For Worse Or For Better

Chapter 02

    Shaken awake by the rumbling of the road beneath her, Blair stirred, slowly opening her eyes as she took in her new surroundings. Wolf Creek was a good five hour drive from her grandfather's house in Ashland, Oregon, tucked away in an even bigger eyesore, St. Helen's. A small town that found fame for being in some Disney Halloween movie ages ago and if there was anything that Blair hated, it was a tourist trap. 

    She shuddered at the view of the boarding school appearing over a hill and gave a quick sideways glance to her grandfather. 

    "You can't be serious." Disgust was evident in her voice as she sat up straighter in her seat, dread washing over her body. She wasn't met with an answer and she'd almost given up on talking to him.  "You lied, you know. You're a liar." 

    Met with silence yet again.

    "You said you'd let me explain on the ride here but you haven't. You're just going to ship me off to some stupid boarding school without even letting me plead my case. Do you think this is fair?" Her voice trembled, but because she hated showing any sign of weakness, she raised it in an attempt to hide the evidence of her emotions taking control. 

    "Say something!" Blair pleaded with him as he came to a stop, right by the front steps of her new home. 

    "You're done screwing up. I'm not taking it anymore. If you can't learn from me, you're going to learn here. Get your bag and get out." He spoke without even giving her so much as a glance as he exited the vehicle, leaving her alone to collect her one, lonely suitcase. 

    There was nothing that she wanted to do more than to throw a temper tantrum and refuse to get out, but he knew her well enough to know she hated not getting the last word and without him in the car, her words were lost to him and she couldn't handle the temptation of following him into the building and raising more hell. He couldn't just leave her here without hearing from her. 

    She trailed after him, into the school, lugging her suitcase behind her. Blair was taller than average at 5'9" and with a long, slender build that many models aspired to have naturally, but she was clumsy and avoided most physical activities, leaving her muscles mostly mush, but she'd refused to leave anything of hers behind, shoving it all in her suitcase. Her love of material objects did not help her out in this particular situation. 

    Joe wasn't giving her a chance to catch up and, for an older guy, he sure moved quickly. When he came to a holt in front of a double door and Blair finally met up with him, the doors swung open before she could even start on another tirade. 

    Looking towards the stranger who now stood where the wooden door had just covered, Blair rolled her eyes. The man was even older than her grandfather, probably in his late seventies, with slicked back white hair and a stern expression on his face, bringing more attention to his aged appearance. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, almost as if to show off the expensive suit he wore. What a prick.

    "You've got to be kidding me," Blair snorted as she eyed the old man, Mr. Tomlin as the placard next to the doors read. The word 'Dean' etched just below his name, because of course he was. 

    "Miss Knox, I presume." 

    Of course this sad excuse for an authority figure had a hefty British accent, as if this place came straight out of Harry Potter. 

    "Don't let him offend you like that, Gramps." Blair smirked, malice lacing her words as she gave a pointed look to her grandfather. 

    "Please. Come in." 

    The Dean moved out of the doorway, extending his arm to motion the two of them into his office. Blair huffed as her grandfather gave her a light push forward and she trudged in, dragging her bag behind her, smiling to herself when it moved an ugly Persian rug out of place. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her grandfather subtly fix it with his foot, without missing a beat as he followed behind her. 

    "Make yourselves... comfortable." Dean Tomlin trailed off as Blair quickly hopped onto the couch that was off to the side of his office instead of the two plush chairs sat directly in front of the desk. She hated the casualties and just wanted to get this involuntary meeting over with. If she was going to be stuck her, she accepted it. She could make herself comfortable in most any situation she found herself in and this wasn't going to be any different. Nothing about this scared her and she wanted to make that known. 

    Crossing her feet underneath her, she took pride in the fact that she was already getting under Tomlin's skin. She was sure that leather couch cost him, or the idiots that paid for their children to be here. She was sitting on a huge chunk of change, mussing it up with her dirty combat boots. But the Dean didn't mention it or bat another eye at her as he turned his attention to Joe. 

    "Mr. Heller, we're pleased that you've chosen to board your granddaughter with us for the remainder of the school year. But, as I'm sure you understand, Miss Knox is behind in the curriculum and therefore has a lot of work to make up before the semester ends if she'd like to stay in her current year."

    Her ears perked up, listening in on their conversation as they talked like she was no longer in the room. She wasn't an i***t, she knew that Tomlin's decision to not speak directly to her was a power move to show her she wasn't the boss. It made her almost laugh out loud at the fact that he spoke as if he knew her and her abilities to pass her classes. Sure, her transcripts were pathetic and if she even dared to apply to any colleges with her current grades, she was positive the admission teams would have a field day laughing at her, but it wasn't because she was dumb or couldn't understand the subjects. School bored her and she didn't want to put effort into things she had no interest in. 

    Zoning out for the rest of their conversation, she picked at her nails until the two men stood up. Instead of following their example, the brunette stayed put, eyeing them as they finally acknowledged her for the first time since their arrival. 

    "Miss Knox. You may say goodbye to your grandfather and then I will have one of your classmates escort you to your room." With those words, he left his own office, leaving her and Joe alone. 

    Still, she didn't move. There was nothing that wasn't going to lessen her anger towards him and he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't going to take the hardened look off her face long enough to give him a proper goodbye. 

    "I'm just trying to do what's best for you," Joe explained as he sat down next to her, folding his hands on his lap. "I want to do right by you." 

    There was a deeper meaning behind his words that Blair knew he'd never say out loud. He knew he'd messed up somewhere with her mom and he didn't want Blair to end up like her. But that's where they both agreed. Blair didn't want to end up like her mother either. 

    "Just complete the year with no trouble," his voice pleaded with her. "Just the rest of the year and then you can come home." 

    Blair's eyebrows raised as she looked towards her grandfather, her interest spiked at his words. Was that really so bad? She could prove to him that she wasn't a screw up and gain his trust back. She had just over a little more than half of the year to go and then she could be back in her hometown with her friends and her own life again. 

    "Okay," she nodded. 

    "Okay?" He sounded surprised, lighting up when she returned his question with another nod of her head. "Okay." 

    As the two finally made eye contact, their conversation was cut short when Dean Tomlin reappeared back in the doorway, this time with someone else by his side. 

    "Miss Knox, I'm pleased to introduce you to Miss Clyde. She'll show you to your room." 

    The other girl stepped forward, giving Blair a better look at one of her new classmates. She was slightly shorter than Blair was and had long, platinum blonde hair, styled sleekly. The girl bit on the inside of her cheek as she stared back at Blair, her blue eyes blinking away from Blair's as she gave up the dominance in the situation. She looked meek and submissive and seemed out of place somewhere like this. 

    Joe was the first to rise from the couch, pulling Blair up with him as he stood. He turned towards her enough to place his right arm around her, tugging her into a side hug. In their family, that was pushing it with the signs of affection and in any other situation, Blair would've been embarrassed for anyone else to see her in a vulnerable position. But she embraced him back, knowing that this was the last she'd see of him for awhile. 

    The moment ended sooner than she wanted as Joe put the handle of her suitcase in her hand, nudging her towards the door as they stepped out into the hallway. Blair gave him a final look, a small smile at her lips, though she wasn't happy at all. The false smile was for her grandfather's benefit as he turned for the exit, leaving her behind. 

    "I'm sure Miss Clyde will take good care of you. Welcome to Wolf Creek, Miss Knox. You'll have to excuse me." Dean Tomlin stalked back into his office and Blair turned towards the blonde girl, raising an eyebrow at her. 

    "I'm Cassidy." She smiled shyly, almost struggling to get the words out. "The dorms are this way."

    Blair nodded and followed her as she turned on her heel to lead them in the right direction. The girl, Cassidy, was trying to be friendly towards her by making light conversation, but Blair was hardly paying attention to her, just muttering 'mhm' and 'yeah' where they seemed fit. As they approached the end of the hall, Blair's attention peaked as someone headed in the opposite direction, towards them. 

    Her eyes traveled from the floor, where the footsteps resonated from, following long legs in black pants up to a lean torso, covered in a gray henley that clung to the shapes beneath, and finally, up to a smooth jaw with perfectly pouty lips. But it was the eyes that got her. Deep blue, staring straight ahead as he walked.

    She had to recollect herself, tearing her attention away from him as they passed each other. But she couldn't help herself, giving him another glance, just before he'd pass, only to notice his eyes were on her too. It was quick, too quick, before he was out of view and she didn't dare turn around. Instead, she continued to follow Cassidy, away from the direction she really wanted to be headed in. 

    "Yes, come in, Mr. Kilroy." The Dean's voice echoed through the hallway before the sound of his office doors closing followed. 

    As she snapped back into reality, she noticed that Cassidy was still talking to her. She gave the girl a look.

    "So, Cas," Blair smiled wickedly. "What do you know about Kilroy?"