Ellie Jenson fidgeted nervously in the passenger seat of her dad's Subaru as he pulled into the parking lot of the ever so intimidating Briarwood Academy. Briarwood was one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, a school where only the most privileged kids belonged. So how did Ellie, a girl who's parents were both accountants, get here? The answer was scholarship. Scholarship, scholarship, scholarship. The only reason Ellie was there was because she had studied her ass off for a scholarship for the past two years. And it finally payed off, because here she was, finally, at Briarwood.
As soon as Ellie stepped out of her fathers dirty, old Subaru, she noticed how much it stood out amongst the many expensive-looking Porsche's and Bentley's. Great. Just what Ellie needed, another reminder of how much she didn't belong at Briarwood.
Jeff, Ellie's scruffy dad, huffed at the sight of all the expensive cars and mumbled to himself. "Spoiled rich kids," he grumbled as he tossed Ellie her two light blue duffel bags. He was a short, skinny man, with messy brown hair and an stubbly chin and an always-present hard look on his face. Jeff was proud, very proud, of Ellie for being able to obtain a scholarship to one of the best schools in the country, but he didn't like the idea of Ellie hanging out with "those ungrateful, rich bastards", as he put it.
As Ellie and her father made their way to the main building of Briarwood, Ellie started to wonder if she should've dressed up more. There was nothing special about her wavy, light brown hair, and she was wearing minimal make up. Her nervousness was probably reflected in her pale blue eyes. She was wearing a plain light green cashmere sweater that she had gotten for sale at Marshall's, ripped skinny jeans that had not been ripped when she bought them at Lucky Brand Jeans, and dilapidated black Converse. It was all so... not Briarwood.
Ellie suddenly had a sinking feeling in her gut. A feeling that told her she was way in over her head here at Briarwood Academy. Back in Virginia, Ellie was never really a popular girl to begin with. She was rarely invited to any of the cool parties, and she certainly didn't hook up with any of the hottest guys. What made her think it was going to be any different here, where she was at an even bigger disadvantage, being so middle class.
No, Ellie told herself fiercely. This year was going to be different. She was at a new school, so why not be a new person? Who cares if she isn't as wealthy as everyone else here? She was intelligent. That's how she got into Briarwood. And that's how she was going to stay in Briarwood. This year she was going to use her intelligence to find herself a way to the top of Briarwood Academy's social ladder. And stay there, Ellie thought confidently as she walked up the steps to Briarwood Academy's main building.
----
After a not-so-tear-jerking goodbye to her father (for they would be seeing each other in a mere two weeks time for Parent's Night) and a not-so-thrilling meeting with the school's headmaster about the conditions of her scholarship, Ellie found herself completely lost on the grounds of Briarwood Academy.
Surrounding Ellie, students were bustling about, none of them looking lost like she was. Ellie clutched her duffels and tried to walk around as if she knew exactly what she was doing, however, she was frantically trying to figure out which one of the many buildings was her dorm.
"They really should label these things more clearly," she mumbled to herself, frustrated.
Many students passed by her, usually in groups, chatting amongst themselves, never even glancing at Ellie. Ellie was looking through her packet for a map of some sort when she bumped right into someone. Startled, she looked up to see a pair of misty gray eyes, unlike any other eyes she had seen before. The eyes belonged to a tall, handsome boy that had dark, scruffy hair and an unreadable expression. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and dark jeans, which modeled his frame perfectly. He was towering over her, almost a head taller.
"S-sorry," Ellie said, stuttering slightly. The boy just continued to stare at her, his gray eyes seeming to see inside her, his face showing no emotion. Then, he curtly nodded and briskly walked away. Ellie stared after him, confused by the whole exchange.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared before her, and Ellie found herself facing a another very attractive young man. His messy brown hair ruffled in the breeze. The boy's warm brown eyes looked over Ellie and his lip curled into a smirk on his tan face.
"Lost?" His deep voice hinted with amusement.
Ellie felt the heat rise into her cheeks as she blushed. "No," she lied. The guy raised a disbelieving eyebrow and she caved. "Okay, you got me," she sighed. "I'm hopelessly lost," Ellie admitted.
The boy grinned. "And that is what I'm here for. My name's Brian," he added, still smiling at Ellie. Ellie still couldn't believe that this totally hot guy was actually talking to her.
"Ellie. I'm new," she added dumbly.
"I guessed as much," Brian said with an amused smile. Ellie's face burned as she inwardly scolded herself for her stupidity.
There was an awkward silence. "I'm here on scholarship," she blurted without thinking. She instantly felt mortified. She tentatively looked a Brian, expecting to see a disgusted look on his face. Instead, he was looking at her as if he was intrigued by her.
"Scholarship, huh?" he said, looking like he was deep in thought about something. Then he looked at Ellie again and grinned. "Well, that's very interesting. You must have one hell of a brain to get into Briarwood," he said, looking-to Ellie's surprise-impressed.
"So, how may I be of service to you, Miss Ellie," he said with a mocking bow. Ellie giggled, but immediately stopped, realizing how stupid she must seem.
"I need directions to, uh," she paused to look at the packet in her hands, "Hastings Dormitory?"
"Ah, Hastings, that's this way," Brian said, loosely gesturing to the right. "I'll walk you there," he offered helpfully, brown eyes shining kindly.
"Thanks," Ellie said as he put his warm hand on the small of her back and guided her in the direction of her new dorm.
"So, Ellie," Brian said, drawing out her name, as if he was testing the way it tasted on his tongue. Which, of course, made Ellie blush madly. "What grade are you in?"
"I'm a junior," she replied, trying to keep her voice from wavering, for his hand was still resting on her back. "You?" she shot back, trying to seem only mildly interested, while in fact, she was dying to know.
"Senior," he answered. Ellie fought to keep the disappointment off her face. He was a whole year older than her, which meant she probably wouldn't be seeing him too much this year.
"Sucks," Ellie said in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone.
Brian nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "but I had all your professors last year, so I'll be able to give you the scoop on them," he said. "Not that a scholarship student should have a problem in that area," he said with a smirk. Ellie blushed once more.
"Thanks for the offer," she smiled at him.
"So, while we're walking, I might as well give you a tour, yes?" Ellie nodded. "So we just left the courtyard area. I guess you can say that's where students spend most of their time, besides their own dorms. Right there," Brian said, pointing to a busy building on their left, "is the cafeteria. All three meals of the day are held there. Next to it is the actual school building, where the classes are. Across from that is the library. Bet you'll be hanging out there a lot, eh, Miss Scholarship?" Brian teased. Ellie smacked his arm and blushed some more.
"Just because I'm smart doesn't mean I'm not capable of having a life," Ellie protested.
Brian grinned. "I sure hope not," he said, and Ellie giggled. Brian stopped and exhaled when they reached a series of mini-buildings. "Ah, it seems we have reached our destination. These are the dorms. But the only ones you'll need to know are those two," he said, pointing to two brick buildings side by side on their left. "The one on the left is yours, Hastings, and next to that is mine, Miller. Just in case," Brian said with a wink. Once again, Ellie's cheeks reddened and she found herself giggling at his comment.
"Thanks so much for this," she gushed.
"No problem," he replied with an easy grin. "I'm always here to help a damsel in distress," he added cockily. "Catch you later!" With a wink, Brian and his gorgeous face were off, leaving Ellie blushing and alone in front of her new dorm.
---
Juri Takuma was sitting on a bench, playing wither high tech phone, next to a bubbly Melissa Hayesworth, who couldn't stop talking about the juicy gossip of Briarwood.
Jeez, Juri thought with a mental eye roll. First day back from break and the rumors have already started.
"So then after that Amber was, like, freaking out. Cause like, that thing was worth millions and- Oh. My. God. Juri!" Melissa exclaimed in a frantic tone, her bright blue eyes widening. Melissa's blonde curls bounced as she turned her head to look at the beautiful girl beside her.
"What?" Juri asked in a bored tone, her dark eyes not straying from her phone. Her sleek black hair was perfect even in the early September breeze, and the whole campus seemed to be watching her. Guys were eyeing her appreciatively, while the girls shot her envious glares or wistful looks.
"It's Brian!" Melissa exclaimed, clutching Juri's arm. "Some girl is actually flirting with him!"
This caught Juri's attention. She whipped her head up and found herself looking at a handsome Brian Dashwood about 30 feet away. He was talking to some girl, and they were both smiling and laughing. Juri narrowed her eyes.
"What the hell?" she hissed to Melissa. "Does this girl have a freaking death wish?"
"Maybe she's new," Melissa suggested, eyeing the girl warily. "I've never seen her before."
Ah, so that explains it, Juri thought to herself. New girl. Juri's dark eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the girl. Her green sweater was loose and did little to accentuate her curves. Her skinny jeans were scruffy and ripped, and on her feet were a pair of tattered Chuck Taylor's. Juri wrinkled her nose in distaste. This girl was obviously lacking knowledge in the fashion department.
The new girl flipped her brown hair over her shoulder as she continued to talk to Brian. Her blue eyes were wide and she grinned, a warm blush spreading over her cheeks as Brian said something to her. She was pretty, Juri admitted. She was the face of innocence. And completely the opposite of Callie.
Juri's eyes moved from the girl to Brian. His eyes showed interest in what she was saying. As usual, a smile played at his lips. He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair as they spoke. What the hell? Juri thought. Why is he talking to this girl? This girl who was so obviously... not like them.
"What should we do?" Melissa's worried voice interrupted Juri's thoughts. "Should we tell Callie?" She sounded scared at the thought.
Juri remained silent as her eyes flicked over the girl once more. Then over to Brian, then back to the girl again.
"No," she said finally. Melissa's eyes widened in surprise.
"No?" she sounded unsure.
"No," Juri repeated. "Look at this girl. She's harmless," she assured Melissa. "There's no need worrying Callie with something silly like this."
This seemed to appease Melissa. "Yeah," she agreed, visibly relaxing. "So where the hell is Callie, anyways?" She looked around, as if Callie were to jump out from behind a tree at any second.
"She's probably out shopping or getting a manicure or something," Juri replied, rolling her eyes. "You know how she is."
Melissa giggled. "Yeah. So anyways, where were we? Oh yeah! So Amber was, like, so screwed from that moment on, right?"
Juri nodded halfheartedly, barely listening to Melissa ramble on about who did what (or who) over summer break. She resumed playing with her phone, until, finally, someone interrupted.
"Hey, if it isn't two of my favorite girls on campus!"
Juri looked up to see a grinning Erik Lawrence. He was, as usual, sporting a polo and a pair of khakis, and his loafers looked brand new. His tousled blonde hair framed his tan face nicely, his skin looked flawless, and his crystal blue eyes were shining. Not that Juri expected any less. He was, after all, a professional model.
With him were two of his best friends, Lance Holton and Marc Ramsey. Lance was one of the sweetest (and quietest) guy on campus, and everyone adored him. He was one of the richest boys at Briarwood, his dad being a well respected senator. He was also one of the best looking, with is messy black hair and gorgeous emerald eyes. Not necessarily a model, like Erik, but definitely attractive. Marc was also attractive, but it was in more of a cute way. He had curly brown hair and adorable dimples, and his eyes were the color of milk chocolate.
"Erik! Marc! Lance!" Melissa squealed, jumping up to give each of them a hug. Juri rolled her eyes at her best friend's perkiness. Juri noticed that when Melissa hugged Marc, he blushed slightly. Interesting, she thought.
Juri also got up from the bench and tossed her beautiful black hair over her shoulder. She nodded at each one of the guys and smiled slightly. "Erik. Marc. Lance," she said coolly, straightening her black skirt.
"Oh, Juri," Erik said, throwing his hands up dramatically. "Always so cold. You act as though we haven't even shared a bed together." Lance coughed from behind Erik. Erik winked at Juri and she rolled her eyes. Naturally, being the best looking at the school, Erik was also the biggest player. He had his way with almost every girl at the school, including Juri.
"I was drunk," Juri declared in protest.
"All four times?" Erik raised an eyebrow and smirked.
Juri felt her cheeks warm and she ignored the question with a dismissive wave. "So, guys, how was your break?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Good, but it would've been better if you were there," Erik said with a flirtacious smile, leaning in to Juri.
"Lovely," Juri said sarcastically, placing a hand on Erik's warm, toned chest and pushing him back, "but I wasn't talking to you. What about you Lance?" She turned to the quiet boy on her right.
"Uh, it was alright. Marc and I went to Tahiti." Lance ran a hand through his black hair and shrugged.
"Alright?" Marc scoffed. "It was awesome! We hooked up with some twins," he added with a sly grin and elbowed Lance. Lance reddened and looked away, but didn't deny it. Interesting, Juri thought. It seems even the quiet boy got some over the summer.
"Nice!" Erik exclaimed and high-fived them both.
"Oh, boys will be boys," Melissa sighed dramatically. Juri let out a small laugh.
"How about, boys will be pigs?" Juri said with an eye roll.
Erik feigned hurt by putting his hands over his heart and pouting.
"Oh there's that famous model pose that earned you millions! Is that how you get all the girls?" Juri teased and Melissa giggled.
Erik leaned in to Juri. "It's how I got you, isn't it? And it's how I'll be getting you again this year," he whispered in her ear. Juri stepped back, hoping that Erik didn't notice her involuntary shiver.
Juri composed herself and looked Erik straight in his gorgeous blue eyes. She smirked. "You wish."
-----
Ellie walked up the steps to Hastings dormitory, slowly, mustering all the courage she could find. When she reached the door, she paused and took a deep breath, bracing herself. She was about to enter the unknown.
Her hand shook as she gripped the handle to the door and opened it. She walked right into the common room. There were quite a few girls in there, and each looked as though they stepped out of a Burberry catalogue. Each girl was wearing the trendiest outfits and their hair and make-up was done perfectly. Ellie suddenly felt very self concious in her shabby outfit.
Ellie looked around for someone who looked like they could be of any help. She spotted a girl sitting on one of the couches, reading. She had short blonde hair and black rimmed glasses. She's safe, Ellie thought, and walked over to her.
When Ellie reached her, the girl was very kind. Her name was Laura, she revealed, and she pointed Ellie in the direction of the dorm head's headquarters.
"Thanks," Ellie said gratefully to Laura.
The girl smiled again. "No problem, Ellie. I know what it's like to be new. Feel free come to me if you need any advice, or just to talk, any time," she said, then went back to her book.
The dorm head, Ms. Amico, was very flustered when Ellie knocked on her door, ("Yes, yes, I remember the headmaster telling me there would be a new student...") and she led Ellie up the stairs to her dorm, which according to Ellie's packet, was room 2C.
"Here you go," Ms. Amico pushed her into the room. "The bathroom's just down the hall," she added and hurried off with a quick smile.
Ellie looked around at the room that was her new residence. It was roomier than expected, with two beds, two closets, and two desks on opposite sides of the room. One side of the room was empty, while the other had posters and pictures attatched to the walls, and there were some clothes strewn across the bed. Ellie was making her way to her bed when a girl jumped out, it seemed, from the closet. She had straight, dark brown hair and her bangs almost covered her chesnut brown eyes. She smiled widely when she saw Ellie.
"Hi-i!" she trilled.
"Er, hey," Ellie said uncertainly. To Ellie, the girl seemed very...perky. The girl skipped over to Ellie and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"So, it looks like we're going to be roomies!" she chirped when she finally pulled away. She grinned. "My name is Claire Bougiore," she said her name in a french accent. "But you can say it without the accent," she winked. "Welcome to Briarwood!"
Ellie was overwhelmed by Claire's energetic personality. "Thanks. I'm Ellie. Uh, Jenson. Ellie Jenson."
"Oh, how fabulous it is to meet you, Ellie!" Claire beamed.
"Yeah, uh, back at you," Ellie said with a big smile, trying to reciprocate Claire's enthusiasm, but finding it impossible. Claire, however, didn't notice.
"Oh, Ellie, you must help me," Claire cried tragically. "I've been scavaging my closet for an hour now and I can't seem to find anything to wear to tonight's Welcome Feast!" Ellie then noticed how Claire was dressed, or undressed. She was merely wearing a tank top and a very nice pair of lacy black underwear. Ellie quickly averted her eyes.
"Welcome Feast?" Ellie repeated.
Claire's brown eyes widened. "Oh right, you're new! Well, the Welcome Feast is the big, well, feast on the first day back from summer break. I don't really know how to explain it... But it's really fun! And the food is absolutely fantastic. The headmaster gives a speech and stuff," Claire explained to Ellie.
"Oh, uh, okay. Is it, like, a formal type thing?" Ellie asked. She hoped it wasn't, because she hadn't brought anything particularly fancy with her in her bags.
"No, not really," Claire said, and Ellie felt relieved. "But people to try to look good."
"Oh, dear," Ellie sighed. She dropped her duffel bags onto her bed and opened them both. Claire peered inside of them.
"Is this really all you have?" she said in a somewhat incredulous tone. At Ellie's embarassed face, she quickly said, "Not that it's not a lot. I'm just used to, uh, a little more. I'm sure we'll find something totally suitable."
After dumping all of Ellie's clothes on the bed and searching through them, Ellie and Claire settled on an outfit that Claire deemed "just perfect". Ellie wore a tight black skirt that ended at about mid-thigh and a gray top that had lace sleeves that went to just above her elbows. Claire had given Ellie a pair of gray Marc Jacobs flats to wear with the outfit. At first, Claire tried to stuff a pair of heels onto Ellie's feet, but Ellie refused. The heels would make her clumsiness ten times worse. These are probably worth more than my entire wardrobe, Ellie thought to herself as she slid the flats onto her feet.
Ellie then helped Claire with her outfit. In the end, Claire decided to go with a Versace dress that was black with red roses on it. It was sleeveless and fell just above Claire's knees. Paired with a pair of black heels, Claire looked absoutely gorgeous.
"Ready?" Claire asked Ellie, who just nodded her head. However, Ellie was not ready. She was nervous because this "feast" was going to be her first real taste of Briarwood.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Yay, my first story! Let me know what you think :b I didn't feel like proofing, in fact, I never feel like proofing, so there might have been some mistakes. Whatever.
So, on the right is a "pic" of Ellie. I was thinking Emma Watson for her. More pics of other characters will be in the next chapters!