Chamberlain Academy

9/1 - 4:09 pm

"Mom, this seating chart is awful. Who did it?"

Verity held the board up, squinting at it to make sure she was reading right. She'd arrived promptly at four, dressed to impress (sans the shoes, she had to help her mother set up for two hours). Charlotte had asked her to set out placecards. However, the seating chart was a disaster.

"You put a drug dealer with the valedictorian? The Mackays can't sit by the Popplewells, they own a factory -" Verity looked over it in shock.

Charlotte came up from behind and took the seating chart, looking over it and sighing in frustration. "Ugh, I had Rosaline do this."

Rosaline was one of the two office secretaries - the younger and dumber one. Verity didn't mind her, as she had good taste in clothes and was good when Verity wanted to complain about someone. However, trusting her with the seating chart? Terrible idea.

"Let me fix it." Verity said, rearranging the small dots that represented people.

"Keep the Andersons by the Wilsons -"

Verity shot her mom a look. Ryan Anderson cut class to smoke weed, Felicity Wilson spent more time studying than she did breathing. "Mom, he sells drugs and she's top of the -"

"His step-father's a professor at Yale, which is Felicity's first choice -"

"Doesn't her family give money? Do you really want them by a burnout?"

"If he's a burnout, why would he show up?" Charlotte countered.

Verity sighed. Her mother was right; if Ryan showed up, everyone would be shocked. Ver left the table alone. She moved around several others, and ten minutes later, everything was fixed. "I'll set out placecards now?" Verity asked, looking around for her mother.

"Yes, please do." Charlotte appeared from around a corner, carrying a large basket of centerpieces.

Charlotte and Verity continued to set up, placing decorations and confirming food selections with the restaurant's staff. An hour and a half later, people began to arrive.

"Ver, I'm gonna go and greet, can you run through and check all the place settings?" Charlotte asked. "You can come out when you're done."

"Of course." Ver smiled at her mom as she exited. She looked lovely as always; Verity was happy she'd picked the green dress and not the red one. After quickly running through and checking the majority of the settings,

Verity went outside to see who had arrived. She really wished Carter was coming, but hopefully Cam and Preston would be here.

The typical early people had arrived. Mr. and Mrs. Watson and their senior daughter Kiera, were speaking to her mom. Verity thought Kiera was pretty, but she was a bit of a tryhard. Mr. Theisen and his new girlfriend were over by the bar. His son, Trevor was either hiding in the bathroom or coming later; he was a shy little sophomore who was afraid of his personable father. Trevor was adorable, Verity thought, but he often blushed and stuttered when she tried to talk to him. There were a few families she didn't recognize - new freshman, Verity assumed. There was a new family talking to her mom, so she decided to go over and introduce herself.

"Oh good, Ver. Mr. Richards, this is my daughter, Verity." Charlotte smiled and introduced to the man standing in front of him.

"Lovely to meet you." Mr. Richards (Officer Richards? Chief Richards? Captain Richards?) held out his hand, and Verity shook it, smiling.

"This is my wife, Ainsley." He introduced. His wife was very pretty, Verity thought to herself. She had light blonde hair that was a unique shade; her features were simple yet elegant. Mrs. Richards definitely looked the part of being a mother in the town.