Mark Cane's Story

The Upper East Side

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It's Thursday, September 4th and for the students of Constance Billard School for Girls and Saint Jude's School for Boys, that means that school is back in session. Both schools are located only a couple of blocks away from each other in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the neighborhood where most of the students reside in.

Although today is the first day of the school year, academic classes are not in session until tomorrow. Today is the day of the "welcome assembly", where the upperclassmen of both schools will come to Constance Billard from 8:30 to 10:30, and the underclassmen from 10:30 to 12:30. The short day will allow the Head of School to welcome the students back, and address any changes that have occurred while the students were on break. Students will also have an opportunity to socialize with their friends and possibly new classmates, and introduce themselves to their teachers for the year. Textbooks will also be available for pickup.

Later that night, Annelise Walton will be hosting a back-to-school party for the students at the Elmo Restaurant & Lounge. All students, regardless of their social standing, are welcome to the event. A DJ, open bar and light snacks from the menu will be provided, as well as a photo shoot in the dining area to welcome everyone in.

It sounds like an easy and enjoyable day, but with a new anonymous blogger leaking gossip and rumors about the students on a blog, things are destined to be less than perfect.

Melissa sat at the table, a bowl of fruit and a glass of apple juice sitting in front of her, her mother sat just beside her.
"Why aren't you having any cereal?" Elizabeth asked when she spied the bowl, as she herself sat with a bowl of fruit loops and a cup of coffee.
"If it wasn't for the coffee you would think you were a big child." Melissa teased, with a smile and look of comical disbelief in her eyes. "And anyway, I'll get more energy for the day from a single apple than I would that bowl of diabetes and obesity."
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Elizabeth chuckled to herself, she always thought she was the funny one of the family. "You already don't fit in, in America, maybe some obesity would help." Melissa let out a gasp of surprise at her mother's words.
"Mum! I can't believe you just said that!"
"Said what?" Melissa heard the familiar voice of her father behind her and both looked up at him with a face of innocence.
"We're discussing lady things." Elizabeth blurted out and Melissa looked down from her father and had to stop herself laugh, whilst she also turned a bright red, and as she thought she had the laughter under control her father let out a disgusted sound and both them let out a laugh. "Oh, Andrew,how do you cope with me?" Elizabeth got up and planted a kiss on his cheek and he checked his watch.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" He asked, nodding in Melissa's way and she just shrugged, knotting her eyebrows and looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Go." Andrew said, in a demanding manner and Melissa sighed as she pushed herself off the seat and brought her bowl of fruit up to her room, as she passed her dad she scrunched her face up and put her tongue in between her bottom gum and lower lip, Elizabeth raised her eyebrow and Melissa and she stopped immediately, turning a bright red. As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard the all to familiar sound of Mark's alarm blaring while he slept on.
"Oi! Faggoot! Get up." She called in teasingly.

Mark sat up in his bed as his alarm blared and Melissa shouted in at him. "Nooo!" He shouted before throwing his pillow at the door and hitting Melissa, knocking the bowl out of her hands, hearing the bowl smash and Melissa curse, he giggled to himself. "Whoops, you okay butterfingers?" Melissa gave him the finger before going to her room and getting ready for Constance. Mark stretched and cracked his neck and then his fingers before getting out from under his blanket. Dandering over to his wardrobe, he threw out a pair of chinos, a formal white shirt and his favourite hoodie. He opened his laptop and went onto YouTube and hit play on his music playlist and took his bluetooth speaker into the bathroom with him as his music played, he sung along to it in the shower, albeit terribly. After showering, he applied his lynx deodorant and antiperspirant before throwing his 'school uniform' on and loosely doing the tie. He grabbed his bag and threw a pack of cigarettes in it and his books, before going downstairs and grabbing something to eat.
"Bag." Elizabeth called out, non-nonchalantly as she read a magazine and finished her coffee on the sofa.
"Why?" Elizabeth turned her head and looked at him.
"Because you're either running about with condoms or drugs." Elizabeth put it rather bluntly and Mark blushed, before sighing and tossing the bag at her. "There's a pretty strict, no smoking rule, mister. So I'll hold onto these." Mark rolled his eyes as he waited for his toast to pop. "And Mark, I know you won't but... don't tell anyone about you being gay. I don't want to see you getting hurt again and god knows what these yanks think of gays." Mark nodded his head, a slight sadness to his face that she'd bring it up. She then got up and brought the bag over to him and hugged him. "Love you." She said before she planted a kiss on his forehead and he hugged her back.
"Love you too, mom." He teased before she let go of him and went back to her position on the sofa.

Not long after, he finished his toast, Melissa slowly made her way down the stairs, her eyes focused on her phone.

She tucked her phone back into her purse and smiled at Mark.
"This is okay, right?" She asked as she showed him the full outfit she was in.
"Not that kind of gay." He reminded her and she simply rolled her eyes.
"It'll do, I don't have time to change."

It was a short drive and Melissa was try to her word, it was only about 4 minutes but that may have been because she forced her mum to drop and Mark off at Constance instead of midway so as they both had to walk an equal amount. "See you later, mum." She said as she hopped out and then turned to Mark. "Later bum boy." Mark rolled his eyes and nudged his sister before making his way to St Judes. On his way he found a small packet of cigarettes in his hoodie pocket and took one out and had a smoke. "Today's already looking up." He hummed to himself as he dandered to school, taking his time and not really caring if he was late, even if the schools were only a block away.

Melissa walked into the entry courtyard and spotted Hana, "Hana! Hey." She called out as she waved to her and walked over and hugged her. "What's point in a uniform if everyone just wears what they want?" Melissa asked as she watched the other girls in their custom uniforms. Melissa took out her phone and typed a quick text. "I'll just text Maria and tell her we're sitting her.

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Kenna awoke with a yawn, stretching her arms over head and pointing her toes. Looking to her right, she saw the clock and smiled as she had awoken a whole half hour before her alarm. She looked around and realized with a sigh that she had yet again fallen asleep on the couch in her bedroom's living area, and frowned at her unmade bed. "It's unfortunate that a room this large is only half-used," she said serenely before swinging her legs over the edge of the couch and turning off the tv. She padded barefoot over to her mini fridge as she straightened her silk blouse. This is going to have to get dry-cleaned again, she thought, not that she would ever wear it again. She'd gone out with friends the day before as sort of a salute to the end of summer, and God forbid they see her in the same shirt.

Kenna pulled out a water bottle and banana from the fridge and began to eat as she pressed the button on her remote that opened the closet. She'd demanded sweetly that her father have the movers install everything in the room electronically so that she could control everything by the remote without having to move a muscle. Perusing through the clothes, she finally got to her school section and smiled. While being one of Annelise Walton's clique had it's downsides, one of the upsides was that her uniform could have any sort of modification it needed.

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Kenna moved several outfits aside before she decided to go with an earthy look, picking out a suede brown skirt, white blouse, green blazer, and brown sandal-heels. She liked the way the tones looked on her olive skin, and she finished off the ensemble with her brown cross-body bag. Brushing out her wavy brown hair, she sat down at her vanity mirror and began the day's makeup adventure. After all, she was early.

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She started with her eyes. Taking out her brush and palette, she swept over them with a glittery brown, and filled in the creases with a dark chestnut. Blending them together, it created a sort of bronze. Taking another brush, she swept a pearl colored underneath her brow to make it pop. Grabbing her eyeliner, she made a line of medium thickness above her eyelashes and ended it with a wing. Finishing it off with mascara and a peach-colored lip gloss, she looked runway ready.

Finishing off the water and banana, she made her way downstairs. Her father was sitting at the marble island, and one of the maids was fixing him an omelette. "Hi, daddy," she chirped, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and hugged her with one arm, smoothing his hand down her back. "Hi, sweetheart. Ready for the assembly?" He asked and she nodded. She was just about to answer when her phone beeped.



She looked at the clock and saw that it was just about to be her time to leave. The other girls responded and Kenna typed a quick reply before heading to the massive five-car garage.

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Her car was a beautiful teal-toned 2014 Ford Fiesta, and she adored it. She named her Beelzebub and never went a day without driving in her. Turning the car on, she sighed in pleasure at the hum of the motor. She didn't know a lot about cars, but she knew when one was in good shape and Beelzebub surely was.

It only took Kenna about five minutes to drive to school and when she arrived, she pulled in to her designated parking spot just outside the school gates. It was an unspoken rule that if you parked in said spot not only would you face Kenna, you would have the wrath of Annie, and no one wanted that. She locked up Beelzebub and spotted her very stylish friends. Grabbing her bag, she passed by a smoking kid in a hoodie. She recognized him to be new and she gave him a little wave, having a feeling that he would come in handy sometime soon. Turning her attention to her friends, she joined the circle. "Oh my gosh, Annie, your skirt is to die for! Did you get it in Paris?" Kenna asked. She too had missed Annie's rant but she could only guess what it was about. She squeezed her friends hand briefly, a rare show of care towards Annie, and smiled. "Don't stress, dear, it gives you wrinkles."

Shallow as she was, Kenna could only hope that Annie understood her comment. Kenna may value beauty and style, but she was intelligent and knew how to help her friends. She wasn't as close to Annie as Lexi was, but she was still there for her, and she wanted Annie to know that. It wasn't just a warning about bad skin, it was a way for Kenna to show her loyalty without cracking the surface.

She looked around at all the Constance and St.Jude's kids, eyeing a couple new and old ones. "Hey, that guy, Lexi you know him don't you?" Kenna pointed her shoulder towards Lex Manning, one of Lexi's close friends. Kenna was always blunt, and never really knew when she was stepping out of line, so if she was the only way she would find out was if one of her friends told her. Luckily, they knew this about her. "I like him. I don't think I've ever talked to him outright...but I like him."

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Melissa nodded in agreement with Hana, "Back in England we had uniforms, obviously but like it was strict, uniform literally means same so what's the point in custom uniforms. Just set one or don't have one at all." She shrugged her shoulders when asked about Mark. "I don't know, I don't think so. He's on his way to St Judes, no doubt smoking on the way."

Maria approached the girls and Melissa gave a polite wave, "Hey, Maria, good. Can't wait to get this day over with." She said with a smirk. "Don't be overwhelmed, chick, you aren't facing this alone, you've got us." She gently nudged her with a giggle. Melissa checked her watch and clicked her tongue, before sighing. "I guess, we should, shouldn't we? Maria do you want to take the lead, we don't have a clue where we are going."

Inside the halls, Melissa noticed all the boys mixed in with all the girls. "Oh my god, Mark's meant to be here... isn't he?" She rolled her eyes and whipped out her phone. "What a fucking idiot." Melissa quickly text him a quick message before looking to Hana. "I imagine I'll have to go, if you want you can all come to mine and we can get ready together. I mean do you want to be stuck with Katherine and all her friends, arriving with them or would you rather come with us?" Melissa gave her a hopeful smile. "And you can borrow some of my clothes if you want."

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Mark noticed Kenna's wave and flicked his wrist in response, with two of his fingers holding the cigarette in his hand as he made his way towards his own school. As he was a block away from the school, he felt his phone buzz and let out an annoyed huff before turning on his heels and marching straight back to Constance, no doubt by the time he'd arrive, he'd be the last one there and probably have to dander in as everyone turns and watches him, that didn't annoy him as much as his own idiocy for forgetting did.

Mark flicked the butt of his cigarette onto the road and lightly jogged up the steps of the school, removing his hoodie and slinging it over his bag as he entered the building, he slowly dandered about looking around for where he was supposed to be and then he could hear the hushed whispers from the assembly room, or auditorium thing. He followed the whispers and opened the door, which creaked loudly, he simply gave it a look and shrugged before making his way over to the back row and taking one of the free seats, he scanned the crowd for familiar faces and spotted Benjamin quite easily and Kenna too, she was with Katherine and the other girls. He continued to scan the crowd for Melissa, but as such couldn't spot her or Maria for that matter. But he simply shrugged and slouched into the chair.

The assembly started promptly at 8:30 in the morning. When Dr. Sarah Hutchinson, Constance's head of school, and Brian Mitchell, Saint Jude's head of school, took the stage, the crowd of students simmered down. Dr. Hutchinson greeted the crowd of students first. "Good morning, students," she said, her voice echoing through the large auditorium with the help of a headset microphone. In an almost equally loud volume, the sea of students returned the 'good morning' greeting, although their voices seemed more drone-like than the perky woman's.

"Dr. Mitchell and I hope that you all had a wonderful summer, and would like to welcome you back to school. We're excited for the 2014-2015 school year and hope that you all are as well. Before we get started with this morning's agenda, I would like to remind everyone that Miss Annelise Walton, one of your senior classmates, has been kind enough to offer to host a "welcome-back" party tonight for returning students. Although the event is not school-sponsored, we encourage you all to attend and reconnect after a long summer apart. Many of you have spent most of your academic lives together, but I would also like to give a warm welcome to our four new students who have joined the Constance Billard-Saint Jude's family this year. Mark Cane and Lance Cavendish were both chosen as promising students to graduate with us at Saint Jude's this spring, and Melissa Cane and Hana Lane were chosen to graduate with us at Constance Billard. As you are aware of, our application process is very selective so congratulations to these four on being accepted. Now, without further ado, Dr. Mitchell is going to outline our goals for this year and all of the wonderful changes that have been put into place over the summer."

The assembly lasted its scheduled two hours and the male head of school discussed everything from the newly updated weight rooms, cafeterias and libraries that had been added to the school, to the various study-abroad opportunities that the students would have. He ended the assembly with a reminder that students needed to pick up their textbook packages by the end of the day, if they hadn't already done so, and then dismissed the group.

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Katherine smile became a bit more genuine when Lexi informed her that the girls were discussing how Hana didn't have a dress for the party. In her mind, it meant that they were gossiping about her lack of style and taste, and that was a catty, yet reassuring thought for her. She should have been grateful that Hana agreed to come and save her from being caught in a lie, and yet as she watched Annelise eagerly pull her upstairs to try on dresses, she wanted to kick Hana out. Styling people was Annie's forte. There was a large possibility that her major motive for wanting to get Hana ready was for her own personal enjoyment, but Katherine was against the idea of her friends even warming up to Hana a little bit.

"Hana is so ugly," Katherine said to Lexi, somewhat out of nowhere, once her best friend and step-sister had disappeared. "I don't know why or how you talked me into inviting her here, but hopefully these martinis start kicking in so I can pretend she doesn't exist," she continued, stirring her half-finished drink. She was on her third drink and was definitely already beginning to feel a buzz. Even though Katherine drank often (probably too often), she was thin enough that her tolerance was still fairly low. That didn't stop her from drinking more than she could tolerate though, but at least tonight, she wanted to still be conscious by the time the party started. Tonight was supposed to be fun, but also graceful. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself at the first major event of the school year, but if it happened, she knew she'd at least have Hana to blame.

"Do you think I should go up there? She's probably annoying Annie," Katherine asked, although she remained comfortably seated in her chair with her eyes still focused on her drink. She idly pulled out her phone and began to sift through social media. "I need to hook up with a cute guy tonight, but like, I honestly don't think there are any good looking guys on our level. Besides Cliff, but I know he's all yours," she looked up only to giggle slightly and wink at Lexi. Even though Katherine was exuberant enough as it was, the drinks were definitely helping to lift her mood up now. "What other guys even are there? Lex is... not my type." She had spoken to Kenna about her interest in him earlier, and planned on following the girl code by not pursuing him. Besides, even though he was attractive, he really wasn't her 'type'. "Benji is gross, Cole is old news, Josh isn't my type, and I feel like no one else is even relevant." She wasn't going to bring up the boy who had basically sexually assaulted Lexi that morning, even if he was more than good looking, and she didn't remember Mark Cane even existed. "Oh my God, Lexi, you should set me and Kenna up with some of Cliff's model friends tomorrow at his party. Are they all really hot too?" She knew that Lexi and Cliff were close, and had heard on various occasions that Lexi visited him at his shows and shoots, so she guessed that her friend must have been acquainted with some of the other models as well. Cliff was a good connection and with Lexi basically being his sister, she was bound to have some way to get them into that circle.