Best Friend's Brother

Twelve: Headmaster

It has been a week.

A week since I last talked to Greyson.

A week since I met Ells.

A week since Jake, Ells, and I have become best friends.

****

"Ells! Jake!" I burst into Jake's dorm, where we have been hanging out, since he actually has a T.V. "You will love what I just learned!" Jake pauses the T.V. and Gabi walks back from the kitchen with a bag of pretzels in hand.

"Wha?" Gabi asks with her mouthful.

"I just found out that Paris Heidi is going abroad for to Greece for the rest of the year!" I close the door behind me and wait for their response. Sadly, they both just stare at me with puzzled looks, as if I talked like an alien.

"Why are you so excited? I thought you guys were friends?" Jake asks.

"Well... That means my dorm is open to a new student!" They still don't understand.

"So?" Ells says, putting another handful of pretzels in her mouth.

I roll my eyes, sighing. "Do I have to spell everything out for you guys? It means that Ells can room with me!"

"You do realize that I have to be a student to room with you, right?" Ells sits next to Jake, tilting the bag towards him as he grabs a handful.

"Then become a student here at Stanford!" I almost yell.

Everything is quiet for a moment, no one knowing what to say.

"Gabi... We've talked about this..." Ells starts. "I don't have the money to enroll."

"I did some research actually, and you can use the orphan-loan to pay for the money your scholarship doesn't cover. I have a meeting with Headmaster Charleston tommorow morning."

"But Gabi, since I'm 18, I'm not a kid anymore so I'm technically not an orphan. Kids usually use the loan for high schools." Ells tries to warn me.

"But when you applied for your scholarship, you were 17, so the loan still works!"

Everyone pauses. Ells tries to think the situation through, the only noise is Jake, crunching on the pretzels. Marc comes out from his room, sees me, and smiles.

He's wearing a pair of black jeans, and a grey hoodie, with white earbuds hanging from the front pocket. His white-blonde hair is going in every direction.

"Why hello there gorgeous..." He says, grining.

"No." I respond, shooing him off with my hand. Short, and strong words always does the trick to shut him up. It's like giving a dog a command.

As if his tail was in between his legs, we backs away slowly, and shuts the door to his room. I look back at Ells and Jake, waiting for their reaction. I don't mean to be a jerk to Marc, but sometimes, yeah, he deserves it.

"So? What do you think?" I ask. "You will have a home, be able to study art, and room with me!"

"Okay..." Ells grins.

"Really?" I squeal.

"Yeah!"

I pull Ells to her feet and squeeze her into a tight hug.

****

The next morning came before we knew it. My alarm went off at 6:30 am, and after many times clicking snooze, I woke up.

Yawning, I grabbed my shower bag, a towel, and clean clothes from the closet. As I leave for the showers, Paris brings another box of stuff to the living room.

"When are you leaving?" I ask, setting my stuff down, to help her move boxes.

"Wednesday. But I have to bring all this stuff home first, since I'm not coming back here at the end of the year."

"Okay. It definitely will be weird without you here." I grab another cardboard box from her room.

"Yeah..."

"I would like to run something by you though." I say, placing a box on top of the stack. "Is it okay for Ells to use your room? She's thinking about becoming a student. I just wanted to make sure that wouldn't make you feel weird."

"Of course! I'm not coming back any way, so Ells is more than welcome." Paris smiles. I pick up my bag, and back up to the door.

"Thanks, I have to go shower." I tell her.

****

The waiting room for Headmaster Charleston's office was empty, except for me, and the almost-eighty-year-old secretary. She had short, grey hair, and red-framed slim glasses.

As for me, I am wearing a black skirt along with a white sweater. My hair is tied back with a braid, and a small black purse is strung over my chest. I am wearing my black high-top vans instead of converse, since they seemed to match better. 

It felt as if I was waiting for hours, but each time I glanced up at the clock, only a minute ticked by.

"Ms. Jones?" The old lady secretary calls. "Headmaster Charleston is ready for you." Her voice seems horse, as if she has been talking for hours.

"Thank you," I say, standing from the wooden chair. I flatten the front of my skirt, take a deep breath, and walk towards the door. There is a golden nameplate front and center, stating  'Robert S. Charleston, Headmaster'.

The inside of the office is huge. The walls are furnished wood, and a beautiful  chandelier hangs from the high ceiling.

Headmaster Charleston himself, I would not say he's a skinny man. His head is almost fully bald, with grey hairs around the sides, and his eyes are sunken, probably from years of work and experience. 

"Good morning Headmaster, my name is Gabriella Jones," I introduce myself.

"Hello Gabriella, take a seat." His voice is deep and rough, most likely from taking calls all morning.

As I sit, I continue talking. "I would like to ask a few questions for my friend. You see, her name is Ellie Hart, and she was going to start her freshman year here with a partial scholarship this past fall." I say.  Headmaster, folds his hands together, resting them on the wooden desk in front of him.

"But, sadly, she had some family and financial issues, and because of that, she wasn't able to attend. So I was wondering if you would be able to-" Before I can finish my question, Headmaster Charleston cuts me off.

"You were wondering if I could look at her profolio again, and let her enroll for the rest of the year?" He finishes my sentence almost perfectly.

I think for a second, trying to phrase my next sentence correctly.

"Yes... Sir..."

He thinks for a minute, before saying, "No."

My eyes bulge in shock. "No? Why sir?" I lean forward in my seat, straighting my back."

"If... What's her name, Ellie, was not able to pay for this college a few months ago, even with student loans, then I don't see how she would be able to pay now."

"What if she is able to pay?" I ask. "There is a orphan-loan that she can use to pay for most of what is not covered by the student-loans or scholarship. Of course, there is also the S.S.A, or the Stanford Student Association, which can help students in need of money."

"Well, I see you did your recearch Ms. Jones. I would like to meet Ms. Hart tommorow, and I will decide from there."

I stand up, and stick out my hand to shake his. He stands as well, showing that he is actually short.

"Thank you, Headmaster Charleston." I firmly shake his hand before walking out.

**************

A/N

As always, comment, vote, follow, and message me if you have any questions, or ideas!

Thanks,
e