School was officially out until January. That meant that I was free to do anything for two weeks.

         Originally, the plan was for me to fly across the globe to America and spend the holidays with my family back home in Alabama. As fun as that sounded, I'd rather stay in Boston, which was why my parents were flying here.

         Marisol was staying with her mother for the whole two weeks in Salem. Lindsay was all the way in Kentucky, where a lot of her extended family lived. Ivy was in New York with her grandparents. Carlisle and Aspen were both in Florida with Aspen's extended family. Before they left, Carlisle and Aspen were talking about partying every night on the beach with cute, surfer boys. I wanted to remind them that they were both in relationships, but it wasn't my place to tell them.

         The only person that was still around Boston was Tatum because his family lived in the city. I had told my parents that I had begun to see a boy here, and I think that is why they agreed to fly here instead of pressuring me to fly back home.

         I persuaded them to get a big room at the hotel down the block from Beaumont Academy. I didn't want to stay in the school for the two weeks that I got away, especially because I didn't think I would be able to see Headmaster Rosterford face-to-face. Right now, he seemed like a miserable excuse for a human being that I didn't want to talk to. My parents asked me why I'd rather stay in a hotel room with them instead of my dorm room by myself, and I just told them that I was tired of sleeping in that tiny room and wanted to be somewhere else. I guess that made sense to them, because they got a hotel room with two large beds in it, one for me and one for them.

         "When are we going to meet this boy that you've been seeing?" my father asked. We were eating breakfast in the downstairs of the hotel. While you're a guest at the hotel, you get free complimentary breakfast, which I intended to take full advantage of.

         I swallowed the piece of waffle I was chewing and said, "I'm not sure. He might be busy."

         "Nonsense!" my mother said. Ever sense she arrived in England, she'd been trying to act like she was from England to see what natives would believe her. None of them had, so far. "He's dating our daughter, so I'm sure he will understand that we want to meet him."

"And his family," Dad added.

         "And his family," Mom repeated, pointing her fork at him. "His parents. Have you met them? Are they swell?"

         I couldn't contain the chuckle that was trying to escape. "Very swell," I muttered, smiling. Mom smiled back at me, thinking I was laughing with her instead of at her. That wasn't the case.

         "Contact him. Maybe we can meet with him and his parents tonight," my dad suggested. He took a swig out of the pint of milk that sat in front of him.

         "No, I actually think I heard him say that his parents are doing some—"

         My mother's glare cut me off. When we made eye contact, she raised her eyebrows and nodded. That was her little signal to show that she knew I was lying. "Contact him."

         With an eye roll, I took my phone out of my pocket and composed a text.

         KAYLEIGH: Parents are in town and want to meet you and the other Hammonds. Just a heads                      up.

         Not even a few seconds later, a reply came in.

         TATUM: Sounds great. When and where?

         KAYLEIGH: Are you serious?

TATUM: Dead.

         KAYLEIGH: The Cellar? At five?

         TATUM: I'll make the reservations. Me, you, your parents, mine, and Sierra. Table for seven.

         "Actually," I said, setting my phone on the table, "Tatum's parents rescheduled whatever they were doing tonight and are free. There's this cool place called The Cellar down the street. Tatum is making reservations for five o'clock."

         "Fabulous!" Mom said, clapping her hands together. "The Cellar. The name just oozes fancy."

            Maybethis dinner wouldn't be an absolute disaster. If it wasn't, it'd probably beclose.