Strangely enough, Daphne hadn't called last night. Though Meghan wished she had. She hadn't heard her cousin's voice in two days - she was pretty sure she was beginning to suffer withdrawal.

No, the only voices Meghan was hearing at the moment were those of Faye and her chattering friends, who at the moment were bombarding her with questions.

"What's New York like?"

"Noisy."

"Have you ever been to Hollywood?"

"No, but my mom has."

"Do you eat at McDonald's every day?"

"Uh...no."

"Have you gone to the top of the Empire State Building?"

"Ten times."

"Do you have any pets?"

"We had a hamster once, but it ran away."

"Is your family nice?"

"Most of the time."

"Do you like your school?"

"Not really."

"How is the food there?"

"Sick. Nasty. Wrong."

It was kind of nice to have all that attention. Meghan felt special, to have experienced something that they hadn't, but that she normally took for granted.

They would've gone on asking questions if a huge, almost ear-shattering ringing hadn't sounded at that very moment. Meghan instinctfully covered her ears. At her school, there was just a generic, computerized twang that wasn't nearly as loud. Here, a bell actually sounded like...well, a bell.

Instantly the preceding bustle was amplified about twelve times. The voices of Meghan, Faye, and the others were all at once overcome by the sound of girls rushing to their classes. Meghan saw them fast-walking with their eyes fixated on their papers, the ones that listed their designated rooms. They clutched their books like their lives depended on it, almost tripping over each other in their frenzy.

For the first time, Meghan was reminded of home.

When the bell rang, Faye was forced to say goodbye for now to her friends. The ones whom she called Samantha and Bridget ran off together, while the one called Emily grabbed the eastern girl and dragged her down the opposite way. Then Faye grabbed me, and I was dragged off in about the same fashion.

"Come on, Meghan." She told me. "We mustn't be late."

I tried to respond, but my voice drowned in the crowds.

Faye dragged me, and I hurried. My feet were already beginning to ache in those hard, black shoes. I wanted my Converse sneakers. I wanted them very badly.

I told myself that eventually, Faye would pull me into one of these rooms, and we'd both sit down, and we'd be safe. I told myself that sooner or later, we'd come out of this swirling vortex of navy and red and clompy black feet.

You know that feeling you get, when you just know something's about to happen? That the thin little thread you're walking on is going to snap? Like when you're playing Jenga, and you pull out one more piece of wood, but the whole rickety tower starts to move with it, and you know it's about to come crashing down?

That's the feeling I got. It lasted about three seconds.

CRASH!

I slammed right smack into another girl. The girl fell over backwards. I lost my balance and fell with her. I was still grasping Faye's hand, so she tumbled as well. Faye knocked over two other girls. The crowd scattered.

Fortunately, the domino effect ended with those other two girls. But damage had already been done. The onlookers seemed to be stunned into silence, as if Elvis had just come back to life and was standing right here in this hallway. In a pink dress.

Somehow, I knew I'd made a huge mistake.

I immediately rolled off of the initial victim. I sat up and brought my hand to my forehead, feeling dizzy. My face burned. I couldn't pick myself up right away.

But the other girl could. And the other girl was raving mad.

"How - how DARE you?!" she spouted. "How DARE you slam into me?!"

"I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean..."

"You insolent, careless, ignorant SWINE! Whoever you are, I am going to make you regret ever setting foot in this academy! You imbecile, you wretch, you..."

I brought my hand down from my forehead, which was now starting to sweat.

"Bloody YANK!! "

I looked away. It was then that another girl picked herself off the ground, disoriented, brushing herself off. The shouting one noticed. I looked up again to see a smirk spread across her face.

"Fray Windbag." she sneered, her voice lower but just as cold. "I should've known you'd be involved. You and your barbaric companions. And it appears there's a new member of the horde. Congratulations on obtaining another mindless exchange student to brighten your dismal, insignificant life."

Faye looked away. I stood up. I'd gone from embarrassed and regretful to angry and defensive in the course of a second.

"Hey." I said, looking the other girl straight in the face. "If you're going to insult someone, at least get their name right. Fray? Windbag? Have some dignity! Or are we back to being seven-year-olds?"

The snotty girl stared at me, and narrowed her eyes. Then she had a look of indifference.

"Touché, American." she said. "For that, I will look away. Consider this a warning."

She then turned and began to walk away, perfectly primped golden hair swishing behind her. About five other girls trailed after, giving me dirty looks. Everyone else stared in wonder as they started again on their way to class. And Faye and I were left, staring after the prissy blonde and her zombie followers.

Now pretty much feeling I ruined my first impression to the Jasperstone student body, I no longer felt nervous. Only stunned. I stared for a long time, even after the stuck-up group turned a corner and disappeared.

"Who - who was that?" I asked, turning to a disgruntled Faye.

Her face seethed with pure disgust, fire burning in her eyes. For the first time, she was at a loss for words. She said only three.

"Clarissa." she told me. "Clarissa Payne."

Well...there you go. Bet you expected that one. But oh well.

Sorry I skipped so abruptly from the scene in Faye's bedroom. Don't worry, though - the subject of Aaron WILL come up again later. So don't be mad:)

I'd like to apologize ahead of time for any cultural things I may screw up or have screwed up in this story, to anyone who knows more about England than I do (or, heaven forbid, actually lives there). I have never been there, so I don't know much, though I wish I did. I'm just going on what little I do know, and otherwise kind of winging it. So please forgive me if I get something wrong.

Also, sorry for the lame name for the school, it was the best I could come up with. :P

-rf-