Expectations (wlw)

Chapter 2

It must have been done for convenience, pairing up roommates to share a locker. In hindsight, it should have been intuitive for me to assume she was my roommate, but in my defense it wasn’t a priority. I supposed I’d get along with them anyway, whoever they were.

That seemed to be a tall order now, considering the way Fairul was looking at me, hands on her hips. She was still in uniform, though slightly more haggard than this morning.

“Hello,” I said, supine on top of the covers. It was an awkward position, but jumping up and out of bed would be even more so. Her pretty mouth curled in to a sneer.

“You again. Why are you here? Why is it so dusty?”

“I live here now."

She threw her head back and laughed. Then she stopped and her face turned to stone.

“You can’t be serious.” She stared at me in bed, hair probably a mess, and decided she didn’t need an answer. Pulling out a phone from her skirt pocket - she’s got pockets in there? - she started tapping away.

“Are you supposed to have that? It’s a weekday.”

“I’ve never had to cohabitate. I made sure of it. You’ll be relocated.”

I blinked three times. She was too busy typing to notice.

“Okay, princess.”

The tapping noises stopped. I had sat up at this point, so it was easy for her to take three strides over to me - her legs were long - and drop her head so we were eye level.

“Yes. Don’t forget that.” Her voice was quiet, and I didn’t dare breathe.

She was still uncomfortably close when saving grace came through the door, in the form of one Emil.

“Hell - oh!”

Fairul straightened her back and walked into the bathroom.

“So I guess you’ve met your roommate, huh.”

Several flights of descending stairs later, we were seated at what I’m guessing is the mess hall. That’s underselling it, because while it was all bare benches at long tables, every piece of furniture was expensive hardwood.

“Is this the whole school or what?”

Emil put down the broth she was drinking straight from the bowl. “No, the younger ones get to eat early.”

That explains the number of people. It might be less than the entire student body, but it was still a lot. Among the sea of faces was Fairul, resplendent in the silk nightshirt and chinos she changed into. She was difficult to ignore.

She also caught me looking, so I immediately went to stare at the person next to her - another pretty girl, eyes rapt with attention as she listened to Fairul talk. Suddenly she set those eyes on me and ever so slightly flipped her blonde hair; Fairul was staring at me too, and they were whispering.

I had to avert my gaze. Addressing Emil, I said, “Is Fairul someone’s daughter? Like, someone important.”

Emil started snickering. “Why, did you do something?”

“Called her a princess and I don’t think she liked it.”

“Technically she’s not, because her dad’s only second in line, but her mom’s the best lawyer in the region - country, probably - so she might as well be.”

I choked on my soup. I forgot I was rubbing elbows with people like that. This school was expensive, and it’s a popular choice for the richer locals, including the regional royals, apparently.