slowly through the aisle, she found her seat. Putting her suitcase in the storage area above her head, she looked at her ticket again. Ughh. She was stuck in the middle seat, and apparently had to sit between two fat people. Shimmying herself in, trying to avoid falling in the fat man’s lap, she plopped into her seat and sighed. Looking out the window, all she could see was airport personnel down in the smog below. The fat woman occupying the window seat looked towards her and smiled.

“Well, hi, hon. What’s your name?”

“Roxy.”

“Where you heading to?”

Well, that seemed like a stupid question. After all, it was a plane to Boston.

“Umm…Boston, I guess.”

“Alone?” Okay, the woman was starting to creep her out.

“No, actually my parents are up front,” Roxy lied. She then pretended to be immersed in the catalog with safety rules. She felt like screaming. Staying in jail didn’t seem like such a bad idea now.

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Roxy dozed off somewhere over Ohio, so she was surprised when she woke up to find that the plane was landing. Actually, she was surprised to wake up and find that the annoying, slightly stalker-ish fat woman beside her was shaking her. The fat man had already gotten off. Lucky him, Roxy thought.

After successfully pulling off the fat woman, Roxy grabbed her stuff as fast as possible and strolled into the aisle. She flipped a smile at the hot attendant who was saying, “Welcome to Boston. It was a pleasure flying with you and we hope to see you again soon.” She went through all necessary procedures (although skipping baggage claims, as she had no real baggage with her) and eventually stepped outside.

Roxy gasped as she saw the landscape. It was much much different from Hollywood. There were no palm trees, no beaches, and she couldn’t spot a movie star within a ten mile radius. Putting on her sunglasses, she grimaced. “Welcome to Boston,” she said silently to herself.