The Exchange Dare

Chapter Twenty Eight: Parasite In Pink

A/N: Hey fellas! 

I know it has been forever, and honestly, there is no excuse for my absence. I have formulated this turn for very long so I hope it came out to your satisfaction. 

This chapter is dedicated to all my readers who continue on with this saga, constantly asking for updates, and majorly making my day most days. I love you guys!

Happy Reading x

Plaid skirts and suede blazers – grey was the word. Boys and girls of all ages were swarming across the driveway, moving swiftly from cars to winding hallways, lugging their trunks. I was reminded of Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series in an instance, although Hogwarts was where I really wanted to be.

The car dropped Chloe off first the next morning and we said our goodbyes. Jake and I made plans to see her the weekend after, especially since she was responsible to convince Susan to come along with her. Then, the car brought us to our destination – St. Petersburg Institution for Technical Education.

What was worse than the SPIKE abbreviation were their school colors of green and silver. I just hoped that Snape or Filch weren't lurking around.

Jake assisted the chauffeur in removing our luggage from the trunk and I quickly shot our parents a text that we had arrived. Is it any surprise that they made us download Whatsapp and created a group chat named 'Delinquents'?

Once we got our stuff and bid farewell to our chauffeur, Jake led the way through the administrative building. From the looks of it, the architecture wasn't older than the century. The walls were a dull brick-red but adorned into crawling vines. There were white window panes and doors leading everywhere, and mobs of students sprawling the halls.

The school looked small from the entrance, as though it was a cozy lodge by the countryside. It wasn't until we passed the banisters and walls adorned in plaques that we reached the courtyard and realized the magnanimity of this place.

"This garden is bigger than a football field," Jake retorted under a low whistle.

There were grimy benches and stony pathways, connecting routes under arches and all meeting at the central fountain. The marble work adorning this iconic showstopper was truly a marvel - a carved panther - the school mascot was proudly on display, as water spouted out of its ferocious jaws in all directions.

The back layout of the school grounds seemed guarded off by only a small fence running along the perimeter. Huge trees towered in the background and there wasn't much visibility beyond the first row of trunks. I could already spot a few folks jumping the boundary and wandering off into the forests.

I was beginning to feel nervous. There were people everywhere, the chatter getting louder and louder. Girls already dressed in their pristine uniform, and some of the boys sporting edgy haircuts - not a soul here looked friendly. There was a mossy musk in the air. Strange glances were exchanged, quiet whispers abound, all as they looked at the newbies - which, in this case, would be us.

Suddenly, I felt a palm snake into mine, and Jake gave my fingers a light squeeze.

"You doing okay, Mel?" he asked, no doubt inspecting the sweat beads forming all across my forehead.

I let out an awkward chuckle.

Taking a deep breath, I responded to deflect his concerns. "It's just so many hot guys under one roof."

He joined in on the giggle, but it died out in under a few seconds. Things were getting better between us, but we weren't quite there yet.

We headed down the hallways in search for the dormitories. Our orientation package, that had been sent out in the mail, suggested we were to meet a Mr. Whittemore on the first day. Our eyes locked with a few other lost ones on the way, and all the newbies huddled together until we reached the residential part of campus.