Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 1 - "Welcome To Prepsworth Academy!"

Elle

I stared at the dark grey carpet, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. Around me, ten chairs were set up in a large circle, all occupied by Prepsworth Academy student waiting to receive awards. We were in a room near the hall, where over a thousand people, students and parents alike, waited to see the awards ceremony and first assembly before the start of the school year. The people around me were all silent, with either nervousness, anticipation, or boredom. The silence was awkward and tense, before someone spoke:

"Look at us. What a studious group." A voice remarked sarcastically. I looked towards the speaker, Dylan Adams, with a hand slung over the back of his chair and a disinterested expression on his face. He noticed my glance, and cold blue eyes flicked up to meet mine, before flicking away, too quickly. I didn't say anything and didn't want to. I had absolutely nothing to do with Dylan Adams, and never had. The only real thing we had in common were our families. Memories came rushing back, and I tensed, before someone else spoke, interrupting my thoughts.

"How bitter. What, upset that you're getting an award?" Emma Winter asked, her voice calm and cold. She wore a blue-sweater dress, her shoulder length black hair tucked behind her ears.

"Which reminds me. You can't wear that on stage." Emma added, jerking her head towards Dylan's worn leather jacket. Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"It's not school yet. We can wear whatever we want." Dylan replied, and I shifted in my seat, all too aware of my perfect school uniform and the fact that I probably should pipe in and tell him to change his jacket. I should've, but I couldn't stand talking to Dylan Adams.

"What award are you getting?" I blurted out, directing my question towards Emma, and, hopefully, distracting her.

"A recognition award for being the school leader, and the head of about half the clubs at school." Emma said, like it was no big deal. Of course it wasn't. Emma was arguably the most ambitious person at Prepsworth, and although she seemed fairly nice, she didn't really talk to anyone except for meaningless small talk and to remind them to "Vote for Emma Winter for school leader!".

"Cool. I'm getting an award for running the other half of the clubs." Harry Ryan piped in, half joking. He had messy chin-length light brown hair and an almost permanent goofy grin. He would be the class clown, if it were not for his good grades and involvement in extra-curriculars, and so he settled somewhere in the middle.

"What are we doing, a show and tell?" Lukas Kane asked, rolling his eyes, a smirk spreading across his face. Lukas was the most popular boy at our school, despite having basically no redeemable qualities. He exuded arrogance and entitlement, and had steadily gone through a stream of girlfriends, before dumping them quickly. He had brown hair the colour of hazelnuts, with lighter brown streaks, and harsh green eyes.

Next to him, his on and off again girlfriend, Rose Miller, laughed. Rose was the most popular girl at the school, if not the most popular person. She had perfect blond hair, a perfect smile, and was the captain of the cheer team. She was basically a typical queen bee, if a little more conniving, a little more hurtful, but subtly so. At a school like Prepsworth, everything was amplified, and everyone was cunning. She didn't need to tease people, because she knew exactly what to do to get what she wanted. And, if she needed to ruin someone's life for it, then so be it.

"Okay. I'll go next then. I'm just advertising the cheer team." Rose said, with a surprising lack of malice in her voice. She must have been playing an angle, trying to fool everyone with her syrupy sweet act. Luckily, no one looked too convinced.

"And I'm advertising the soccer team." Lukas added, before looking next to him.

"I'm getting the Performing Arts Award." Amy Veir said, a little reluctantly. Amy was a dancer, and easily the most talented in the school. She'd been the lead of all of the school dance recitals, and had danced in ballets across the country, and, sometimes, internationally. She was a little quiet, and tall, with light blonde hair, and a firm moral compass, which was a rarity in Prepsworth. She, Emma and I had formed a sort of group, along with some of our other friends.