The Girl in the Boys' Dorms

Chapter Six: An old wild card, and a new one, what a beautiful family reunion.

The Girl in the Boys' Dorms - Chapter Six: An old wild card, and a new one, what a beautiful family reunion this is.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" I blubbered as I followed Kathleen to the cafeteria.

She only shot me a look of sympathy, the corners of her lips twitching as though she wanted to laugh - but she didn't. And truthfully, I didn't blame her. I mean, come on, the thought of me, Bailey Underwood, decorating myself with in an evening gown, strapping my feet into sparkly sandals, and strutting in front of the entire student body, was pretty ridiculous. Everyone had probably been picturing that disastrous scene - which would involve me clambering up the steps onto the stage, tripping over the hem of my dress, and then falling to the floor in a heap of silk and glitter - when my name was called as the wild card entry.

Actually no, they definitely had been picturing that disastrous scene. That would explain the laughter and jeering.

Even now, as we were trying to make our way peacefully to the lunch room, people were pointing at me and whispering things to each other, none of them being very discreet. In fact, they were just the opposite - muttering jokes about me so that I could hear them, and exchanging amused glances whenever I passed. Some of them poked me, and grinned widely, as though out of mock encouragement.

Of course, that was to be expected. Kathleen had warned me while I was hiding in the bathroom - yes, I had been hiding in the bathroom, because I couldn't handle being the center of attention, and fled out of the auditorium - that they would be like this. She had told me that every year, whichever girl was picked as the wild card for the pageant, was made fun of. She also said that none of them ever won, because the previous victor always made sure to enter someone who wouldn't have a chance at winning. But Kathleen also promised me that it would smooth over soon enough, and that all the students would return to their own lives, and would forget about something as unimportant to them as me.

Yeah, not the best pep-talk in the world, but it did its job. I managed to drag myself out of the ladies' restroom, with my face lowered and my arms crossed, and back into the hallway. From there, everything began to crumble - mainly because, as Kathleen had so sweetly put it, I was the wild card and was, therefore, subject to ridicule.

"Calm down, Bailey," Kathleen advised sternly, as we rounded the corner, and lumbered into the cafeteria, which was already packed with students.

I cringed slightly as four hundred pairs of eyes swiveled over to gape at me as I stumbled after Kathleen and to the lunch line. Because lunch was the only time the whole school was together at once, except for assemblies - there was a cafeteria in each dormitory, both boys' and girls', and we were supposed to eat dinner and breakfast in those, but were supposed to have lunch in the common cafeteria - there was always the buzz of gossip. And today, I was the new topic.

"Don't pay attention to them, Bailey," a different, sugary voice said kindly, and them a hand cupped itself around my elbow. I looked up to see a slender, brunette girl with shiny hazel irises standing there, a gentle smile on her lips. She chuckled when she realized that I had no idea who she was, and gestured for me to move ahead in line, "Go on, it's your turn to get your food."

I nodded absentmindedly, still aware of her fingers on my arm, and grabbed the first thing I saw - a bowl of what appeared to be spaghetti, but had an odd, gooey, yellowish blob of cheese on top of it. Plucking a plastic fork from the pile, I stuffed it into my food, and proceeded to my usual lunch table, where Kathleen was already removing tomatoes from her salad. She watched me suspiciously as I approached, her eyes scanning the unknown person behind me. I shrugged when she gave me a questioning look, and took my seat beside her.