Fractured Fairytales

Chapter 1: Wouldn't Change A Thing

 Elizabeth:

I entered Room 17 my first day at Princeton Academy, a little scared, but ready to learn. I'd heard it was one of the best schools in the country, and it better be, after all I left behind for it. "Hello?" I asked the seemingly empty room.

A girl bust out of the bathroom, all smiles. "Hi!" she said excitedly. "I'm Nicolette. I'm your roommate."

I nodded. "Elizabeth," I told her, barely managing a small smile. Happiness had never been my strong suit, even when I was little.

"I'm gonna call you Eliza, okay? And you can call me Nikki."

"Shit," Nikki's voice woke me from my dream.

"Yeah," Ashley's voice came next, angrily. "I'm down here."

My impression was that Nikki must've stumbled over Ash trying to get to her bed. "Shut up, both of you." I grabbed my phone from my bedside table and checked the time. 2 am and Nik was just now getting home.

"It's two o'clock in the morning and we have class in six hours. I'd like some sleep." Ash informed us.

"What were you doing out so late?" I asked Nikki, sleepily.

"Drinking with the boys, probably," Ash answers, climbing into my bed next to me.

I could sort of make out Nikki's face in the darkness now. "Go to sleep," she told me, climbing into her bed, not bothering to change into pajamas.

It took both of them a matter of moments to fall asleep. I could feel Ashley breathing steadily next to me, and see the form of Nikki in the bed next to mine, curled up in a ball. It had always taken me a long time to fall asleep after I've woken up.

I allowed my thoughts to wander to my dream. I didn't often dream of things that actually happened. But that really was how I had met Nikki, six years ago, on my first day at PA (or "Pah," as Ashley often called it, for some odd reason). We'd been together since. And somehow we always managed to stay in Room 17, which was special, it was ours.

Nikki had been different when I'd met her. Then again, so had I. It was sixth grade, of course we've changed. Six years makes a lot of difference. When we'd met, I'd been a scrawny, ten year old. Nikki towered over me, at her height of 5' when I was only 4' 8". Nikki wore a lot more clothing back then, no make up, and some dorky shoes. She didn't even drink.

She'd already met Ashley. They'd roomed together before I had come along. Though, the housing department separated them because they were always late to class. It hadn't really worked, Ash spent most nights in our room anyway. She had her own room, but refused to stay there all the time, and often referred to her roommate as things like the "She-Devil" and "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", sometimes even just "Her."

It wasn't just the three of us though. Amy and Charlie were down the hall, Room 10. I knew Amy through Nikki, given they'd grown up together, and Charlie, well I met her when she moved in with Amy. Ashley cursed harshly when she was told she couldn't room with Amy either.

Me and Amy had never been close, despite having known each other for so long. I considered her one of my best friends simply because we knew each other so well, but she'd always been closer to Nikki and Charlie.

Charlie, on the other hand, was probably the one I was second closest to in the group, after Nikki, of course. Most people were surprised to hear this, given we seemed so different. Charlie was this awkward ginger who spent all her time talking about Greyson Chance and One Direction. This was probably why I liked her so much. It was nice to escape reality and enter cute celebrity world.

I was waking up before I'd even realized that I'd fallen asleep.

"Aw, she's up," Nikki said from over me. She was already dressed in her uniform, if you dare call it that. Her white blouse was partially unbuttoned, showing off a great deal of her chest, though she buttoned the entire bottom half, and tucked it into the plaid skirt I had hemmed for her to make it shorter. She had a hot pink hairband in her hair, and to top it off, black oxford heels on her feet. "The flat iron's plugged in," she informed me.

"Thanks," I replied, groggily, rolling out of bed. Ash was in the bathroom when I entered, pulling her brown hair into a pony tale. She, of course, was clad in her usually school clothing, P.E. shorts and a tshirt that read "Princeton Academy Physical Education Department".

I touched up my hair from what had gotten messed up while I slept and changed into my own version of our school uniform. Gray button up, unbuttoned slightly, though not as much as Nikki's, untucked. A black skirt over black lace tights and my favorite black ankle boots.

Amy and Charlie joined us in our room while I was doing my makeup. They almost followed the dress code to a T. Exactly the way the school would like it, though Charlie wore red tights and some thin black suspenders. And Amy, well, she looked perfectly preppy.

So these were the girls I spent my time with, the girls I love, the girls I adored. These were my best friends. We were different of course, after years. Amy having settled on her prep style after years of searching for her perfect style. Charlie, just always being the Charlie I'd known and loved for five years, almost never changing, she was reliable that way. Ash, and her love of all things sporty. Nikki, my best friend, who gave into her rebellious ways, but still wore pink, reminding me of the girl I roomed with in the sixth grade. And me, who'd gone from subtle hints, to full blown goth. We were different. But we fit, in our own ways. These girls were my best friends. And I wouldn't change a thing.