The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

August Chapter 2

The rooms Rory had showed us to were massive. There was, true to her word, someone to turn down the room for us and put away our clothes if so desired.

But I'm not interested in that.

I'm more interested in my surroundings, which look like a scene out of a fantasy movie. There was oil-painted artwork on the wall, grand rich colors everywhere. Everything looked to be a hundred years old and twice as expensive.

And none of it seemed like Rory.

Rory had never liked expensive things, she had never had expensive taste. She rarely spent her money and rarely dressed or acted like she came from that world. Which made me wonder if I knew the real Rory? And if I didn't, then who the hell was the real Rory?

"I'm tripping hard man," Shawn says letting himself into my room. "I have a fourposter bed, and Candy has a canopy bed. I didn't know there was a difference but Candy says there is. And the butler guy said this is just Rory's wing. Her parents have a different one! The servants have their own quarters. Have you seen the pool? It has a climbing wall that doubles as a waterfall."

I nod, yes that all sounds fantastical, but I'm still worrying about Rory.

Shawn, however, hasn't noticed. "I can't believe she didn't tell us about this."

"I suppose she thought we'd think of her differently."

"Well no shit!"

"Or that maybe we would only like her for her stuff."

"Well I can definitely say I like her a lot more now."

And that right there was probably why she hadn't told anyone about her money and her cool house. But I can't help but feel there was something else that she was hiding, a different motive. Because being home made her sad for some reason.

"Okay, listen to this. Breakfast can either be on the patio if the weather is nice, but if it isn't they have breakfast in the solarium which Rory says is more like a green house," Candy says appearing in my room as well. "Also, apparently her mom has all the social invitations for the weekend. She's going to help Rory select a party for us to go into."

Great a party. I don't want to go to a party.

"Apparently they're all fancy dress, so we're going to have to go shopping."

Both Shawn and I groan cause if there's one thing we'd rather do less then go to some stuffy fancy party, it's go shopping.

"Do you think we'll meet her parents this trip?" Why does the thought of meeting her parents worry me? It's not like I'm dating her. Yeah we kinda made out the day she came back but we haven't done anything else either. Mainly cause I'm so awkward I don't know what to do. I don't know where I stand, I don't know what she expects. But I know I want to kiss her again, and I definitely want to get to a place where I can sleep with her again.

Somehow I feel like meeting her parents and making a good impression is very important, even if she hasn't flat out said so.

But my question is drowned out my Shawn's retelling of the pool with the rock climbing wall/waterfall. Which is how I'm the first to notice Rory rush past the room, no doubt looking for us, she briefly looks into my room, keeps going and then doubles back.

"There you are," she cries as she walks in. "Okay, is everyone settled? Do you need more time?"

All of us say no and she nods. "Do you guys want a tour of the place. It can be a little daunting at first but you get use to it."

The place was the same size as Casa Loma, basically. It had four floors. The basement, the main hall and then the living areas and the attic. Rory's wing started at the circular tower, and apparently extended all the way up. There was a movie theater in the basement, a ballroom, a dining room, a solarium, a massive kitchen and named wings. Like "Rory's wing." Though the plaque for that one seemed newer than the others. Like it might have been named something else before.

"What did your mom say?" Candy asks bouncing up to Rory.

"Oh, well, we narrowed the party down to the Carlson's or the Slavosky's. I'll have to look over your apparel tonight, see if we need to go shopping tomorrow," she says. Already she sounds different, like she's not talking like her normal self. She digs something out of her pocket and hands it to me. "These are appointment cards."

What did she get me an appointment with a shrink what is happening right now?

"There for my father's club. They're your tee-time and they'll get you past the door. The club has a dress code, Jarvis, the floor valet, can talk you through what's acceptable to wear."

She got us exclusive golfing tickets, I'm both nervous and excited at the same time.

"Its for the day after the party, so you know, we have time to shop if you need clothes and it'll give you something relaxing to do."

Jesus this was all too much.

What was happening here?

Everything in Rory's old life had a dress code. Or was this her real life? Granted she never really went home, but when she did, did she just slip into this other persona easily? Or was her persona the person she was when she was with them?

"This is so exciting!" Candy squeals. "I want that tour." And since Shawn wants to go too, I figure there's no harm in me going as well.

But later that night, after we were wined and dined in the library, and we got our own private screening of a movie that had not yet come out in her family's own private theatre, that had it's own popcorn machine, and we had all gone to sleep for the night, Rory came to me.

I wasn't entirely surprised by her appearance, though I had been asleep at the time so she kind of startled me.

For a minute the moonlight hits her just right and I think she might be something from that fairy tale world this room belongs in, but that fades pretty quickly when she promptly gets on top of me and starts to kiss me.

"What are you doing?"

Jesus why the hell did I open my mouth?

"I just want to feel like myself again."

I don't know what that means. It occurs to me to ask if she's okay, but I don't. I merely say okay and go back to kissing her and I let her tell me how far it is she wants to go. Which is all the way thank god cause I'm practically panting for it.

I figure whatever it is that is the problem, I can ask her about it in the morning. But when I wake up, Rory isn't there. And let me tell you, I did not like that.