"Welcome to Kings Ivy Prep, Ila Winters. I hope you settle in well and adjust to school life quickly." Headmaster Collins said. The headmaster was a plump man in his fifties who had a kind, rosy cheeked face and greying hair "You will be rooming with Miss Lexi McMurphy and Miss Brooke Paige. It has come to my attention that you three were very close during your younger years," the Headmaster continued.
"Yes, we were," I agreed, "We were best friends during primary school and never broke contact, even when they came here. I'm so glad to be here and see the two of them again. Oh, and Charles and Leon of course! It will be like a big familyreunion!" The Headmaster laughed at my words."I'm glad that you are so excited to be here! Please make yourself at home" he said. He then muttered something that sounded something like 'If only everyone was as enthusiastic'. With that I was dismissed and shown to my room by a pretty girl who looked about 12.
She took me down the main corridor of the school, which was a long and winding, lined with ornate gold frames containing oil paintings of all of the previous headmasters. The hallway was rather empty, beside for a few groups of students heading to their rooms. This school was extremely different to my old school which had been a small farmhouse in rural Cheshire. It had been absolutely dreadful as we had to feed the pigs and muck out the horses for detention.
"Are you alright?" the girl asked, snapping me out of my train of thought."What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about my old school," I replied."Do you miss it at all?""God no! It was awful! Anyway, where's my room?"
"Yes, erm, it's… this way!" the girl exclaimed, rushing off up one of the many grand staircases.
She pushed past a couple of girls who giggling among themselves, and came to a halt infront of a pair of humongous mahogany doors.
"Here you go miss. I'm afraid I'm not allowed into the Year 11 dormitories, but your room number is 3 so it will most probably be on the right hand side of the right corridor," she said
I thanked the girl and she hurried off down the corridor, her flats slapping against the marble floor.
I pushed open the door of the common room with great effort, only to find it completely empty. This part of the school,
it struck me, was extremely different to the rest of it. Gone was the heavyantique furniture and in its place were comfy leather armchairs and modernglass coffee tables. In the corner of the room was a clear fridge full of softdrinks, milk and water as well as mugs, a hot drinks machine and a kettle on a small table. There was a plate of homemade cookies, cakes and pastries next to the fridge,and positioned in the centre of each table in the room was a bowl full of exotic fruits.
I headed the way the girl had told me, watching my feet on the carpet, when something hard banged against my stomach, winding me.
"Watch where you're going bitch!" a masculine voice yelled. I looked up from my spot on the floor to see a boy with chocolate brown hair standing over me. He leaned down to pick up his scattered textbooks when a girl came rushing down the corridor, wobbling dangerously on her stilettos.
"Are you okay Matthew, baby!" she exclaimed, " I heard a bang!"
"Yeah I'm fine. This girl just needs to watch where she is going." his voice softened considerably when speaking to her.
All of a sudden, a clatter came from one of the nearby rooms and the door was yanked open.
"What the hell is this racket!" a familiar voice bellowed. My heart jumped atthe sound."This idiot walked into me, that's why I'm shouting, McMurphy!" the boyretorted. From the doorway of the nearest room, Lexi's head popped out. Her eyes surveyed the corridor before landing on me."Ila!" she squealed before charging out of the room and barrelling into me.
I squealed with pain - as delighted as I was it really hurt - as Lexi squeezed the life out of me.
"Lex let go!" I shrieked, " I can't breathe!"
"Sorry girl. I'm just excited to see you," Lexi replied
"Oh God. The freak squad just got one member bigger!" Matthew sighed, " It's a shame really. She would probably have fitted in perfectly with us."
"Be nice Matty," a new voice said. I turned around to see who the newest addition to our conversation was.
Standing in between Matthew and his
girlfriend was a boy of a similar height and build to Matthew, but with sandyblonde hair and a kinder look on his face. On his back sat a girl. Her hair, asimilar shade to Matthew's, was hanging over the boy's shoulders and was stuck down the collar of his shirt. She was also barefooted, which was a bit odd for 4 o'clock in the evening on a dormitory corridor.
"Come on L. Let's leave the boys to it," she said, holding out a hand to thegirl next to her and hopping off the boy's back. Matthew's girlfriend grabbed her hand and practically yanked her down the corridor.
Lexi took my wrist and guided me into the room she had come from. Sat on the middle bed was Brooke.
"What was all that about?" she asked, her brow wrinkled in concentration as she picked at something on the bed sheets.
"Just Matthew mouthing off about how we have a new 'Freak Club' member." Lexi answered. Brooke's head shot up at the words new member.
"Isla!" She squealed, jumping up off the bed and charging at me, almost identically to Lexi. I giggled and Lexi joined in the hug, making us fall on the bed that Brooke had just recently abandoned.
We all squealed as we hit the duvet and broke apart. Clambering to sit up, I realised that despite growing a little taller (or a lot in Brooke's instance) we all looked almost identical to our younger selves.
Lexi's red hair still tumbled down her back in long, flowing waves, her eyes the same piercing grey as they had always been, and the splattering of freckles across her pale nose and cheeks was still there. Brooke has the same bronzed goddess tan that she had had since Year 5, her was dirty blonde hair pulled back in the perfect twin braids that always graced both sides of her head, and her eyes were that you could get lost in still had the same firm gaze. And I still had the same grey/ blue eyes and natural Kylie Jenner lips. My blonde hair was long gone though having been dyed pastel blue the previous school year during a stage of rebellion.
At that moment, the door swung open and Leon and Charles lumbered in. They immediately saw me and threw themselves on top of the three of us lay on the bed. The boys had changed a lot since I had last seen them; Charles had grown a fringe and Leon had shaved most of his hair off, leaving just stubble.
"I'm so glad to see you all!" I gushed. The boys grinned madly whilst the girls giggled. The boys climbed off and we all sat up on once again.
"What was De Gracie doing outside your room?" Leon asked. "He looked really angry."
"Oh, he knocked into Isla and started swearing and then the Mainton came and interfered and fussed over him. Then the others came and took over and me and Isla came back in here." Lexi explain. Leon and Charles nodded.
"Who are they anyway?" I asked, confused.
"They are the 'popular' group here at Kings Ivy. I have a picture of them somewhere from Homecoming last year when I was photographer. Where is it Lex?" Leon said. Lexi stood up and wandered over to the cupboard and disappeared inside.
"Wait, you share this room?" I questioned. A bang came from the cupboard as Lexi knocked something over, sending stuff flying all over the dorm floor.
Leon laughed and explained it all to me,
" No silly. Lexi looks after all of my photos as I am really untidy and have a habit of loosing things. We do generally spend the night in here though as Charles still has problems with his nightmares and Brooke looks after him. Our room is just down the corridor. You don't mind do you?" I shook my head at that last question. I didn't mind at all. In fact, as children we all used to sleep in a big bed at Brooke's house and spend nights together regularly.
"Found it!" Lexi screamed from inside the cupboard. She pushed the door open and ran back over to the bed, handing the picture to me.
The picture was of the four students from before. The two girls had identical dresses on besides the fact that the girl with the chestnut hair had a black and silver dress on and the blonde haired girl had a pink and gold dress on. The boys both had identical black suits on with crisp white shirts and ties matching their girlfriends dresses and they had their arms wrapped around their significant other. They were all smiling happily into the camera.
"They look... normal?" I said. Leon scoffed
"They're really not. Matthew and Layla can be absolutely horrible!" He replied.
"Who's Layla?"
"Layla Mainton or more commonly known as 'Queen of Campus'. One of theprettiest girls in the school and renowned for sneaking off at night with herboyfriend, Matthew de Gracie, onto the football pitches. Absolute teachers' petand daughter of a professional footballer. She doesn't talk to anyone besidesher friends and teachers. " Lexi finished.
Charles pointed to the other girl, "That's Rachael Ferguson. Best friend ofLayla Mainton and general badass. Currently in a three year relationship withCalum Costello. Every girl in school wants to be her and apparently she is therichest student the school has ever accepted.
"And that is Matthew de Gracie. He's the son of a famous film star, boyfriend ofLayla Mainton and best friend of Calum Costello. Oh, and also a spoilt brat.All of his family have attended this school so he acts like he owns the place.As if anyone would actually want to. He's also the godson of Headmaster Collinsthough I don't think that they like each other very much." Brooke said, noddingtowards the boy that I had knocked into earlier.
"Who is this Calum guy?" I questioned.
"Oh Calum Costello, Head Boy and Rachael's boyfriend. All the girls in school want to date him and all of the boys want to be him. One of the kindest people ever and always brings the best out in people." Lexi informed me.