DENVER ELIZABETH HAMILTON glares stormily out the window at the lush grass plains they were speeding by in the car her parents rented for her trip. Despite, the green and verdant view, she grows sadder each passing second. Every moment she's even privileged to these views means the further away she is from home.
She refuses to cry though, all that has been done, everything let out in the privacy of her bedroom. Denver has already come to terms with it.
One of Denver's rules of being a true genius was turning any situation into your favor and Denver could definitely do that. Windsor is another chance to hone her skills, to conquer, and come back to Westwood better than ever.
So if she has to sacrifice her monthly shopping trips in the city, being in the loop with all her friends from Westwood, and most of all, her adorable puppy Oakley, then so be it. Because isn't that what being on top was all about? Sacrificing everything in your arsenal for the goal? It is a small sacrifice to pay, Denver has decided.
"We'll be pulling in shortly," her chauffeur declares, pulling Denver from her thoughts.
She says nothing. Despite already deciding to make the best of it, Denver isn't happy about it. Her parents would probably get a report on her from her chauffeur later on and she definitely doesn't want them to think she's actually okay with their decision. If anything, she should have been able to tag along with them on their year-long vacation.
Again, Denver turns back to the window. The beautiful brick buildings looped with green ivy that was Windsor Academy takes her breath away. From its beauty or from her own nerves, Denver has no idea. She suspects the former, because Denver, being a native Californian, has never seen a place so green. All around here are flourishing trees and green grass stretching onto the edges of deep, dense woods surrounding the school. Behind the school, from Denver's position in the car, she notices a large lake connecting to more thick woodlands. Denver was instantly reminded of her ninth-grade field trip to Tahoe.
The chauffeur pulls the car to a stop and walks around to open the door for her. Denver steps out, still admiring the unexpected beauty of the school. It is exactly what she had always imagined a boarding school would be. She shudders just thinking of all the bugs.
The chauffeur stands to the side, watching her observe her new home with reluctant awe.
"What do you think, Miss Hamilton?" he speaks, opening the trunk and unloading Denver's carry-on travel Louis Vuitton suitcases. Her room stuff and other clothes had already been shipped ahead. Denver tears her eyes away from the school and wrinkles her nose towards her chauffeur.
He clears his throat instantly, chastised. Denver leaves that impression on a lot of people. "Is that all, Miss Hamilton?"
She nods surly, watching as he places her suitcases next to her and bids her a polite goodbye. The energy heiress sighs as she steps onto the brick road leading to the school. She stands by herself and watched as he waved again. Her only way out pulls out of the school's circular driveway and drives off.
And he's gone.
Grabbing her suitcases, Denver turns and heads towards the glass doors of the school's entrance, stepping into the school and her new life.
The Administration building is pristine, with shiny waxed hardwood floors and a giant banner of the school symbol and motto at the end of the hall. The walls were littered with plaques and trophies that gleamed in their cases. Those must have been waxed too. Or polished, whatever. Denver never concerns herself with stuff like that.
Denver enters through the first door on her left, her Louis Vuitton suitcases rolling along behind her. The signs hanging along the old oak doors help her find her way to the front office where she needs to be.
"Hello there, sweetie," the busty secretary at the front desk trills. "What can we do for you?"
"New student?" Denver gestured to herself and her suitcases. She forced herself not to wrinkle her nose at 'Lydia', according to the name tag on the edge of the desk when her blindingly bright hot pink lips curl into a smile. You never insult the help, her daddy had instilled in her. You wouldn't want them pouring laxatives into your dinner or nicking the silverware in retribution. Or, she supposed in this case, sabotaging her class schedule or something.
Still, she has suitcases with her. It is the beginning of the school year and it's not as if they had new students all the time. Isn't Windsor Academy supposed to be prestigious or something?
"Just one second, honey." The secretary pops her gum, its shade matching her lips. She clicks a couple of times on the computer. "Name?"
"Denver Hamilton."
"Hm... there's seems to be a mistake..." Lydia glances up at her.
"What is it?" Denver taps her ivory white Christian Louboutin heels restlessly against the hardwood floor.
"It doesn't look like you're in the system. Let me double check it again. Spell your name for me, sweetie?"
Denver forces herself not to roll her eyes, but inside her heart beats a little faster. Not in the system? It's just like her parents to strand her here like this. There's no way to contact them either. 'We'll call you as soon as we land in Italy! Kisses! Be good!' they had told her. Their flight doesn't land until much later tonight in her time. Either way, Denver spells her name.
And then tacks on a condensing 'sweetie' for Lydia at the end of it too, for good measure.
"Well, there's no Denver Hamilton that fits your description, Denver Hamilton is listed as a male student," the secretary tells her. The sweeties and other pet names are left out of the conversation this time.
"Well, clearly, there's been a mistake," Denver declares.
"Unless you've only just had a sex change," Lydia chortles. Denver certainly doesn't find the situation as funny.
"No," Denver denies, calmly. "Must have been a problem with the school secretary's record-keeping."
Lydia clears her throat daintily. "Right. It's most likely just a glitch in the system. One second, Miss Hamilton, I'm sure we'll have it all sorted in a moment."
Denver drops into a poufy chaise armchair set off to the side, huffing. There are no magazines on the various polished end tables. This means her only forms of entertainment are the ugly paintings along the walls, the tarnished brass owls adorning the shelves, and the maddening snapping of Lydia's gum.
Denver settles herself in, picking at her ivory white Zimmerman lace-patterned shirt dress. While fashionable paired with her pearl white Jennifer Behr embellished headband, it's way too relaxed and casual for a first day outfit. She's itching to get to her dorm room and settle in. She can't believe this is happening. Denver Hamilton as male? What kind of paperwork did her parents fill out? They were so completely incompetent.
"Miss Hamilton? It seems like you really are listed in our system as a male. You were imputed as such from the get-go of paper work submitted. Every single file I've found states so."
"Oh my god." Denver rubs her forehead with her hand. 'Un-be-lievable.' "So what now? I'm not attending? Is that what you're telling me?" Actually, this is honestly better than she could have hoped for. She could grab the next scheduled flight and meet her parents at their resort in Sicily.
"Oh no, honey!" Lydia cries, looking up from her furious typing. "Of course you're attending! Windsor has been expecting you for months. Your father was alumni, did you know? Top of his class when he attended. There's a plaque right outside the hall. Anyway, sweetie, my point is that we have everything all settled. This is just a teeny complication!"
"I'm sure," Denver mumbles. More like her father made a gigantic donation and would probably reign hell on Windsor if she skipped out on her education and showed up for mimosas with them. She cackles, just imagining his expression.
"It's just... that, well..." Lydia trails off, looking uncertain. "Your approval was cleared weeks ago for a dorm in Bennett House."
Denver waits without speaking, tapping her ballerina-style manicured fingers on the desk.
"The co-ed dormitory?" Lydia stresses as if Denver should know what Bennett House is by name alone. Hello? Bitch, she's new here.
"Are you serious?"
It goes without saying that Denver should have expected this. Her life is deteriorating; her luck has run out. Karma has finally arrived to bite her right in the ass from the moment her parents told her about their surprise vacation.
She can pinpoint exactly what it is that did her in too. It's probably from that time she broke her grandmother's vase at her summer home and blamed it on the maid. Her grandmother had looked her straight in the eye, but she hadn't confessed so the maid got the boot. She had felt bad, but hey, she was only six years old at the time. Denver does some quick calculations. Maybe bad karma built and built until it found the perfect time to hit you. Like, right now. She sighs decisively. Yeah, that sounds about right.
"Of course. I'm afraid there's not much I can do right now."
"Uh-huh," Denver clicks her tongue. "And the Headmistress?"
"Out of office, at a conference." At least Lydia looks genuinely contrite for her.
"Of course." Denver is surprised she hasn't snapped yet.
"She'll be in tomorrow morning," Lydia offered. "I'm so sorry, honey. I apologize on behalf of Windsor, on behalf of the Headmistress. I promise you, hun, everything will be sorted out as soon as possible."
"Right..." Denver replies. "Because I'm sure my father would be scandalized to hear about this mix-up. She wants to speak once more, but at the nervous look on Lydia's face, she figures her point's been made.
"This will be all cleared up the moment the Headmistress comes in tomorrow, Miss Hamilton, without even a blip in the record about this. There's no need to call your father, honey. Not at all, because it'll all be sorted out in no time."
"Yeah, I hope so." Denver stares into Lydia's eyes, who breaks into jitters at the thought of the publicity and consequences of bringing her parents into the fold. Denver loves name-dropping and she loves the effect her stare-down has on people. Lydia fumbles for some paperwork and grabs files from her drawers.
"Here's your schedule for your classes, which you don't have to start until tomorrow. So you can just relax and get settled. A guide brochure and here's your room-key for room 212 in Bennett House. I'll throw in a map for you, as well."
"Thanks," Denver smiles faux sweetly, taking the papers from Lydia. "I'll see you real soon, hun."
Lydia laughs slightly, attempting to defuse the tension. "Please. You enjoy Windsor, Miss Hamilton. We'll call you in tomorrow."
Fuming, Denver storms out of the office and the Administrator's building, rolling her suitcases along. The bright blue sky and fresh air do nothing to improve her bad mood. Finding herself standing in the bright green circular quad, Denver has to admit that Windsor Academy is much bigger than she had originally thought. A little further beyond and surrounding grassy quad, are stone-brick pathways leading to different directions, which she can only assume, lead to classrooms and dormitories.
Looking around, she vaguely notices that it's eerily empty. Well, it is relatively early. The students must still be in bed or already in class. Thankfully, this meant Denver can consult her campus map without feeling like an obvious idiot. Her dress and hair ruffling in the wind, Denver set off towards her dorm building.