SECRETS

CHAPTER 6

We left the dorm and took a leisurely stroll until we finally arrived at another one of the school's magnificent buildings. Stepping inside, I was once again overcome with awe at the sheer size of the place. It seemed like it could easily accommodate a whole stadium's worth of people. The dining hall itself was a sight to behold, with rows upon rows of elegantly long tables. It was definitely on the fancier side. Breaking my trance, Harvard warmly welcomed me, "You're welcome to the dining hall." Curiosity piqued, I inquired, "So, do you have all your meals here?" Harvard chuckled and replied, "No, only dinner. Breakfast and lunch are taken in the cafeteria, which is conveniently located at the heart of the classroom blocks." Glancing around, I couldn't help but notice that the hall was nearly filled to capacity. "Looks like we're running a tad bit late," I remarked.

'How about a tour?'
'Sure thing.'
'Well the sitting arrangement here is on class basis. These first four rows are occupied by the freshmen. The next four are the sophomores, the next are for the juniors,where we should be sitting. And the last set of rows is occupied by the seniors.' Harvard said as we walked past the dining tables after picking our dinner trays.
'And that last one.' I said noticing a table that wasnt in a set like the others.'
'Well that there is the table of 'no limitations.' Well there are limitations . You've got to be popular. You need approval to sit there. The majority are the seniors,followed by the juniors of course...a couple of sophomores..and none a freshman.' Harvard said.
'And who grants the approval?' I asked curious
'Rapha Pelligrini.
He's set record in this school. He's been sitting on that table since freshman year.'
'Interesting.' I remarked.
We finally reached the set of tables for the juniors. Our conversation was interrupted by a familiar person. 'Hayden" I exclaimed.

'You know him?' Harvard asked,surprised. 'Yeah.'
'Hey there. I see you've met my little sister.' Now i was the surprised one. 'Oh shouldn't you be sitting on the sophomore side' she mocked him in a childish voice.
'Why dont the two of you lovely ladies join us at the table.' He said  pointing at the 'no limitations' table.
'No. We're fine here.' Harvard said brushing him off.
'Oh c'mon. Don't be salty.'

Hayden led us to the table. It had less people compared to the rest.   I noticed Eric and Brandon were there too. I said a 'hey' and took a seat across them and next to Harvard. 'Hey,all of you here,i need your attention. This here is Charlotte. She's new at RoseHill and she's gonna seat with us from now.' Hayden announced. 'Wait, what happened to approval? And do you always sit here?' I asked Harvard in a whisper.
'I have no idea. And yeah,most of the time.
I talked to Eric and Brandon for a bit. And then got to meet Eliana, Tiffany, TJ and a bunch of guys whose names slipped out of my mind. 'Where's Rapha?'some girl asked. 'I dont know. Havent seen Brett either.' Brandon replied.
'They're probably together then.' 'Or he's sitting at the senior table. Y'all know he's got some rusty attitude these days.' Eric butted in.
'Trouble in paradise?'someone else added in,followed by a couple of chuckles.

'So Charlotte. Where are you from?' Brandon asked. I had to create a story instantly. 'My family moves around alot. So basically,i've moved from country to country. But i've spent most of my time living in Australia. A little while ago,unfortunately, my school caught fire. And well..long story short,we moved here.' I lied..took me some guts to say that. I did get get a couple of pity apologies but that was no problem.

*~*~*~*~

I groaned as I woke up to the sound of that annoying buzzing alarm. I couldn't tell if it was Harvard's or Brett's, but it was driving me crazy. I quickly grabbed a pillow and covered my head, trying to block out the noise. But just when I thought I could catch a few more minutes of sleep, I felt the pillow being snatched away from me. "Get up, lazybones. You're gonna be late for school," Harvard said, sounding way too perky for my liking. I let out a sleepy protest, "Can't I sleep in on my first day?" But when I finally opened my eyes, there was Harvard, all dressed and ready to go. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled towards the shower.

It had been ages since I last wore a school uniform, but hey, at least it was comfy. I quickly grabbed my schedule and gave it a glance. My first class was Art and Design. Since I had no clue where any of the classroom blocks were, I grabbed the brochure-like map and made my way out of the dorm. Time to navigate this new territory!

After what felt like an eternity, I finally located my class on the top floor of a three-story building with stunning balconies. I was a bit late, but luckily, being the new kid had its perks. Everyone in the class was busy working on their own canvas, fully immersed in their creative process. "Just grab a canvas and some overalls if you're comfortable, along with the materials, and you're good to go," Miss Mariane, the instructor, announced. Today's painting theme was "The Power of Dreams."

I settled down and faced the canvas, ready to dive into my creative zone. I couldn't help but notice TJ, one of the guys from the table last night, and I greeted him with a friendly wave. After a few brushstrokes and paint smudges, I started to feel a bit suffocated and decided to take a breather. Honestly, my art piece wasn't turning out the way I wanted, and I was getting tired of waiting for inspiration to strike.

I stepped out of the room and onto the balcony, feeling the gentle breeze brushing through my hair. The view was absolutely breathtaking, with the trees dancing in rhythm with the wind. As I glanced downward, I spotted a group of students gathered at the base of the ground floor, taking group pictures. It seemed like they could be representing a student body or a club, perhaps for a magazine feature? I found myself captivated, observing them as they took a few shots, completely unaware of the passing time. Soon enough, they shifted their focus to taking individual photos.

I stayed,still watching all of them. Until they were all gone. And there was one person still taking pictures. The ruffled hair,those eyes. It was him. The cute guy from the boy's dormitory. Suddenly i felt myself smile...or blush...and i felt like my stomach was a butterfly garden. I was probably mentally drooling. He looked up and noticed me smiling at him. He shot a couple of his perfect smiles back.
And for a couple of minutes,it went back and forth. Until i was driven out of la-la land when a strawberry blonde ran up to him,hugged him tightly and kissed him. And my butterflies died.