Chapter One

"I'm Brooke, Brooke Allistor."
The long-legged seventeen-year-old stared at her reflection, and tried again.
"Hello, I'm Brooke!"
"Hey there, Brooke here."
With a groan, she flung herself backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Today the new people arrived, and much to her ultimate dismay she was being gifted with a room-mate. Brooke had never been Miss Popular, nope – that was Bella Ford. God knows why, Bella wasn't even attractive with her wiry blonde hair and weirdly big blue eyes. Whatever the reason though, she definitely ruled Upper and Lower Sixth. Thankfully, Brooke was too invisible to cross her warpath too often. Bella had a favourite target, the broody girl in the room opposite the hall – Elizabeth.
Well, Effy.
Only Bella called her Elizabeth, Bella and bitchy teachers. Brooke kind of pitied Effy in a way, but she didn't exactly make it easy for herself. Many times Brooke'd offered her a place at lunch, walk her to class etc – no response. Ah well.
As a final attempt, Brooke sat up and looked into the mirror again.
She wasn't stunning, she knew that already – her brothers had told her enough times for her insecurity to rocket past sanity-level.
She had dark auburn hair just past her shoulders, straight and layered. Unimpressive bra-size, a bit on the 'too' skinny side and hazel eyes. What the fuck is hazel anyway, she thought cynically – they couldn't make up their mind between dark green and light brown so blended together in an unattractive manner to form her iris.
She stood up, clad in little grey shorts and a black vest – and faced herself once more in the mirror.
With her arms spread wide and her eyebrows raised she sang;
"Good EVENING I am BROOOOKE ALLISTOORRR!"
"I see, erm – nice to meet you."
Brooke jumped backwards startled, turning swiftly to look in the doorway where a slim, blonde girl with pale eyes and an amused expression stood clutching a suitcase.
"Shit." Said Brooke simply, wondering absently how the hell this stranger had arrived in her room so quietly.
"I did knock." Said the girl, with a wry smile.
"Right, good, well.." spluttered Brooke taking a step towards her. The girl immediately lowered her suitcase and held out a hand, her eyebrows perfectly raised.
"Naomi, Campbell."
"Oh, lovely I'm.."
"Brooke Allistoooor?"
Brooke laughed despite herself and rubbed the back of her head bashfully.
"Yes, her."

Brooke stood awkwardly for a second, fiddling with one of the charms on her bracelet – then snapped back into action.

"That's your bed, that one." She said nodding at the bed by the window as she tugged Naomi's suitcase towards the wardrobe. Naomi was dressed in dark red shorts and grey socks pushed down above her faded white converse. Brooke admired her vest – which was white and ripped up each side with 'WAR'S FOR PUSSIES' written in tasteful grey text. She wore a dark green cardi over this, with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows, assorted wooden bracelets on her right arm. Right now she was also wearing an expression of sheer amusement, and it was aimed at Brooke. She still had not moved from where she stood.

"I don't bite." Assured Brooke, sitting down on Naomi's bed and grinning at her. Naomi didn't smile back, and her heart sank slightly.

"Shame." Naomi said finally. The word lingered in the air for a few strange moments, and then Naomi laughed. It was a wonderful laugh, Brooke noted. She beamed at her.

"You're not a psychopath aren't you?" said Naomi, still in that laughing tone as she shut the door behind her then began to remove the contents of her suitcase into the battered wardrobe.

"I've been called worse." Admitted Brooke sheepishly, Naomi stretched upwards to push a sombrero onto the top shelf of the wardrobe and her vest rose slightly above her hips. Brooke found herself staring, and looked away feeling bizarre.

"When's lunch, I'm fucking starving."

Naomi sat next to her on the bed, resting her back against the wall and lifting her knees up. She glanced sideways at Brooke, who gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Not for three hours, we have the Sixth Form Induction Assembly in twenty minutes, then you'll have your first class. Have you been given your schedule?"

"I may have." Naomi leant forwards, her arm brushing Brooke's for a second as she rustled around in the bag she'd been wearing on her shoulder. Retrieving a crumpled green leaflet, she gave Brooke a look that said 'voila!' and passed it to her.

"You took Economics, English and General Studies. You'll be with Miss Whitt first period, she's alright but don't stare at her boob job."

Naomi laughed that laugh again and gave Brooke a piercing look.

"I don't stare at tits Brooke Alistooor, rest assured."

Brooke grinned at her, "Good, wouldn't want to be rooming with a dyke."

Naomi stared at her for a second, and then smiled wryly once more.

"Heaven forbid." She said.

Lying in the middle of the floor, Effy Stonem had her eyes closed.

She'd been at this school for almost two weeks, two weeks ahead of all the other new sixth formers. Classes didn't officially begin until today, so naturally she was spending the day lying on her back in the centre of the drama studio. The drama studio had been her sanctuary, she'd found it and so it became hers. It had been piss easy to steal a set of keys from the caretaker's dorm and since then this place had been here for her whenever.

It was a small square area of floor, surrounded by raised seating on every side. On the wall it said 'in the round stage' – but Effy didn't care what that meant. The most important factor of this room was it was dark, except for one circle. Somehow, there was always a dim spotlight in the centre of the square. She loved it, this circle. It'd become her friend, it never left. She'd explored every inch of the studio, trashed bits of it, gone up the black metal staircase tucked away behind one of the raised seating panels and discovered the light box. But no matter how much she'd fiddled with the sliding buttons and lights, the spotlight had never left.

This was where she lay now, eyes closed.

Her thoughts drifted, as they often did, to her older brother Tony. They'd fought for the first time ever before she'd been sent here, it'd stunned her. He returned from uni for the month and was different. Her fists clenched. So fucking different. He'd always been on her side, always.

She crossed one leg over the other. The light was warm on her bare arms and legs. She was dressed in a simple grey dress today, the sleeves simply long slits from the top of her shoulder to her hips. She raised the cigarette in her left hand to her lips and inhaled. She held the wisps of smoke in her lungs for a few seconds, then slowly exhaled. Her body was still, she could easily fall asleep here.

"ATTENTION. Ahem, is it on..? Yes? Now? ATTENTION, STUDENTS! ALL NEW STUDENTS TO THE.. Where? Oh right, why the fuck.. Oh, Oh! ALL NEW STUDENTS TO THE CANTEEN IMMEDIATELY FOR SIXTH FORM INDUCTION ASSEMBLY."

The shrill voice of the deputy head mistress rattled Effy, and she very lazily opened her eyes.

It could be interesting, to see the new faces that she'd have to suffer the sight of all year round from this day forwards.

She raised the cigarette back to her mouth.

Then again, it could also be not very interesting at all.