After one of the most embarrassing experiences of her life, Viola Hawkins is left feeling hopeless and demoralised. So when she's told that she's able to work as an undercover agent in a boarding school, she's given a new chance to change her life...
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On the last day of school, we all gather in the hall for an assembly. Before it starts, I rush off to the bathroom, speed walking to avoid coming in when the headmaster is speaking.
But when I enter, I see Sydney, standing up, resting her head on the back wall.
She opens her eyes suddenly as she hears my footsteps, and her face visibly grimaces. "Oh, it's you."
"Sydney, look-"
"No, you look." She says, walking up to me with a sneer on her face, eyes piercing into my soul as her heels click onto the hard floor. "Don't you get it? I don't want to be friends with you anymore. You're not who I thought you were."
I shake my head, looking at her with desperation. "We didn't do anything, I promise. Jake's just like that, he was just comforting me."
"Bullshit, Mia." Sydney says, scowling. "I call fucking bullshit. Ever since you got here, you've played with me. All this time, pretending to be my friend. Pretending to like me. It was just to be popular, wasn't it? Well, news flash. You're not popular. You can have Jake, for all I care. I saw him flirting with another girl yesterday anyway."
"I don't want Jake, Sydney. I want my friend back. I'm so sorry."
She hesitates, walking over to the mirror, where she starts washing her hands. Her face remains neutral, not giving off any of her feelings. Finally, she looks up to the mirror and meets my eyes, staring at me so hard that I have to look away. "You lost me, Mia. And you're not going to get me back."
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"What's up with her?" Will whispers in my ear when I sit down, watching Sydney take her seat in a fit of rage, glaring at anyone who looks in her direction.
Amie and Emily lean in too, but I wave them all off. "I tried to apologize. Didn't exactly work."
They all visibly sigh, but our focus draws onto Mr. Arlington, who walks on stage, followed by a nervous looking Maddy. Because she's the head of our year, she has to stand up and give speeches at the end of term.
Clearing her throat, she takes the podium, eyes lighting up when she sees us. "Good morning. I'm not going to be speaking for long, but I wanted to remind you all how lucky we are. I know, you're all probably sick and tired of hearing this, but honestly, being at a school like Winsor Dalton is everything to me. I've made some amazing friends, learnt lots of new knowledge, explored topics that have interested me for years. We're lucky to be here, to be in such privileged families. So I wanted to say thank you. Thank you to the teachers for helping us through another term, and most importantly to my father, for running the school."
