The Girl in the Boys' Dorms

Chapter Seven: I'd take inexperienced nun over wild slut any day.

The Girl in the Boys' Dorms - Chapter Seven: I'd take inexperienced nun over wild slut any day. Thanks for nothing, bitch. 

I spent the entire weekend holed up in my room, ignoring Chase as fully as I could, so when Monday rolled around, I was more than reluctant to go out.

Unfortunately, though, I had to remove myself from the comfort of my bed, because if I didn't attend my classes, I would probably be thrown out of the school. And that was never a very appealing thought. So, biting back my anxiety, I trudged to the bathroom and began my morning ritual of showering, drying myself, and then pulling on my uniform in absolute order - first the socks, then the skirt, the shirt, the tie, the blazer, and finally, the shoes.

Chase, as usual, was gone by the time I even pulled the blankets off of myself - he had basketball practice every morning from six to eight - so everything was painfully quiet. I felt jittery as I loaded all of my books and supplies into my bag, aware that the moment I stepped foot into the main school building, the teasing would begin anew. I had heard from Kathleen that people were still discussing my surprise entry in the pageant, and that they hadn't forgotten about it just yet, but were actually talking about it more because of my absence. She warned me that if I didn't show my face soon, the rumors would become even worse - students were starting to question whether or not I had transferred schools.

The most outrageous piece of gossip about me, was that I had been so embarrassed about being chosen as the wild card, that I dropped out of North Shore, covered my head with a paper bag, and ran all the way back to Nebraska. Well, whoever made up that story certainly has a blooming future in creative writing.

"Come on, Bailey. Come on, it's no big deal. You'll be fine." I continued this mantra in my mind and under my breath, as I hitched my backpack over my shoulder and left for the elevator.

The entire building seemed to be deserted, because I didn't meet a single person on my way to the elevators at the other end of the hallway. Either I was extremely late for first period, or somehow, the whole male student body had been wiped out. I didn't know which it was - though, knowing my impeccable punctuality, the latter would be more accurate than the former - but I didn't question it. The less attention I got, the better it was for me.

My luck didn't remain on the good side for long, though, because the moment I punched the down button, another person appeared beside me in record speed. Panting and harried, Evan leaned against the wall as the lift zoomed to our level. He didn't seem to realize that I was there with him, and just lumbered into the elevator the second the doors spread open.

"I can't believe I slept in!" He gasped, tapping his foot, as though he expected that to make the lift go any faster. "It's already seven-forty-five! School starts in fifteen minutes, and I've missed the morning Spanish club meeting!"

I smiled to myself when I heard this. He was the president of the Spanish club, and was always deeply immersed in their activities. Of course, missing a single meeting would throw him for a loop, because he, much like me, was used to being on time for everything, no matter what. And by the half annoyed, half concerned expression on his handsome face, the thought of leaving his club members without a leader for a quarter of an hour was like sheer torture for him.

It was absolutely adorable to watch - especially since he still hadn't noticed my presence, due to his current predicament. Thank you, God of Luck, for giving me another chance with him, because if he saw me in the boys' building another time, he would grow even more suspicious, and that would only result in me having to tell him the truth.

As soon as we reached the bottom floor, and the doors slid open once more, Evan bolted. In all his haste, he dropped a sketchbook labeled "ART" at the entrance. Stooping to grab it, I caught sight of a page that had been ripped out, and then tucked back in, falling from the side of the book. Tugging it free out of curiosity, I examined the half-finished drawing with admiration.