Thud! My dad dropped the last box down in my new room. We spent the last few hours unboxing and decorating my new dorm room. Contrary to what you might think, I'm not starting college. I'm actually starting my junior year of high school at Xavier Academy, an elite boarding school. There are three different sections of the school: the elementary school, high school, and college. A student can only apply once to the institution. I decided to humor my mother and apply here for my junior year. I wasn't expecting to get in, so imagine my surprise when I received an acceptance letter. As my mom stated, "I was lucky and should be extremely grateful and honored that I got in." Excited isn't exactly the word I'd use. I'd much rather be attending the same public school as my older sister. She, unfortunately, got denied from this school two years ago. She wasn't disappointed at all; in fact, she was relieved. Oh how I wish that I was the one who got denied. I had to leave my friends and family to come to a spoiled rich kid school. Yuck! My parents most definitely could not finance even one semester at this place. The only reason I can attend this institution is that I have an anonymous sponsor here. The deal is that I write a thank you letter each year and keep my gpa above a 2.0.

"What do you think?" My dad rested his hands on his hips as he gazed upwards. He had successfully hung up the flag of North Carolina.

"Not that patriotic about my own state, but it's nicely centered." I teased him. My dad rolled his eyes before embracing me in a bear hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Col, but I'm pretty sure you'll get along with your roommate just fine." He nudged his thumb towards my roommate's neatly made bed. I giggled as I gave him a tight squeeze. I really was going to miss my father. My mother couldn't join us because her manager refused to let her take time off. As for my sister, she had better things to do than visit a "prissy school." Reluctantly, my dad left to begin the 12 hour drive back to North Carolina.

I was straightening the pictures on my desk when I heard the door creak open. I turned my head to see a girl with long, light pink hair. She had an oval face with high cheekbones. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as her eyes crinkled. Her pearly whites were visible as she grinned from ear to ear. She quickly sped over to give me a tight hug.

"Hi! I'm Rosé." She was practically crushing me. "Like the drink." She added a moment later.

"I'm Nicola and I can barely breathe."

"Opps! Sorry." She sheepishly muttered while her eyes were downcasted.

"Don't worry. I'm happy to see you too." I managed to get Rosé to instantly smile. Her sad demeanor quickly disappeared. Rosé excitedly tapped her bed for me to sit. I smiled as I made my way over. We spent the remainder of the night getting to know each other. The biggest mistake I made was asking about her Totoro plushie. She spent nearly an hour going off on a tangent about how much she loves him and Studio Ghibli.

X

I woke up to a series of alarms going off. I had taken a shower and was now applying my makeup. It's my first day of school so I want to look decent, but not too over the top. I just added some mascara to complete my natural look. I was mid swipe when I heard Rosé's alarm go off again.

"Rosé, you need to wake up now. Commencement starts in 20 minutes." My statement was met with a groan. Rosé turned so that her back was facing me. I giggled as I stood up. I made my way over and started tickling her. She squirmed around for a while. We came to a compromise that I'd cease my tickling onslaught if she got out of bed. Her eyes nearly bulged out her head when she saw the time. She zoomed past me to access the bathroom. Rosé was simultaneously brushing her teeth, putting on her uniform, brushing her hair, and applying her makeup. Watching her, I soon realized that I definitely did not know how to multitask. With 5 minutes to spare, she grabbed my hand and dragged me out the room.

Rosé and I were out of breath by the time we reached the auditorium. The students who were volunteering as ushers looked confused as to why we were hunched over. Thank God for makeup or everyone would be seeing my cheery face. We found some seats just as the lights began to dim. A man, in what I assume to be an expensive suit, walked across the stage.

"Good morning and welcome to Xavier Academy! I'd like to formally introduce myself. I am John Elliot lll and I am the headmaster of this institution. Here at Xavier Academy..."

I zoned out after listening to him for a minute. Judging from the jubilant looks on everyone's face, I assume that he's doing well. I, on the other hand, am reminiscing about my friends back home. I began to sulk as I realized how much I truly miss them.

"Have a great rest of the day!" Rosé elbowed me when the headmaster's speech concluded. We exited the auditorium and headed to our classes.Unfortunately, Rosé and I didn't have any classes in common except for our lunch period. We split up after deciding that we would reconvene for lunch. So far, all my classes had gone well. Since I had a late start to the morning, I hadn't eaten anything so I was a bit hungry. I quickly bought a bottle of chocolate milk from the vending machine before making my way to Calculus. I stared at the clock as I was drinking. I mentally cursed when I realized that class would be starting soon. I swerved on my heel and collided with someone. I used my left hand to rub my forehead. After I blinked a few times, I looked up to see a girl glaring down at me. I was stunned since I was completely captivated by her beauty. Her long, blond locks complimented her heart shaped face. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. I broke out of my trance when I saw her flicking her wrist. It was then that I noticed her white shirt stained by chocolate milk.

"I'm so sorry." I rushed out, but her icy blue glare did not waver. I rummaged through my bag until I found some tissues. I extended my hand towards her, but she just let out a scoff before brushing past me. Great! I made an enemy on the first day. I almost jumped when I saw that I only had 5 minutes to get to class on time. What is it with me and only having 5 minutes to get anywhere?!

Luckily, I wasn't too far from the classroom, so I made it with time to spare. I took an empty seat on the far right side in the middle of the column. Right before the bell rang, the same beautiful girl, that I spilled my milk on, entered. She was now wearing a blazer; I assume to cover up the vandalism I did on her shirt. Her eyes peered across the room. As soon as we made eye contact, her relaxed features morphed into a pissed off look. Her glare softened when she heard someone beckon her over. She made her way over to her friends and whispered something to them. I'm assuming she told them that I was the reason her shirt was dirty because they all turned and glared at me. I immediately swiveled around to face the front. Nothing really exciting happened since the teacher wanted to review some basic concepts.

As soon as the bell rang, I packed up my stuff and raced out of the room. I made my way to the cafeteria to see it completely packed. How was I supposed to find Rosé now? My thoughts were answered as I saw Rosé make her way towards me.

"Hey! I saved you a seat. Wanna get some food?" I nodded at her question. I picked up a tray and loaded it with pizza, a brownie, and a coke. Rosé got the same thing as me, but opted for more dessert. She led me to a table where 4 other people were sitting. "Guys, this is Nicola. She's my new roommate. Nicola meet Shawn, Hailey, Justin, and Taylor. Everyone say hi to her!" Everyone enthusiastically welcomed me.

"New roommate?" I inquired

"She was with her sister last year and it didn't turn out great." Hailey smirked.

"Solar is a piece of work. That's her if you're wondering what she looks like. She's 3 years older than me." Rosé pointed to a girl that looked similar to her. The only difference was that Rosé had light pink hair while the other girl had blond hair. My eyes scanned the room until they fell onto a familiar set of icy blues eyes. The blue eyed beauty glared at me. I'm guessing that's going to be her signature acknowledgment for me.

"Shit." I muttered.

"What's wrong?" Shawn asked.

"You see that girl." I subtly pointed. They all nodded. "I accidentally spilled chocolate milk on her this morning and she's been glaring at me ever since." Their breaths all hitched in their throats. "What?! Is that bad?!"

"Terrible." Taylor muttered.

"Seeing that you're totally new here, I'll give you the rundown. You see those girls and the one you dumped your drink on-" Rose pointed to four blond girls.

"It was an accident, Rosé." I corrected.

"They are the McAllisters. They own 49% of the school. Apart from the fact that they are completely loaded! Like billionaire type loaded. Anyways, she's Tamsin McAllister, the eldest." Rosé pointed to a girl who had elegant type features. Her blond hair was straightened to perfection. Her red lipstick looked like it had been professionally applied. I could tell that her earrings probably cost more than my parents' salaries combined. She was laughing while a handsome guy, who had his brown hair quiffed, had his arm around her. "She's a complete bitch. The guy she's with is Laurens. They're practically engaged even though they're young. Something to do with family business. Those girls are Zara and Gemma McAllister. They're twins." They basically looked the same except for the fact that one had light blond hair while the other was dirty blond. One of the girls was snuggled up to a hot guy with brown hair. Unlike Laurens, this guy seemed not as refined. He was much more affectionate than I can imagine Laurens would ever be. "Gemma is the one who is hugging the guy. His name is Francisco."

"And last and certainly not least is Alicia. You should know her since you spilled your drink on her." Rosé smirked at me. I rolled my eyes, but beckoned her to continue. "She's the youngest of the McAllisters. My point is that they own the school, so you should avoid any future spillage if you don't want to get kicked out"

"As well as if you want to keep your scholarship." Justin added. Shawn smacked him upside the head. "What?" Shawn glared at him. Justin immediately turned towards me with big eyes. "Sorry! I didn't-"

"It's ok. I'm guessing it's no secret that I'm on a scholarship here." I chuckled. Everyone meekly shook their heads.

"I think what Justin meant is that you may be sponsored by them." Hailey said

"If that's the case, then I wonder which one of them is your sponsor." Rosé wiggled her eyebrows.