Whitewater

3.) THE GEESE

Here's Connie! He is...

ESTP/ Born April 13th (Aries)/ Loves his hair more than himself/ Hates 90% of the population

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          The cousins collapsed at one of the tables. They were both out of breath, their legs aching from running so fast in the cold.

          "You're actually dumb." Ryan breathed out. The 'Early Bird Tour' went well... at first. Veronica got accepted into Stuart Price Academy her freshman year, how she got into the most elite school in Washington State, he had no idea. Especially after what just happened. Veronica showed him around, giving an outside tour of all the class buildings and were she pulled off some of her most memorable pranks. He geeked out at the architecture and she told him to stop being a dork, the usual. Then they got to the bridge. The campus was split down the middle with school facilities on one side of the river and dorm buildings on the other. They were about to cross when Veronica stopped and picked up her skateboard.

          "Don't move." She hissed in a low voice. Ryan followed her gaze and swallowed nervously. Two of the biggest, ugliest, meanest looking geese he'd ever seen sat in the middle of the bridge. They both had light grey feathers, pink patches of skin visible on both. Together they would be as tall as him. Ryan didn't doubt they spent their free time lifting weights at the gym.

          "Jesus, do you guys feed the geese protein shakes or something?" He asked in horror.

          "No, but these are the Geese. The one on the left," She jabbed a finger toward the one with a scar across his eye, "That is Boris the Barbarian."

          "And the other one?"

          Her face paled a little, "That's Chuck." She gave the other goose a nervous glance.

          "Chuck?" He would have laughed if Veronica didn't look like she was gonna wet her pants. She made a yip and he looked back at the geese. Chuck was staring directly at them with black, beady eyes.

          "We've been spotted! Quick we have to exert our dominance!" Before he could ask what she meant, she jumped into a crouch and started to flap her arms and quack.

          "What are you doing you idiot!" Before he could point out that ducks quack not geese, Chuck let out a sound of pure, raw, satanic power. Ryan was pretty sure the ground shook. Without a warning, Boris the Barbarian and Chuck charged.

          Now Ryan doesn't think he's a scaredy-cat, but when two eighty-pound geese advance on you at full speed making sounds of pure rage, there's only one appropriate response. Veronica and Ryan turned to each other and screamed. They proceeded to run at the speed of light until they finally saw the dining hall were they leaped for safety, collapsing on the nearest table.

          "You're actually dumb." Veronica lifted her head off the table and narrowed her eyes.

          "At Least I tried! You didn't do anything!" She exclaimed. Just then, Chuck released another demonic hiss from outside. Ryan pulled out his phone and checked the time.

          "It's already 12:40, should we get lu-?" Before he could finish, Veronica leaped from her seat and charged toward the food line. Ryan rolled his eyes before walking after her. Because the school didn't officially start until tomorrow, the school was kind enough to provide free food. Naturally, the two grabbed one of everything the lunch ladies had in their arsenal. They ended up with six trays of food and neither regretted any of it.

          They sat near the doors on the other side of the building, opposite of where they came in. The dining hall was one of the only spots on campus that was up to date. It was still made out of brownstone but one wall was made out of giant sheets of plexiglass, showing a nice view of the colorful, fall courtyard. They sat down opposite of each other and Ryan snatched up the donut holes before Veronica could get her hands on them.

          "Alright, There are a few rules you need to know before the school year starts," He popped one of the donut holes in his mouth, "Rule one -" She was mid-sentence before Ryan watched as she glanced behind him. Her eyes widened before a sly smirk slid its way across her face. "Well, well, well I was wondering when you'd show up Connie." Ryan swiveled in his seat and nearly choked. His roommate hovered over Ryan, sporting a jean jacket, aviator sunglasses, and a deep scowl.

          "I thought you died," His voice was deep and gravely, "I heard your girly screams from the dorm." He pulled up a chair and sat between the two, then picked up an apple from our stack of food. A lock of glossy black hair fell in front of his eyes as he took a bite.

          "Please, don't be ridiculous. Anyways," She looked around, trying to find something to divert the conversation, "I want you to meet my cousin Ryan. Ryan, this is Connie."

          Connie turned toward him and tilted his head to the side a little. He slid his aviators onto his head as he assessed him.

          "Do I know you?" His eyes were like the steel blade of a sword, grey and sharp. They were slightly red and he had giant bags under his eyes.

          Ryan cleared his throat, "Were roommates actually."

          Veronica let out a loud bark of laughter, "He's your roommate! I don't know which one of you I feel worse for." The two boys both shot her a glare. Connie leaned back in his chair, placing the aviators back on the bridge of his nose.

          "As long as you don't dig through my shet we should be good." He took another bite of his apple.

          "I can manage that." The boys shared a mutual nod before Ryan turned back to Veronica, "So, what about rule one?"

          Veronica straightened in her chair and stuck up her pointer finger, "Rule one: 'Don't break the rules', that's what a normal person would say, but what I'm going to say is if you break the rules, make sure you don't get caught. Or at least be crafty when you do it." Ryan didn't have a doubt she followed this rule to a Tee.

          "Rule two: don't underestimate anyone her, or in other words, trust few. Everyone is in competition here, they won't hesitate to take you down." She wiggled two of her fingers at him.

          "Finally, rule three: don't mess with the hierarchy," She gave a stern glare towards Connie. "There are only three ways to get into this school, you either work hard, your parents are loaded, or because of your family name."

          Stuart Price is a family school. The school was first built in 1804 and is the oldest establishment in Washington state. Bloodline is crucial for success in this school. If your family has attended the school for generations, you're set for popularity. It shows your family status.

          The middle of the hierarchy are desperate parents that want their kids to look good. They usually bribe the school to take them in. The middlers are usually the slackers in the school since they don't have a family reputation to keep up, and they don't have to work hard to be able to stay since their parents will pay for their grades.

          Finally, at the bottom are the hard workers. They are the poorest of the three rankings and have to work to get into the school.

          "Okay, that doesn't sound so bad."

          Connie scoffed, "The last rule is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Veronica shot him a pointed glare.

          "You fucced up last year. Now we both have to rebuild our status and hope we survive the next month."

          "Should I ask?" The two of them turned towards him.

          "No." They said in sync.

          Veronica sighed, "Well, I don't know about you two but I still have some unpacking to do." With that, the three finished their food and walked back to the dorms.