The girls at the school were free to roam around outside for some fresh air, recess or any recreational time. Cherry was walking with Sarah, Arlene and a girl with puffy blonde hair known as Muffy Watson.
"So Cherry, you never been to boarding school before?" Muffy asked.
"Nope," Cherry shook her head. "I heard about it before, but I'm a little nervous."
"It's no trouble, Cherry," Sarah turned to her. "Only the finest girls get to come to Lady Beatrice School and your parents must be important if they managed to get you to attend here."
"Oh, I don't know about that, Sarah... I'm very plain."
"You'll get over that. I'll work on you to be more like me."
"What about being myself?"
"No one wants that," Sarah wrinkled her nose. She then noticed Eliza with the other girls. "What is that Thornberry girl up to now?"
Cherry looked with the girls. "She looks like she's feeding and talking to the squirrels." she thought as she pushed her glasses back.
"Cherry, look before you, we call that a social outcast." Sarah instructed.
"I heard she hails from the jungle in a motor home," Arlene giggled. "And she bathes where the animals drink."
"Ewww!" the other girls mocked as they pinched their noses and went off to a different part of the school.
"Next thing you know she'll bring an animal in my room." Sarah laughed.
Cherry felt uncomfortable with the other girls. She was enjoying being one of the popular girls of a high social status in school, but it made her feel yucky deep inside her stomach. The day went by smoothly, but Cherry felt deeply guilty for making fun of Eliza since she didn't know her very well. It was then dinner time and the girls gathered in the elegant dining room of the school.
Cherry grabbed her tray and got a serving of her evening meal. She followed Muffy and Arlene to find a spot. On the way there, they passed Eliza who was sitting alone and looked very glum.
"Come on Cherry, why don't you have a go at the Thornberry girl?" Muffy nudged Cherry.
"Guys, this has to stop," Cherry protested. "She might actually be nice. I'm a lot like her at my old school and she probably feels depressed because of you guys."
Muffy and Arlene glanced at each other, feeling guilty themselves.
"Cherry, we're sorry, we gave into peer pressure with Sarah," Arlene explained. "She's kind of from very high-class and controls the school if you know what I mean."
"We're truly sorry." Muffy added. "Please don't be angry with us."
Cherry glowered at them, but her expression softened as she saw they were indeed sorry and sincere. She smiled at them.
"Come on, let's go talk to Eliza. I bet she's nice." Cherry walked over with Muffy and Arlene following to Eliza's lonely table. "Eliza, we're curious, have you ever seen a tiger up close?"
"Close enough to pet." Eliza replied with a smile, revealing shiny braces.
"Oh, really?" Arlene asked with interest.
"Tigers, bears, Komodo dragons," Eliza listed from her memories. "Once, when we were in the Arctic I hung out with this polar bear."
"Tell us more!" Cherry pleaded with her hands clamped together.
The other girls chattered and nodded in agreement as they found Cherry's idea to befriend Eliza to be a very great idea that evening. Sarah then came over to the table, looking flustered and envious of Eliza's sudden attention and expansion in the social circle.
"Sarah, Eliza swam with the whales." Arlene told the dark-blonde haired girl.
"Isn't that lovely?" Sarah sighed sarcastically.
"Tell us more, Eliza." Muffy begged.
"Your family must've been on awesome adventures in the animal kingdom," Cherry said, then turned to the other girls. "Her father has his own nature show and her mother films it."
"Are you a fan?" Eliza asked.
"Kind of," Cherry turned back. "I'm not crazy about it, but I do love animals and know a lot about them."
"Polar bears are really gentle once you get to know them." Eliza told her.
"I've always wanted to meet a Panda." Cherry whispered in awestruck.
Sarah simply rolled her eyes at all the commotion. While the girls talked someone very short came over in a traditional boarding school uniform, complete with sun hat. She tapped Eliza's shoulder and Cherry looked down with curiosity as she saw the student wasn't a human girl, but a chimp with red lipstick.
"Darwin?" Eliza whispered in shock and fear.
"I know, don't I look fetching?" the chimp laughed.
"I don't think you're supposed to be here, sir." Cherry whispered with a stifled giggle.
"I'll be just fine," Darwin told her, then his eyes widened. "Wait, you can understand me?"
Cherry nodded with a small smile.
"But how?" Darwin asked.
Cherry shrugged. "I've always been able to talk to animals."
Eliza stammered and looked around, then noticed the other girls got anxious to hear more about her stories. "Uh... Where was I? Oh yes, swimming with dingoes... Uhh... Dolphins I mean! But enough about me, did anyone try the boiled cabbage? Oh, I can't get enough boiled cabbage. I'm going back for seconds. Anyone else?"
"Uhh... I'll be right with you, Eliza!" Cherry said trying to cover up Darwin's secret as she put a tray in front of his face, putting him in the shadows.
The others girls examined him with wonder and curiosity.
"Who is that girl?" Arlene asked as Darwin was hidden behind a giant bouquet of lavender flowers.
"I never seen her before." Muffy added.
"When did she come to Lady Beatrice's?" a girl named Greta Scott asked.
"Is she Eliza or Cherry's friend?" another girl named Victoria Birdwell added.
"That's my monogram!" Sarah snapped and pointed an accusing finger as Darwin reached for a roll from the basket. "Who are you and why are you wearing my new blazer!?" Sarah gripped Darwin by the shirt and swiped off his hat to reveal he wasn't a girl, but a chimp. "There's an ape in my uniform! Give it back! Give it back!"
"Did he escape from the zoo?" Muffy asked in shock and worry.
"Darwin, no!" Cherry and Eliza gasped as Darwin flung a roll against Sarah with annoyance.
"Ooh!" Sarah growled.
"Food fight, everyone!" Arlene proposed with a laugh.
Cherry ducked under the table as everyone in the room began to throw food even if it was bad manners. Eliza wasn't sure what to do, but Cherry dragged her down beside her.
"It'll be okay, Eliza." Cherry told her.
"I'm curious, you can talk to animals, but you can tell everyone?" Eliza wondered.
"It was something I was born with, I don't know why or how I can, I just always been able to." Cherry replied. "I also heard you rescued that shaman that was disguised as a warthog, so it's okay if I know. I promise I won't tell anyone you can talk to animals though."
"Really?" Eliza smiled. "Thanks Cherry, you're a great friend."
"I wish people would get to know me better before they would decide if I'm friend material or not." Cherry added.
"Food is for eating!" Mrs. Fairgood's voice rang in the room as the food pelting continued. Cherry poked her head out from under and saw Darwin dangling from a chandelier raising heck with the other girls as Sarah slid across the table and people pelted her with food scraps and shoved a green apple in her mouth.
"This is the best meal we ever had!" Victoria chanted with a smile.
"MISS THORNBERRY!" Mrs. Fairgood yelled, stopping the mess.
After the food fight, the girls were ordered to hit the showers and clean up the messes before bed. Eliza was called to the horse stables to send Darwin away and was in more trouble than everyone else. Cherry hoped she could still be friends with Eliza even after this madness of tonight.