After the orientation and bonding activities, I’d actually met a few people. I was kind of forced upon them by the school consoler who organized the activities, but they were actually genuinely nice people.
Casey was a bubbly, blonde coming in as a new sophomore who wouldn’t stop talking, but she was smart and happy. She was a nice person to be around when you were in a bad mood. Matt was a funny, nerdy junior with curly, brown hair and thick-framed glasses. Sarah was a sweet, shy senior with brown hair and possibly the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Joey was a big guy on the football team, but his heart was just as big as his other muscles.
During the bonding activities, they intermixed all the grades, which pleased me. At most high schools, older grades don’t associate with underclassmen, but here it was different. They were all down-to-earth, happy people who came here because they wanted to be prepared for college, unlike Erica and her friends, who were probably here because their parents had a lot of money.
Casey, Matt, Joey, and Sarah wanted to see my so-called “luxury suite”, as Joey liked to call it, since he’s always wanted a single but never got one. When I opened my door, one of my dresses fell and slid onto the floor. I rolled my eyes and hung it back up. “Unfortunately, this luxury suite came without closet,” I mumbled.
“Ah, the misfortunes of having the most beautiful room on campus,” Matt said, flopping down onto my bed.
“Matt! Get off her bed! It was all nice and made,” Casey laughed.
“I don’t mind,” I shrugged.
“You decorated this really nicely,” Sarah said. “I’ll be in here a lot.”
“As will I,” said Matt.
“And me,” said Joey.
“And me, too!” giggled Casey.
“You guys are all welcome,” I said, smiling at them, happy that maybe, just maybe, I made some new friends. Then again, I didn’t want to draw to conclusions too quickly and get close to people who I didn’t know that well yet.
“We should probably get to dinner before it closes,” said Sarah.
I nodded. “I’m starving.”
I wanted to change into comfortable clothes since I’d been in a skirt and polo shirt all day, but I didn’t want to make everyone else feel bad since they were still dressed up, so I didn’t say anything.
On our way there, Matt told us little facts about the other dorms named Cottage, Otis, Willington, Conrad, and Lonestoga. The “hang out” building, filled with vending machines, televisions, play stations, and stereo systems was called “Wolf Point”, and it was apparently filled with students all year round. “Deer Lodge” was the dining hall. “Big Sandy” was the big, elaborately built school building in the middle of campus, surrounded by all the dorms. Lastly, there was the “Chinook Sports Center” which had a gym, two basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, and a theater. I felt smarter just listening to Matt talk; he knew everything about anything.
I put my long, reddish-brown hair up into a ponytail as we walked into the dinner line.
“Do you guys have any more questions?” Joey asked Casey and I.
“Let’s go over rule breaking,” Matt said, rubbing his hands together, pointing at me, “You look like one of those rebellious newbies.”
“Me?” I laughed incredulously, “You need to get your facts straight, Mister.”
“It wasn’t a fact,” he said, “Just my opinion.”
“Well, your opinions are erroneous.”
Matt smirked at me and continued to talk about rules and what could get you suspended or expelled: no smoking, no drinking, don’t have sex in the dorms, don’t have sex period, no public display of affection, girls cover the five B’s (back, belly, boobs, bra straps, butt), boys have to wear belts and nobody can wear sports clothing or pajamas to classes. I wondered why dress code was such a big deal in the middle of nowhere Vermont.
“It’s enforced just because they want us to look nice for visitors and people who tour here. Then there’s also reunions and alumni weekends and stuff,” Joey said, like he could read my mind.
Dinner tonight wasn’t very good, but I stayed in the dining hall talking about all sorts of stuff with my new friends, until Erica came up to or table, making everyone shut up.
“Layne!” she squealed, “Want to come sit with us?”
‘Us’ meaning whom I sat with earlier today, so I just shook my head. “I think I’m good,” I said. “But thanks.”
I smiled at her while her mouth twisted into a sour smirk.
“Okay then,” she huffed, turning on her heel and walking back to her table. Matt raised an eyebrow at me. I raised an eyebrow back.
“How the hell did you meet the Vicious Viper?” he asked me.
I laughed at her nickname and said, “Lunch. I didn’t know who to sit with so she invited me to sit with her, mostly so she could bombarded me with questions about Zach, though.”
“Zach O’Connor?” Sarah asked, wide-eyed.
“Uh,” I bit my lip, “Maybe? He had dark hair and he plays football-”
“How do you know him?” Joey asked.
“I-I bumped into him and he flipped out for no reason,” I told them, confused.
Matt sighed, putting his head in his hands. “We have a lot to teach you, young grasshopper.”
---
After two more days of bonding, I finally got to settle in and prepare my books for tomorrow’s classes based off my schedule. Though it was hot during the day, the cooler weather set in around eight or nine o’clock, and it felt like Heaven.
I got undressed and took a shower in the girls’ bathrooms down the hall from my room. The shower was cold and there wasn’t very much water pressure, but at least I smelled good and my hair was soft. I walked back to my room and brushed my hair, putting on pajama shorts and a tank top because even though it was cooler outside, the dorms were still pretty hot and God knows there wasn’t any air conditioning. I blasted music from my laptop for a few minutes until there was a knock at my door. I turned the volume down and walked towards my door, opening it to find Zach leaning against the wall opposite my room, arms crossed, looking annoyed. “I should’ve known it was you,” he said.
My eyebrows creased in confusion.
“If we’re going to be neighbors, then you’re going to have to turn the volume down,” he said.
“Uh, sure,” I said as my face turned red in embarrassment.
He looked at me in shock, like he was expecting me to make a big deal out of turning my music down. He stared at me for a few seconds, confusing me to no end. I didn’t understand this boy at all.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, snapping out of it. “And I’m sorry for being such a jerk yesterday.”
He nearly choked on his own words. He must not apologize often, which made it even more acceptable for me to forgive him for being so rude the other day.
“It’s fine,” I said, offering him a small smile that he did not return.
“It’s just,” he started, running a hand through his hair, “I had a rough week.”
“I know,” I shrugged, remembering when he told me the same thing yesterday. “It happens to the best of us, I guess.”
He shook his head.
“No. It happens to the worst of us.”
I bit my lip, trying to understand what Zach was getting at. Did he want to talk about it? I didn’t think boys liked letting out their feelings, especially to girls they barely knew…or maybe that’s just what he needed.
“Do you…want to talk about it?” I asked tentatively, looking up into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“No,” he snapped, his eyes meeting mine. “No-just…just forget it. And keep your music down.”
With that, he stormed towards his room, unlocked the door, and went inside for the night without another word.