BLOODSTONE ACADEMY

12: Social Cues

My annoyance at being cold-shouldered by Vasilis progressed with me steadily throughout the day, increasing with every word that came out of Brittany's mouth.

She never shut up. I hadn't even known it was possible for someone to talk so much.

But thankfully, she didn't ask any invasive questions or try to pry into personal stuff. She asked one question about my family though, and I'd almost snapped at her, but instead I told her I didn't want to talk about it.

She didn't ask any personal questions after that.

But she did tell me all about herself, however. She explained that she was the first child of four kids, and had a set of triplet brothers after her.

Her family was obviously well-off, which was why she had been granted admission into the school in the first place. But she claimed that on the school's social hierarchy, her family was lower-class. Which was why she had to make up for the lack of "high status" with her grades and extracurricular activities.

A ridiculous notion in my opinion. What a classist load of bullshit. Having to make up for not being rich enough? Never have I heard something more farcical.

She claimed she used to be captain of the cheerleading team, but she dropped out because she wanted to take senior year seriously, and also because she didn't enjoy cheer as much as she used to anymore.

She was also on the swim and music teams, and was a volunteer on the school's tutoring program—where students volunteer to tutor other students who were falling behind on their schoolwork for free.

Well, not exactly free. They'd be getting extra grade points depending on how well their tutoring sessions go, and what their ratings were at the end of the term.

I almost asked in bafflement, how one person could do so many things at once, but then I remembered all I've done and kept quiet.

Judo, basketball, tennis, swimming, javelin, piano, violin, harp, guitar, oboe, vocal lessons, opera lessons, makeup, design, tailoring, painting, pottery, weaving, jewelry making, advanced architecture classes. Everything.

I'd done almost everything.

I'd taken language courses of the native languages of every country we'd ever lived in, even if I never got to vacation or tour those countries properly.

I had finished several high-school courses and some undergraduate university degrees online. At first, I had applied to an undergraduate degree in bio-chemistry for fun. I had been bored out of my mind that summer, and Yale applications were open.

I'd submitted my credentials without expecting anything but surprisingly, I got in. I'd thought they wouldn't offer me an admission because of my age—I was sixteen then—but it didn't matter apparently.

After that, I applied to several other courses in other online schools. Film, cinematography, psychology, physics...as many as I could, so I wouldn't have free time to lose my mind alone in the house.

It's surprising how time flies by when you have as much time as I had. So, I studied for degree after degree, took courses after courses without my parents even knowing, because they hadn't cared to know.

They barely knew anything about me.

Me being here in Bloodstone Academy was probably the biggest joke life had thrown at me yet. And as always, I sat back and simply watched the universe laugh at my misery.

Endless, worthless, mundane time. That was all I had. And everything I'd indulged in and mastered had always been about me seeking escape.

I searched for escapism in the pages of books, in fictional worlds, in the world of cinema, in academic validation.