The Military Brat

The Military Brat [3]

The next two weeks had passed by quickly, as time usually did when you were dreading something. Before I knew it, it was the night before my departure and the base commanders and staff were having a going away party.

The mess hall had been decorated with streamers and balloons and a banner saying 'Good Luck Avery', food provided by Ellie the Lunch Lady sat on a table, and a stereo blasted country music.

Everyone milled around, chatting quietly amongst themselves, whereas I sat quietly in the corner, fiddling with my newly returned phone.

"Nervous?" Asked my dad, he pulled a chair up next to me and sat down, a beer clutched in his fingers.

"Yeah. RV Prep is expensive, and probably totally snobby, and I have to wear an effing uniform." I said in reference to to starchy white shirt, red, white, and black, pleated skirt, matching tie, black blazer, and black knee socks that had been bought for me. They were going to be a big change compared to my usual jeans and t-shirts.

"You'll do great Avery. Listen, I know you probably think this is a punishment, but I haven't been completely honest with you." I raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He took my cold hand in his large, rough, warm one and squeezed. "The truth is, your mother went to this school when she was your age, and it was always her dream for you to go there too. She would've been so proud of you baby. Just as proud as I am."

He gave me a kiss on the forehead and left, leaving me with a lump in my throat and my heart felt like it was broken in two.

The next morning dad woke me up bright and early, it was a long drive from San Antonio to Austin, about an hour and twenty minutes. But, I was used to waking up five A.M to the trumpet call.

So I sat in the rusty old pickup truck with heavy eyes and unbrushed hair, as my dad blasted the radio and talked amiably throughout the whole ride.

School didn't start till tomorrow, but students usually arrived a day before classes started to get settled in and aquatinted with the grounds and people. It was senior year, everyone probably had their select groups and cliques, I'd be the new girl, the awkward girl who was only there for a year before she graduated and moved on.

I had a suitcase and duffle bag full of my possessions and clothing (weekends we were allowed to wear street clothes), and had my shamefully well used Unicorn pillow pet, Unie, who I'd gotten and named at age six. She was a comfort I never left home without, even if she did have matted purple fur and her horn was about to fall off with stuffing escaping.

Arrived at Red Valley Preparatory Academy at about 8 A.M, dad had stopped to buy us some breakfast and had gotten lost a couple times, but the morning was still cool and had dew on the ground. Eight o'clock was the opening orientation time and it would close at five tonight. A few students milled around with their parents, lugging suitcases around as they headed toward the main building.

The place was huge, several stories of brownstone buildings, sat in a u-shape with a long, sprawling green lawn manicured to perfection. It was located just outside of Austin, in the middle of a dusty dry desert-like plot of land, which was made me wonder how they kept the grass so green.

Everything looked so expensive, and I was afraid that if I'd touch something, it'd break and I'd get in trouble.

We walked into the main building, and after twenty minutes of running around, we finally found the gym, which was where the orientation tables were located. There were eight tables with two teachers at each. There were two tables for each high school level, and they were split for people with last initials of A-M and N-Z, then each teacher at the table had a different gender. We walked to the senior table with a marker drawn sign saying A-M.

"Can I help you?" Asked the woman teacher who was helping out the girls, she looked young, about late twenties-early thirties. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and a shiny sparkly ring on her left hand finger.

"I'm Rodger Berkley and this is my daughter Avery." Dad said confidently, there were times where I shared the confident trait, but there were also times (much like this one) that I didn't.

The lady nodded and began leafing through a box until she pulled out a file. "Yep, Avery Jasmine Berkley. Here's your room number, schedule, map, and teacher information." She handed me the folder, then handed me a heavy white box, "your Red Valley Academy issued iPad, and your dorm pass. If you'll step into the room down the hall, someone will be there to take your student ID picture."

I blinked, I got my own iPad? This was all happening so fast, I barely noticed when my dad ushered me away from the table and into the room down the hall. I sat down, smiled when the photographer told me to, and before I knew it he handed me a shiny, smooth ID card with my name and picture on it, it was connected to a red rope lanyard which I stringed around my neck.

"Let's go find your room." Dad said, I nodded, and looked at the folder. It's said I was in Brunner, dorm room 316.

By the time we exited the gym, the grounds were filled with students milling around with their parents, and I was amazed by how well off some of them were. Girls with expensive looking clothes and shiny hair, walking while texting as their butlers carried their things behind them, guys with perfect white smiles and a strut having flocks of girls fawning over them and their absolute perfection.

We found Brunner Hall and had to go up three flights of stairs to get to the top floor. Nervously, I opened the room door with my new key and let out of breath of aw when the door opened. It was huge, with two double beds, a en suite, two desks, a large bookshelf, a mini fridge and a flat screen TV.

"Wow." I whispered, stepping onto the plush carpeting.

"Damn, you really get your money's worth." Dad said behind me, making me giggle. "Now a few ground rules. No TV after 10:30, no boys at all, no alcohol in that fridge and the beds only for sleeping got it?"

I rolled my eyes and hugged him, "Got it chief. Anything else?"

"Make me and your mother proud, though you do that everyday. I'll see you at Christmas okay?" He kissed me and held me tight.

"I will dad, I love you." I tried hard to fight the tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks.

"Love you too sweetie." He said, he let go, and have me one last wave, before walking out of the room, leaving me to unpack my room, and my new life.

******Hey guys! So I updated the cover! But if you want to send me one, you can send it to the email in my bio! So this is chapter 3, I hope you enjoyed, it's sorta a filler, but we realized why Avery's dad is sending her to school. Next one should be longer, I'm sorry for any mistakes, I edit all my stuff myself.

Anyway, who's excited for Christmas? I am, we don't have finals till after break but we still a lot of homework and I'm dying, I just want it to end! Anyway, enough of me complaining, make sure to vote and comment if you enjoyed!