𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘴 ೃ⁀➷ 𝘴. 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴

𝑺𝑻𝑼𝑫𝒀 𝑺𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

"I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still."

An hour had past since dinner had gotten out and the friends dispersed amongst the hallway, each going to their designated room, some more reluctant then others. No matter though, as Neil had said, they would all be back together in a matter of minutes. Iris sighed with content, finally being able to strip out of her school uniform. Sloppily tossing the clothes on the un-used sheets, the girl stood in front of the mirror in only underwear. Slowly turning from side to side, she examined her features. Nagging insecurities pulled at her brain. From what she saw in the magazines, women were supposed to have a flat stomach, desirably thin to extenuate curves.

She ran her hands over the pouch of fat that covered the area models always showed off in beautiful dresses and swimsuits.  Iris drug her fingers along her sides, tracing the shape of her torso. It's not that she was ungrateful for what she did have, no. Iris was actually quite proud of her body. It reminded her somewhat of a small pear; her hips were wide and led into muscular thighs, while her bust was decent-sized. The only concern she had was her stomach. Was it too big?

Sighing, the girl turned away from her reflection. Out of her drawers, she pulled out a light weight, pale blue skirt and white button-up. After tucking in the shirt, Iris grabbed her large leather jacket and headed out the door, walking towards the study hall.

-

Back in Neil  and Todd's room, there was a sort of uncut tension that laid thick in the air. The blonde boy gripped a pencil and messily scribbled 'SEIZE THE DAY' on his brand new note book. Underlining the phrase a few times, he stared down at the paper, almost in a trance. Books were stacked up against the wardrobe wall, neatly sitting next to his left arm. Taking in a deep breath, Todd wrapped his fist around the sheet and ripped it off the rings, tossing it onto the floor.

-

Iris looked down at her watch, realizing she had a good 20 minutes before the study group would start. Deciding to wonder around, she turned and headed outside. The girl took a deep breath of cool September air, letting the crispness fill her lungs. This time last year she was sitting next to a fireplace with Jeremy, Darrel, and Fiona, none knowing of the plans she was going to go through with not 5 days later. Arnold Westworth had made a deal with the prestigious Welton school in August of 1958. Mr. Nolan had agreed to admit the girl in return for the funding that he so desperately needed.

Of course when the plan was shown to Iris, she immediately refused, wanting to stay with her then boyfriend and best friends. But, as time went on, she ended up giving in and almost looking forward to the change. Her friends, on the other hand, weren't thrilled that she was leaving. Rightfully so, of course. Jeremy and Iris ended up breaking it off a few months afterwards, not wanting the extra layer of stress on their shoulders. I miss them, Iris thought as she sat herself underneath a large oak tree. Her eyes fixated on the calming sunset, a royal purple sky faded into a light pink with dotted clouds moving almost sluggishly.

The brunette was so entranced with the sight that she didn't notice a ginger boy making his way over to her.