The next day was Monday, and I was up early getting showered and dressed for my time at school. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to start right away but if I could I wanted to look my best, it was a force of habit really and one I wouldn't forget anytime soon. After I had showered, it was back to the room where I quietly tippy toed around for makeup, brush and clothing before going back into the bathroom and getting changed and done up.

Today I wore 'boyfriend' jeans that had rips in a few places, a loose fitting white v-neck and a navy blue blazer thrown over the top. I considered it more casual the classy, it was probably more classy than casual for the area but wasn't about to say that out loud yet. I left my hair down but considered plaiting it later once it had dried.

"Morning Leah, you're up and dressed early." Trisha was surprised, as were the ranch hands who were currently sitting around eating breakfast. They more than likely assumed I was a princess and liked to sleep in; the joke was obviously on them as I often rose early to go surfing.

"Yeah, I'm usually awake early in California so that I can go surfing. But I can't do that now so I figured I'd continue getting up early to get ready for school and then later on work." I finished lamely as I sat down at the table with everyone else, I had no idea when school began or when we even left to go down to Butte, but it was better to be ready than not.

"Well, that's good to know," Adrian muttered as I poured myself a glass of juice. I ignored him, still angry at his questioning from the night before. Usually, I wasn't one to hold on to grudges, but then surfing always helped me get rid of them or at least dislike a person less. Poor Adrian, I was going to hate him until he apologised but he didn't seem like he was in much of a hurry.

"Might want to drop the lip if you're going to work for me." Frowning at the direct order my mind scrambled to say something anything to fire back at him.

"Can't see that happening anytime soon unless you stop being a wanker. But that seems ingrained like the dirt on your face." I tried to keep the quiver from my voice, inside I was fuming at the guy. If he wanted to be this way, then I'd react the way I often did when guys were d-bags, and that was by giving as good as I got.

"Leah!" I heard Trisha exclaim in surprise; surprise was also written across Adrian's face. A spoonful of breakfast was frozen half way between his plate and mouth as he eyed me, everyone had stopped talking as soon as Adrian had begun having a go at me, but suddenly someone snorted from somewhere.

Turning to look down to the source of the noise I could see one of the guys...Colin, I think his name was, having a hard time keeping his laughter to himself. But it was like a chain reaction, and soon enough people were laughing or giggling up the table until it was just Trisha, Adrian and I that wasn't laughing.

I continued to stare at Adrian, narrowing my eyes to see what he would do. But eventually he cracked a smile too, and I felt myself relaxing.

"Lord help me if you're this mouthy when you're happy, all right fine! No more lip from me and no more out of you missy, deal?" Nodding at the arrangement, I shook Adrian's too when he held it out across the table. Well, I had at least impressed one man, now I just had to work on everyone else, bar Sonia and Colin, they might have been the two friendliest and open people on the team.

Glancing up at Trisha I offered a smile, she didn't seem impressed and didn't offer a smile in return, so I turned back to breakfast and made a face at Adrian. Chances were I was in trouble with Trisha, and she would string me out as she had with Valerie last night.

I was happy though, in some ways I felt like I fit in with the grubby ranch workers more than I did with the family. At least they could laugh, Declan was in two minds about being a father or a good friend. Trisha, though she had qualities I liked in a person she seemed too motherly and a little smothering for my liking or even what I was used to.

Out of everyone on the ranch it wasn't Valerie I would need to adjust to the most, it was Trisha.

Half way through breakfast Valerie came tumbling down into the kitchen and froze when she saw everyone eating and chatting, again her eyes narrowed when she spotted me, but she kept quiet and went to the fridge to grab something to eat before stomping back up the stairs.

"She's never been a morning person, but it seems that seeing Leah all dolled up and pretty this early has made her less of a morning person!" Adrian joked I laughed loudly at that, mostly because Adrian was now complimenting me instead of insult. Tables turned fast around here, that was an observation I would need to remember well.

It was another half an hour before we had finished eating and had cleaned the dishes, that wasn't too hard, and Trisha stood by the sink and explained how to wash everything properly. To be honest, I was more interested in playing with the soap bubbles than actually washing the dishes, a fact that wasn't lost on Trisha as she tried to keep her cool.

"Go and get your school bag Leah, I'll finish up the dishes." I could tell by the tone of Trisha's voice that she'd had enough of trying to teach me so I dried my hands, smiled and went back up to the room to grab my large doctor's style handbag that I'd brought with me.

This time when I entered the room Valerie didn't say a word, I wondered briefly if she'd even changed. Her clothes were similar to what she had been wearing yesterday, plaid shirt, semi baggy jeans and chucks. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, but wispy fly aways couldn't be tamed it seemed as she tried to flatten them.

"I have product for that if you want?" I offered as I went over to my drawer to grab it, Valerie looked at the offered product to me and then back again as if I were tainted. Taking the hint, I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to putting a few things into my handbag, cell phone, iPod and wallet were the first things to go in.

On top of those, I added lip gloss, sunglasses tissues and the hair product that Valerie had just turned down. Knowing that white stained quickly too I added a black v-neck similar to the one I had on just in case something spilt on it, and it saved me having to walk around in a stained top all day.

"You're going to need a school bag, like a proper back pack." Turning to Valerie I raised an eyebrow, I know they thought I had cut school a lot but my books had previously fit into my locker and handbag, so I assumed it wouldn't be any different with this high school.

I walked out of the room after that and headed down to the kitchen to grab an apple and water bottle for lunch.

"Leah, you're going to need more than that to survive the day at school." Trisha admonished me as she pulled out a brown paper bag with my name on it. I eyed the bag suspiciously before Trisha opened it and emptied the contents onto the counter. There was a piece fruit, a nut bar and a few sandwiches.

"What are those bar things?" I didn't know how to say thank you; I'd never really needed to in the past and asking questions was the best way I knew how to shift gratitude.

"They're cereal bars; you don't have to eat them if you don't want to. I figured you wouldn't make lunch, so I made yours as well as Val's and the kids, there will be one every morning for you with your name on it. Okay? I want you to take it every morning until school is finished." Frowning I could only nod as Trisha packed the bag again and handed it to me. Reluctantly I took it while wondering why my mother had never done something like this for me.

"Thank you, Trisha, I've never had home made lunch before." Just like the night before, this fact seemed to surprise and stump Trisha as her mouth worked to form words.

"What did you used to have for lunch?" I jumped at Declan's voice behind me and turned to see him dressed in his usual clothes, but he carried a leather bag that looked similar to mine, only it probably had important things in it.

"Mom used to make sure I had money so I'd buy lunch, we had food stores just down the road from school and mom made sure I had a lunch pass for the year or whatever. You two shouldn't look so shocked; it's not like I suffered or anything. Besides I think eating out helped keep me fit, the food at school wasn't the best." And that was the absolute truth as I shuddered at some of the earlier meals I had eaten when I first started high school. Oh lord, I think those meals would stay with me for the rest of my life as being some of the worst food I had ever put near my mouth.

"Well from now on you take lunch to school, we can't afford for you to buy lunch every day." I wisely held back the fact that I had my card, bank account and money so that if I wanted to, I could buy my food. The account didn't just hold my winning from surf competitions in the past but also money my mother put into it on a weekly basis.

Per month I think my allowance from my mom was one thousand dollars, but I had to use it not only to buy lunch but also anything else I would need. If clothing was out of my price range, I just had to tell her what I wanted, and she would go and purchase three or four sets of the same thing. I think that was what I liked about my mom, she brought what I wanted and several pairs of it whenever I asked.

"But what if I want sushi or salads?" I loved sushi; I think I was a walking cliche or whatever people wanted to call it, but I did enjoy good sushi, and I adored crispy salads.

Trisha laughed at the questions and Declan...well he looked at me like I'd grown another head right in front of him. "Leah, there are no sushi or salad bars here. It's steak houses and buffet," I think I might have collapsed if I hadn't been holding on to the kitchen counter, no sushi? Now I was hoping we took that trip to the ocean as I didn't know how long I could survive without good, healthy food.

"Anyway, we best be off. Valerie! Hurry up!" I walked out to the truck with Declan and climbed into the front seat. When Valerie came out she was fuming yet again, Delcan explained it was because I'd taken the seat she often sat in and now she had to sit in the back with the dog hair on the seat.

Lord if I drew up any more strikes against Valerie I was sure she would murder me in my sleep.