Bitter Sweet Blaire: Teacher/Student Romance

Chapter Thirty

30.

A/N: I know I'm late updating again, I'm seriously considering not even apologising anymore! I just want to say I am so thankful for the fans of this story, everybody that votes and reads, and those that demand I update--it actually does work, if my faster updates are anything to go by :) I made it over 8000 reads, plus I'm up to chapter 30, which is just unbelievable. This is been such a fast journey, I still remember the beginning... I really hope everybody's enjoyed this as much as I have, and with only a few chapters to go, I urge you to do nothing but enjoy :)

Ps. I know this is long, so so long, but whatever. More for you to read!

Most people might think 22 people staying in one batch would be a world-class nightmare. Not if you're a Romero, or a Holt, or a Prescott. Between the three families, we owned perhaps the largest batch ever. It was ridiculously huge, ridiculously expensive, and ridiculously embarrassing at the same time.

But the 'huge' part was absolutely mandatory, when it came to separating people who didn't get along. The bickering began before we'd even left.

"Ryan, Adrian, cut it out!" Caroline growled, the threatening tone in her voice making the guys flinch. Even Christian, the one she was defending.

Somewhere amongst all the planning, my father allowed Adrian to come along; my brother managed to wheedle in Marcus. The formerly selected guest, many of us were already beginning to regret.

"I'm seconding that," Miranda added, shoving her bag into one of the cars. It didn't matter if it wasn't the one she wasn't travelling in; all five cars were heading to the same place: Grape Valley, a top wine-making location, about six hours away. Batches, lakes, beaches, and vineyards were splattered about the landscape. Enough to get yourself lost in.

Which was the point. Christian wouldn't know his way round, and I needed to escape him for a little while.

"But--"

"Ryan, come on, how old are you?" I shot at my brother, arms folding across my chest. I had to step in for my mother, as she was busy stressing about every other miniscule detail. He glared at me, mirroring me. "How old are you, Ryan?"

"24," he mumbled, peering down at his foot while he scuffed it on the pavement.

"That's right, now get over yourself," I ordered, letting him relax while I found something else that needed to be done. The parents were all still trying to map out the bedrooms at the batch, plus travelling arrangements, which everybody quickly figured out was necessary. It came to everybody's attention that Ryan and Adrian were not happy with Christian; that my mother was still holding something against my father; and that Thea, Sophie and Hanna refused to be separated--much like my friends and me.

I managed to catch Wyatt just before he climbed into one of the cars with Jackson, Caroline's brother. "Hey, bean, want to ride with me today?" He rolled his eyes just the way I would have--proud big sister (not)--and disappeared from view.

Yup. Wyatt hadn't yet forgiven me for the whole moving-to-Montreal thing. I didn't blame him.

I slipped into the adult conversation, trying to decipher where we were at. "Why don't we just--" my father began.

"Who's this 'we?' You and Mere," said a laughing Kate, Caroline's Mum, "will not be driving anywhere together with anybody in your car."

"Kate has a point," Jules pointed out, making my mother roll her eyes much like I often did... "How about Meredith, Kate and I take the SUV with the girls?"