New Brighton Boarding School

Chapter 9

Amanda's POV

Myles and I had handed in our project and we were told to read for the rest of the lesson. I grabbed a book out of my bag and I started to read. I noticed that Myles didn't grab out a book. Instead he just rested his head on the desk and started to sleep.

Our teacher didn't care because he was busy talking to other people about their projects. The class passed quickly and I looked up to see that Myles and I were the only ones that hadn't started packing up. I shook him awake and he looked up at me.

"Is class finished?" he asked.

I looked at him and noticed the dark bags under his eyes and how bloodshot his eyes were. I really don't know why he was in class because he looked exhausted.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" I asked.

"More than I usually do," he said simply.

I stared at him.

"I'm taking you up to your room and you are going to sleep for the rest of day," I told him.

He tried to protest but I wasn't having any of it. He gave up because I am very stubborn and I wasn't going to let him go to class. He told me where his room was and we headed up the stairs of the dorm block. He unlocked the door to his dorm and I noticed that it was a single dorm.

"I wish that I didn't have a roommate," I commented.

He offered me a small smile and pulled his jacket off before lying down on the bed.

"Do you mind staying?" he asked.

I nodded because I didn't have anything better to do and I don't really feel like going to class. I sat down on the couch and tucked my feet under me. I started to read and I looked up to see that Myles had fallen asleep.

I finished my book and I stood up to stretch my legs. The dorm room was very plain. There were no posters, no pictures, no personality. The only picture was sitting near Myles' bed. It was of him, maybe two or three years ago, and he was with a girl and they were both smiling at the camera.

They had the same dark hair and dark eyes and they looked pretty much the same. She was in the middle of saying something to him and he was laughing. There was nothing else in the room. In the middle of the day I started to get hungry and I found a chicken wrap in his fridge.

I was starting to eat when I heard Myles start to talk. I turned to him and I noticed that he was still asleep but he was tossing and turning. I couldn't understand what he was saying so I just left him alone.

He kept talking and then he screamed a couple of times. I moved across the room and sat down on the bed beside him and shook him awake. He sat up immediately and he looked terrified.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

"You were talking and then you were screaming," I told him.

He rubbed his eyes and he was trying to calm himself down.

"I guess that I should explain," he said.

"You don't have if you don't want to," I said.

"I get nightmares and it is why I don't sleep much. I don't like to see them and I avoid sleeping," he admitted.

We sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes

"You can always talk to me if you want"

I decided to go home for Christmas. I don't really know why because I don't liked my family but I knew that I should go back. I had packed my bag and headed down to the parking lot. There was a van going to the airport and I had about ten minutes before I needed to be down their so I decided to go say goodbye to Ryder and Myles since Alex was also going to the airport.

I found Ryder in his room and he was lying on the bed. This family was coming to town and they were going to have Christmas here.

"Have a fun Christmas," I said.

"You too," he said and I groaned.

Ryder knows how much I don't like my family but I kissed him before heading down to Myles' room.

"I'll miss you," he called.

"I'll miss you more."

Myles was in his room and I opened the door slightly.

"Have a merry Christmas," I said.

"You too," he told me.

"And sleep a lot."

"Sure Mom. Have you talked to Ryder about him cheating?"

"Ryder isn't cheating on me."

"He is and you deserve someone that will actually care for you," Myles told me.

I nodded and headed down to the parking lot. Alex was already there and she climbed into the van after me. It didn't take long to get to the airport and then Alex had to catch her flight. I hugged her goodbye.

"We better pull more pranks after we get back," I said.

She smiled and had to leave to get onto her flight. There were a couple of other people from school but there was nobody that I really talked to so I put my headphones in and waited for the couple of hours before my flight.

My flight got called and I headed onto the plane. The whole flight I was wondering why I was going back home. I pushed my backpack onto my shoulders. My sister and a guy were standing there and I headed over to them. I wasn't going to ask about the guy because I don't really care.

"I see that you decided to come home this year," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and headed towards the baggage claim and she trailed after me.

"Did Mom and Dad tell you to pick me up of did you do it so that you would look better?" I asked.

"No, I came in ten minutes ago," she said.

I grabbed my duffle bag as it came around and heaved it up onto my shoulder. Lauren hailed a cab and it was a very quiet ride home. I had left my headphones is so I let my music drown out the conversation that the other two were having.

We came into the view of our house. I paid the driver and grabbed my bag and Lauren and the guy had already started heading towards the door. I took a deep breath and headed up there as well. Mom opened the door and she hugged Lauren.

"This must be your new boyfriend, Harry," Mom said.

She didn't say anything as I walked through the doorway and I saw that more of my family was already here. I dumped my bags in my room before heading into the Hell pit, more commonly known as the family room.

I sat down on one of the couches and one of my aunts started talking to me about school. I wasn't really listening to her and my Mom came over and joined in our conversation.

"Have you seen that your sister has a boyfriend? He is a lovely boy," Mom said.

I rolled my eyes. She always forgot that I have a boyfriend of almost a year.

"I'm sure that he is but I have a boyfriend and he is just as lovely," I told her.

Mom snorted but realised that this was not the best topic to bash me in so she decided to talk about my attitude and my behaviour at school.

"I have still been getting calls from your Principal. I see that you haven't been behaving better. Why can't you be more like your sister?" Mom asked.

"Because I don't want to be Lauren. I want to be Amanda but that isn't enough for you is it?" I asked.

She shook her head and then I seriously started to ask myself why I came. I stood up and headed out of the room. I slammed the door shut to my room and then I leant against it. I sat down on the floor and I felt tears rolling down my face. Why do I keep doing this to myself and why can't my family be happy with me?

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The Wise One