Welcome to the Academy

Prologue

It was the first day of senior year for Giada and she was really excited as she got ready for the day ahead. She pulled on the skirt of her black and white uniform for her school Thrive Academy, and the matching shirt for it, tucking it in around the waistband of her skirt. Giada goes to her closet to pick her choice of shoes for the day, simple low block pump heels, with gold detailing, which she slips on over her long white socks pulled just over her knees and grabbing a belt. She pulls the belt on around her waist as just an accessory before grabbing her blazer. Her precisely altered tan blazer, the fit crisp and perfect to tie together the whole look and she examines her outfit, making sure not even a hair is out of place.

She's a perfectionist in that way.

"Scott!" Giada yells, leaving her room in search of her younger brother. Today was also going to be the day when her and her brother stayed in their dorms and this year would be Scott's first time since he just started eighth grade.

"What?" Scott says, coming out dressed in his own uniform as well, not wearing a blazer, but instead opting for his own style of jacket, a camera bag slung over his one shoulder along with his backpack.

"Are you ready to go?" She asks him and he nods.

"Yeah, and all our stuff is in the car, so we can go." He says, pushing past her and jogging downstairs and Giada smiles at how much he's grown in just a year before she goes and grabs her Thrive Academy book bag, holding it over one shoulder before heading down to the kitchen.

"Morning Miss Nubia." Tati, their caretaker says and Giada waves and grabs her to-go cup of tea.

"Morning Tati. I have to go." Giada says in a rush, grabbing two breakfast bars before walking out to their awaiting car, a sleek black Lexus, the latest model, climbing into the back next to her brother. She tosses the breakfast bars to Scott and he murmurs an almost inaudible thank you to his sister.

Scott and Giada are frienemies in every way possible. Always there for each other, tell each other everything, but never want to be around each other, and hates when the other buts into their business at the same time. Their older sister Baylor has recently gone to attend college so it's just the two of them and their workaholic parents who are barely present, so it's just the two of them.

"Are you excited?" Giada asks her brother as she fastens her seatbelt and he shrugs.

"Sure. I haven't seen my friends since the holidays, if that's what you mean." Scott says, not bothering to look up from the game on his phone and Giada laughs.

"Whatever you took it as Scott. That's always one thing to be excited for I guess." Giada says, watching as their large house starts to disappear behind them as the car moves.

"You know, if you ever need me at school, you can call or text because I'll just be on the other side of campus." Giada tells her brother sweetly and he slips some bluetooth wireless earphones in his ears and nods.

"Good to know, I'm gonna listen to some music now." He says and Giada smiles, not even a bit fased by her brother's distant behaviour. Tough love.

Giada glances down at her phone and finds a hundreds of notifications and text messages from friends. Truth is, Giada has a lot of friends, all from different groups, but that's how she rolls, never a boring day with her.

Giada looks at all of the pins and patches on her blazer and proudly admires all of her achievements over the years. She's always been the smart one in all of her grade and this year, she looks forward to big things, definitely feeling how exciting everything will be, especially with college on the way.

Just a few more hours drive, and then they'll begin school.

*****

"GIGI!" Teyana yells as she barrels towards her best friend at full speed. Teyana Luksa is probably the only person Giada can say she hangs out with on the daily, after all, the girl gets around, but you can't deny a best friend who she's known ever since they were small kids.