More than Anything

Brielle

The cold, winter wind whistles through the air, making my cheeks flush red. I rub my hands together for warmth, but it doesn't help much. I don't know how I allowed myself to get into this situation. I suppose I just didn't watch my back. I let my guard down, and here I am, in the middle of the night, outside of the inner gates.
I had found a note on my bed from Asher, the hottest guy at Watford. (This should've been a red flag. He doesn't even know that I exist.) It said to meet him outside of the inner gates ten minutes before midnight. Me, being the fool I am, left my room at Mummer's House to go meet Asher.
He hadn't shown up yet, but I just assumed that he'd be late. I had waited in the cold for about fifteen minutes when the gates closed. They don't open until the morning, so I knew that I was stuck outside for the rest of the night. It's my last year at Watford; I should've known that the gates would close.
Now I'm here, in the freezing cold. I have a jacket over my Watford uniform, but that's it. My legs are completely exposed, and I think they're going to freeze off. I left my hat back in my room, along with my gloves. I thought that this would be a quick meeting, but now I regret leaving my hat and gloves behind.
I know that Everly did this. Everly Johnson has hated me since day one. I don't know why the Crucible made us roommates, but I'm stuck with her. Every night, I have to share a room with her. Other than that, we pretty much avoid each other. I think she wants to kill me. Thankfully, the Anathema prevents her from doing so. Unfortunately, it also prevents me from killing her. I hate her with all of my being. It's unfair how good she is at everything. She always gets the leads in the plays (Headmistress Bunce decided that it would be a good idea to start a theater club). She's great at singing, and the guys are all over her. Even Asher.
    They're dating now. I don't even think Everly is interested in him; she just wants to make me jealous. Whenever she kisses him, she looks over at me with a smirk, just to see if I'm watching. Her terrible blue eyes light up when she notices how much pain it causes me. It's unfair. I should be the one twisting his golden curls around my finger. Not her. Watching them together makes me want to throw up; it's just so wrong. I don't get how anyone else doesn't see it. They're not meant to be together.
    I've had many guys ask me out, but I've turned each one down. They're only interested in me because I'm the 'next Simon Snow.' I never asked for the title, but it follows me everywhere. Everyone just wants me for my power. No one actually cares for me. Except for Millie.
    Millie is the only person that actually cares about me. She understands what I'm going through, and knows that I need a true friend. So many people try to get to know me, but I always close myself off. I hate people, to be honest. They're always looking for something to judge, and I know that I'm not perfect. I'm afraid that Millie will find a flaw that she doesn't like and just leave me. I don't care what anyone else thinks about me, but her opinion matters. I need her to get through this last year at Watford.
    It's my last year here. Thank Merlin. I no longer have to deal with Everly and all of the fake people. I get to leave and never return. I'll keep in touch with Millie, but other than that, I'm cutting all ties from Watford. I want to forget about my life here and move on. The only reason I haven't dropped out of school is because it was my parents' dying wish that I go here.
    They were killed by a pack of werewolves that broke into our home. I was asleep when I heard the screams. I remember running down the stairs and seeing their dead bodies on the ground. They were dreadfully pale, their blood soaking into the already red carpet. I had screamed until my voice was hoarse. The werewolves hadn't left yet, and one of them clawed my right arm. Thankfully, Headmistress Bunce saved me before I could get any worse injuries. I still have the scar, a constant reminder of what I lost and could have lost. If it weren't for Headmistress Bunce, I would've been dead.
    Everyone knows about my parents. I wish they didn't. They just pity me, and give me more attention than I originally had. Not only do I have the amount of power Simon Snow had, but I have a tragic backstory too.
At least I never lose control of my magic. My magic constantly feels like it's overflowing, but I never let it. I force it back down and show it who's boss. Once I found out how powerful I was (my parents decided to tell me on the Christmas Eve the year before I went to Watford) I knew that I couldn't allow myself to be like Simon. I couldn't let my magic control me. So, I can actually use spells, and they work. I'm quite good at spells, if I do say so myself. The only person who's equally as good is Everly. We're competing for top of the class, and she's set on winning. I don't get why she wants to win again; she's always winning, anyway. What's one loss?
I look up at the sky, trying to predict how much longer I have to wait until the gates open again. I'm going to freeze to death before that happens. I bet Everly is enjoying this. I bet she's happy to have the room to herself. I would be. If she suddenly disappeared, I would jump for joy. Most of my problems would be gone, and I could actually enjoy my last year at Watford.
But, that's never going to happen. Everly is here, and she's here to stay. She'll torment me for the entire year, and I'll have to deal with it. At least it's my last year. I just have to remember that. One more year, and I'm free. I can do this.