It took thirteen beaches to find one empty
But finally, I'm fine
Past Ventura, and lenses plenty
In the white sunshine
But you still can find me
If you ask nicely
Underneath the pines
With the daisies, feeling hazy
In the ballroom of my mind
Across the county line.
- Lana Del Rey.
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Thank you so much, Mom and Dad.
That is the only thought that has been revolving around my mind ever since the grounds of the academy came into view. It actually seems really huge, even from here, I can see the outside walls of it stretching all the way across the horizon. According to what I've read online, Miami's International Music Academy is one of the most prestigious high schools in all of America. It teaches a really special curriculum, which is actually the best in the country, as I've read. A lot of amazing people have graduated from here; singers, musicians, songwriters, actors, authors, directors, you name it. They were here.
This school hasn't really been around for that long; only about eighteen years, really, but it has managed to become a very big name in such a short time. I heard that a lot of important people in the country, and even around the world, have their kids attending here, which only makes me more nervous, because I'll be in the presence of sons and daughters of scholars and politicians and other extremely important people. I mean, my dad is someone important around the country and around the world as well, but it's still pretty overwhelming to be around such people almost all the time now.
The main four pathways that this academy provides are music, drama, literature, and art, I made sure to tick the music box on my application form. It's something that I've been passionate about from a really young age, so I was pretty ecstatic when I received my acceptance letter. If you look at it from an angle, MIMA is actually a lot like the Juilliard school in New York, curriculum-wise and a lot of other things as well, only Juilliard is a college, while MIMA is a high school.
However, though, they do teach other subjects here as well, such as math, biology, social studies etc. According to what I've read on their website, they feel that their students should receive their full education concerning all walks of life, because it's going to help them later on when it comes to college and whatever is after, and I think that makes a lot of sense - even though I'm pretty sure the real reason for this is that they're legally required to teach other subjects here. Other than providing all subjects necessary for students to graduate, they also have a lot of other activities as well. They were all listed down on their website within the school program for this year, but I didn't see them all since there were a lot of other important things I needed to check out first. This school is actually a lot more interesting than I thought, at least more than any school I've ever attended.
It's also insanely expensive, not kidding here, it does cost a fortune to be able to attend such a school if you're not here on a scholarship, so I figured that most of the students that attend here are rich kids too. It's kind of going to be nerve raking, because I don't think I'll be able to fit in much with these people 'cause I'm such a simple person and I don't enjoy being a rich kid as much as I probably should. But at the same time, I think it'll be a little bit better than my old school, and I might be able to find people I can relate to and actually make friends here.
At the public school that I used to attend last year, nobody really knew anything about my background - at the orders of parents, of course - and I had no problem with that. I didn't want people to be friends with me for a while just because I come from a well-known and then turn their backs on me as soon as it all withered away. And yes, that's exactly how fake some people - or most of them - can be. I wanted real friends who were willing to stick with me and be there for me when I need them, and I knew that school was no place for such people. Except for certain two girls.
Sandra and Marielle. They're sisters, and have been my best friends since we were in third grade. The three of us are really close to each other and have been since the very day that we met. I've never had friends like them in my whole life, so leaving them was definitely a tough thing to do. They're absolutely irreplaceable, and I know that I'll never find friends like them if I lived a million years. They've been all that I had since the third grade, but they were more than enough for me, I didn't really need that many friends as long as I had them, but now that they won't be so close anymore, I think that this the right time to branch out and meet new people. It'll be kind of hard to function in a school this big on my own.
Sandra and Marielle know me like no other, and have seen me at my absolute worst just as much as they've seen me at my best. It'll be difficult to find people as loyal and caring as them here, or anywhere, really. I have no idea how I'm going to function here without them, the three of us used to always do everything together, so being here on my own without them is definitely going to be hard these first couple of weeks.
As if she knows I'm thinking about them, my phone vibrates in my hands and I look down at it to see a text from Sandra.
hey mila :) i know that i just saw you yesterday and we were laughing at hilarious cat videos and munching on popcorn on your couch last night, but i just wanted to say that marie and i miss you so much already and that this shitty school will never be the same without you. but we're really glad that you finally got away from it all and are about to start a better and cooler school year at MIMA. i know you're going to make a lot of friends over there, but please don't forget about marie and i. And please please PLEASE don't change for anybody at all mila, promise me that. you're an incredible person just the way you are and we love you that way. have fun on your first day, and don't forget to fill me in on everything that happens later on! we love you <3.
I find myself smiling so wide at the message that I think my face will stay stuck like this forever as my fingers waste no time speeding across the keyboard to type in a reply.
sandy! i miss you two already as well :'( i would never forget about you, you guys are my best friends! and i promise you i won't change while I'm there just as long as you two do the same. of course! i'll to tell you everything via face time later tonight. please take care of yourselves and tell Marie i said hi. love you and hope to see you soon. we'll stay in touch <3
I lock my phone and sigh heavily as I look out the window at the road. God, how I'm gonna miss them.
The sun is just about to rise fully as we near the academy, painting the sky in captivating shades of red, orange, yellow, pink and purple. The closer we get to the academy, the tighter the knot in my stomach gets. This is going to be a lot scarier than I thought it would. This school is huge, and it has numerous students. Fitting in is going to be hard, especially for someone as shy as I am. Meeting new people was never really my thing, I've always had these thoughts when speaking to people for the very first time, like "What if they don't like me?" or "What if they think I'm weird?", which I know is irrational, but at some point, I believed that everybody around me secretly hated me and thought that I was the most annoying person ever. I have no idea why I felt that way, but I just did. And that's why meeting new people at MIMA is an intimidating experience for me.
I never thought of myself as an interesting person; I'm the kind of girl who loves to spend her Saturday nights reading books or watching movies with all sorts of junk food around her rather than going out and partying like all the other kids my age do. Parties were never really my thing, in fact, I hate them, and I'm not just saying that because I've never been invited to one, I truly think that they're way too overrated. I mean, all that people do there is drink way too much, dance in skimpy clothing around strangers, make out with other people (if not hook up with them) and then sleep on top of each other looking like hot messes, not to forget all the raging hangovers the next morning. I really just don't get what part of that is fun at all. I mean, they're just gonna end up getting trouble with their parents if not with the police for underage drinking and all the other illegal stuff that they do. I don't want to seem like such a Little Miss Perfect, but that's just my honest opinion about it, that is in fact all what happens at parties, if not much worse, and it's just really not my scene.
A couple of minutes later, the car approaches the gates of MIMA, stopping at the security checkpoint just outside the gates, and that's when the knot really tightens. My palms start getting sweaty, my throat gets dry and I'm suddenly glued to the car seat. I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down a little, as the driver hands my admission letter to the guard standing behind the glass. Once he confirms my identity, he signals for the gates to be opened, and we advance into the campus, stopping the car once it's near enough to the buildings.
I exhale one last time before opening my eyes, swinging my backpack over my shoulder and exiting the car just as my driver does so. We both walk around the back of the car and he opens the trunk and pulls my suitcase out and places it on the ground.
"Enjoy your stay, Miss." He beams, and I smile at him and nod. "I will, thank you."
"Also your father told me to remind you to call him as soon you arrive," He adds. "So please give him a call once you're settled in to let him know you arrived safely." He instructs and I nod. "No problem."
"Do you want me to take this inside for you?" He asks, referring to the suitcase and I shake my head as I grab onto its handle. "No, it's fine, I got it. But I appreciate that."
He grins and nods. "Good day, Miss."
"You too." I give a slight wave before he turns around to walk back to the front of the car. I turn around and take a deep breath as I stand face to face with the towering buildings of Miami's International Music Academy. And here begins my junior year.
Finally, I step onto the pavement, rolling my suitcase behind me. The campus is really large, like one of a university; there are two big buildings that stand tall across from me, separated by an alley that leads to what seems like a football field behind the buildings. There's another tall building a distance away from them, but this one is more of a tower, the archive, as I've read, and the library, as most people call it.
According what I've read about it online, it holds all of the most famous and important books on music, theater, literature and art, aside from a lot of other books on so many different things. I think I'll be spending a lot of time there reading. I'm somewhat of a bookworm, and I like reading anything I can get my hands on; from romantic novels to historical autobiographies. I'm generally intrigued by anything as long as it's new information.
The looks that I'm getting from people as I glance around don't exactly help my nervousness. They just look at me, lingering their gazes on me for far longer than deemed appropriate for an accidental glance, as if they know that I'm new. However, there are others who are nice enough to smile at me, and I welcome the comforting gesture by smiling back.
I follow everyone into one of the two big buildings, with hopes of finding the head office somewhere in there - also because I obviously don't know my way around this school and I have no choice but to follow the crowd until I get the hang of it. The inside of the building looks more like a normal school so I figured that's where all the classes are taken - except it's much bigger. The halls are really wide and spacious and the ceiling is so high above us, I nearly snap my neck looking up at it. I look down at the light coral, marble floor seeing my clear reflection in it when suddenly, I bump into someone, sending us both onto the floor.
"Damn it," I mumble, my eyes screwing shut as I rub the side of my head to relieve the pain radiating from it. I open my eyes a moment later to see a soft pair of hazel eyes staring back me with just as much surprise. Light brunette curls fall over his forehead, almost blocking the view of his gorgeous eyes, and I nearly have the urge to brush them out of his face. His strong arms are wrapped around me securely, yet ever so softly as his eyes flick from one of mine to the other. My lips part slightly as I get lost in hazel brown, and suddenly, I'm in my own world.
But that's exactly when we realize the position we're in.
He blinks a couple of times and shakes his head slightly, as if snapping out of a trance before getting off of me, leaving me somewhat disappointed for losing contact with him far too soon. I could've stayed there forever.
"I'm-I'm really, really sorry for knocking you down," He quietly apologizes. "Here, easy," He helps me up ever so gently and carefully before picking up my suitcase and my backpack for me. "Thank you," I say as I swing the bag over my shoulder once again and hold onto the handle of my suitcase.
"But if anything, I should be sorry, I wasn't looking." I look down at my shoes for a second and he doesn't say anything. A moment later I look up at him again.
"I'm sorry, do you happen to know where the head office is?" I ask, and he nods. "I do, it's actually not inside this building, the administration has one of its own. Come on," He motions with his head for me to follow him. "I'll show you where it is."
I nod and he flicks his gaze over to my suitcase. "Let me take this for you." He grabs a hold of its handle and I nod timidly. "Uh, sure, okay." I stutter as he starts towards the doors of the building, rolling the suitcase behind him, with me following a small distance behind.
We don't walk for too long before reaching a much smaller building than the one were in minutes ago. It's about half the the size of it, but still tall in itself. The boy, whose name I still don't know, stops once we step inside.
"Here it is," He says. "the head office is over there, right across the hall, you can't miss it." He points it out for me and I turn to look at him and smile a little. "Thank you." He smiles back and shakes his head. "No problem."
We remain in a somewhat awkward silence for a few seconds as each of us looks all around, desperately trying to avoid each other's eyes. A moment later, he speaks up.
"So, uh..." He scratches the back of his neck. "I've got to get going now. Hopefully I'll see you around?" I bite my lip as I look around for a second, my cheeks probably pink by now, before looking up at him and smiling timidly.
"Sure."
He grins and nods and I turn around to walk away, swiftly grabbing my suitcase and rolling it behind me as I start down the hall towards the head office where he showed me, the biggest and quite possibly the most idiotic smile in existence plastered across my face.
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After submitting my admission papers to the head office, attending the first day of school orientation at the auditorium, going on a tour around the school for new students and freshmen, receiving my textbooks, ID and class schedule for this year, I'm finally on my way to my very first class of the day. My suitcase had already been taken to my dorm room about thirty minutes ago. Apparently, I'll be rooming with a girl named Ally Brooke Hernandez. By her last name, I can tell she's a Latina so I think we might be able to get along.
I stare down at the sheet of paper in my hands which contains all of my daily classes as I keep walking down the hall. First class of the day, Homeroom.
Before I know it, I'm standing in front of the classroom. But before I even think about opening the door, I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths to calm down, reminding myself that everything is going to be fine and that I'm going to have a good time this year.
Finally, I let out one last heavy breath before bringing my hand up to knock on the door. This is it.
"Come in." I hear the teacher say and I close my fingers around the doorknob, twisting it then pushing the door open. I cautiously poke my head inside to see the classroom is already full of students and the teacher is standing in front of them, her eyes on me.
"Hi, um..." I speak. "Is... is this Mrs. Stewart's homeroom for music?" I ask, just to be sure.
The teacher smiles and nods. "That's right. You must be..." She steps a little closer to her desk and flips through some paper before finding the one she wants. I go inside fully and close the door behind me as she looks up at me once again.
"Miss Karla Camila Cabello?"
As soon as these words leave the teacher's lips, several gasps are heard around the room.
Oh, so they already know who I am then. Cool.
That's exactly the effect you have on people when your father is one of the richest and most successful business tycoons in the whole world. I've hated it when people did that around me. I'm just a normal sixteen-year-old girl, for God's sake. I'm just like any other girl my age, and I think it's actually quite insulting when people react that way as soon as I'm introduced to them, because they think I'm such this big, important person just because of who my father is, not because of who I really am as an individual.
"Yeah, that's me." I say, right above a whisper before biting my lip and looking down at the marble floor as I tuck a stray curl of my hair behind my ear, feeling the weight of all the stares and whispers pulling me down.
"Alright, then," The teacher grins before placing the sheet of paper back on her desk. "We're really happy to have you here with us this year, Karla."
"Camila."
"I beg your pardon?" The older woman raises a brow.
"I, um," I pause for second as I stare down at my shoes, before looking up at her once again. "I go by Camila."
"Oh," She seems surprised that I corrected her, but nonetheless nods. I don't regret it, though. I dislike it when people call me by my first name, I've always hated it growing up and I still do to this day, so I never saw any problem in correcting relatives or classmates who'd use it instead of my middle name, let alone teachers.
"Very well, then," She acknowledges before turning to face the rest of the class. "Students, I would really appreciate it if you were all nice to Miss Cabello and made her feel welcomed and at home. Show her the true spirit of our homeroom. Clear?"
"Yes, Mrs." They all say in unison and she smiles and nods before turning back to me.
"Now the seats aren't permanent in any class, so you can sit wherever you'd like. But for now, you can just sit next to..." She scans the classroom, looking for an empty seat as I do the same.
"Ah, Ally Brooke Hernandez, your roommate for the year. I suppose you're already aware of that?" She looks at me and I nod. "I am."
"Very well, then." She says before turning back to look at the students. "Miss Hernandez, please raise your hand to that Miss Cabello can see you."
I turn to look at the rest of the students and see a blonde in the middle of the third row raising her hand and smiling at me. I smile back as my feet guide me across the room to the empty seat beside her. I drop my backpack beside the desk and sit down next to her as Mrs. Stewart beings going over the syllabus for music for this semester.
"Hi." Ally grins as soon as I'm seated beside her and I smile back. "Hey."
"I'm Ally," She sticks her hand out for me to shake. "But you know that already." She giggles. I chuckle softly before taking her hand and shaking it. "And I'm Camila," I say. "But you know that already." I repeat her sentence and we both laugh.
"It's really nice to meet you, though." Ally grins and I smile at her and nod.
"You too."
"Seriously, though," Ally begins after a moment, as I'm taking my books and stationary out of my class. "You're so lucky to be in this class, just so you know," She informs me. "Mrs. Stewart's Music Homeroom is the best one in the whole school. Like, you're guaranteed to get an 'A' in Music if you're with her. I don't know how you managed to secure a spot here as a new student, though, because the people here usually have to turn in their requests months in advance to get a seat."
"Huh," I look away from her as I think for a moment, recalling my father making more than a few phone calls to the admissions office over the summer even after I got my letter. My eyes narrow for a second as I realize that he must be behind this. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I should've known. He goes on and on about wanting me to make a name for myself and work hard and be successful all on my own and then goes and does this behind my back thinking I'm dumb enough not to figure him out. He'll be getting a piece of my mind when I call him later.
"I didn't know that," I tell Ally before shrugging. "Beginner's luck?"
She snorts. "Possibly."
"How did you manage to get a spot?"
"I'm a scholarship student," She explains. "We're automatically placed into whichever homeroom is ranked first. To ensure we keep our grades up, you know."
"How many are there in our grade?" I ask. "Scholarship students, I mean."
"There are ten spots total in each grade," She tells me. "I can't provide you with any names because there's a bit of a bullying culture here," She shrugs. "You know, how rich kids can be. No offense."
"Oh, none taken," I assure her. "I have this friend I grew up with - though I don't know if I can call her that - who enjoyed looking down on my working-class friends. She didn't openly insult them, but she talked excessively about her designer bags and her Europe trips and famous friends whenever they were around. It still bothered me of course, since they're my best friends and she was obviously trying to make them feel like they're less. However, this nothing compared to how she treats the help at her house or at any of her family's events; that's a whole other level. I'm honestly embarrassed to even be seen with her at this point. So I get the whole bullying thing; I've seen it firsthand."
"Yikes," Ally scoffs. "She seems like a piece of work. Why do you still put up with her?"
"Why do all rich kids put up with each other?"
"Let me guess," She places a hand under her chin as if in thought. "Family relations?"
I nod. "The only thing standing in the way of me strangling that bitch."
"Thoughts and prayers."
I giggle softly at that, just as the teacher orders attention, and I return my attention to the smart board.
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For the rest of the class, Ally and I didn't speak much. However, we did meet up afterwards to check each other's classes and found out that we have almost all the same classes for the rest of this day which is pretty cool. It's just really nice to have at least one friend on the first day of school to walk around with. I would've never survived these halls on my own.
As of now, I'm packing my things into my backpack after my last class of the day which is English Lit, and which I unfortunately don't share with Ally. As soon as I have all of my stuff inside my bag, I swing one strap over my shoulder then stand up and move towards the door to exit the classroom. As soon as both of my feet are out, I feel a soft grip on my hand and I'm suddenly being dragged down the hall.
"Woah, slow down a little, would you?" I say to Ally and she thankfully does as I said and slows down a little bit. "Sorry," She giggles as she looks at me as we continue down the hall towards the doors of the building. "I'm just..." She shrugs with a smile. "A little hyperactive today. First day of Junior Year and all."
"Where are we going anyway?" I ask her as soon as we're outside. "To our dorm room." She tells me as she leads me to the Residence building. "It says here that it's room 203 on the second floor, so we won't be going up too many flights of stairs, thankfully." She says, her eyes on a piece of paper in her hands.
Ally runs her ID card through the machine at the entrance of the building, and we go inside and up the stairs to the second floor, stopping in front of a brown door that has the room number on it. Ally pulls out her key before I can pull out mine and unlocks the room. She twists the doorknob and pushes the door open before stepping inside with me following behind.
The walls of the room are painted in cream, with a neat set of furniture, to go along. There are two beds on either side of the room with crisp white comforters laid over them. A small doorway off to the side leads to a little kitchenette, more like a small room in the corner with a mini fridge, a microwave on top of it, a double stove, a sink and a few small cabinets in it, top and bottom. Back in the actual room, there are two closets at the foot of each bed with two writing desks next to them and a full-length mirror in the hallway near the door. In that same hallway is the bathroom, to the right of the door when we go in. A fluffy, grey couch sit under the window, which is covered by white blinds. In front of the couch, is a dark, wooden coffee table, placed over a white, oval carpet. A plasma T.V. hangs on the wall across from the couch, and under it, is a small set of shelves. Not bad at all.
"So," I hear Ally speak up as I look around the room then turn to face her. "which bed do you want?"
I bite my lip as I flick my gaze between both beds before settling my gaze on the one at the left side of the room, directly across from the door and point towards it. "I think I'll take that one."
"Fine by me." Ally drops her backpack on the floor near the coffee table and plops down on the couch. I sit down on my chosen bed and drop my bag on the floor as well as I begin to look around the room again.
"You know," Ally starts after a few seconds. "this room needs something." She sits up straight.
"What do you mean?" I ask her. "I don't know, like a pop of color, picture frames, paintings, ooh," She claps her hands together as if she just got an idea, which I think is rather adorable. "Maybe some tapestry?"
"Actually, yeah, you're right," I say as I look around the room, trying to imagine just what kind of decorations would look good in different places. "This room does need a bit of personal touch. If we're gonna be staying here all year long, we might as well at least try to make it look less like a hotel room and more like actual dorm."
"Pinterest?" She pulls out her phone and I grin.
"Let's do it."
I guess we're gonna get along pretty well.
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