Sweetie
Lara determinedly kept her eyes glued to her book and attempted to tune out the irritating noise of overexcited teenagers. It seemed that the new girl had arrived and no doubt she would fit right in. Her voice was unmistakable; loud and American. Lara never understood why Americans had to be so loud.
"...and this is your roomie, Lara Croft. She's a quiet one. Always got to watch out for the quiet ones." Biting her tongue, Lara shifted slightly in her chair to greet her visitors. Emily had always been condescending towards her, showing little interest in anyone she deemed uncool. A pretty, dark-haired Asian girl stood just behind her, oddly seeming both cocky and nervous. She stretched out a hand.
"Hi there Lara, I'm Samantha Nishimura. Though you can call me Sam."
Giving the girl a polite smile, Lara returned her handshake. Introductions always made her uncomfortable. She never knew quite what to say or how to behave.
"Um, hi," Lara offered, blushing slightly.
Emily clapped her hands together happily. "Well Sam, I've got to head off now. It's so good to have you here with us. I'm sure Lara will help you feel right at home," she exclaimed, slowly edging towards the doorway.
"Thanks so much Emily. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Sam replied, giving the girl a small wave.
"Like, see ya!" The blonde chirped, pulling the door shut behind her. The dorm was now filled with a heavy, awkward silence. The soft tapping of rain on the window was a welcome distraction. Suddenly, Sam grabbed the book forcefully out of Lara's hands.
"What you reading?" She teased, turning the stolen object over to read the title. "...the Prose Edda."
Lara was taken aback, remaining rigid in her chair. 'Did this girl not want to make a good impression?'
Sam snickered. "Oh man this looks boring...so you're a bit of a nerd, huh?"
It was as if Lara's brain had been filled with cotton wool. Words were not easy to formulate.
"I...uh..like it. I like history stuff. Archaeology, you know. What...what do you like?"
Sam smiled warmly and set the Edda back down on the desk. The girl slumped down on her new bed and dramatically raised a hand to her forehead. "Oh I don't know, there's so much to choose from! I like fashion and partying...but media is my thing. I'd like to be a film-maker some day."
While the first part seemed like hell to Lara, she did have respect for the latter.
"Cool," she began, as Sam abruptly zipped past her.
"Oh my god, Lara. We need to liven this place up. I mean, it has no personality!"
The English girl began to feel slightly overwhelmed as Sam enthusiastically paced about the room, rambling about about rugs, posters, photographs...and a chandelier. She had to distract her.
"So Sam, tell me, how did you end up at a boarding school in the UK?"
The excitement quickly dissipated and Sam grew silent. Her shoulders slumped. A twinge of guilt struck Lara's chest. Most of the young people were very privileged, though some ended up at boarding school through no choice of their own. Indeed for Lara, there was nowhere else to go.
Sam spoke quietly. "I can't go to a school without getting expelled. My parents had enough and sent me here. Maybe they think it will straighten me out, having to spend my every moment here."
Lara was confused. "Wait...what were you doing wrong? Why did you misbehave?"
The future film-maker sighed. "I found it hard to fit in at school. Always the new kid, always the outsider. Attention was all I wanted. So I did a bunch of stuff that I thought was cool."
While Lara was wary of bad behaviour, she felt a connection to this girl. She felt like an outsider too.
"You've moved a lot, then?"
"To say the least. I lived in Los Angeles for a while but I've been all over the world. I'm Japanese-Portuguese. See even that has to be complicated."
A single tear-drop made its way downwards over the contours of her beautiful face. Reaching into a pocket, Lara extracted a tissue and dabbed lightly on the girl's cheek. The Brit was beyond embarrassed, as a disbelieving Sam turned to meet her gaze.
"Thank you," Sam whispered, smiling through her tears.
Lara chuckled awkwardly and tugged open a stiff desk drawer. Pulling out a small bag, she offered it up to Sam, almost like a welcome gift.
"Hey Sam, I have something that will help cheer you up. Do you want some sweeties?"
The girl looked curious, squinting her eyes slightly as she regarded the confectionery.
"Sweeties?" she repeated.
Stuffing down the feeling of self-consciousness, Lara ripped open the bag and poured some Dolly Mixtures into Sam's right palm. Lara jerked back quickly as the girl emitted a high pitched squealing noise.
"Oh you're giving me candy! You really are a sweetie aren't you?"
Lara felt her face go hot again. This annoying girl had a real knack for doing that to her.
"Sweetie, thank you so much. Sure you seem like you would enjoy watching paint dry, but I think we're going to get along just fine!"
Raising an eyebrow, Lara sighed and commenced mental preparation for the upcoming weeks to be spent with the mess who has termed her a boring 'sweetie'.
