Private School Kings

The Ball: Part 1

The letter was brief:

The Ball.

Next Friday, 10 pm.

Ruins.

And that was all.

Now it was Friday, and I was wearing the dress. Something about the flamboyance of it, the symbolism of the white, the garish gold, made me think that it had been Tim that picked it out himself. That seemed like a good sign, if he really was going to choose King's Girl tonight, it was important that he'd been thinking about me.

Juliet didn't bother to respond. She just turned back to her laptop.

I checked the time on my phone. It was 9:37, and the walk to the ruins would take at least 15 minutes.

"I'll see you later." I told Juliet.

She didn't respond.

I opened the door and started down the hallway when I heard a gentle cough from behind me. I turned around and saw a small freshman boy with spiky brown hair and a healthy swath of freckles in a plain black suit. "Ms. Monroe?" He asked.

I didn't even try to hide my eye roll. "You're a Lord?"

"Trainee." He said. He must have noticed my confusion because he continued. "Freshman have to prove themselves. We work events and do errands, train until we earn our title. Tonight I'm here to escort you."

"Of course you are." He held out an arm. I didn't take it. "I know the way. You don't have to do this."

He shrugged. "It's traditional."

I wondered then how far the Lords dated back to. I knew from my orientation that Pruitt had been founded in 1809 as an all boys private high school. It seemed very probable that the Lords were at least close to that old.

"Fine." I told the freshman. "Lead the way." I followed. I had to. Still, I kept my arms at my sides.

The path to the ruins was dotted with Lords and Ladies, all wading through the woods in their tuxes and ball gowns, trainee escorts scrambling at their sides. It was almost breathtaking. Tonight, everyone was wearing their best. At Pruitt that meant something. Even the boys wore garish colors and elaborate suits. In my intricate dress I felt, for the first time since I'd been there, that I really blended in. No one had any way of knowing I was at all different from them, not with my hair primped the way Madeline had taught me, my makeup done in the same style I'd learned from Heather, and the dress that had been picked out and paid for by Tim. I'd learned to lie from the best, picking up parts of them and their masks as I'd gone along. Now, I'd become a perfect chameleon. Though, I wasn't quite sure who the person at the heart of all my disguises was anymore.

My freshman stopped as we reached the doors of the ruins. They were just the same as I remembered them, painfully ornate, with fancy stone carvings in the frame. A chiseled Pruitt hawk stared down at me, but this time the narrowed eyes had no effect. I wasn't afraid anymore.

"I can't take you any further." The spiky haired trainee told me with an almost jealous glance at the rows of Lords and Ladies streaming through the doors. "No freshmen are allowed inside tonight."

I almost felt bad for him. It was a raw deal, having to do the grunt work without any of the rewards, but then I thought about the boys inside. They had all gone through the same training. The scrawny, anxious boy in front of me could be a future Tim. Worse, he wanted to be.

"Bye." I told him. Then, I turned to the doors.

There were two trainees stationed there and as I stepped close one of them held out their hand to me. "Phone." He said.