Wealth, status, and beauty define the elite of Kensington Prep. Every one of them possesses the ability to get away with anything and everything they want, unscathed and remain as privileged and superior as ever.
But Amory Scout decides that tim...
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After the little visit with Carmen, we decide to do a detour to Luciana's boarding school- the Westover Academy for Girls. Unlike Kensington, which has the classic Upper East Side brownstone look so typical of New York, Westover Academy is a sprawling estate tucked in the lush greenery of Greenwich, Connecticut.
The structures are all made out of sun-bleached sandstone familiar to castles built all over Europe. The architecture is extremely English as the whole estate is a castlelike monolith with medieval-style turrets reaching out to the sky and the school's coat of arms hanging over the massive wooden-oak doors of the entrance. As we walk up the school, we listen to the buzz of the landscapers pruning the school's frosted hedges next door. The air smells like lilacs, cold air, and lavender. It's a typical idyllic Connecticut moment—everything about the town is so pretty and postcard-perfect, it's a far cry from the urban howl of New York. It's so peaceful and quiet that I find the silence unsettling, preferring the roar of the city over this serene country bullshit any day.
We are further reminded of the English touch of the school when we arrive at the admissions office, a place decked out in colors like the American Flag. Everything is in red and blue with cream upholstery and copper fixtures over the classic Colonial Connecticut furniture.
"Luciana, say to wait here?" I ask Parker.
Parker nods. A couple of Westover girls pass by us. They sneak looks at us, their stares judging our designer coats and heels. We're New York girls so we're not afraid to wear all-black or pull off loud and bold fashion choices; we're avant-garde and fashion-forward with an urban touch to our clothes. The Westover girls are so cookie-cutter preppy: all straight-haired, squeaky clean skin, wearing the same matching shade of Laura Mercier lip plumper and carrying Dooney & Bourke logo bags, addicted to the catalog of Ralph Lauren and Lacoste and smelling like their mother's classic Chanel No.5, a crisp, clean scent of lemons and bergamot.
Parker and I stare them down, eventually, they back off and check out Aidan, Orson, Hanif, and Phineas. In which, I make sure to head over to Orson and peck him sweetly on the mouth. They walk away straight after that.
The Westover uniforms are truly ugly- they're nothing like the little but still acceptable plaid mini skirts and tailored navy blazers of Kensington's monochrome but ultimately fashionable uniform. Instead, the Westover uniform is awkward midi maroon knit skirts with a grey cable knit over a buttoned-down Oxford shirt and a tie, paired with ugly sensible black low heels. At least Kensington allows us to accessorize our uniforms with heels and jewelry.
And yet, even with the ugly itchy knit uniforms of Westover, when Luciana Santiago makes her entrance back into our lives, she still looks extremely flawless. In true Luciana Santiago fashion, she has rolled up her midi-skirt and tailored it so it fits her in a less baggy way and is more of a chic maroon pencil skirt. Her grey sweater has been tucked in. Her hair is shinier than ever, fastened neatly with a little gold heart barrette. Her skin is glowing, probably from all that clean New England air, and she's not wearing a lot of makeup due to Westover restrictions but she still looks stunning.
