MORE THAN THAT
Chapter One
September 3, 2003
Rose DeWitt-Bukater got up bright and early
Monday morning. It was the first day of her junior year at Saint Edmund's. She
rolled out of bed to brush her teeth and take a shower.
When she got out, she put on her white
uniform shirt and gray skirt. She could get in trouble for rolling her skirt
up, but she didn't care. None of the girls at Saint Edmund's cared. She brushed
her curly red hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail.
Her mother, Ruth, was eating breakfast while
her father read the morning paper when she entered the kitchen.
"Good morning, Rose," her mother
said.
"Rose, do you need a ride to school this
morning?" William Bukater asked.
"No, thanks. Cal is picking me up,"
she replied. She grabbed an apple from the refrigerator, taking a big bite out
of it.
"Cal certainly is a gentleman,"
Ruth said. Rose just gave her a weak smile. She had been dating Cal since
January. Cal Hockley was a rich, seventeen-year-old snob. He had asked Rose out
on a date in January, and treated her like she was his property.
Rose heard Cal honking his horn outside her
house. She kissed her father and mother on their cheeks and ran out of the
house. Cal was very impatient. Rose hopped into his black Mustang convertible
and gave him a kiss.
"Hey, Sweetpea." Cal called Rose
that for a pet name. Rose had had a crush on Cal ever since she was a freshman
and he was a sophomore. He hung out with a high class crowd. Rose was always
attracted to him. He had dark eyes that were sexy to her. They went very well
with his dark hair.
"Darling, are you taking me to Marie
Jones’ party Friday evening?" Rose asked.
"You really want to go there?" Cal
asked. He wasn't too thrilled about going.
"Yeah. It will be fun! Everyone will be
there!" Rose was really excited about Friday night. "Marie invited
most of your friends."
"Yes. I know that, dear. If it pleases
you, then why not?" Cal asked. Rose smiled, happy that Cal was going.
*****
Jack Dawson was new to Saint Edmund's. He had
come all the way from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, after his father had died of a
heart attack. Now it was just him and his mother, Rebecca Dawson. They had
packed their stuff and moved to New York.
Jack was beginning his junior year at Saint
Edmund's. He had to start fresh and meet all new people. He had moved to New
York a week ago. He had spent his time drawing in his art portfolio that he had
had since the age of thirteen.
This was his first time going to a Catholic
school, and he didn't agree much with wearing the uniform. It was just plain
gray pants and a white oxford shirt. He thought that he looked like a dork.
He stepped into the school. It was different
from what was in Wisconsin. New York was completely different from Wisconsin.
He saw all the unfamiliar faces that walked by. There were girls with short
skirts and guys with their arms around their girlfriends.
He wasn't watching where he was going,
because he suddenly bumped into someone.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" a
girl said. He looked at her. She was really beautiful. Her brown eyes glowed,
and her long, dark hair flowed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into
you." Her beauty amazed him. He noticed the beauty mark by her lip.
"It's all right. Are you new here? I've
never seen you around," she told him.
"Yeah. I just moved here with my mother.
We came from Wisconsin. I'm Jack Dawson," he said to her.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Christina
Castillo," she said. Just then, two guys and a girl came up to her.
"There you are, honey!" a curly-haired
guy said to her, kissing her cheek. He then saw Jack, who was staring at them
with his blue eyes and passing his hand through his blonde hair. "Who’s
this?"
"Oh, he's new! Jack Dawson, meet my
boyfriend, Tommy Ryan," Christina said. Damn! All the hot girls are
taken, Jack thought to himself.
"Hi! Nice to meet you," Jack said,
shaking Tommy's hand.
"That's Fabrizio di Rossi and his
girlfriend, Hannah Dahl." He looked at the girl with the blonde hair and
brown eyes and the other guy with dark hair.
"Nice to meet you, Jack!" Fabrizio
said. Hannah waved at him.
"Where do you come from?" Hannah
asked.
"I came from Chippewa Falls,
Wisconsin," Jack replied.
"You'll like it here, Jack!"
Christina said, with Tommy wrapping his arms around her waist.
Jack then saw a girl with curly red hair pass
by with a tall guy with dark hair whose arm was around her shoulder. He stared
at her while they spoke to a bunch of guys and girls. Tommy saw him staring at
her.
"What are you looking at?” Tommy asked.
"That girl over there. Who is she?"
Jack asked, curious to find out who she was.
"That's Rose DeWitt-Bukater,"
Christina answered for him.
"Forget it! It would have to be like
angels flying out of your ass to get next to the likes of her," Tommy
said.
"The guy next to her is Caledon Hockley.
One rich bastard," Hannah added.
"Yeah. She runs with the rich and
beautiful." Jack listened to what Fabrizio said. He continued to stare at
her. Rose noticed him. He still looked at her. She looked again, but then was
distracted by her boyfriend. Jack quickly turned around when he noticed that
Cal saw him.
"What's that you have in your
hand?" Tommy asked, looking at Jack's portfolio.
"Oh. That's my art portfolio," Jack
answered.
"You draw?" Christina asked him.
"Yeah. I've been drawing since I was
thirteen," Jack said.
"Are you going to take art?"
Christina asked him.
"Yeah," Jack answered. "I
registered here a week ago."
The bell rang for them to go to homeroom.
"Time for homeroom," Fabrizio said.
"What homeroom are you in, Jack?"
"I am in Junior 1," he answered
when he looked at the schedule that he had been given when he registered.
"You're with me, then!" Fabrizio
said. "I'll see you later, Hannah." He gave his girlfriend a quick
kiss. They all said good-bye and went their separate ways.
"Hannah, Tommy, and Christina are in
Junior 3. They are down the hall," Fabrizio said.
Jack nodded his head whenever Fabrizio was
telling him something about the school. He entered homeroom, and there he saw
Rose, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.