My Heart Skips a Beat (completed)

Chapter 12: Ellen

A/N: we're getting close to finding out who Alice is! enjoy!

official song: i want u bad- r5

Almost one month after Jonathan’s acceptance to Harvard, Skip, Jonathan and I were getting ready for the three hour drive from Vernon Academy to the Burroughs’s mansion and property. Jonathan was now a celebrity on Vernon and Foxfield because of his affair with Alice and his early acceptance to Harvard. Roger Smith admired Jonathan and was a little threatened by him; up until the time my brother joined the Vernon student body, Roger had the honor of class valedictorian in the bag. My brother was giving Roger a run for his money. Either way, they would be valedictorian and salutatorian of the class of 1983 at Vernon.

Mr. Kennedy was nice to timid Jonathan and not as intimidating of him and even let me onto campus one night because of his achievement. Even Mrs. DeBruhl stopped me on my way to dinner to tell me to congratulate him for her. It was insane. I was a celebrity by being my brother’s sister.

“Claire, come on. Are you ready to go?” Skip asked me, leaning against the wall in the doorway of my dorm. Ashley was still in the cafeteria eating and Grace had already left with her parents for Christmas break. She was excused one day early. She was going on her annual five day trip to Colorado to ski with her family. She always had some hard core ski stories when she came back to Northbrook.

I looked back at the small pile of miscellaneous clothes I laid on my bed and then back at my open duffel bag. “Almost. Just lemme find some room for these.” I stuffed the remaining clothes into a small corner of the bag and turned on my heel. “Ready?”

“You know I am.” Like a gentleman, Skip carried my heavy bag down the stairs of DeBruhl Hall and back to his dorm at Vernon, all the while keeping an arm slung around my shoulder. Jonathan was reading one of Skip’s magazine on his bed, only the pillow on his mattress.

“Yo, Jonathan,’’ said Skip.

“Yeah?” Jonathan didn’t take his eyes off the magazine. His knees were blocking my view of the cover.

“You ready to go? My stuff is already in the car,” Skip informed him.

“Yeah, let’s go!” He sprang up from his twin bed and lugged his duffel bag outside onto the sunshine. “What a beautiful day,” commented Jonathan.

“Yeah. It’s perfect for a day like today,” I said. “Sun, warmth, a little bit of snow to cover the grass.” I stuck my tongue out and caught a fluffy snowflake.

“It is. God planned it since he knows all of us are excited for break, especially the Ogner family,” Skip smiled.

“You’re right, man. Thank you so much for letting us come and stay with you,” I said.

“Hey, it’s no problem! I’m so pleased that you’re coming. Get a load of the Burroughs family life.” Skip grinned. “Now, I don’t want to overwhelm you two, but I thought of some stuff we could do while we’re home.”

“Why would we be overwhelmed?” I asked.