Addison was leant against the wall outside Dean Eaton's office the next morning at 10 am. Jennifer had sent a message that the Dean wanted a word with her. Knowing exactly what the Dean wanted to talk about, Addison was in no rush to see him. She had been standing outside for a few minutes now. Her mind running through the events of the previous day. What exactly was she going to say?
Before she had time to get her thoughts in order, the door opened and Addison was ushered inside the Dean's office. She sat on a chair facing the Dean for about a minute, neither of them wanting to speak immediately. Addison concentrated on the view of the grounds of Eaton outside the window. The clouds were a light grey but it was bright outside, an indication that it was going to snow later. Yet it was London, it could snow for five minutes and then be bright and sunny soon after. Maybe even a thunderstorm after that.
"Are you okay?" Asked Dean Eaton bringing Addison back from her thoughts.
Addison nodded. "Yes."
Dean Eaton studied her, almost challenging her to say otherwise. "What happened yesterday?" When Addison didn't respond straight away, the Dean continued. "We have CCTV footage, Miss Pierce. What particularly caught our attention was that you entered the sports building, and then not so long after, Miss Fell entered too. A few minutes later you both entered the swimming pool. However, you ran out petrified and drenched whilst Miss Fell followed looking extremely anxious. Five minutes later you ended up in the infirmary. Care to explain?"
Addison hadn't thought about security camera's watching her. Of course, the sports building had cameras. Why hadn't she realised that? If the Dean didn't see what happened, then must mean that the cameras were only in the corridors and not in the actual rooms.
All the anger she hatred she felt towards Blair was rising to the surface. Addison despised her with every inch of her soul. How dare she try something so low. "I went into the room with the swimming pool and Blair followed me in." Addison started. "The floor was slippery and my shoes didn't have a good grip. So naturally, I slipped and fell face first into the pool. I could have got up on my own considering it was only my face in the water, but Blair got me out. She knew I had a fear of water so she wanted to help. I got really scared so I ran out. I hadn't eaten much yesterday so I felt dizzy and I guess that's why I fainted."
Addison's hands were curled up into fists by her sides. She hated how she was covering for Blair. Yet what was the worst Dean Eaton would do? Revoke her from Elite privileges? Higher her tuition fee? Send a letter home to mummy and daddy? What type of punishments would they be? Pathetic ones. There was no way that Dean Eaton would expel a student who's parents paid for most of Eaton Academy's fundings. Addison didn't need him to. She would make sure Blair suffered herself.
Dean Eaton watched Addison for a few seconds, probably contemplating whether she was telling the truth or not. "It seems like the Board thinks otherwise."
There it was again. The mighty Board of Education getting themselves involved in Addison's life at every stage possible. They didn't even know her yet they were constantly interfering with her life. Why? "Well, the Board is wrong."
"Addison I think-"
Addison had finally had enough. "Sorry Dean Eaton, but everyone seems to be questioning me lately and frankly I've had enough of it. I've told you what happened so what more is there to discuss?"
Dean Eaton stayed quiet for a few moments and then sighed. "You're free to go."
Addison's lips parted as she stared at the Dean with questioning eyes. "Really?" Addison asked not truly believing that she would be allowed to go so easily.
"Yes. Go before I change my mind."
Addison nodded and got up from her chair. She was just about to leave when she turned back and said thanks.
Just as Addison closed the door to the Dean office, she spotted Blair walking towards her. "Did you tell him?" She questioned. Addison could tell from her slight smirk that she knew the answer already.
"No," Addison said keeping the talking to a minimal.
Blair's smirk grew bigger. "Great. You've finally learnt who has the upper hand around this place."
Addison wasn't afraid. Maybe it was because she had found some confidence within herself, or maybe she was lying to her own mind. "Hmm, something like that."
"You better be on your guard Pierce." Blair spat Addison's surname like it was poison in her mouth. "You never know when something bad might happen."
Addison felt anger overwhelm her. It was coursing through her body like wildfire. "Is that a threat?"
The smirk never left Blair's face. "Yes."
Addison huffed and shook her head slightly. She took a step towards Blair and kept a poker face. "I wouldn't be throwing threats around if I was you, Blair. You look damn idiotic when you can't carry them through. As for yesterday, we both know how things went down and as for Dean Eaton, I think we both know deep down he knows the truth. Everyone sees you for what you are Blair, a pathetic, heartless bitch. Wake up, smell the roses. No one gives a damn about you."
Blair's eyes grew with anger. She lifted her hand which was about to collide with Addison's face before she caught it just in time. Addison shook her head disapprovingly before speaking once more, "and you'll get what's coming to you." With that, Addison left Blair standing dumbfounded and walked as far away as she could.
Addison let all thoughts of Blair go as soon as she walked away. With dorm arrest no longer in place, Addison decided to take a trip to the old music room Maya had shown her. She walked up the staircase and reached the antique looking room with the famous musician's portraits on the walls. She smiled at the memory of the first, and only other time, she was there. When Maya had played the song that Addison knew.
She walked over the rosewood grand piano and ran her fingers gently through the keys. She then sat down on the stool and began to play the composition. The notes danced with each other and Addison swayed to the melody. The song had no words, but it spoke volumes.
After she was done, Addison started to play around with a few chords and notes. Soon enough she had created a song of her own. She even had words to go with it, but she hummed instead of singing them. It occurred to Addison how odd that was. That she wouldn't sing, not ever. She would only ever mime or hum. Addison had got used to it by now, but that didn't mean everyone else had.
By the time she was finished, she realised that she had missed lunch. It was 2:34 pm in the afternoon. Knowing that she needed to keep her glucose levels up to avoid questions from the Academy's nurse, Addison went down to the main kitchen and made herself a chicken and mayonnaise baguette to eat.
As she was walking back from the kitchen, she noticed that it was quite bright outside. Not because it was sunny, but because it was snowing. It had snowed quite a bit since Addison was in the music room. There was even a centimetre of snow on the ground. Addison smiled widely. She was like a child when it came to snow. She absolutely loved it!
Addison rushed to the Elite dorms and got changed into suitable warm clothing. Then she went outside and took a walk around the academy in the brilliant white snow. There was something so satisfying in looking at the snow that was untouched. Addison hated the black mess it became once people or cars had trampled all over it.
The scene she looked at was perfect. There was a blanket of snow covering the grass and the branches of the trees. The lake was still as the water had turned into ice. It was like walking in a winter wonderland. Addison preferred winter to autumn. There was something about the winter months that made her feel happy.
Addison wasn't the only one who had taken advantage of the weather. Thomas and Isabelle were walking towards Addison. They waved to her as they came closer. Addison waved back. They made such a cute pair, she wouldn't be surprised if they got together. She had a sneaky suspicion that Isabelle had a secret crush on Thomas. Her face was glowing in happiness as the two of them walked on the snow linked arm in arm. Thomas looked like he was in a better place too. In all her time at Eaton, she had never seen him so relaxed.
They strolled passed Addison and walked on. Up ahead she saw Caiden looking at a little bundle of clothing jumping up and down. Maddison had on a coat that was so big for her that Addison could hardly see her face.
As Addison got closer, she could hear what Maddison was saying more clearly. "Cay, please! Just let me make a snowman and then we'll go!"
Caiden shook his head. "Munchkin you're going to fall sick. We should really be going back in now."
"We've only been out for a few seconds Cay!"
Caiden exhaled heavily. "Maddie, it's been ten minutes."
Maddison stomped her foot angrily. She turned around and spotted Addison coming towards them. "Addie! Will you make a snowman with me?"
Addison looked at her big brother. Caiden gave her a death glare. Addison almost took it as a compliment, she hadn't gotten one of his famous death glares in a while. She was even starting to miss them. She looked back at Maddison and smiled. "Sure."
Caiden scowled Addison. "Fine, but when she falls sick, you'll be the one to blame." After looking at Addison for a few more seconds, he walked back to the academy.
Addison hesitated. She didn't want Maddison to get sick, maybe she should take her back inside. "Don't worry Addie, I'm having too much fun to get sick," Maddison said. Addison smiled, another few minutes couldn't hurt, right?
There wasn't much snow on the ground, the snowman would have to be a small one which wouldn't take much time to make. "Okay then! What do you want to make, the body or the head?"
Maddison pondered on the question for a few seconds. "The head!"
Addison chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm. "I'll make the body then. Let's get started!"
The two girl's worked as a team and collected as much snow as they could to make into two separate snowballs. Addison then placed the head on top of the body and brushed off any excess snow. "Look okay?" Addison asked.
Maddison examined their creation in different angles before nodding her head. "We need to make eyes and a nose and a mouth."
"We do indeed." Addison looked around for some materials to use. When she turned back, the little girl was gone. Addison did a three sixty degrees turn and was about to call out her name when the little girl came into view again.
She was running towards Addison with one hand in a fist. She opened it up and displayed two little stones. "For the eyes!" Maddison proclaimed.
Addison nodded excitedly. Making a snowman was turning her into a child again. "Good job Maddie!" She held up her palm for a high-five but Maddison didn't return it. Instead, she scowled at Addison with accusing eyes. Addison lowered her hand and crouched down to her height. "What's wrong?"
"You said my name," Maddison replied.
Addison was taken aback by the answer. She had called her 'Maddie' like she always had. Maddison never had a problem with it before. Why the sudden dislike towards the name? "Do you not want me to call you Maddie?"
Maddison shook her head. "No."
Addison looked at the little girl with puzzled eyes. "What do you want me to call you then?"
Maddison replied instantly. "What you called me yesterday when me, Maya and Freya came to visit."
Addison thought back to what she had called Maddison in the infirmary. "Baby girl."
Maddison's face broke out into a wide smile. She nodded excitedly and handed Addison the tiny stones.
"Baby girl it is then." Addison wrapped her arms around Maddison in a hug. She felt how cold her little nose was and decided their time outside had to come to an end. "How about we go inside and get you some hot chocolate?"
Maddison nodded. The two girls walked into the warmth of the academy and to the main kitchen. Addison picked up Maddison and sat her on one of the chairs before making them both a Belgian hot chocolate. Addison took off her coat and Maddison instantly smiled. "You're hair looks really pretty!"
Addison had almost forgotten about the hair cut. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "Thanks. It's not as pretty as your hair though."
Maddison giggled and then drank her hot chocolate that was topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. The girls talked about different things. Maddison even told her about school and her best friend Gracie. Apparently, their friendship was so strong that they even shared lunch together. Four-year-olds were so cute. It was hard to think that someone could bully the little girl. She was just too bubbly and adorable.
After finishing their drinks, Addison took Maddison back to the dorm. Caiden was inside his room and came out as soon as the two girls entered. He told his little sister that he was going to go bowling with Daniel and wondered if she wanted to come. Maddison said yes instantly and then the two of them went on their outing.
Two hours later, there was a knock on the dorm door. Maya stood in the doorway with an envelope in her hand. She looked puzzled for a few seconds when Addison answered but quickly recovered. "I almost forgot you stayed here now," Maya said as she handed Addison the envelope that was addressed to Caiden. "It's an invitation to the Winter Ball. It's only for Elites but I expect that you'll be attending as Caiden's plus one?"
Addison almost laughed at that. As if Caiden would ever ask her to be his plus one. He wouldn't even ask her if she was the last person left on the planet. Plus, Maddison was most likely going to be his first and preferred choice. "Probably not" Addison replied amused.
"You can be my plus one then" Maya stated. Addison smiled. Maya then noticed Addison's hair for the first time. "Addie you're hair looks amazing! But the lip shade is all wrong. Come with me, I've got a colour that I think will suit you."
Addison grabbed her dorm card from the dining table and left with Maya to her dorm. The dorm was slightly different to Caiden's. The living room didn't have a dining table or grey L-shaped sofas. It only had a single burgundy sofa, a flat screen TV, a wall cabinet and a glass coffee table. The hallway was the same as Caiden's except there were two doors instead of four. Addison expected that they were both en suite bedrooms. That meant that Maya and Freya didn't have an extra bathroom or a kitchen like Caiden did. However, their Elite dorm was still a lot better than the normal dorms.
Freya greeted Addison and agreed with Maya about the lip shade. Maya led Addison into her room while Freya went to fetch her a little surprise. Maya's room had a red and white theme. Her dressing table was filled with makeup and her wardrobe was open showcasing all her designer clothes. It was every girl's dream room.
Maya went through her lipstick collection until she came across the one she was looking for. She handed Addison a makeup wipe and then the lipstick to put on. She was right. Addison loved the shade a lot better than the one she had been wearing. It was a dark red colour that wasn't too dark for her skin tone. "You can have it. I haven't used it yet and the colour suits you better than it would have suited me."
Addison smiled in appreciation. "Thanks. How much was it? I'll pay-"
"Don't worry about it." Maya interrupted. "Consider it an early Christmas present."
The door then opened and Freya came in holding a tube. "Your hair looks amazing but I think I know how to make it even better." She wiggled the tube in her hand. "Caramel highlights. what do you say? I can do it for you it you want?"
"Have you ever done it before?"
Freya nodded. "A couple of times."
They were friends and Addison trusted her not to mess anything up. "Then go ahead."
The girls chatted as Freya got to work on Addison's hair. Addison was reminded of how Katerina used to do her hair sometimes when she was bored. That reminded Addison, she needed a catch-up session with her old roommate. It had only been a day since they had spoken last, but a lot had happened in the space of twenty-four hours.
Addison looked around the room and wondered why Blair had ever given up such a luxurious dorm for a 'common' one. Instead of wondering about it, she asked the two girls that may actually know the answer. "Do you know why Blair moved to the North Wing?"
Maya and Freya didn't seem fazed by the question. Actually, Freya might not have even heard Addison, she was too busy concentrating on her hair. "Do you know why Cam and I broke up?" Maya asked in return.
Addison shook her head. She actually didn't know the reason and she had never thought to ask either.
"It's the same reason why Caiden and Daniel hate Blair and why I keep a distance from her. She hooked up with Cam a few days before the end of the second year. Then they did it again this summer. Blair was dating Caiden at the time and they got into a massive fight. She was probably too humiliated to stay in the Elite dorms so she took Ava and went to the North Wing."
Wow. Blair actually cheated on Caiden, but it was still Blair who broke up with Caiden and not the other way around. Addison hadn't realised how much drama went on at Eaton. It was supposed to be the most prestigious school in the world. You would think that this sort of thing wouldn't happen there, but no. Eaton was just like any other school. The same drama. The same type of personalities. The only difference was that at Eaton, it was the norm to be rich.
One thing still didn't make sense to Addison. "Why does everyone keep saying that it's strange that Caiden and Blair broke up then?"
"Because no one other than Blair and Cam knew. Caiden must have found out somehow. Cam told me out of guilt a week before the start of this academic year. Two day's later I booked a three week holiday to Bora Bora."
Freya then spoke. "Enough of all that. I'm done!"
Addison walked to the mirror and looked at her hair. Her face erupted into a smile. She loved it! Freya had done an amazing job. The highlights were subtle but you could definitely see a difference. Addison thanked Freya and Maya for their help.
She really did love her friends.
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