Georgetown Academy, Season One

by Schwartz, Alyssa Embree

  “Elle, I came here because I found out who leaked that photo.” She opened her mouth to continue when Ellie held her hand up.

  “Wait! Don’t tell me.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” Ellie shifted her weight in the seat, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. “Don’t get me wrong, Brin. I really appreciate you looking into it for me. But it’s not going to make me feel better at this point. If anything, it’s going to make me feel worse.”

  “Okay….as long as you’re sure,” Brinley replied, recognizing an out when she saw one. At least she had tried. And that fact alone made her feel better. She didn’t need to be a total martyr.

  “Yeah. I don’t want to think about that anymore. I already feel horrible enough about everything else.” A lump caught in Ellie’s throat.

  “With Weston?” Brinley found it hard to believe she could still be hung up on a guy who used illicit pharmaceuticals as a flirtation method.

  “No. There’s actually something…else I need to tell you.” Her voice was ominous and Brinley scooched to the end of her seat. What could it be? Bulimia? She was scarfing down those pretzels. Unless…was Ellie pregnant? Oh god. That would be a hard one to spin. Next thing you know, she’d be going on the high school abstinence tour with Bristol Palin and the horribly trashy MTV Teen Moms.

  “I can’t stop thinking about Gabe.”

  Brinley’s jaw dropped. “What?” she squeaked. “Gabe Mills?” Ellie had always acted like their hook-up was a drunken mistake. Though now that Brinley thought about it, she should have known there was something more going on when Gabe punched Weston. But she had been so wrapped up spinning it, she never stopped that long to think about the truth behind what she was covering.

  “Yeah…” Ellie replied. “And it’s been years now.” Brinley’s jaw dropped even farther and Ellie launched into the full story about her and Gabe, from their very first kiss over two years ago to his return to D.C. to the last conversation they had in the hospital.

  “We can’t be together, so I know I have to get over it,” Ellie said, when she reached the end. “I know I do. But I can’t seem to figure out how.”

  Brinley knew exactly how she felt.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Monday, 6:58 a.m.

  Evan brushed her teeth, though she was smiling so hard it made the task difficult. She and Hunter had put all the drama behind them and were actually dating. To her relief, he had been forgiving about the Luke situation, telling her in the hospital that he completely understood Evan had been trying to be a good friend to him.

  And if she’d been worried Hunter was going to forget about her once they got back in D.C. (which, of course, she had been), it was completely unfounded. Not only had they been texting nonstop since their arrival back to the city, but he stopped by her house last night to hang out.

  Now, Evan exited her room and practically skipped down the narrow staircase, the adrenaline shooting through her veins, making her do everything at warp speed. She entered the cozy kitchen, and as she flipped on the small kitchen television set her parents had lodged in between their assortment of eclectic cookbooks, she heard a familiar voice. There, on the Today show, was Marilyn Walker with a protective arm around Ashley Blair, vowing to let justice reign.

  Evan’s pulse raced as she listened to Savannah Guthrie crackle questions to them over the satellite feed, Ashley slowly revealing her story of being drugged by Weston and the threats Gail Morris had subsequently made when she tried to take legal action. Not only that, but apparently Marilyn had found a former secretary of Gail’s to confirm Ashley’s allegations, claiming to have been personally present during some of the bullying.

  As Ashley discussed her plans to file a lawsuit against both Weston and Gail, relief flooded Evan’s body. She had never felt right about covering up Weston’s actions in Stowe. Now at least the world would know what kind of guy he was…and other girls could avoid the same fate at his hands.

  Though it was curious how Marilyn had found Ashley to begin with. Evan quickly picked up her phone and called Brinley.

  “Are you watching the Today show?” Brinley trilled smugly, by way of greeting.

  “Did you have something to do with this?” Evan asked.

  But all Brinley did was respond cryptically. “I think sometimes things have a way of working themselves out.”

  Evan hung up and felt another surge of relief as she finished watching the segment. She had lost the story on Weston, but at least her journalism instincts had been correct. She’d had a feeling from the beginning that Weston would be the Achilles Heel in his mother’s nomination.

  Her phone buzzed on the table beside her and her stomach flipped when she saw it was Samantha. Why was she calling her at 7 a.m.? Filled with a pit of anxiety, she finally answered on the fourth ring.

  “Hi, Samantha. It’s Evan.”

  “I know, Evan. I called you.”

  Evan flushed. This woman made her so nervous. “Right. Sorry. Um, how are you?”

  “Fine. I know you’re coming in later, but I wanted to get a jump on this Weston Morris story. You went on that ski retreat, right?”

  Evan nodded then realized Samantha couldn’t see her. “Yes, I was there.”

  “Great,” Samantha purred. “Did you see Weston there?”

  Evan swallowed. If she told Samantha about Weston’s attempt to drug Ellie and his inadvertent drugging of Sarah Corliss, she’d be back in Samantha’s good graces in an instant. Samantha would probably sell her first born for that kind of insider information. Evan knew she’d forget her disapproval about the Luke situation and Evan would have the mentor she always dreamed of having, someone who could actually kick start her journalism career.

  But there was a line between friendship and being a good journalist, and if she crossed it now, there was no going back.

  “I saw him around, but I didn’t have any contact with him,” she answered quietly.

  Samantha gave a sigh of disappointment that reached through the phone and hit Evan in the face. “All right. See you later, Evan.”

  Click. Clearly, Samantha would never tell her again that Evan reminded her of a young version of herself.

  For the first time Evan could remember, her social life was going way better than anything in her work and school life. But it was hard to complain too much when Hunter McKnight was the one who was about to pick you up and take you to school.

  ***

  Ellie let her eyes wander to the barren tree branches, gently rapping on the chapel windows. She’d ditched history class to come up here, it being one of her favorite places to get away from it all on campus. The thought of facing history class where everyone would, no doubt, be debating the Gail Morris drama, just seemed daunting. The G.A. gossip inferno was all about Weston and, of course, her name was dragged into it since everyone now associated the two of them. She was proud of her mother for championing Ashley’s cause…but the fact that she’d been so wrong about Weston still haunted her. The fact of what he could’ve done to her if she hadn’t put that drink down haunted her even more. And of course, what topped it all off, everyone at G.A. had witnessed, yet again, what a fool Ellie Walker was. The girl who gets caught making out with the son of her mother’s political nemesis. The girl who has a fling with the guy who her mother had publicly condemned as a potential date rapist. Ellie was sick of pretending she didn’t hear the whispers.

  Her mother had come into her bedroom late last night, after she had talked to Ashley Blair and booked her appearance on the Today show, to tell her she knew the truth about what happened with Weston in Stowe. Ellie was caught off-guard, but actually relieved she didn’t have to keep that secret from her mother any longer. Her mother had had to rush out to prep for her Today show interview, and Ellie had had a sleepless night anticipating the following school day.

  The heavy oak doors opened behind her and she slunk down, trying to signal to whomever it
was to leave her be. But as the footsteps came closer, she knew instantly who it was without even turning around.

  Gabe wordlessly slid into the pew next to her. She was instantly taken back to the last conversation they had had in this spot. The one where she told him not to talk to her anymore, even as she relived their amazing ten minutes in the vodka room the night before.

  “I saw you weren’t in class. I had a feeling you’d be here.” A bolt of excitement shot through Ellie’s body. The same one that always showed up around Gabe. What was wrong with her?

  “And?” She turned her head toward him, to find him staring at her like he could see through her. She looked away.

  “I broke up with Taryn.”

  “I heard,” Ellie replied. Portia had been shouting it from the rooftops in between her Weston Morris updates. But no one, not even Portia, seemed to know the reason behind the break-up.

  “I’m tired of this, Ellie,” Gabe said.

  She jerked her head to the side. He was the one who was tired? Because as far as she could tell, Gabe had gotten off pretty good, gliding around the myriad of scandals Ellie had found herself embroiled in, fairly unscathed.

  “Tired of what?”

  “Tired of staying away from you.” He remained still. She could hear them both breathing. “I can’t do it anymore.”

  “Me, either,” she replied, honestly. Surprise registered in Gabe’s eyes—as if he hadn’t been expecting her to say that—followed by the wry smile of his she knew so well.

  “So, then…what are we going to do about it?”

  The truth was, Ellie didn’t have the slightest clue.

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  Georgetown Academy

  Book Four

  CHAPTER ONE

  Monday, 4:12 p.m.

  Ellie Walker sprinted down the field, the wind whipping through her chestnut-haired ponytail as she cradled the ball tightly in the pocket of her lacrosse stick, her emerald green eyes focused on the field ahead. She quickly ran through her options: she could move toward the goal or pass the ball to her best friend, Brinley Madison, who was playing first home and yelling out her name incessantly.

  It was a no-brainer. As second home, Ellie’s lacrosse MO was to assist in making important plays, as opposed to seeking the limelight as goal-scorer herself.

  She hurled the ball to Brinley, who was immediately off and running, her thick auburn hair swishing behind her tiny frame. Brinley skillfully maneuvered past the cover point until she was just feet away from the goal, then aimed and fired. The ball slammed into the top right corner of the net, giving them the final goal in their team practice scrimmage.

  “Yes!” Brinley screamed, her bloodthirsty competitiveness getting in the way of good sportsmanship.

  Coach Werkheiser, or Werkie as the girls on the Georgetown Academy lacrosse team called her, blew the whistle and called the team in for a huddle. Werkie was in her early thirties, but could pass for a student at G.A. with her bouncy blond waves and flawless skin.

  Ellie’s lacrosse skirt flapped against her goose-bumped legs as she crossed the Bartel field, named in honor of the former prominent Secretary of State whose children had gone to school at G.A. back in the 1960s. At any other school, a gift like that might be considered a big coup, but at G.A. it was just one of many donations from high-profile U.S. politicians, like the state-of-the-art science labs named for a standing Supreme Court justice or the two-hundred seat theater named for a former vice president (both parents of G.A. alum). The annual giving list read like a Who’s Who directory of the most powerful people in D.C., full of senators, cabinet members, lobbyists, and ambassadors, most of the students’ parents being involved in the government one way or another.

  Ellie reached Werkie at the far end of the field and sat down next to Brinley in the large circle her teammates had formed.

  “Good job out there, ladies. Just a few critiques,” Werkie said after waiting for the last few stragglers to join them. She turned her focus to Brinley, whose pale skin was still flushed red from running. “Brin, your cutting out there was impressive on offense, but you can’t rely on slashing when you’re on defense. You would’ve gotten quite a few yellow cards out there today if this were a real game.”

  Brinley barely concealed an eye roll. Unlike Ellie and the rest of the girls on the team who genuinely liked Werkie, Brinley couldn’t stand her, often complaining that Werkie discriminated against her because she was short.

  But Ellie had to side with Werkie on this one. Brinley played hard and dirty with more illegal checks than the entire team combined and racked up more flags than the U.N. every game.

  “I’ll work on that,” Brinley said through clenched teeth.

  Werkie nodded, then continued around the circle, giving each girl a few compliments and gentle criticisms before declaring Ellie and Brinley’s team the winners of the scrimmage.

  “Alright, ladies. Do a scenic and then we’re done for the day.” All the girls groaned. A scenic was a four-mile run around the campus and Werkie’s favorite way to end practice. But today, Ellie didn’t mind. She had a lot of thoughts swirling through her mind and a long run might give her time to work them out.

  She had made it less than fifty yards when Brinley jogged up beside her, easily keeping pace with her.

  “We seriously need to discuss wardrobe options for the Dedication Party this Sunday,” Brinley said, referring to the ultra-exclusive event being held in the Capitol that weekend for the Eleanor Roosevelt statue dedication. Commissioned by the National Women’s History Museum, the bronze monument of the former First Lady was being donated to the Capitol and the party in its honor was currently the hottest ticket in town, particularly because the president himself would be in attendance. With Ellie’s mother being a senior senator and Brinley’s ancestry dating back to Founding Father James Madison, both their families were high up enough on the D.C. totem pole to warrant invites. But many of the other G.A. parents were still trying to wrangle their own invitations.

  “It’s tricky,” Brinley huffed, as they ran off the lacrosse field and toward the front of campus. “The invite says cocktail attire, but with that guest list, you can’t show up in a little black dress.”

  “Right,” Ellie responded noncommittally, her green eyes downcast.

  “You know I bought that blue Lanvin for it,” she added. “The strapless one. But then I remembered that green Chanel I picked up in Paris, and I’m thinking that might be better…”

  Ellie was trying to focus on what she was saying—she really was—but as they continued running, her mind drifted back to the conversation she’d had with Gabe Mills just hours before in the school chapel. Like an old-school, scratched CD skipping, Ellie kept replaying the part where he told her he couldn’t stay away from her any longer, replaying that delicious sliver of a moment over and over in her head.

  “Right, Ellie?”

  “Uh, right…” Ellie quickly responded, keeping her eyes focused on her feet as they hit the pavement.

  “I just said I was debating wearing something from the Kardashian Kollection. I knew you weren’t listening!”

  Ellie blushed, caught red-handed. “Sorry, Brin.”

  “What’s going on with you?” she asked, darting her eyes in Ellie’s direction as they trekked past the baseball diamond.

  Ellie quickly peeked behind her, double-checking the rest of their teammates were safely out of earshot before she continued.

  “Gabe met me when I ditched history class today,” Ellie admitted,
her breath coming out in quick bursts now that they had been running for a while. Whereas before, Ellie had kept her feelings for Gabe private, over the weekend, she’d finally divulged the full extent of them to her best friend, who’d never known he and Ellie shared an intense, but brief, summer romance over two years earlier.

  “He did? What happened?” Brinley asked, her breath coming out just as quickly.

  “Nothing, he just…Now that we’re both single, he thinks we should be together.”

  “What did you say?” Her golden brown eyes flashed in anticipation, all thoughts of dresses temporarily erased from her mind.

  “I told him I needed a night to think about it.” If she was deciding solely based on what she wanted to do, she would’ve kissed him right then and there, then strolled through the hallway with him, arm in arm, blissfully happy.

  But nothing was ever that simple at Georgetown Academy. Especially when it came to Gabe.

  Gabe’s father and Ellie’s mother, both senators, had been political enemies for several years. And not the kind that merely disagree on policy issues—their public brawls were dirty and personal. Senator Mills had once paid a twenty-something waitress to lie and say she had an affair with Ellie’s father, quickening her parents’ path to divorce, and more recently, had instigated a campaign finance scandal revolving around her mother’s largest donors.

  “What do you think your mom would do if you started dating him?” Brinley slowed slightly as they reached the manicured lawns at the front of campus.

  “I don’t know.” Ellie had gotten a preview of how she thought her mother might react and it wasn’t pretty.

  When Gabe had come back to town last month after his father’s re-election, Ellie did everything in her power to avoid him, despite their intense connection. Their previous relationship imploded years ago after Ellie and Gabe’s parents first began publicly duking it out, and her resentment toward him and his family over the waitress incident hadn’t dissolved in the interim. But somehow, Gabe had managed to penetrate it because a few days after he showed up, Ellie found herself secretly making out with him at the annual Rookie Party, even though she was still with her then-boyfriend Hunter McKnight.