I opened my mouth and clamped it shut three times in a row, deciding that what I had to say wasn't witty enough, before I mustered the courage to say, "Thanks for this. And I'm sorry for knocking you over."
William glanced at me. "No worries. As student council president, it's kind of my duty to make sure all new students feel welcome. And, you know, don't get bulldozed while turning corners."
"I'm never living this down, am I?" I asked, as he led me back down to the entrance hall, where even more students and parents milled than before.
"Nope. Not a chance." William effortlessly dodged people, where I would've probably slammed into at least three more before I'd crossed the marble floor. He greeted some by name, and exchanged a few pleasantries with parents, while I hovered awkwardly, offering smiles whenever I made eye contact with another student. I didn't get many in return. More than a few parents eyed my romper, too. Probably because it was decidedly shorter than the 3-inches-above-the-knee rule in the code of conduct. You'd have thought I was sauntering around naked or something, not in my finest summer outfit and a pair of perfectly respectable sandals. Or at least, I'd thought they were respectable. Apparently I'd missed the memo and was one of the few girls not in heels. That was probably a good thing, though. Heels usually led to disaster for me.
When we'd finally made it through the entrance hall, William strode down a hallway lined with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side, and empty classrooms on the other. Outside, a manicured garden framed a lawn that sprawled all the way to a column-lined breezeway leading towards a pair of mirror-image red brick buildings. He pointed out the different classrooms, as well as the science and computer labs—way more high tech than I was used to.
"The performance hall is in the north wing," he said, glancing sidelong at me. "Though with your grace, I'm guessing you're not here on a dance scholarship, are you?"
"Ha ha, very funny." I resisted the urge to elbow him, grinning despite myself when he chuckled. "I'm on a sports scholarship, actually."
"Oh really?" His eyebrows lifted with interest.
"Soccer," I said. "That is, if I ever find out when tryouts are. Apparently I still have to attend as a formality or something."
"Damn," William said. The corner of his mouth lifted into a rueful grin when I looked at him. "I was hoping you'd say tennis so I'd have something to look forward to during early morning practices."
I blushed again and scraped a hand through my hair. "Are all Kingsbridge students this charming, or just the student council president?"
"Just the president."
When he winked, I almost died.
"This leads to the gym, " he continued, oblivious to the effect he was having on my heart rate. He backed into a door that opened onto another hallway, this one concrete and far more utilitarian. "And the sports fields are out back. Girls' varsity soccer tryouts are probably tomorrow morning, before the orientation assembly. At least, that's when my brother said the boys' tryouts are."
The gym hallway ended in another staircase, but rather than climb it, we passed through the door.
"And here," William said, spinning with my box as if sweeping an arm out to show me, "Is the dining hall."
And it definitely was a dining hall. Not a cafeteria, not by any stretch of the imagination. The tables were polished wood with individual chairs, not the enamel board and plastic swivel-seats from my old school. And the trademark cafeteria stink of fish sticks, burnt popcorn, and chicken soup was noticeably absent, too. Buffet stations and an open kitchen lined the back wall, but all of it was closed and covered since it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner.
"So...is it your first time at a boarding school?" he asked, as he held open another door across the dining hall.
"Yeah. Are they all this nice?" I asked, pausing when I emerged into a high-ceilinged room filled with leather sofas and armchairs. A common room, complete with a flat screen TV in one corner and long, communal tables with study lamps and charging outlets in the other. Windows lined the southern wall, flanking a door that stood open to admit a steady flow of students and parents, all carrying boxes and suitcases towards two separate sets of carpeted wooden stairs.
"I hope you're not asking me if my school is better than any other? Because I'm duty-bound to tell you that yes, it absolutely is." William grinned when he handed the box back to me. "And alas, this is where I leave you. Those stairs go to the girls' dorms, and it'd be considered a major violation of our lovely code of conduct if I helped you any further."
"Thanks." I smiled at him over the lid of the box.
"Any time, Ellie." He rested a hand on my shoulder in parting until he was hailed from across the common room by an arriving parent.
I couldn't help but watch him saunter across the room. It wasn't to admire his butt in his jeans. Nope, not at all. But when a leggy blonde dropped her bags to throw her arms around him, I wrestled the box of uniforms onto one of the common room tables and dug out my buzzing phone.
I rolled my eyes at Jake's text, biting my cheek against my sheepish grin. His brotherly spidey-senses had always been keen.
[[Alt text for those who can't see the photo:
1/180?????? I replied, ignoring the rest.
180 school days = 180 brotherly reminders.
And just to make sure you got the point, 1/180 part 2: Remember that time I dated that guy on the golf team?
🤮🤮🤮, I sent back.
Exactly. Now get off your phone and go make friends!]]
With a sigh, I cast my eyes around the common room, wondering how easy or impossible that was about to be. I wasn't getting as many looks now—probably because the massive box was hiding my too-short romper—but to say I wasn't intimidated would be a lie. I'd never seen so many well put-together people in one place in my entire life. Half my old classmates would dress up for the first day of school, while the other half would roll in with their favorite ratty old sweats and worn-in t-shirts. Those were my people. Not these ones, who seemed to think that wearing a dress shirt on the first day of school was the rule and not the exception.
Now I was clearly the exception. Where my old classmates had worn Hollister and American Eagle, these ones wore Ralph Lauren polos and Rag & Bone jeans—the same pants and skirts and shirts, just 10 times more expensive. It honestly felt as if my mother had dressed the lot of them, with their tasteful hemlines and neatly styled hair. Not a torn piece of denim or crop top in sight. Even their jewelry screamed privilege, with more than one girl sporting the iconic Van Cleef & Arpels alhambra clover on a bracelet or necklace. They'd probably pick out my cheap Etsy knockoff a mile away, especially when it had cost 30 bucks and theirs had likely cost 3000.
I shook myself when I caught the thought. I had nothing to prove to these people. I was here to play my sport and pass my classes, not compete for Instagram followers or the title of best dressed in the yearbook. Even though I already hated the idea of wearing the same thing every day, it was probably a good thing that Kingsbridge mandated uniforms. Otherwise, my usual 5 outfit rotation would get very noticeable, very fast. Especially with the sheer amount of luggage per person that seemed to be getting moved into the dorms.
And besides, even if I didn't manage to befriend anyone, there was at least one person who didn't seem like a total jerk. William was still standing across the common room, chatting with some parents. The leggy blonde had twined her arm around his, though, and I didn't like the twinge that bloomed in my stomach. Ripping my eyes away, I hefted my box of uniforms and headed for the stairs to the girls' dorm.
I wasn't here to ogle boys. And guys like William were pretty much guaranteed not to be single. It was mathematically impossible for someone that desirable not to be taken. His charm alone practically promised a trail of broken, pining hearts, and I knew better than to line myself up next. There was no point to dwelling on him if I wanted to keep my scholarship. Because just like my brother had warned, if there was one thing that I quite literally couldn't afford to get distracted by this year, it was boys.
A/N: Texting is going to feature pretty heavily in this story, so I'd love to get your input, readers. What did you think of the image in this chapter - fun or annoying? Would you prefer I just keep the texting as italics in text, or continue with the images like this one? I was hoping to format it in the text with left and right alignment to keep it clear, but any suggestions are welcome!
As always, if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to vote and comment!**
Chapter 3 coming ✨TOMORROW✨