Chapter Text
Sixth Grade
“Christen, relax I can feel how tense you are from up here.” Cody Press looked at his middle daughter through the rear view mirror of the Suburban.
His middle daughter had barely said two words during the three hour drive. Today, after a summer full of fun and family, Cody was once again making the yearly drive to Stevenson School, this time trading his oldest daughter Tyler(who had opted out of Stevenson to live with her mother) for Christen. Coming along for the journey was Cody’s step-daughter, and Christen’s absolute best friend, Julie who had passed out in her car seat about ten minutes into their journey.
“Daddy do I have to go? Just because boarding school worked for Tyler doesn’t mean it’ll work for me. You know they say that you shouldn’t parent each child exactly the same because each child has different needs” The eleven year old informed her father, arms tightly clutching her stuffed dog to her chest.
Cody laughed, his voice booming throughout the car which woke up four year old Julie from her carseat nap. The toddler’s lip began to quiver until Christen took Julie’s hand in her own to rub her thumb soothingly across the back of it.
“Chris, I told you to stop reading those parenting books. But you know why you have to go. Going to Stevenson is a Press family tradition! And soon it’ll be a Press-Johnston family tradition because in a few years JJ is going to go and then Channing, so it’ll be something to bond the four of you girls together,” Cody checked on his daughter again, seeing if his sisterhood spiel was working.
Christen shrugged, still preoccupied with lulling her little sister back to sleep. As he pulled into the Stevenson parking lot, already packed with parents moving their students in, Cody decided to up the ante.
“Besides I know of a certain freckle faced girl who has already agreed to be your roommate.”
At the mention of freckles Christen began excitedly bouncing up and down in her seat, waking up Julie once again.
“Wait, no way Dad, no freaking way! I thought she was going to Deerwood!”
“Yes ma’am,” Cody found a parking spot and pulled into it “one Miss Kelley O’Hara is also attending Stevenson School this year and is living with you in Atwood Hall.”
The sixth grader breathed a sigh of relief. Her best friend since she was four years old, Kelley O’Hara, was going to be her saving grace for her first year at a boarding school.
Kelley and Christen had been neighbors on the military base where their fathers had been stationed for the last eight years. Those two, as well as their older sisters Tyler and Erin, had been thick as thieves since the beginning. Kelley’s invincible spirit complimenting Christen’s cautious demeanor perfectly. There had been moments of uncertainty concerning the girls’ friendship when the O’Hara’s were entertaining the possibility of sending Kelley to a boarding school across the country instead of Stevenson. But Christen had felt all of those fears dissipate the second her father disclosed the O’Hara’s decision.
The sound of her door opening jolted Christen out of her thoughts. Cody, holding Julie in one arm, held his hand out to his daughter.
“Alright kid, let’s get your Stevenson career started”
“Leggo Chrissy!” Julie cheerily beckoned her older sister.
Christen smiled and jumped out of the truck, head swiveling on an axis as the bustling hubbub of move-in day at Stevenson happened all around her. She saw tiny sixth graders intermixed among tall high schoolers and parents, all hurrying around trying to get their kids moved into their rooms before the term started on Monday.
She took a deep breath, grabbed her suitcase and followed her father towards Atwood Hall.
~
“NEW KIDS NEW KIDS NEW KIDS” freshman Ashlyn Harris and sophomore Heather O’Reilly jostled the group of three eighth graders who were walking in tandem across the Stevenson quad from the direction of the dorms.
Amy Rodriguez, Lauren Cheney and Tobin Heath protested good-naturedly as their conversation and peaceful walk was interrupted by Stevenson’s resident jokesters.
“C’mon you guys, we’ve been here for two years. Isn’t this ‘new kids’ nickname a little old?” Lauren rolled her eyes.
Ashlyn and Heather, fondly known as HAO, shared a devious look and shook their heads in tandem.
“Nope, where are you three headed?”
“Tobs finally moved in this morning so we figured we’d head over to The Cove to hang before the sixth graders catch wind.” Lauren explained, referring to the private strip of sand adjacent to the Stevenson owned beach. The Cove was generally kept a secret from the incoming class and knowing it’s location was a rite of passage among Stevenson students.
“How were your summers?” Amy asked, falling in step with Heather and Lauren while Ashlyn and Tobin followed.
Heather began to tell of their adventures traveling with the youth national soccer team, sending Amy and Lauren into giggles with a tale about Heather and Ashlyn exploring and getting kicked out of a museum in Paris.
“How was your summer Tobs?” Ashlyn nudged the younger girl beside her.
Tobin shrugged, a content smile gracing her tanned face. “Ah nothing too crazy, just surfing and soccer I guess,”
“There’s my good ol’ Toby,” Ashlyn chuckled, throwing Tobin into a headlock “nothing but boards and balls”
“Shut up, hey speaking of balls have you gotten some to talk to a certain right back?” Tobin smirked.
Ashlyn’s face turned bright red. For the entirety of the last school year it was common knowledge that Ashlyn had a raging crush on one Alexandra Krieger. Ali was Atwood’s resident princess, beautiful, smart and athletic Kriegs had it all. Ashlyn, who had been an eighth grader, had done everything in her power to avoid Ali. Consistently making a fool of herself in front of Ali Krieger who was constantly wondering what she had done to make the cute eighth grader avoid her.
“HA,” HAO burst out laughing as the group kicked off their shoes upon reaching The Cove “Ashlyn got so nervous talking to Kriegs at team breakfast this morning that she spilled her entire bowl of cereal on princess’s lap. Then tried to clean it up but accidentally got to third base with Ali’s chest.”
“Oh I’m gonna get you Irish” Ashlyn gritted her teeth and began chasing after Heather, leaving the New Kids amused.
“HAO’s gonna die if Ash catches her” Amy shook her head grabbing both of Tobin and Lauren’s arms to hold in her own.
“Nah dude,” Tobin kicked at a piece of driftwood “Heather has endurance, she’ll outlast Ash for sure”
Amy and Lauren nodded their agreement as the trio made their way down the beach, egging Ashlyn and Heather on. After a few minutes of running Ashlyn finally gave up and surrendered to the older girl.
“You win this time O’Reilly. But you better watch your back, I’m gonna get you when you least expect it.” The keeper plopped onto the sand exhausted.
Tobin, Amy, Lauren and Heather followed suit, sitting in the sand allowing the waves to kiss their feet as they watched the afternoon sun hang low in the sky. It was one of their last quiet moments before the school year started two days later.
“HEADS UP!” a voice yelled as a soccer ball came flying towards Ashlyn’s head.
“OW” Ashlyn squealed, rubbing the spot on her forehead where the ball had made contact.
Heather and the New Kids burst out laughing before Tobin got up to chase after the ball. Once she saved the neon green ball from being swept out into the surf, Tobin’s eyes fell upon the offending party.
Four girls, seemingly sixth graders, were standing in front of the group of older girls all wearing sheepish expressions.
The freckle faced one spoke first, all bubbly and cheerful as she explained that their little two versus two beach soccer game had gotten out of hand when Alex, the girl with pink pre-wrap around her head, got a little cocky and tried to score on Alyssa with her right foot.
“I tried to get Christen to grab it but she froze, she’s kinda shy” Kelley shrugged, taking the ball back from Tobin.
Tobin looked at Christen, feeling some weird sensation bubbling up in her stomach while the sixth grader barely murmured out a “hi” before running back to join Alex and Alyssa.
Unbeknownst to Tobin, Ashlyn and the rest of the gang had been watching the entire exchange between their friend and this group of newbies.
“Looks like Toby’s got it bad for a new kid” Amy teasingly whispered into her best friend’s ear.
Tobin’s face warmed up, a blush coming on strong as the group of girls made their way back to the dorms.
“Shut up A-Rod”
This was going to be a long year.