Every time I see my school it takes my breath away. Beyond the wrought iron gates is an enormous front lawn with bright green grass perfectly trimmed, big old oak trees scattered across the lawn, and there were gardens everywhere. The gardens had stone walkways through them, and benches in the midst of all the bright colors. A lot of the couples hung out here, and I could see why. Even in the winter, it was a very romantic place. Only one boy has taken me to this spot. I'd claimed to love him at the time, but you know, young love. I've only had three boyfriends in my entire life. Two of them were in middle school. I went to the public middle school in my hometown. My grandmother was headmistress of Ivy Academy even then. The most recent boyfriend I've had was the one I broke up with in the middle of sophomore year last year. I haven't been really interested in anyone else since then, and quite frankly, I haven't been looking.
The school itself is set in five buildings, two of which are mansions. The mansions are where the dorms are. The freshmen and sophomores share a mansion, and the juniors and seniors share a mansion. From there, each mansion is divided into boys and girls. Boys on one side, girls on the other. Can't have the boys messing around, now can we? Especially when two of the headmistress's grandchildren attended!
The mansions are all very old and beautiful. They're made of stone, and they have big windows. The school got its name because of the ivy creeping up the side of the outside walls. It was founded way back in 1910 by some guy named Charles Hopkins. There have been many headmasters and headmistresses leading up to my grandmother, but I think she's in the top five.
There were a lot of cars in the paved half circle loop that served as our loading and unloading zone, and even some limos and Mercedes Benzes. Yeah, there were rich kids at my school. Some were nice, and some were...well..not so nice. Instead of dropping me off in the loop, as we called it. my mom pulled around to the parking lot off the loop and parked because she would be saying hello to her mom and Blake.
Some students gave us weird looks as we pulled into the parking lot that was mostly reserved for staff and faculty members. Mostly they were from the freshmen who didn't know that my grandmother is the headmistress. I grabbed my bags and headed towards the side entrance.
I got to the door just as it was being opened and collided with a boy coming out. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized as I stuck out my hand to help him up.
"Next time you should watch where you're going," he snapped. Ignoring my offer to help him up, he got up on his own and quickly walked away. But before he walked away, I saw that he was tall with slightly curly dark brown hair. He looked about my age, probably older. While I didn't know much about this stranger, I did know one thing for sure: this guy was a jerk!
I shook my head to try to clear the guy out of my mind. I picked up my luggage and walked inside the familiar building. I took in the familiar scene: the dark wood halls, the big windows lighting up the place... It felt like a second home. After all, I had lived here every school year since ninth grade!
I brought my luggage with me to my grandmother's office on the first floor of one of the huge school buildings, the one that was home to English and history classrooms. This building was slightly larger than the others because it held our academy library.
Oh, the library! Don't even get me started on the library. I loved that place so much. I was a bookworm and the library was bookworm heaven! It was three floors tall, and filled with shelves that were stuffed with books on every subject. There were fireplaces here and there with big overstuffed armchairs near them to curl up with a good book on cold winter days. The staircase to the upper levels was magnificent, with wide, sweeping stairs that curved upwards. It was one of my favorite places in the whole school. It was quiet and in the winter when it wasn't too crowded, the only sounds you could hear were the crackling of the fires in the many fireplaces and the rustle of a page being turned.
While my thoughts about the school and library consumed me, my feet automatically took me to my grandmother's office. I didn't notice it - and probably wouldn't have until I ran into her - until my grandmother cleared her throat, bringing me back to reality.
"I see your mind was otherwise occupied," she said with a smile.
I smiled and then set my luggage down to hug her. She may be old, but my grandmother always felt strong for her age when I hugged her. "Hi Gram," I said, "I missed you."
"I've missed you too, Emma dear," she said, pulling away a bit and holding me at arm's length to get a better look at me. "You've gotten taller!" she exclaimed.
"Have I?" I murmured while looking in the mirror on a side wall.
"Yes," my grandmother replied while walking over to me. "And tanner."
I looked at her. She had slightly poofy gray hair and skin that was slightly wrinkled and soft.
"Well..." I admitted, "I did go to the beach a lot." I grinned at her.
"But you did use sunscreen, right?" she asked.
"Yes Gram. Mom wouldn't let me go without it," I replied, smiling a little.
"You go all by yourself?" she asked.
"Not usually. I drive my friends up most of the time."
She smiled at me. "That's good."
I smiled back and she hugged me again. "You should get to your dorm and unpack your stuff."
"Yeah... Bye Gram. I'll see you later."
I gave her one last smile as I picked up my suitcases, walked out of her office and shut the door behind me. I walked out of the english and history and into the warm summer air.
A/N: I know, I know. Boring, right? But I have to set the stage for a dramatic plot! :P Comment, let me know if you want more, send me a message..etc. By the way, I need actors/actresses for the cast list! Suggestions anyone? By the way, I didn't proofread this. Spellchecked, yes, but not proofread. Another thing: I was thinking Emma Roberts for Emma..what do you think? Picture on the side of Emma Roberts >>>
