Page 7 of The Charade

"I guess." Scarlett shrugged. "It keeps the teen pregnancy rate down, at least. Which our parents always appreciate."

"I bet," I said. Elyse met my gaze with wide eyes. We were both still virgins and planned to keep it that way for a while, since being raised by a single mom had taught us how difficult that path could be. It was interesting how matter-of-factly Scarlett talked about it.

We passed a few rooms, some with decorative letters or name signs on the doors that their residents must have placed there to make the space more their own. As we walked past one with the name Emmaline in vinyl letters, I realized that I still didn't know where Scarlett came from and how famous her parents might be. I asked, "Are your mom and dad someone we should know?"

She shook her head as we passed a door with a big S wrapped in green foliage. "Not unless you've been talking to wealth management consultants lately or attended a recent sermon in the heart of New York City."

I furrowed my brow, wondering if she was joking.

She smiled. "My mom’s an investment banker, and my dad’s a pastor of a big church in Manhattan."

"Oh, wow. That's cool." I nodded.

"Yeah." Scarlett hesitated. "I had an interesting childhood, at least."

The way she said it made me wonder what she might be referring to.

I guess it would be different to be the daughter of a pastor. Where I hadn't had a father figure in my life to make sure I was staying on the straight and narrow, as a religious leader's daughter she probably had a whole congregation of people watching her every move to make sure she didn't do anything that would go against her father's teachings.

Talk about pressure.

"Anyway, this is your room." Scarlett pointed to a dark-brown door with the number seven in the middle. "I guess you two chose to have a double?"

"Yep," I said. "Can't split the Cohen twins apart."

"That's good that you two are so close. I'm an only child, so I can't say I know what that's like." Scarlett shrugged. "Anyway, your ID cards should open the door for you."

I started digging into my back pocket to retrieve the card I'd been given when we met with the headmistress earlier. But Elyse was quicker and had swiped hers through the card reader before I could.

The light on the card reader blinked green, and after turning the knob, the door opened.

The room was a little bigger than the one we'd shared in our home growing up with two large windows to help it feel even more open. Twin beds sat on opposite ends of the room. There were two small desks where we could do our homework, a small table with two chairs for if we decided to eat in our room, and separate closets. Our suitcases were sitting next to the beds, which had been brought up for us when we'd first arrived with our mom.

"I'll let you two make yourselves at home," Scarlett said, still standing in the doorway. "Dinner’s at six. The headmistress likes us to wear our uniforms to our meals, so make sure to change into your Monday uniforms before heading down. It’s the one with the blue blazer and blue skirt." She gestured at what she was wearing.

Elyse and I both nodded.

Content that we knew what we were supposed to do next, Scarlett pushed away from the door frame. Before leaving us, she said, "I'm just next door in room five, so if you need anything don't hesitate to knock."

"Hey, Scarlett," Elyse said before Scarlett got two steps out the door. "From what you said earlier, it sounds like Hunter is the guy you kissed, right?"

"He is." Scarlett's cheeks colored at the mention of the guy with short chestnut hair whom we'd met in the weight room. "W-why do you ask?"

Elyse twisted some of her long brown hair around her pointer finger. "I want to make sure I know which guys are off-limits, so I don't accidentally make things weird. You seem cool, and I think we could all turn out to be great friends. I just want to make sure Ava and I don't step on anyone else's toes."

"That's thoughtful of you." Scarlett smiled. "Hunter and I dated for a few weeks last spring. But, um…we just had a lot going on at the time and decided we're better off as friends."

Elyse nodded.

"So to cut to the chase," I interrupted, since I too was interested in the subject. "Are there any guys who are, like, off-limits? You know, it's been a while since I've been on a date and from what I've seen so far, this school is like a breeding ground for really attractive guys."

"Eden Falls is kind of like the Garden of Eden when it comes to beautiful humans, isn't it?" Scarlett smirked, like she knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Not just humans," I said. "From what I've seen so far, the buildings and grounds are gorgeous as well. Like a scene straight out of a fairytale."

"It is beautiful," Scarlett said. "But to answer your question. Regarding me specifically, I've dated a few guys here, but since we're such a condensed school and we’re around the same people basically all the time, it wouldn't be right for me to tell you that anyone is off-limits. Sure, it might make things a little awkward for a while if you were to date someone seriously and then break up, only to end up having to be around them for the rest of the year. But that's just life at a boarding school. We do have some day students, like Mack and Carter, who are only here during school or for extracurricular activities and at meals if they want, so they’re a safer bet. Plus, it gives you a good excuse to leave campus if you're dating someone who lives in town.

“My only real advice is to just enjoy your time here. If you feel like dating, that's great. But what’s awesome about Eden Falls Academy is that the friendships you make here are the kind that can last your whole life. So just try to enjoy everything while you’re here and I think you'll have a great year."

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