"Whoever turns off that alarm gets a million dollars."

Zoey sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning. The beeping of the alarm clock was extra annoying that morning. She grabbed her pillow and threw it at the clock. It fell off the bedside drawer and crashed to the ground. The beeping stopped and Zoey collapsed back down in her bed and put her hands over her face.

"I feel… like… I'm dead."

"Well, that's cheery," Dana said, slowly crawling out from beneath her blankets. Her hair was flattened on one side and her left eyelid was twitching insanely. She let her feet down on the floor and carefully stood up, grasping the side of the ladder that led up to Nicole's bed for support.

"Well, I do," Zoey said, uncovering her face and sitting up again. She threw her blankets off and grabbed her monkey slippers. She shoved them on her feet and yawned loudly before grabbing a towel and toothbrush and heading for the bathroom. She stopped at the door and turned around to face Dana who was inspecting her hair in the mirror. "Hey… I just noticed something." She glanced at the bunk bed. "Where's Nicole?"

Nicole was in the student lounge and she was… well, lounging. She was drinking a mango smoothie and wearing the Pants. Nicole had gotten to wear them first because they had decided to pass the Pants around in alphabetical order according to last name. After a week or two, she would have to give the Pants to Zoey. They had also decided that the word 'pants' should have a capital P to define its importance (actually that was mainly Quinn's idea, but anyways…)

Nicole had woken up early that morning and decided to go down to the student lounge and get a smoothie. And now here she was, in the student lounge, with a smoothie. It really wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Deciding to go back up to room 101, Nicole stood up and walked out of the lounge. I'm done lounging for now. Wait… am I? Yeah, I am. If I'm bored that means I'm done lounging, right? Oh my gosh, I am totally confusing myself. Nicole slapped herself in the face and frowned. Ouch, that hurt, why did I do that? Am I arguing with myself again? Oh my gosh, I'm creeping myself out!

"Yo, Chase, pass me my lighter."

Chase Matthews, who had just woken up, was attempting to flatten his unusually bushy hair when Logan Reese had thrown a pillow at his head and asked for his lighter. Chase turned and sighed. "Logan, I don't know where your lighter is and really, you should stop smoking! It's bad for you and you really shouldn't be doing it! It could damage your lungs and I know you're rich and you can pay for your health or something, but honestly. Plus, you aren't supposed to smoke in the dorm rooms and-"

"Chase, we're all grown ups here," Logan said, rolling his eyes. "It's ok to smoke. Now pass me my lighter or I'll punch you in the face." He sighed heavily and grabbed his cologne. "And you sound like a walking encyclopedia so quit it." He dropped his cologne and crossed the room, snatching his lighter up from his desk.

"Technically, fifteen years old isn't grown up," Michael Barret said. He was lying in his bed, wearing blue pajamas with trucks on them. Whenever anybody asked he said, "They were a gift from my grandma!"

"Whatever, man." Logan rolled his eyes and pulled the packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. "If you guys don't like me smoking, fine. I'll smoke outside." He grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Chase and Michael exchanged glances.

"What are we going to do about that boy?"

All eyes were glued on to the clock. The hands seemed to be moving slower then ever. Everyone was shifting in their seats restlessly, hoping that the bell would ring soon. Tick, tick, tick. Zoey sighed and took her eyes off the clock and stared down at her Math notebook. Mr. Lonus, the Mathematics teacher, was standing at the front of the room, droning on about something or other. Grade ten Math was really not the most interesting thing in the world. Zoey was sure she was going to die of boredom when a piece of folded paper fell on her desk. She curiously glanced around the room before unfolding the paper and reading the note.

Hey Zoey- want to catch a movie on campus tonight? –Chase

Zoey grinned and scribbled back a reply, using her favourite strawberry scented pink pen. It had been a gift from Chase on her fourteenth birthday. She giggled. Of course Chase would get her a pen for her birthday. It was so practical yet so cute at the same time. She folded the piece of paper again and, when Mr. Lonus wasn't looking, threw it on to Chase's desk.

Sure- I'll meet you there at 7. Can't wait! –Zoey

Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears. She couldn't concentrate at all on her English assignment. Ms. Fowl, the stern English teacher with chopsticks stuck in her hair, was patrolling the room, walking down the aisles. It was extremely nerve wracking having her march by your desk, peering at you from behind her square glasses. Dana sighed loudly and tapped her pencil against her notebook. Nicole, who was sitting beside her, was frantically scribbling away on her piece of paper. They had all been instructed to write a poem on something they liked or enjoyed doing. While Dana was stuck, Nicole was on a roll, her hand flying across the page.

Shopping

By Nicole Bristow

I love shopping

Yes I do

Shopping is fun

Isn't that true?

So many sales

So little time

I'm running around with bags

And trying to make this poem rhyme!

She thought it was brilliant.

"What a morning!"

Zoey sat down at the lunch table, joining her usual group of friends. The special today was macaroni and cheese. There was also old pizza and unusually green hot dogs. Zoey had gone for the macaroni and cheese. At least it didn't look contaminated. By the looks of it, everyone else had gotten the macaroni as well.

"Why, what happened?" Dana asked, sipping her soda through a straw.

"Math class happened," Zoey grumbled, picking up her fork. "It had to be the most boring thing in the world! I mean, honestly. If someone were to write a story about us they would most definitely NOT add Math class into it. I mean, how dull would that be? Who would even READ that story?"

"I wonder how that'd go," Chase mused, grinning at the thought. "Maybe something like 'all eyes were glued on to the clock…'"

"Well I had a great morning!" Nicole chirped cheerfully. She took a long drink of diet coke before speaking again. "I found my gift! I mean, honestly, it was so obvious- why didn't I see it before?" She beamed. "Quinn's pants really are magic, you know that?"

"What's your gift?" Logan asked. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket. "Shopping?"

"Please don't tell me you're going to smoke again," Dana said irritably, glaring at Logan who was lighting a cigarette. "That is so gross. If you have to smoke then do it outside where we don't have to smell it!" She leaned across the table and snatched the cigarette out of Logan's mouth.

"Anyways," Michael said with his mouth full of macaroni. "Tell us about your gift, Nicole."

"I can write poems!" Nicole said eagerly, bouncing up and down in her seat and clapping her hands together. Everyone stared at her as though she had gone insane. She frowned. "Umm… what?"

"Poems, Nicole?" Zoey said, frowning.

"POEMS!" Chase exclaimed.

"What's wrong with poems?" Nicole asked defensively.

"Nothing, it just doesn't seem like your kind of thing is all," Michael said.

"Well, I'm a great poemist!" Nicole cried.

Everyone exchanged glanced. "Uh… what's a poemist?" Zoey asked, sounding slightly afraid to hear the answer.

"People who write poems," Nicole said, rolling her eyes. "Duh."

"Those are POETS, Nicole," Dana said.

Nicole's face turned pink. "I knew that."