There is no way I’m not going to stand out in my black sweat that hangs loosely off one shoulder, not designer, and my cut off jean shorts barely cover my ass, also not designer. But with my thigh high suede boots, I look cute in aI’m dirt poor and pull it offkind of way.
I pick up my thrift shop find duffle bag and sling it over my shoulder, taking deep lungfuls of the unpolluted air. The smell of cut grass and fresh rainfall tickling my nostrils. I could get used to this. Here’s hoping the rest of my time here is as peaceful as this moment.
Alas, it was not meant to be.
Almost as the thought left my mind a flash of purple zips past me, soaking me from head to toe in the puddle of muddy water. Instant. Uncontrollable Rage.
I storm forward to where the car is now parked in the student lot and a cluster of the most beautiful people I have ever seen step out of it, laughing and jostling shoulders playfully. The group is made up of three guys and two girls looking perfectly put together in their overpriced designer clothing that make mine look like they belong in the trash.
Before I make it over to the front of the car, the two girls and the dark-haired guy have turned away from me and are heading towards what I can only assume is the main building. The guy has his arm strewn over a girl with a crown of ice blonde hair. She stands about half a foot shorter than him from what I can tell with her high heels, allowing his arm to hang easily over her without much effort.
At his other side is a girl with honey blonde hair, heels at least six inches tall – who the fuck needs six inch heals for school? – her skin is dabbed with light brown freckles all over her neck, arms, and legs, but strangely enough no freckles mar her face from what I saw of it. This girl is using both her hands to tug on the boy’s free hand, but he simply dislodges her grip and waves her off.
The driver is still laughing with the remaining guy andfuck me, he is so gorgeous that he looks carved from marble. His sandy blonde hair is tousled like he’s put little effort into styling, his skin glows with a sun-kissed tan and when sees me approaching, his sea-glass green eyes pin me in place. I take back what I said before about the grass, that color is nothing in comparison to the crystal-like gaze looking back at me. I feel captivated, unable to look away on my own, my heart pounding in my chest as he looks me over.
The twinkle in his eye is the only warning I get before he keels over laughing at the sight of me. My hair is sticking to my face, no longer the artfully styled, and by that I mean did-not-towel-dry, waves. Without looking I know that I’m soaked to the bone in water and whatever else covered the ground. My sweater is slick against me like a second layer of skin, the feel of it disgusting and I’m desperate for a shower. Beads of water drip over my face and down my legs, creating a small pool in the spot beneath my feet. I’m glaring at him with every ounce of anger radiating through me, but I also kind of wish the ground would open to swallow me whole.
His bellowing causes others to look over at the scene and before I know it, the courtyard is filled with the sounds of giggling and snickers at my expense. I know I look a mess right now, especially in comparison to these rich, pompous brats, but the embarrassment over his reaction causes my cheeks to heat., spurring my anger further.
Clenching my hands into fists at my sides, I march right up to him while he tries to get himself under control. He straightens up to his above 6ft height and hold his hands up in a placating gesture.
“I’m- I’m sor-”
I should appreciate that he’s trying to apologize. I don’t. Unsure if it’s for splashing me or his reaction, even after two tries he still can’t contain himself enough to get through the sentence. All thought goes out the window and I react. I push him with all my strength, sending him off balance and sprawling into a puddle.
A smirk sits on my face for exactly two seconds before I register what a monumental mistake I just made, when I look at this beautiful golden god drenched through his jeans and grey shirt. The look of utter shock on his face I imagine matches my own, and it takes everything in me to not back up a step.
“Oh, shit.” I mutter under my breath. My hand flying to cover my mouth. It wasn’t an accident, neither him splashing me or the push. The gate was wide enough to accommodate two cars, there was ample room for him to get through and for me to stay dry.
Dead silence. The laughter, the snickering, gone. I glance around to see everyone staring at me wide eyed like I’ve committed an inconceivable offence. And when I look back down at the green-eyed god that I’ve offended, he stares back at me with waves of enmity on his face, that would leave a lesser person looking for an escape. I nervously walk up to the where he still remains in the puddle and offering a hand to pull him to his feet. It’s a weak gesture of truce and I add an equally as a weak smile.
Those eyes move away from mine to stare at my hand before clasping his around it. I release a sigh of relief, before a devious smirk splits that gorgeous mouth of his and he does a sharp tug, landing me right beside him. A low chuckle leaves him, and he clasps the offered hand of his friend to pull him to his feet, who watches me with, what looks like, amusement.
The golden boy turns and gives me another once over before crouching on his haunches, so we are mostly eye level. I stare at him head on, refusing to lower my eyes. I’ve faced worst then tempered rich boys. Extending a hand, he pushes a tendril of my dripping wet hair off my face and tucks it behind my ear, before grasping the back of my neck and pulling my face so close to his that I can feel the coldness of his breath over my lips.
“You’re going to regret that, new girl.” It’s barely above a whisper, but I hear it as clearly as a gunshot in the surrounding silence. I swallow roughly, but not to be beaten I give him a wink, then he releases me, storming towards the building without a backwards glance.
I don’t shift my eyes to the friend, but I feel his burning into my skin like a brand. He stands there for a moment before he, too, takes off for the main building at a more languid pace than the furious stomps I heard moments ago.
When they are finally out of sight, I close my eyes, releasing a shaky breath and run my hand down my face. Pulling myself out from the water, I try wiping myself down the best I can before I realise there is still a crowd still gawking at me. Giving the throng my best death glare, I trudge back over to where I dropped my bag and make my way into the building. Feeling the slosh under my feet with every step I take. I want to scream.
The administration lady, who looks to be in her late twenties, was more than a little unimpressed by my appearance when I finally found my way to the office. The signing here is goddamn awful, and I ended up asking one of the students I found loitering around for directions. The student I asked looked at me like I’d stepped straight out of a circus, but eventually pointed me in thewrongdirection. Forty minutes of wandering around and here I am.
First thing I’ve learned is news here travels fast. I’d heard whispers from the other students as I made my way around. Some of them are looking at me like I’m certifiably insane while others are looking at me with disgust. Normally that would piss me off, but for the minute I understand. I am kind of disgusting right now.
The mud has dried, and I can feel it flack on my face when I smile at the office woman, Bessy, and if I focus too long on the slimy feeling around my toes, I might just hurl all over the marble floor. In comparison to her pristine pale blue suit with her red hair pulled back into a loose messy but, I look tragic.
Bessy flicks her perfectly manicured nails towards a cluster of folders to the left and grumbles for me to rummage through them, which I do but when I don’t see mine, I’m forced to disturb her once again. “My name isn’t on any of these folders.”
She lifts an eyebrow, eyeing me slowly from head to toe before tilting her head to the side with her lips pursed.
“Youareone of the scholarship students, are you not?” She says slowly like there is nothing that could contradict her assessment of me based on exactly no information. Irritation flares inside me, and squeeze and release my fists at my side. I know that normal circumstances wouldn’t allow me to attend a place like this, but she knows nothing about me, and her ability to point it out my clear lack of wealth is both demeaning and, well, embarrassing.
“No.”
This time both eyebrows go up, surprise I imagine, hands stilling on the keyboard, before she’s taking another long perusal of my outfit and thinning her lips in a scowl. She almost looks like she doesn’t believe me, but then she tsks and murmurs a half-assed apology. “I because…” Waving a hand up and down, gesturing to all of me.
I don’t know if deep breathes are going to stop me from lashing out at the woman if I have to stand here much longer, but I try it anyway.One in. Two out.I just need my starter pack, the key to my dorm and to leave. Then never interact with this woman again. Easy. I can’t help but wonder though, if this is how she’s treating students as a member of faculty, what will I get from my classmates. This whole interaction tastes of lemons.