Secrets

Chapter Two

Anya

Sun Valley Academy is wealthy, extraordinarily wealthy, and I do not fit in. It’s even worse that it’s October and term started over a month ago. I walk into the school entrance, not oblivious to the stares and giving small smiles when I catch someone’s eye. I’ve already been sent a map so make my way to the office to pick up my schedule.

As I am getting ready to leave and head to my first class, map in hand to help me scour the maze that is this school, I am greeted by a petite girl with perfect blonde ringlets and a perfect pink, gleaming smile.  She looks me up and down and smiles.

“Anya Blakeman?” She raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me. At my slight nod she holds out her hand and her smile grows even bigger. “Michelle Kingsley.”

“Nice to meet you Michelle.” I say, shaking the hand she has held out to me.

“Wow, are you English?”

“Welsh.” I state, simply, but poor Michelle looks confused. “Sure, I’m English.” It’s much easier than trying to explain – something I discovered long ago.

“Fantastic. We don’t have any other English students here. And your accent is so cool! It’s not like some of the British people you see on television that you just can’t understand. Well, maybe you can, but I certainly can’t.”

She looks at me expectantly but I can’t bring myself to respond. Every time it’s the same conversation. The same mundane topics just because I’m not American. No originality whatsoever and I find myself thinking about what people would talk to me about if I was from New York.

“Anyway,” Michelle continues, “What have you got first?” She takes a look at my schedule and nods whilst, yes, still smiling.

“Um, Spanish first, I think.”

“Yes, with Senor Ramírez, same as me! Great, let’s go.”

I nod and follow her out of the office and into the snake pit. It’s much busier than when I first arrived and I find myself constantly dodging bodies while I race to keep up with the ridiculously fast Michelle.

“Okay, so let me tell you about the way things run here. Know your enemies and who you can and cannot talk to.”

“There are people that I can’t speak to?”

“Of course!” She looks at me with disdain, shocked at my clear lack of Sun Valley Academy social skills. “Firstly, do not speak to any of the varsity players or cheerleaders unless they speak to you first, which they probably won’t do because they keep to their own. Don’t take this personally.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Now, there are levels of the social ladder that you will fall into. It’s fairly simple just stick to lower, middle and upper class.”

This is ridiculous. Surely I should be concerned about getting up to date in my classes and understand the American schooling system in general! It’s so different to what I am used to and, to be honest, I don’t get it! But no, apparently the only thing I need to know is who to speak to. Or rather, who not to speak to.

“The likelihood is that you will fall into middle class. Upper class is all the jocks and cheerleaders. Middle is the general day to day population and lower is the nerds and ‘unknowns’.”

“Unknowns?”

“Yes. If the upper class don’t know your name then you are an unknown. I can’t imagine you’ll have that problem though, being new. You’ll be known in no time.”