better than winning

07 | chaotic kids

"I'm fine on my own, see you later Ave." I decline her offer and brush past her. Something about her just gives me an uneasy feeling.

I quickly find my way to the office. Dr. McGowan, the headmaster, greets me as I step in. The room had a comforting wood theme, mostly consisting dark oak. The principal gives me a warm smile which I politely return, and offers me coffee, I gladly accept. She quickly explains the school system, modular scheduling, which means classes run on a six-day cycle, even though we only have school five days a week.

A bit complicated but I'll manage. "So Nayla, tell me. What are you passionate about?", she asks me. I take a moment to think before answering, "Well I mostly race in my free time, but I do enjoy all kinds of sport. I am really into languages too, Philosophy and Art not so much, but I do like psychology." I inform her.

"That's perfect, then that is going to be your timetable from now on if anything needs to change inform me please." she hands me a piece of paper and leads me out of the room.

I look up to see Avery standing in front of me, giving me a small nod. She mumbles something about "Thea" and "Zaras niece" before going in, without turning back to see my reaction.

I go outside to attend my first class, tennis, but stumble across a bleeding Xander. He gives me an awkward smile and warns me, "Don't trust Thea. Just, keep a good distance from her." in a rather quiet voice. "Gee, good to see you again too. I wasn't going to trust anyone so quick. I know what happened last time." I mutter loud enough for him to him to hear and brush past him.

-

The second I walk into the Cafeteria Thea offers me to sit at her table which I accept despite Xanders warning . She sits with Avery and a few girls, all looking as perfect as Thea and greeting me. A blonde girl asks me, "Nayla, right? How were your first classes? Everything good?" with a nice tone. "They were good, the teachers seem to be nice." I reply.

"Sooo, you have an eye on an anyone?"

please not

"She's only been here since tomorrow or so, Emma." Thea replies for me, rolling her eyes annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. But Thea you can't tell me you don't see the look Jamie gives her.",
she defends herself, grinning even wider.

what look does she mean?

Avery also is confused and furrows her brows. "Did you forget what happened to the last one?" Theas voice changed a bit. "What last one?" I ask confused.

"So the thing with the Hawthorne brothers." Thea changes her voice to a classic storyteller tone,"For a very long time everyone wanted to be a boy like them and everyone who was into boys wanted to be with them. It's their appearance. The whole demeanor." Thea paused, "Even if you just stayed in their presence it changed the way people looked at you."

"I used to study with Xander sometimes," one of the girls said. "Before..." She fell silent.

Before what?

"They were just magical." Thea has a strange expression on her face. "And when you were in their orbit, you also felt magical."

"Invincible", another girl comments.

I thought about it, Jameson, drunk, shirtless, speaking in riddles. Grayson, cold stare, Avery-blaming, like a robot. Xander, well what do I know about him? A few parties with friends here and yeah cool dude, but grandson of billionaire? I definitely missed that part. And Nash, cowboy boots, father figure for all of them.

more like a bunch of chaotic kids than magical

"They're not what you think they are," Thea directs her words to Ave. "I wouldn't want to live in a house with the Hawthornes." "I should go." She stood up, but Thea stood up too. "Think whatever you want about me," she said. "but that last girl at this school to hang out with the Hawthorne brothers has given? The final girl who spent hours and hours in this house? She's dead."