Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 5 - "Hate to say it Elle, but you're kind of a downer."

Elle

I hadn't gone to a party in eight years. It wasn't that I was unsociable, it was that all my spare time was spent studying. The "Welcome to Year Twelve Party" was going to be fairly crazy, and I was a little nervous to go to it. Okay, more than a little. In fact, honestly didn't know if I could do it. My best friends were Emma and Amy, and neither of them were really party types. I slumped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. If I went what would I do except watch everyone else having fun? I looked at my dorm mates getting ready; Rose was gossiping with Katie and Saya and looking flawless, as usual, Emma was curled up on her bed reading with her dress on, Amy was practising holding an arabesque and Lily was texting someone, frowning.

I remembered my sister's words "High school isn't scary Elle, it's a dream. You can be however you want to be, do whatever you want to do. You have freedom." She loved freedom, not being controlled. Tears welled in my eyes. I didn't typically miss my parents but I knew I wouldn't be seeing them again for a while. "I have to try...for her!" I thought, suddenly filled with hope, sadness and a strange kind of elation. I know what Adelaide would do. She wouldn't hesitate. So I didn't either.

I walked to the senior boys' dormitory nervously and slowly, my feet trailing on the grass, butterflies welling in my stomach.

"Are you okay?" asked Amy, her brow furrowed with worry.

"No. Not at all. I have told you the last party I went to was in Year Four, right?" I said, trying to joke. Emma raised her eyebrows.

"Wow. You really don't have any life. Even I occasionally go to a party, and those things are like a walking threat to your permanent record." Emma exclaimed.

"Hate to say it Elle, but you're kind of a downer." Amy joked. I rolled my eyes, stepping into the boys dormitory.

"Are we even supposed to be here?" I asked nervously.

"No, but no one really cares. No one ever really gets in trouble for the parties on the first day of school." Amy reassured me, making a face at the dorms. I paused, before walking ahead. I may as well have some fun in my last year at Prepsworth. I could tell that Amy and Emma were a little nervous too, but only a little. Amy was surprisingly popular, and Emma was too, and they'd both been invited to parties a fair bit. I walked down the hallway, taking a deep breath and smoothing my dress down as I found the door. I could already hear the pounding music, a repetitive pulsing that was a scream in my ears as I fumbled with the handle before finally shoving the door open.

Emma

As I marched across the garden, I checked that my dress was knee length and that my shawl was evenly spread across my shoulders. I'd gone for a simple look with a navy mod style dress and a white shawl. I didn't want to overdo it like I knew Rose and her clique would. Keep it simple, I reminded myself, unlike my year, which was crowded with extracurriculars, studying and classes. When I arrived, the party was in full swing. Inside the dorm, loud music played and various snacks were strewn across the floor, on tables and even on beds. People hung around chatting or dancing inside, however the real party was outside. People were crammed up close together, dancing and laughing. The dub step music pounded in my ears and you could barely hear yourself speak. Almost immediately I felt myself be separated from Elle and Amy by a crowd of people, and I walked off to talk to some people I was on the student council with.

By the time I'd finished talking with them, Elle and Amy had disappeared. I looked around and thought that I saw Elle sitting on a beanbag, looking lonely when someone walked by and blocked my view. Once I could see again, she had disappeared. I looked around, feeling a little lost when a song came on and the crowd roared. I found myself being crushed as everyone poured out onto the grass and started dancing. I furtively glanced around and thought I saw a glimpse of Elle, the smartest student in the school, dancing with Dylan Adams, the rebel but I guessed it was probably just a lookalike. Elle had never once talked about Dylan to me, and, as far as I knew, Amy, and, although guys had tried to ask her out, she'd always rejected them politely. I tried standing on a chair to get a better view when I was interrupted by Lukas and his friend's bellowing laughter. I leaned forward, trying to see what had caused the laughter and saw Jake looking a bit irritated. Suddenly I heard a shriek and I toppled forward in surprise. My arms windmilled and I braced myself for the certain impact with the floor of the patio when I was caught. I lay face down in someone's arms, staring at their shoes, then a familiar voice said;

"Are you okay?" in a slightly amused tone.

"Harry!" I exclaimed as he put me upright, easing me to my feet.

"Thanks for catching me." Harry grinned and brushed hair out of his eyes,

"No problem." He replied in the indecipherable same tone.

"Fancy falling into you." I said, with a hint of a smirk in my expression

"You're quite literally falling for me." He joked. Talk about awkward. I awkwardly smiled at him before vigorously staring at the floor, my eyes wide. Did he like me? If he did, that brought a whole lot of complications. I couldn't afford to have any distractions in my last year, no matter how I felt.

"Emma..."he began "...you probably think this is really weird and I know that we're, you know, kind of good friends, but I –" He started to babble, his eyes widening.

No." I said firmly, my lips pursed, my jaw clenched. It would only give him hope to show any hesitation, and that wouldn't be fair.

"I don't like you." I continued and paused for a second before adding,

"I'm sorry Harry. "I marched off as quickly as I could, not daring to look back, my head full of confusion. I attempted one last glance back at Harry and saw his eyes downcast and full of hurt. My heart ached and my head hurt as I went marched back to my dorm, a little slower this time and full of a strange emotion. Was it regret? I pushed away the thought. It didn't matter if what I had said was true or not. What mattered was that my head would remain clear and my life uncomplicated. I needed to become a lawyer, and nothing could stop me. Nothing.