Elite & Tawdry - Chapter 2

"Well...this is it, " said Mrs. Matthews.

The mother and daughter stood next to the vehicle that had brought Tawny to Ivoree Gates. They finished dropping off her belongings and had taken a brief tour around the campus, admiring the well-manicured grounds and the austere buildings.

Now they were just looking at one another, as though they were both struck dumb with the inability to speak.

Finally, Tawny broke the silence. "I promise to call you every day," she said.

Her mother waved her off dismissively. "Oh please—I'm sure you'll be too busy mingling with your new friends here to make that commitment."

Tawny felt her stomach lurch. It wasn't from her mother's comments; it was her fear that things would be the exact opposite. She didn't let on, but at that moment she felt terrified for the future. For HER future. "Fine, once a week then," she replied. "That's a promise."

Mrs. Matthews gave a faint smile, but Tawny could see her mother was holding back both her words and her tears. She opened her arms, "Come here," she said; Tawny stepped into her arms and the two embraced in an extended hug.

After several seconds, the two women finally broke free, and Tawny could see tears streaming down her mother's cheek.

"Hey....come on, I'll be fine," she said, wiping her mother's tears away gently with her hand. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Sorry...I know, I know. I'm just....really going to miss you. My little girl's finally leaving the nest. "My little Taw-Taw...."

She kissed her daughter's forehead, put both hands on Tawny's shoulders and looked her in the eyes earnestly. "Okay. I'm going now. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," said Tawny, feeling herself get emotional.

Mrs. Matthews got into the minivan and slowly pulled away, but not before honking three times and waving vigorously at her daughter; Tawny waved back. She didn't move from her spot until her final lifeline to her old life turned the corner and was out of sight.

Tawny turned around and regarded the massive old building behind her. Her eyes widened as she took it all in, reality finally setting in with her.

"This is it, I'm actually doing it..." she thought proudly.

She took a step off the sidewalk and into the street so she could get a better view. She wanted to send a photo of the building to her BFF to let her know that she finally arrived.

Tawny pulled out her phone and was trying to get the perfect shot when she heard the low rumble of an engine. She turned her head and saw a red Porsche zooming down the street. She was directly in its path!

The car showed no signs of stopping, so Tawny practically dove back onto the sidewalk to avoid getting flattened by oncoming traffic. The Porsche kept on along the road without breaking stride or even acknowledging the near-accident, which annoyed Tawny.

"What a jerk," she said, picking herself up and dusting off herself. It was then that she realized she was no longer holding her phone, it had somehow fallen on the road in her attempt to get out of the way. It looked as though the Porsche drove over it.

Tawny picked up the phone and turned it over in her hands, inspecting it. Miraculously, everything appeared okay, and neither the screen or the casing were cracked.

But when she lifted the phone to take the photo, she realized the camera lens was cracked.

Tawny sighed. "Great start."

---

Tawny's quarters were situated in Macklemore Hall, an old brick building not too far off from the main campus.

Her room was empty when she entered, but heavily furnished; Tawny would have a roommate during her stay at Ivoree Gates. She knew nothing about this person, but she could tell from their side of the room that she was into boy bands and the equestrian sport. The entire left wall was literally covered in posters of attractive teenage boys with mopey eyes and come-hither stares. Every free surface was taken up by sports trophies, the majority having to do with equestrian.

Tawny felt a pit grow in the base of her stomach. She wasn't very athletic, and Tawny was more into classic rock than the hot new Top 40 track. In fact, she couldn't even recognize any of the boys in the poster. Tawny had a feeling they weren't going to have anything in common.

She threw her cellphone onto her bed and sat down next to it, shoulders slumped, and sighed.

Suddenly, the door burst open, a statuesque blonde in the Ivoree Gates school uniform of black blazer and white skirt with black accented trim entered the room, the latest iPhone in one hand and a tiny, turquoise paper bag clutched in the other. Tawny could briefly make out "Tiffany & Co." written on the bag.

"Uh-huh," said the blonde, engrossed in conversation with someone on the other line. "I know! So infuriating...how could she possibly think that was acceptable to wear out in public....oh, I 100% agree! A few days of cold shoulder treatment should correct her behaviour...."

She moved to the mirror to fuss with her hair; only when looking at her reflection did she finally notice Tawny sitting on the bed across from her. "Uh...." she abruptly did a 180 to face her. "I'm gonna have to call you back," she said, before hanging up.

Not knowing what else to do, Tawny stood up. "Uh...hi," she said meekly.

The blonde frowned. Assuming that she didn't hear her, Tawny approached her and outstretched her hand. "Hi! I guess you're my new roommate. Er...I mean, I guess, I'm YOUR new roommate, since you were here first. What's your name?"

The blonde didn't make a move for Tawny's hand, her face still frozen in frown position. Feeling anxious, Tawny scanned the room for anything she could use to keep the one-sided conversation going. Her eyes trained on a thin golden necklace around the blonde's neck. "Elaine...that's your name? I mean, duh - of course it's your name, I mean, why else would you be wearing it around your neck? Anyway, my name's Tawny."

Tawny continued to leave her hand outstretched. The blonde identified as Elaine finally moved, but instead of reaching for Tawny's hand, her own hand went thoughtfully to her temple, as she folded her arms and her lips curled into a haughty smile.

"Tawny, huh? That's....such a fascinating name for you," she said, looking the girl up and down which as much scrutiny as she could muster. "It, uh....it suits you. Excuse me."

Elaine sniffed and went immediately for the door, turning her phone back. "OMG, you will NOT believe what just happened...!" is all Tawny cut before her roommate departed again.

Confused, Tawny sat back down on the bed. "Was it something I said?"