Westwood School

Headed out from Heathrow

Magnolia

I found myself sitting on the floor of my closet, blasting music and packing my stuff for boarding school. The rest of my family is moving about a month after my school starts in London, so they don't need to pack yet. I pulled out a bunch of Patagonia black hole duffel bags and my big orange trunk I'd bring to sleep away or debate camp in past years.

I looked down at the checklist the boys had sent me:

Clothing

Shoes

Bedding

Toiletries

Dorm room necessities

Laundry items

School supplies

I frowned. Well, that was vague and unhelpful. But honestly, it's what I expected from the boys. Ok, clothing, I thought to myself. I looked around my closet and started grabbing t-shirts and shorts I liked. My daily self assigned uniform was a band t-shirt and jean cut-offs. Don't get me wrong, I loved dresses. Mostly because I hated pants with every inch of my being. Then I grabbed a lot of sundresses, and then some party dresses, many from past homecomings or other school parties, which were a little scandalous, but I liked them anyway. I grabbed a formal dress or two because, why not? This is where super-wealthy people go, right? It didn't matter too much, because I could always have a dress made if necessary.

My mother was bringing all her ball gowns and dresses because she had already been invited to many social events. My parents normally got invited to one ball a year at Buckingham Palace, thrown by Prince Charles. It was because they were sponsors of the royal drawing academy. We loved chuck as we called him, he even sent us Christmas presents every year.

I then grabbed swimsuits. I had an obsession with buying swimsuits, which was definitely unhealthy. Ultimately, I packed an insane amount of clothing. Filling up two large duffel bags. I packed my shoes and towels and some bedding up. I had ordered a few things online for my dorm that would be shipped to London including an egg crate for my bed, an assortment of boxes to keep my clothes organized in, and a gorgeous headboard for my bed. It was basically a metal rising sun. I loved it.

I packed all my cosmetics and toiletries into my trunk, which there were a lot of. I packed up jewelry, purses, and more. Basically I packed ½ my closet and room. I grabbed a bunch of things to decorate my dorm with. I was super excited to have a dorm room and be able to decorate it. In the past, I had gone to debate camps where we stayed in the dorms, so I think I knew what to expect but also, I had no idea. There was no way the elite of London were staying in closet-sized rooms.

"Hey, I am just coming in to check on you. Feel free to order anything you think you'll need." My mom said as she knocked on my closet door.

"I think I'll have it all after a run to Target. I am so excited!" I gushed to my mom. At first, I was very sad to leave my friends and people I knew at home, but I had friends who left for a semester and people welcomed them back at school when they left, so I knew it would be fine.

"Ok well, don't forget to pack some stuff in the suitcases for your trip to London beforehand. We are going to ship your bags to the school tomorrow." She said handing me a large, sky blue Globe-Trotter suitcase. My family was obsessed with globe trotters, I mean they were the best-looking luggage on the market for sure.

"Will do, and I have already packed my Goyard bag as my carry on." I motioned to my bright orange Goyard bag. My mom simply nodded in response.

Later that afternoon, my mom and I took a trip to Target to grab some last-minute school supplies and toiletries. I packed up all my things for boarding school and printed out the labels to ship them.

***

The Heathrow airport was crowded that Thursday when my father and I landed. We walked quickly and effectively outside where our driver was waiting to pick us up. Our driver was a stout old man named Henry who was more than happy to chat with us about everything imaginable in London. He was very impressed when I told him I was going to Westwood School.

"You must be a very bright young girl!" He exclaimed when I told him. In response, I only nodded and looked down at my conservative dusty pink dress with brown leaves all over it. It buttoned up the entire front and has a flowy skirt and angel sleeves.

"She is." My father agreed and smiled at me. I smiled back meekly. Despite my familiarity with London, driving into the city was weird, because I don't know when I'll leave from Heathrow again.

We arrived at the Lanesborough and were greeted warmly by the people working there. We checked into the room, and I watched Clueless, (my favorite movie of all time) as my dad took a nap.

Later that evening, we got some dinner at The Ivy. I ordered fish but I didn't eat much. First of all, British food is bland. I am glad I packed enough spices and hot sauce to get me through it (hopefully). Secondly, I was just rather nervous about going to school. Ans seeing those boys... I wonder if all the people at the school are that attractive? Will I look like a moldy potato in comparison to them?

My dad was very emotional about me leaving, but I told him he'd see me a fair amount when I'd come home on the weekends. He still was upset. Wasn't this his idea in the first place? I swear, sometimes he makes no sense.

I tossed and turned that night, not being able to get any sleep. I couldn't believe it, tomorrow I would be going to Westwood! Nothing seemed scarier or more exciting than that. Eventually, I just accepted I wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon and laid in bed listening to music. I couldn't focus enough to watch any movies, and music was the only thing I could think to do. After listening to the Breakfast at Tiffany's soundtrack twice, sleep finally claimed me. 

Hey! sorry this is a bit short, I know I know, I want the action to start too, so trust, me it will. Thanks for reading! <3