"This is what she had become."
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Cleopatra Banks' last week in the small town of New Chelsea is nothing like she would have imagined it, but nothing could have prepared her for the stinging betrayal she's faced with and suddenly the prospect of...
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"Ooh you're big," he cocks his head to the side and scrunches up his nose.
Warmth creeps into my cheeks and my face contorts. "I'd help you up but you look as though you'll just weigh me down. Catch you later babe," he winks at me and turns to leave, two similarly dressed boys materializing behind him and they walk away together almost in sync.
Of course that's something a demi-god wannabee and his posse would do to someone like me. These sexy little people only care about themselves.
A few students spare glances at me, shaking their heads as they walk past me but none of them bother to help me up.
With boatloads of discomfort I haul myself up from the floor and start picking up the contents that have scattered all around me. A small pond of purple liquid has formed in front of me and I do well to avoid it but some of the grape juice has already messed up bits of my top and nearly half of one shoe.
I glare at the purple stain on my white canvas shoe once I've thrown everything into my bag and desperately try to remove the stain by rubbing at it with my fingers.
Hopeless. If anything I'm just making everything worse.
Now my fingers are sweet and sticky. On cue my stomach grumbles. I feel hungry, weak and irritated.
I want to go home!
In a huff, I walk in the direction of the cafeteria and trudge through the corridors until I've reached my destination. I'm grateful that mom made me lunch. At least I won't have to follow that stupid lunch line. The last thing I want to do is draw further attention to myself. I think I've done enough damage for one day.
It's when I stop at the threshold between the cafeteria and the outdoor eating area that I notice something really strange. It's not that these flamingos are all wearing pink, it's that everyone has been organized into clusters based on which shade of pink they're wearing.
In the cafeteria itself, are softer, lighter shades of pink and on the outside are the brighter more obnoxious shades. The brighter and fancier the attire, the closer you are to the shade, grass and fountains.
What does this all mean? I smell a hierarchy.
My stomach grumbles again. I have to find a place to sit asap and since nobody is willing to explain this flamingo system to me I wander like a lost sheep in the outdoor eating area.
I'm certain the people who make the brochures are unaware of this.
Any additional information would have been very helpful, thank you very much!
Everyone momentarily stops what they're doing and they all look at me. It's as though time is standing still for a moment. Why are they all staring at me? Beads of sweat start dotting my forehead and my palms moisten.
