Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 2 - "You know, it wouldn't kill you to have fun."

Emma

I walked through the lush gardens to get back to my dorm. Around me, nervous Year Sevens were being shown this way and that by harassed looking teachers, and students laughed and chattered, thankful to be reunited. I strode confidently through the grass, head held high with an air of authority. I was finally in Year Twelve, and I just needed to finish the rest of my HSCs that I hadn't already taken early. I'd planned for this year my entire life and didn't hesitate as I walked towards the Year Twelve's dormitory. My plan was simple, and, if everything worked out, easy enough to achieve:

· Finish this year with the highest possible marks in the HSC

· Get into an Ivy League University, then Harvard Law,

· Graduate with a law degree and become a lawyer.

If it worked, within twenty years, I could become a world-famous and top-paid lawyer, making my family proud, and joining a long line of successful Winters. I just had to get through this year with no distractions.

I jolted to a halt as I reached the dorm building. It was modern and airy, a large three storey building with detailed architecture and a modern, detached sort of chic. Year Twelves got the best rooms, on the ground floor, with a large patio area for each room, which opened into Prepsworth's luxurious gardens. I went through the automatic glass doors and swiped my student pass on the door to dormitory seven, stepping into the room.

Fluffy white carpet lined the floor, and five double beds were spread across the massive room, which was the size of a small apartment. Next to the beds were desks and wardrobes for storage, and at one end of the room, a kitchen lined three quarters of the wall, complete with marble countertops and a pantry tucked into one corner. The other one quarter of the wall was taken up by a door, leading to the luxurious, almost cavernous bathroom, decorated with lush plants. The other wall had a large flat screen TV hanging on it, as well as a couch big enough for around eight people, decorated with coloured pillows and with a few beanbags scattered on the floor.

The other wall had floor to ceiling windows overlooking the gardens and a sliding glass door leading on to a covered patio area, complete with a BQQ and fairy lights, hanging from the roof in zig zags. The whole thing reminded me that Prepsworth was the most prestigious and expensive school in all of Australia, lest the extensive gardens, lake and forests belonging to Prepsworth that let me forget it. I saw that my suitcases had already been delivered and I started hanging up my clothes in the cupboard, ticking my clothes off my list and listening to music when someone came into the room. I looked up to Rose enter the room, a stupid smile pasted on her face.

"There's a massive party tonight in the boys' dormitory. Everyone's invited." She announced. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, immediately discounting the idea. I definitely did not want to hang out with a bunch of stupid teenagers. Rose saw my face, and stepped towards me.

"May as well go. This is your last year, after all." Rose said simply. I shrugged, beginning to make an excuse about how it was not really my scene when Rose rolled her eyes.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to have fun!" She exclaimed coldly.

"Fine. I'll go to your stupid party." I snapped, finishing hanging up my last item of clothing. I don't know why I accepted, if it was just to get Rose off my back or if a part of me actually wanted to go to my party, but I did. I was in Year Twelve, right? May as well make the most of it. But...no distractions.

Lukas

I sat on one of the park benches with my mates surrounding me and egging me on with a story about a wild party in the holidays. Jake was next to me, grinning as I described being hidden in a cupboard when one of many exes arrived.

"It was wild! Mike was promising that I wasn't there and Eve was saying all this stuff about me, and how I broke her heart – tragic, I know, and here I am in the cupboard, trying desperately not to laugh.. Finally, I let out a laugh and Eve jumps out of her skin." I began, almost laughing at the memory. Everyone watched on with interest, perhaps remembering an element of the story themselves.

"When she opened the doors, her face bright red, I gave her a charming smile and a wink and said "I'm so sorry you feel that way, it truly is tragic. Oh well, I'm sure you'll get over me – someday." and I hopped out and was on my way!" All my mates burst out laughing and a triumphant grin spread across my face. I opened my mouth to continue my story, smirking a little.

"And that's not all, Eve followed me so I found Rose, spun her around a little and took her back to the party. Eve was practically green with jealousy and do you know what I said to Rose?" The group turned quiet with anticipation and I leaned forward, building up the tension, before raising an eyebrow and grinning.
""That dress looks so much better on you than it did on Eve. I swear, Eve almost cried.". The laughter rose up again, louder than before, and some people were wheezing for breath. The line wasn't that good, certainly not one of my best, but everyone was in such a good mood that it was easy to get them to laugh. Everyone except Jake. Jake looked a little annoyed, his arms crossed, his expression subtly disgusted.

"You're so lucky Lukas, any normal guy would kill for a chance to go out with Eve and you're flaunting your indifference in her face!" chuckled one of my mates, John.

"Yeah, but you're going out with Katie and she's one of the prettiest girls in the school!" interjected another boy named Charlie. The conversation quickly grew into a debate about how had the best girlfriend, a topic we had already discussed at length.

"We all know Rose is the best." I interjected, and the group suddenly felt silent. Jake's lip curled, but I ignored it, ignored him. There was a reason I loved Rose. When I was with my mates, I could talk and laugh about silly, vapid, stereotypical things, but, when I was with Rose, I could show my slightly twisted sense of humour, and talk about things I actually cared about. I loved her, and she meant everything to me, just like I meant everything to her. And I thought that in our last year of high school, we'd be closer than ever. I didn't think we'd be further apart.

Jake

I watched the boys rapidly debating who had the best girlfriend, or something else equally stupid stared at my feet. Whenever the topic came up, which it did, a little too often, I always just stayed silent. It wasn't that I didn't like girls, which was what the rumours at school often suggested, it was that I had no interest in dating a girl for a week and then dumping her. I'd had girlfriends at school, just enough to fend off the harsher rumours about me, and, sometimes Lukas, but not often, and none of them lasted. I guess I was just waiting to actually like a person, well and truly, before dating them. If I ever could manage to date them, that is.

I was used to being in Lukas' shadow. Ever since we'd met, it had been that way. He was a little bit more confident, a little bit more reckless, a little bit more vivacious. I wasn't exactly happy that way, but I didn't want to be Lukas either, save for one major detail. A very important, very blonde, very popular detail. Rose Miller. Ever since the beginning of high school, I'd loved Rose Miller. It was the kind of unrequited love that I had, and always would hate. But against all my better logic, I loved Rose, even though she loved Lukas, and always would love Lukas. I was well aware that my love for Rose was stupid, and a cliché, and the type of thing that often ended in pain, and anger. I'd promised myself many, many times that no matter what happened, I would never try to steal her from Lukas. I loved Lukas too, but in a different way. I just didn't want to choose between them. The truth was, that given the option, I wasn't sure who'd I choose. I knew that Lukas would choose Rose over me, possibly even without hesitation, but betraying Lukas, Lukas who trusted me with everything – that would be beyond difficult. I forced myself to pay attention to everyone else's conversation, but the question still lingered in my mind:

Who would you choose?