PuzzleMaster: The series #1

12-Social Ambush

It was midnight, and Meghann couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned and pulled her sheets over her head. The bed wasn't the problem, thankfully. It was soft and smooth, as if she was being swallowed by warm milk.

She rolled in her bed, mind caught up on her reputation. Why did she care so much? She'd never cared how other people thought of her, didn't she?

This was nonsense. She shouldn't make such a big deal on her own identity.

But, no matter how much she tried to push her thoughts away, Meghann couldn't sleep. She could hear Nadine snore from the other side of the dorm, who was fast asleep after their dinner of creamy potato soup and steamed prunes. 

Meghann sat up on her bed and took her phone off her charger. The clock tolled 12:09 in the evening, and she sighed to herself as she read the article of Ann again, featuring her, Lea, Leo, Nadine, and Oscar.

She had a reputation she never wanted, didn't she? But, on the bright side, she was famous, right? Nobody in the school would ever dare to get in her way.

But the word 'Nobody' seemed wrong.

--

Morning sunlight seeped through the main hall of the University. Students were talking again and chattering, it wasn't anything new, just the usual subject of new weekly schedules and discussions of who was the richest student of the school.

Oscar opened his locker and pulled out his textbooks, then placed them inside his laptop bag, packed with the laptop itself, the school's free mouse pad, and a charger. Suddenly, just as he was about to close his locker, he suddenly felt a hand pin him against it. 

Penelope smiled at him. Her hair was tied up in a large, bushy ponytail, clipped with thousands of diamond beads.  She was wearing a leather jacket over a tube top and five inch heels. Despite the heels, she was still shorter than Oscar, who loomed over her.

"Fabulous day to you Oscar. You're quite tall, do you know that? How is it up there?" 

Teresa, Lesley, and Olive snickered behind her.

"Try putting on some taller heels, then you'll be able to see the weather," mumbled Oscar as he slammed his locker shut.

"Where do you think you're going?" Asked Penelope, grabbing the hem of his shirt. "Mind having a chat with a fabulous girl like me?"

"Sure, where is she?" Asked Oscar, looking around absent-mindedly.

Passerby students gasped at him with giggles. Teresa, Lesley and Olive couldn't help but "oooh," behind Penelope, who glowed beet red.

"Humph," said Penelope, letting go of his shirt. "You're too rich to even see cool people like us,"

She snapped her fingers and Teresa, Lesley and Olive scurried away behind her. Oscar shrugged and headed for the dining hall, to see everyone turn to his direction again. 

"Oh my, its him again!"

"Should I vote for him? He looks way richer than Penelope,"

"Way richer. Y'all should vote for him instead,"

Oscar sat down beside Leo and Lea, who were both clicking away on their phones. They shoved Oscar a breakfast of ham and chicken pancakes, peppered eggs and pork pie.

"Morning," they mumbled, eyes not looking away from their phones.

"What's with the 'voting' I hear?" snapped Oscar as he pulled the plate towards him. Nadine and Meghann's seats were empty, as they had yet to arrive.