“Fall is the best season, isn’t it?” Ms. Flores said with a contented sigh.
“Definitely,” I said with a fervent nod. Our state was famous for its gorgeous autumn scenery, and RFA was a prime example with all of its colorful foliage mixed in amongst the evergreens.
“Blair Hall is that building over there,” she said, pointing up ahead to the right. “And the main school building, Royal Hall, is that huge one farther down the path. The crown jewel of RFA architecture.”
I could see why. Royal Hall was massive and elegant with ivy-covered gray stone, inky black shingles on the roof, Gothic arches, and ancient windows with diamond-patterned leaded glass. It had several sharp spires sticking out from the roof, making it look like a castle, and like the rest of the buildings here, it had several ornamental gargoyles as well. They were hideous yet strangely endearing.
Blair Hall was like a smaller version of it. Old-fashioned luxury. When I blinked, I half-expected it to be gone, and everything would turn out to be a blissful dream.
“By the way, as well as acting in an advisory capacity for new students, I’m also a guidance counselor here,” Ms. Flores said as we approached my new dorm. “So if you ever need any help, you know where to go.”
“Got it.”
“Have you thought about joining any clubs yet?” she asked, glancing back at me.
I nodded. “If I can, I’m going to join the debate team, Model UN, rowing club, astronomy club, and the campus magazine. I was also thinking about trying out for the fall play later in the term. That sounds like fun.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s very impressive. But are you sure you’ll be able to manage all of that?” she asked. “You don’t want to take on too much too soon.”
“I think I’ll be okay. I’m really good at time management. I had to learn it back in Silvercreek when I worked part-time during the school terms.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, that’s good. You’ll make a lot of friends with so many different activities on your schedule.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t joining so many clubs to try and make friends. They would just be an added bonus.
I was doing it because of the sheer level of opportunity. Back at Silvercreek High, there was no such thing as Model UN, school magazines, debates, or sports apart from football and cheerleading. I’d always dreamed of being able to add all of those things to my college applications, but without the money or opportunity to do so, I had no chance.
Now I did, and I intended to take full advantage of that fact.
“Can I ask something about the rowing club?” I said, brows lifting as something occurred to me.
I’d never actually rowed on water before. I’d never even been in one of the crew boats. But a few years ago, one of the wealthy Royal Falls people my mom worked for decided to clear out their house, and they donated some stuff to her. Somehow she ended up with a rowing machine from their home gym. She almost threw it out because she had no interest in it, but I begged her to keep it. It was great for upper arm and chest strengthening, and it helped keep me fit when it was too cold or rainy to go running through the woods and park like I usually did in the mornings.
I briefly explained all of that to Ms. Flores.
“So my question is: can I actually join the rowing club in my senior year with no real experience?” I said. “I know I have the upper body strength for it, and I’m fit. But I’ve never had the chance to actually row properly.”
She smiled. “You can still join. Our school sporting clubs cater to all levels of interest and ability. There’s a varsity rowing team, which is the main one, but there’s also a beginner division and an intermediate division. You’d join the beginner one to start, but if you’re good, I’m sure Coach Reilly will move you up to intermediate soon enough. Maybe even varsity if you’re really good.”
“What about college applications? Can I still put rowing club down as an extracurricular if I’m not on the varsity squad?”
She nodded. “Yes. Being on the varsity level only really matters if you’re looking to get a sports scholarship to college, or if you’re hoping to row competitively while you’re at college. If you’re not, that’s fine—you can still put the club down on your list of extracurriculars when you do your applications. Which, by the way, we can start working on soon, if you’d like.”
“Awesome. Thanks. Oh, and I have another question, too.”
“Go ahead.”
“I was wondering what the school was like in terms of student behavior. Is there much bullying?” I asked. “I’m just curious because I’ve heard some… rumors.”
Ms. Flores frowned. “I won’t lie to you, Laney. I have seen students get bullied here. It’s a school for some of the most elite, privileged kids in the country, so as you can imagine, some of them are a bit spoiled and enjoy throwing their weight around.”
“Oh.” My heart began to race.
“However, I’ve never seen a scholarship student get bullied,” she went on. “Not once.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. In some schools, the less-privileged kids practically have targets on their backs, but it’s not like that here,” she said. “I promise I’m not just trying to make you feel better. It’s true.”