"Let the world outside
forget us for a while,
as we lose ourselves
in these moments together.
Even when we don't speak,
the silence is charged
with magic and meaning.
Hearts have their own language
and ours are always speaking."
-John Mark Green
PO...
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OPHELIA NOLAN ALWAYS CLAIMED TO HATE WELTON. For one thing, it was a school for boys, which she was not. Had her Uncle not wanted to 'keep an eye on her and her education' she might have been shipped off to another school, one with girls like her. She hated the teachers, who droned on with monotone voices about subjects that seldom interested her.
Ophelia Nolan always claimed to hate Welton, and that was true. But she hated not being at Welton more. The summers and breaks she spent at her Uncle's home made Welton look like heaven.
The past summer was spent waiting by the phone with a cut cord for calls that would never come, staring at the floorboards with an odd feeling of emptiness. The private tutoring sessions she was forced to attend acted as mere background noise, reminding her of the lack of autonomy she had in her own life.
Now she sat in her single room, staring at the bare walls around her as she tried not to fold into herself, shutting out all thoughts. She had talked her way out of the welcoming ceremony that year, making an excuse to her Uncle about 'feminine issues' that had her dismissed in two seconds. She had only been alerted to the end of the ceremony when the hall outside her door grew loud, boyish voices booming at one another while telling the tales of summer.
She laid still for a moment, trying to muster the energy to move. Only the thoughts of her friends, the rowdy boys who made her feel welcome when she first came to Welton at ten, could rouse the motivation.
So, she pushed herself off the bed, ignoring the trunk she had yet to unpack in favor of prying open the door she had used to shut herself off from everything.
No doubt Neil's room would be the meeting place for the rest of their group. She could see she was right when her eyes fell on the cluster of familiar boys crowding the door. Instantly she felt her mood change, a new energy propelling her forward to her safe haven.
"Have you seen the princess?" She heard Charlie Dalton ask who she presumed was Neil beyond the door. "Couldn't find her at the ceremony."
"I hear she dropped out," Ophelia announced, making her presence known to the group. She sent a smirk to Knox who stood closest to her. "Tired of all the testosterone."
Meeks shoved the boy aside, enveloping her in a hug, "How was your summer Fe? Any secret love affairs?" He joked.
Charlie rolled his eyes, reaching out to ruffle her hair, "Don't be ridiculous, everyone knows Princess here is absolutely in love with Cameron."
Ophelia giggled, swatting his hand away, "I hate you." She moved forward, nudging Knox as she entered the doorway, settling herself onto Neil's bed. She noted the other male in the room, but distracted herself as Neil greeted the rest.
"Oh sure, make yourself right at home," Neil teased, striding to greet the others at the door. "How was your summer, Slick?"
"Keen." Meeks laughed as the three entered the room. "Meeks. Door. Closed."
