Prologue: Conformity is Stifling, So Are Uniforms

I am surrounded by idiots. This may sound incredibly mean, considering I'm sitting in class with many people my age, but the thing that's making them idiots is the fact is that we are discussing a movie we watched in English class, and how it sucked because there were no hot guys in it.
I may not be your average teenager, but that doesn't mean I'm impervious to hotness. I love Channing Tatum, Johnny Depp, and all the Abercrombie male models (though they may be man-whores) as much as the next adolescent hormonal girl, but that doesn't mean I dismiss a movie with men who aren't up to my standards as far as looks go.
I suppose this genuine superficiality comes from going to the school of Rich Bitches (or, at least, that's what I call it. Generally, it's referred to as Ashwood Independent School for Girls). I'm not saying I'm not one of them. I am a gossiping, self-centered girl who is not only spoiled as far as possessions go, but my life is genuinely easy. I am a straight-A student who has never had a single detention, and this is not because I am a teacher's pet or an insane MENSA child, but because I am compared to very low standards. I talk in class, I win extensions on assignments, I never study for tests, and I'm cheeky with my teachers, treating most of them like my equals. I listen when they're talking about something I don't understand, and I don't provoke them when they're already angry. I also have something that a lot of people in my year lack: logic. Sense. Whatever you want to call it, I have as much as the average person should, but apparently I am immune to the curse that Ashwood places on you when you walk in the door. This curse does not have a name, but for now we will call it Oxymoronic Stupidity. That is how I shall describe my classmates. Here we are, at this international school, with the opportunity to get one of the best educations possible, and I can count on one hand the number of people in my English class who understands the word conformity. One of our teachers admitted that my class was the worst class he had taught in his entire teaching career, and actually started kicking people out of class. The people who were kicked out of class? They ran amok in the hallways, laughing the whole thing off as a joke. Nothing happens after that. Meanwhile, I am scolded for listening to my iPod in the hallways. Where is the justice?
Okay, I get it, life isn't perfect. I am a spoiled brat, but at least I realize it. Meanwhile there are people out there who are oblivious to themselves as well as the world around them. I know that I sound like a whiny, cynical pubescent, but I really couldn't care less. There are a lot of things that can make a person tough out there, but the thing that really teaches you to build up your armour is an all girls private school. I can honestly say that I don't care what people think about me, because I know that no matter what I do, as long as I am better than them at something, they will not be thinking nice things about me.
Ever seen the movie Mean Girls (or, rather, just about any movie about high school)? Well, my school isn't anything like that. Gossip only circulates about you if you're interesting, and otherwise, you're ignored. Let me break down the politics for you.
There's your typical 'popular' group. In my school, they come off as generally nice people. It's true, they are polite, mildly mannered, and will acknowledge your presence if the occasion calls for it. They are not popular in the sense that they are the largest group, but that they are the incarnation of popular culture. They strive to be what the media deems popular. They all like the same bands/singers, they all wear the same clothes (not that they can help it, since we're all in uniform), they all like the same movies, etc. The worst part is that it's all subconscious. They don't even realize that they are all the same person, just different versions. It's as if they are a Shakespearean play. They are remade and remade, each time subtle changes are made, until you have a series of a hundred of the same thing, yet several different people are taking credit.
Then there's the other large group of friends. True, many of them have similar interests, but they also have their own opinions, so the conversation is much more interesting. They all respect each other, and welcome outsiders most of the time. They're fairly intelligent, getting good grades and behaving well in class for the most part.