Bridgeport Academy » COMPLETE

13

Robyn was spacing out through first-period Latin when Mrs. Tullington, the school's administrator, interrupted class. 

"Ms. Fenty," Mr. Gaston, the teacher, addressed her. "Your adviser wants to see you."

Her adviser's office was only one floor down from the Latin room and Robyn nervously rubbed her palms together as she made her way down the steps. She and Ms. Emory weren't exactly buddy-buddy. She walked into the small office and sat down quickly in the chair opposite her desk. "You wanted to see me?"

Ms. Emory looked up from her computer keyboard. She squinted one eye and contorted her gigantic mouth into a sneer. She looked like a deranged female Popeye. Why couldn't Robyn have gotten a nice adviser, like Mrs. Swan, who took her advisees to the Metropolitan Opera three times a year, or Mr. Bungey, who threw his kids Christmas parties and listened to all their relationship problems? Oh no, she had to get the crazy lady, who probably used those safety pins on her desk to poke students in the ass when they misbehaved.

"Mr. Davis told me I should talk to you," Ms. Emory announced flatly. "He said that your boyfriend was caught in your room last night. After curfew."

Robyn took a deep breath to prepare herself. She'd had years of practice bending the truth for her mother, but it always made her nervous. "Well, that's the thing," she began. "My boyfriend was there, yes. But he wasn't visiting me. He was visiting my roommate, Karrueche."

"And how do you know that?"

Robyn furrowed her brow. "Because...because I wasn't there."

Ms. Emory gave her a look of disbelief. "Umhmm." She began to type something on her keyboard. 

Shit. Did Ms. Emory's umhmm mean Kae had snitched on her? Robyn didn't think so. She'd seen the gleam in her eye—Kae was hungry. Why else would she have shown up at the Richards dorm party, basically uninvited? If she didn't care about the Bridgeport social order, she'd go and be friends with that dorky Debbie girl. No, Kae wanted more than that, Robyn was certain.

"Look," Robyn shrugged. "I don't know what went on. I was studying. It was right before curfew, and I came back and only Kae was there. Chris had left and Mr. Davis was talking to her."

"Mmmm. So, then. You and Chris, you're not a couple anymore?"

Robyn winced. With that horrible I love you still hanging out there, unanswered, every second that went by without him saying it back made her feel ridiculously vulnerable. If they didn't have sex soon and start talking about how much they loved each other, Robyn might have to check herself into the mental health center.

"No," Robyn lied. "We're not together anymore."

"Really." Ms. Emory stared at her over her square black glasses. "Because someone spotted you and Mr. Brown at the stables only yesterday."

"We...we were breaking up," Robyn managed to stutter, her voice dry. "I...I don't really want to talk about it, if that's okay." Damn that Ben! Damn the faculty and staff for living with the students on campus and knowing every fucking intimate detail of their lives!

"Mm," Ms. Emory replied, looking as if she didn't believe her at all. "Well, behave. We haven't forgotten about last year."

"Okay," Robyn squeaked. 

Then Ms. Emory began to type furiously. Generally this was Robyn's cue to leave but she badly wanted to crane her neck around to see what she was typing—probably a three-point plan for how to ruin Robyn's life.

She raced back to class, eager to be back in the soothing world of Latin verbs. Seated at her desk, she rubbed her hands together. If Ms. Emory found out she'd lied and that Chris had been there to see her, she'd definitely be expelled, especially after last year's E episode. Then her mother would disown her and she'd have to go live with her Aunt Brenda in the most boring suburb of Atlanta. She'd be forced to go to public school with ghetto, ratchet, annoying kids. Robyn's stomach turned.

She had two challenges before her: one, making sure Kae didn't talk, and two, convincing Ms. Emory that she and Chris weren't an item. Her life at Bridgeport depended on it.

To: KarruecheTran@bridgeport.edu

From: Sephora

Online Date: Thursday, September 5, 12:50 P.M.

Subject: Surprise!

Dear Karrueche,

It's your lucky day! Your friend Robyn Fenty has selected a beauty gift basket for you, full of $100 worth of makeup. The basket comes with a free tote bag! Please go to our website to pick the color you'd like.

Kiss kiss,

The Sephora staff

1:20 PM

RobynFenty: Come with me to Adore. 2:00.

ChrisBrown: Shopping? No.

RobynFenty: It's important. We need to talk.

ChrisBrown: Can't we talk on campus?

RobynFenty: U can come into the dressing room with me...

ChrisBrown: Aren't we in enough shit already?