The Wonderland Effect

Chapter 1

September 4th

The first week of school isn't going as glamorously as I'd planned.  Things are slow paced and confined in a small, cramped room.  The lights are unsettlingly dim and I have the misfortune of sitting smack in the front of the teacher's desk. Boarding school was not what I had expected, and I'm not impressed.
   "Maybe things'll clean up a bit."  Rory says with a grin while I slam my locker shut after Science with Mr. Borden.
   "You're just cheery because you're actually good at class," and while that was true; it wasn't the full reason.
   "Hey, don't sell yourself short, Evy."  Don't overcompensate is more like it.  I don't need Rory to tell me I was good in school - I know I'm not.
"You know this whole thing was just supposed to be a joke, right? It wasn't actually supposed to happen." He nods. Boarding school was something we proposed to our parents for a camera-worthy reaction. It was simple genius in our minds: say we hate them and we want to move across the country - we even had the school picked out too. We were fools, we just didn't know it just yet.
We stand in silence for a moment then. Rory looks down at his feet, I notice the scratch marks down the sides of his arms. Oh, Rory. "Listen Evy, school will get better. People just need to warm up to all, this," he gestures me with his arms and we both laugh but my smile isn't just fun loving.
And then cues the first bell. In 5 minutes class will start, just enough time for a trip to the bathroom. I wave goodbye to my best friend and head down the hall into the restroom reserved for the girls.
Most the stalls are unsurprisingly empty, this boarding school is mainly made up of rich kids and try-hard scholars. The scholars are in class early and the rich kids are probably dealing in The Blindspot. I pick a stall and sit down, wading up toilet paper. At the same time I hear two girls, older from the sound of them, begin to gossip. Might as well eavesdrop, I'm not going anywhere at the moment, I think to myself.
"Hey have you heard Matty Harris's back with Casie?" Says Gossip Girl #1.
"That slut? Thought they were over months ago." The other one says. Her voice reminds me of Trisha Paytas and I can't resist an eye roll.
"Seems you'll have to wait til that skank gets cheated on before Matty's up for grabs again," with that remark both the girls chuckle.
"That or until he screws everything up. He's a good dose of trouble until he fucks your life up." They laugh some more. Their humour is unsettling. Just as I finish up and reach for the handle to the stall Gossip Girl #2 pipes up with something that stops me.
"Rachel, girl have you seen the Caldwell kid yet?"
"Which Caldwell, Caldwell Blakeford? He's hot." Rachel asks.
"No, Chris Caldwell's son, stupid. Uh, Rory's his name."
"Chris-freaking-Caldwell's son goes to our school?!?"
"Yes, how is this new news to you? Sometimes I can't believe your in the loop on all on things. Anyway, I totally saw him today passing my English class. We made eye contact. Imagine, Rachel, if me and him dated. I'd meet Chris Caldwell!" Ugh, I loathe fangirls. They're the reasons I remember why I don't want to be in the public eye. No wonder Rory was scratching earlier. I open the stall doors and head for the sink.
"Isn't he, like, a freshman?"
"Yes but that doesn't matter, he'd be begging me to date him if I wanted him to." Gossip Girl #2 says confidently. I get a good look at them. They both are dressed quite identically, they've cut their school-issued skirts up to their asses and they've managed to fashion their blouses into makeshift crop tops that are repelling and asking to be dress coded.
"Hell yes you could and he's so rich you'd be covered in jewelry." I scoff. This conversation's gone on long enough.
"Ya right. Like he'd wanna be with a bottom feeder like you. He has something called standards, bitches." And I'm off to class.
                   ~+~
Class is a drag, as always.  So far I've managed zero friends, save for Rory, and I wouldn't call it promising that I'm already blanking on what I learned ten minutes ago.  At least I have an airtight excuse.  Wonderland's probably the only reason I even got accept into this wasteland.  Chris Caldwell must've helped the judges make there verdict but so did Wonderland, it always does.  It's rare and fills up the school's diversity quota.  You have a debilitating problem, perfect!  Welcome to hell.  I have to remember to write my family an angry letter on this later.  For now, I meet up with Rory at his locker for lunch.
   He's a little late, I'm thinking due to his need to become a teacher's pet and the excessive piling on of homework he begs them for, but I'm soon proven wrong.
   There is a mob of teenage girls creating a giant roadblock for him from the other side of the hallway. It's quite a bizarre spectacle.  I could help him but I figure he's got to get use to it.
   After about ten minutes of progress Rory makes his way over to me.  "Hi Mr. Celebrity."
   "Google is bloody evil.  One girl kept reciting personal information about me."
   "Huh," is what I respond with.
   "Rory, I know you have a favourite sibling, and our birthdays are only forty-seven days apart!  You want to go out sometime?  I read that you're not interested in blonde girls but I can dye my hair green, I know it's your favourite colour," Rory mimics.  I laugh at that.  People have done crazy things in the past to vie for his attention too and it truly never gets old.  "I said once when I was seven, at one of Dad's premieres, that I didn't like blonde girls because this one who stole my animal crackers at recess, that requires a deep dive on the web."  His hands are fiercely itching his elbows now, I can't tell if it's intentional or not.
   "Don't worry, Rory.  Seriously, some people are just, plain odd.  You're okay.  Lunch?" I dangle my brown empty paper bag at his eye level and he takes my hand to guide me to the cafeteria.
   In boarding school we have the misfortune of always having to be served cafeteria food.  Hence my empty paper bag.  Cafeteria food tastes like dog shit smells and I'm not entirely sure it isn't slow acting poison.
  "Plastic, I swear this shit is plastic," Rory complains as he pokes the stuff.  We're late to the cafeteria crowd, all the tables seat at least a couple people.  I'm about to suggest we duck out to the hallways when someone calls Rory's name.
   Tiana, I think, she's in my Geography class.  "Rory, Evelyn," she aggressively pats the seat next to her and I give Rory a weary look.  He starts over to her and I unhappily follow in suit.  However, before we get a chance the group beside Tiana decides they want Rory in their inner circle more.  The cafeteria quickly becomes a battle, and I stay planted where I stand.  I can't decide what to do, and I know I have to be the one to do it.  Rory cannot be put under more pressure.  So I eventually give up and am starting to pull the chair next to Tiana when a voice calls over the crowd.  Somehow, I have a distinct knowing that whomever this voice belongs to is important.  It implores you to listen, and is, confident.
   "Caldwell, come hang over here," the voice practically waves him over and Rory grabs my forearm to indicate I'm coming along.
   We sit on opposite ends of the table; the only spots available, and I survey my lunch mates.  Their uniforms are more ruffled than most and all of their hair is so unruly it's difficult to take seriously.  I'm one of only three girls at the table. The other two look, tough. Ears, noses and eyebrows all pierced. Sharp jawlines, and daring grins placed upon their faces, makes me shiver while drawing me simultaneously. "Rory, right?" The voice belongs to a tall, black haired boy. At least two years older than us though I suspect older. His voice matches his aura, confident. Like he owns the whole place.
Rory clears his throat. "Last time I checked." The boy laughs.
"And you?" He locks eyes with me, and my chest seizes.
"Evy. I'm Rory's friend." Crap, that couldn't have been more lame. The boy doesn't seem to notice though. He continues to talk to Rory because, of course he wants to talk to him. However, he never introduces himself.
"Sorry to interrupt the personal interview here but you shouldn't think of yourself as that popular for us to know who you are. We've been hear nearly a week I've got no clue who you are." He rightens himself and meets my gaze.
"You're right. I'm Matty, this is Barrett, Ruso, Rudy, Terence, Jem and Angelica." When he says someone's name they all motion a sort of hello. "Oh and PJ's normally with us but he's out today."
"Out?" Rory asks. You can't skip school in boarding school, at least not Sherman York Academy; they check your dorms.
"Hospitalized. Kid got a little reckless last week," Ruso explains.
"Oh, gotcha," Rory looks down and starts scratching his arm. Shit, maybe this isn't the best crowd for him. I'm about to speak up and spilt but another girl blocks my chair.
"Hey, Casie," Matty stands up and kisses this girl on the cheek. She beams and something clicks in my head. "Matty's dating Casie," said Gossip Girl #1.
Matty Harris. What did those girls say about him? Good trouble. Fun until he screws up your life. Suddenly I'm scared for PJ. We really shouldn't be in this crowd.
"So guys. Who's up for some fun?" Matty says with a certain smirk that feels like a snarl. Everyone at the table starts banging they're hands down like drums and the noise seems to fill the whole cafeteria. "Great because I have just the thing to properly introduce these fine freshman to our party."
Oh, fuck.