Smoke And Steel

• Seventeen - The Accidental Pervert •

Avery

I learnt three things the Tuesday afternoon that Tate convinced me to leave:

1. When the son of the richest man in not only Fairview, but probably also this state (and many others too), says he wants to board at Silver Cross Academy the faculty is willing to revoke someones boarding privileges so he can have a dorm to himself. (I of course am a nice person (kind of), so I just said I would share.)

2. The school probably won't suspend you if you throw a ridiculously large sum of money at them in the name of "education" (also known as 'upgraded staffroom with brand new espresso machines and massage chairs').

and

3. I didn't really have that much stuff that I wanted to take with me. Clothes, a photo album, my signed Ramones LP. When it came down to it, I realized that anything else I owned just had material value, nothing else had meaning; there wasn't much that was totally irreplaceable.

Yes, my father was the billionaire, but that didn't mean that I didn't have any money of my own. My grandparents had willed me a lot, given that I was their only grandchild, so I owned a lot of land that I had collected revenue from ever since their deaths when I was about five. Plus my mother had left me and sizeable trust fund, which was basically everything of hers since she gave my father nothing.

Wasn't it funny that all of my own wealth had come from the deaths of others? Obviously in my case it wasn't the living who cared for my financial needs. But then again, how many seventeen year-olds had 'financial needs' greater than what a minimum-wage afterschool job could pay for? Just thinking about how privileged I was made me want to barf at the ridiculousness of it all.

I had hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting in an account, and I wasn't even old enough to legally drink a beer. Who's stupid enough to even give a kid free reign over that much money?

My family, obviously.

___________________________________

Ebony

Avery and I had successfully been ignoring each other since the incident on Tuesday, which was kind of hard considering that we were partners for Health. I classed it as an achievement, while Mr. Clarke classed it as me repressing my fear, and that I should go see Ms. Khalo if I felt that I need to at any time. What a load of bullshit.

Yeah I was still kind of pissed off at him, but I wasn't scared of him. It's not like i thought he'd ever hit me, and if he did then I would have him charged with assault. It's not a 'no man should ever hit a woman' thing, it's a 'no one should ever hit anyone thing'.

No one deserves to be hit.

***

"Hey Smoke, wait up," Rory called as I made my way towards the cafeteria.

*Inward groan* "Sure, what's up?" I said, not even attempting to look overjoyed about what I knew he was about to ask.

"Hey, well I was wondering if maybe, if you were available on Friday, then maybe you'd want to go to the Halloween dance a

with me?"

I eyed him suspiciously, "as friends?"

"Or, not friends. You know, more than friends," he said, his smile never faultering. I wondered if it hurt his cheeks to always be smiling. It seemed like to much effort, if you ask me.

"You want to go as best friends?"

"You caught me!" He said brightly, "I want to be your super mega best friend!"