This Just In [ON HOLD]

5. Welcome To Briarwoods {Lauren}

The dining hall was a funky looking place. There were large round tables that each had a coloured table cloth draped over it. One table was red, another orange, yellow, and so on, going by the colours of the rainbow. The walls and floors were covered in paintings, which, Jane later explained, were done by the Briarwoods' Art students.

"They sure have talent." I commented as we continued our search for an empty table. Some people were staring at us from their seats, others snickering and whispering, "Newbies."

But I was a fool to think that because of such a prestigious title, the dining hall would be filled with silence and disciplinarians circling students and watching their every move like the hawks that I thought they were.

No, the room was bustling with noise. Plates clattering, students shouting from one end of the room to another, laughs, screams, shrieks. Every table in this room was filled with loud, chattering humans. Just like your everyday cafeteria.

When we finally found an empty table, one of Janes' friends, Olivia I think, told the rest of us to grab some dinner while she took care of our things. Jane offered to stay with her.

Charlotte sighed from beside me. "I didn't think that this room would be so...so..."

"Chaotic? Market worthy?" I offered. She just gave me a steely gaze and shrugged before wandering off on her own.

So much for being friendly.

I took one look at the hamburgers being served and turned away. They were Cameron's favourite food.

As I swiped a tray, I began wondering how he would react if I told him that Uhu had taken his photo album and about me sharing rooms with my childhood rivals. Definitely angry about the Uhu situation. But what about me having them as room mates? What would Cam say to that? He would definitely force me to tell him everything about this school. And I mean everything. From toilets to water fountains to dorms to people.

"Lauren! Move!" I jumped and whirled around. Lia was looking at me irritably.

"I get that you want to make me miserable and all, but you shouldn't do it on our first day here! Especially at the dinner queue." Lia said and shoved her way past me.

"Oh. Excuse me, your majesty." I gave way to her and just scooped whatever food that was in front of me before proceeding on.

Briarwoods dinner was like a buffet. They gave you all sorts of dishes, and you could just eat whatever you wanted. Free for all students. Which was good, considering the fact that I was starving. Cameron once told me that I had an appetite as big as the largest whale that ever existed.

I took a huge spoonful of meatballs and gravy, some rice, smoked salmon, mashed potato with cranberry sauce, a salad, and a large chunk of celery.

Olivia was eyeing my plate when I returned to our table with a glass of orange juice.

"Wow. Some dinner you got there." She said. "Ooooh, where'd you get the mashed potato?"

"They were serving it. Right next to the celery."

"Thanks." She stood up. "Well, evidently, none of the others have come back yet, and Jane left to get her food five minutes ago. So will you resume my job for me?"

"Uh. Yeah. Sure." I gave a small smile.

"Oh thank you Lauren! You have a nice name, by the way!" And with that, she left.

Wow, wasn't she friendly. I smiled and shook my head as I continued with my meal, hoping that all Briarwood students would all be like Olivia, who just dropped random compliments in the middle of her sentence, and not stuck up, like Uhu. I shuddered at our accidental encounter when I was touring the school with Charlotte earlier. I was steaming mad when I had gotten back to our dorm, and it didn't help when Lia scolded me for slamming the door.