"Late?" He echoed, amusement laced into his syllables. "I'm actually early."

And, without looking up from his phone, which had snagged his attention two seconds earlier, the redhead added, "It's 'Eli.' You know that only my mom calls me 'Ellison.'"

Sending his phone to sleep, Ellison, with his elbows propped onto the table, leaned forward, his face inches away from Sky's. They were so close that Eli could see the print of blue in her eyes, the glimmer of something lighter, and the details of every lash. "Sounds like you should have called me. I could have gotten you into all the parties."

Ellison Reid may not have liked the strict regiment his manager had forced him into for his work (always eating lean chicken and vegetables got old pretty fast), but he did like the perks. There were always parties, always people to call, and boredom was just something in the back of his mind. Plus, it helped that he was rolling in riches, swimming in his father's money.

"I don't know why you don't call me more often, I thought we were friends!" He mocked sadness, but his eyes, which were brimming with laughter, said otherwise. Plus, with Eli, things were rarely sad or serious. If anything, Ellison avoided being serious like the plague. "Anyway, where is everyone?"

Luke happily picked out the fries and stuffed them into his mouth. "You can have both if you promise to bring me food for the whole week," he chirped. And for next week, I could probably bribe off Andrew, he thought cheerfully.

He glanced up when the Freshman started talking, and then she continued talking, and then talk again, and then—she ran out of breath. When the girl finally finished, he gave out a slow chuckle. From the looks of it, it's obvious that she didn't get out much. What's a Student Council President? Well...

"First of all, the Student Council President means the person who's in charge of all the activities in the academy. The Student Council acts as the medium between fellow students and beloved teachers. And without the Student Council the school will perish and burn to the ground!" he exaggerated passionately, as he leaned on the table and locked his eyes into the girl's.

"So, that's why, it's very important, for the well being of the school," he paused dramatically, filling the air with—well, not really—suspense, his face serious and his eyes boring into hers. "...you have to get food for the President."

Backing away from the girl, he shrugged as he slumped back into the chair. "Well, unless you want the school to burn down."

Splitting his face into a grin, he added, "Second thing, art's really cool. Try to show me sometimes."

Mr Hucherson had been pestering him all year last Semester to get someone to paint the props for the Auditorium, maybe this girl could help out. But, of course, he had to send in one of her artwork for his approval. The man was really particular about that stuff. That's why everyone he'd recommended so far didn't make the cut since they "didn't fit his criteria"—whatever that means.

Sky looked surprised. He was actually late. He wasn’t the last one to arrive as usual. “Oh, right. It’s just how I usually say hello to you, Eli,” she grinned. That was strange, Eli arriving first. He was never the first one there. Where could the others be?

When Eli moved close, Sky just rested her elbows on the table and put her chin on her interlocking fingers. Pretty much any other girl in the room would have swooned or fainted or at least blushed with Eli’s face that close to them. Hey look at their reaction when he just entered the room. Actually, several younger girls a few tables over started squealing when they say him that close to her. Then again from behind it would look like they were kissing.

Ignoring the clear maturity of the girls, Sky shrugged. “Calling you might have curbed the boredom. Then again we each get into enough trouble on our own. Imagine if we got together for shenanigans.” She grinned, amused by the possibilities. At the same time, she did try to keep her school and home lives separate.

“Of course we’re friends Eli. Don’t worry. I don’t call because there is a certain amount of difficulty dialing after many many drinks,” she replied simply, patting him on the head. Her texts also were usually just a stream of random letters, or random words thanks to auto-correct.

“No idea where the others are. I thought they’d come here,” she added. After all it had been an entire summer since seeing each other.

Percy smirked and nodded. "You got that right." He said with a laugh, "When I tell my bitches to shut up... they shut up." It was obviously Percy was not the nicest person in the world. It was a wonder he had any friends at all. It was a wonder Parker could deal with them. But perhaps it was because they had such an... angry relationship they could stick together.

BEEP BEEP.
BEEP BEEP.

A sound he had almost forgotten he set, Percy turned to the microwave and pulled out the small pizza. He pursed his lips and stared at the piece of dough and cheese. The black bits of cheese cover it's top. He made a disgusted face at himself for leaving the pizza in the microwave too long. That was the last time he tried cooking these things while talking to other people. Percy shuffled over to the garbage can and tossed the crusted pie. "Ugh... On second thought." He started, knowing Parker wasn't going to be happy, "Let's go eat in the cafeteria? Perhaps some guys are there, hm?"

He turned to his friend with a smile and wrapped his arm around him. "I'm feeling in the mood for Chinese anyway! And I'm sure some interaction with people would do you well." He lied. He pulled Parker out the door and started toward the building over where the cafeteria stood.

Really, after being friends with Percy so long Parker should have known they'd somehow end up amidst a throng of fidgety freshmen, snooty spawns of socialites, and sexually active band geeks. He did it on purpose. That's it, Percy did it on purpose. Parker, who knew better to oppose the 'king's demand after having done so in his freshman year and dealing with an unfortunate consequence that included several campus buildings and only the most embarrassing picks of Parker's undergarments, allowed the blonde to pull him along. Like a dog. On a collar. This was what real friendships were made of.

Despite Parker being Parker, he was able to hold back on the whining the whole trip there. It wasn't until they actually entered Velubian's on-campus watering hole did he feel that itch to complain. So he did. "God. Fucking. Dammit," he ground out peevishly as a swarm of tiny underclassmen fluttered by, the scrawniest of them all inevitably bumping into him. The tiny lad stuttered out what supposed to be an apology, but deteriorated into a squeak under Parker's surly gaze. Steely blue eyes followed the small boy as he fled before shooting Percy a hard glare. "I blame you for this." Was his curt rely before shrugging off his friend's arm. No way in hell he was going to let the others see him being dragged around like some shivering, teary-eyed chihuahua that some of the girls at Velubian probably owned.

Without grabbing a meal, Parker trudged onwards to their usual spot. Ignoring the usual stares, he followed a path to their spot and took several deep breaths to keep himself from barking out insults at the spectators. It took a bit of plowing through some offended looking freshmen until Parker found two familiar faces. There was an undertone of intimacy at the table that made Parker feel as if he'd just walked in on a couple doing the nasty on the coffee table just before they got to the best part. Whatever. He hadn't seen them since last school year. That was an entire summer without cockblocking any of them.

"Miss us that much, Sky?" Formal greetings were overrated. So was tact, apparently. He nodded at Ellison in greeting. "You work fast," the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he noted their close proximity. "Could have at least waited for us. You know that Percy wouldn't have wanted to miss out."

"Make me number one in your phone then," Eli whispered, his smile wide, but secretive, wild and charming. "And call me more often, beautiful."

Without warning, he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth; his tongue tasting the faint traces of too-much make-up and day-old wine. Sky, for all her teenage words and petty lifestyle, always reminded Eli of a girl far too old for her age—a grown woman in a child's body, a predator in sheep's clothing.

A woman that Ellison Reid would love to get to know with intimacy.

"Miss us that much, Sky?"

If Ellison had been someone else—anyone else, really—he would have had the decency to pull back and blush, avert his eyes to the ground in reflection and shame. He would have, at the very least, feigned embarrassment for having been caught in a position more intimate than the public would have liked. But Ellison wasn't someone else.

He was Ellison Reid, the poster boy of bold and beautiful, wild and seductive. And he was shameless. Utterly and completely shameless.

Flashing Parker a slow, easy smile (pearly white teeth and full pink lips), the redhead nodded in welcome, his hair falling perfectly over his eyes. "Well, it's a standing invitation."

And, at the offer, Eli's smile grew almost wolfish.

A mock hurt look passed over Jocelynn's face as she sighed and shook her head. When she heard Emilie's odd comment about grapes, she looked up to see a bright red headed girl. She simply stared up at the girl with a furrowed eyebrow.

Oh. Its Shaelyn. she thought with a flat inner voice. Another sigh left her lips before shrugging some. She had already flown off the edge of a cliff about handling that girl. No matter what Jocelynn said or did, that crazy red head would be back and even more bothersome then before.

She looked back down at Emilie at the note of seniors. "Well, isn't Kane dependable?" she asked nonchalantly, curious as to what kind of a reaction this would get her. The girl in front of her usually got a bit... ah, strange at the very mention of Kane in anything, and Jocelynn was still trying to figure out if it were hate or just that she had a crush on him.

Eh, maybe I'll never know... she thought as she glanced around the cafeteria.



When the girl stopped talking, there was a small moment of silence. And then it was broken by his loud bellowing laugh. He quieted it down into a snicker as Lucas started to explain what the student council was all about and again, his voice grew louder as he just chortled.

Soon, though, it was slowed down and he had his forehead against the table, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. It took him a moment to catch his breath, but in time, he did sit up straight with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Its nice to meet you Romey. My name's not Kenny, but, Kane Rynner." he said with a slight nod. He still had that smile on his face before he turned to Luke. "And, I should let you know, Romey, that Luke sometimes over-exaggerates things." he looked back at the girl with a soft chuckle in his voice. "He's crazy."

He turned back to Luke with his whole face lit up in excitement. "So, lunch for you for a week? To get both of my things? Small price to pay, but I'll do it! Do we have a deal?" he raised an eyebrow and stuck his hand out to have Luke shake on it.

“Maybe I just will,” Sky whispered back. She figured that he wasn’t serious anyways. Eli was never serious. Doubt in that fact momentarily entered her mind though when he pressed his lips to the corner of hers. She jerked back slightly, but most likely noticeably. She had not been expecting that.

Sky rarely lost her composure, something she learned from an early age, it was a sign of weakness when she could not afford to be. All the same, a faint pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. Which for most people would not have been noticeable, but with her fair skin, it was apparent for anyone who might have been close to her face. Or simply put, Eli.

She wasn’t going to say anything. And thanks to the sudden arrival if Parker, she didn’t have to. His arrival would have been a good excuse to pull away, but she had a feeling that they’d notice. And Parker would have been the one to make some sort of comment about it.

“Wow Parker, jealous much?” she asked, tilting her head up slightly in his direction. “Or did you want to join in?” she added coyly. She then turned her attention back to Eli, only to seen Andrew Beaumont behind him.

She almost grimaced, but thought better of it. Andy was many things; tall, good looking, rich. Hell, many girls thought that he could be their prince charming. But Sky thought that charming was one thing Andy was not. “Hello Andy,” she said simply before turning her attention away from him. He ignored her and she ignored him. It was the way their relationship worked. And it worked well for them.

“Where is Percy anyways?” she asked. She hadn’t been paying attention when Parker arrived and assumed they had come in together. She tried to scan the room for him, but couldn’t see much as the cafeteria had rapidly filled up.

PERCY

As the two boys entered the cafeteria, Percy took a split from Parker to head toward the food. He was starving and the free buffet of food was looking mighty good. He scavenged the Chinese section, just as he had liked... but was caught of guard by a lovely little morsel who seemed to... catch his eye. Which meant he took a little extra longer than expected to get back to the table because he had to stop and eat that first. How could he pass a lovely little moment with a lovely little asian cuisine? They would hook up later and Parker would be forced to hear the sounds of pleasure come from the Percy bedroom later that night.

Once bored of his toy, he grabbed his plate of food and a water bottle and headed toward the usual spot, where a good number of the gang had met up. Eli, Parker, Andy, and Skyla. He dropped his plate on the table and placed his hands beside it. "Hello~" He said, "Did you all miss me? I'm sure you did." He leaned forward and smirked at Skyla, "I'm sure little Skyla did. Offer's always open, babe." He gave her a wink before turning to Andy and wrapping a large arm around his friend. "And how's my best friend, hm? I'm sure you missed me the most."

Parker took a seat in front of his food and started to chow down. Food was the only thing on his mind at the moment, but he could move a few things to make room for his friends. Andy had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. Their parents were partners in a large business the shared. So, Andy was the only kid Percy ever really talked to. That was... until he was sent to his damn cousins. Percy and Andy had no way to keep in contact and only found each other again in Velubian. Together... they took the school by storm, befriending only the best of the best.

ROMEY

Romey stared at the boy who had started to laugh. Her face turned a deep red. What had she done? Had she said something to make him laugh at her. Was it because she was rambling? She was always rambling. She lowered her head a bit and stared up at 'Kenny' as he calmed down. Her eyes switched over to Luke who seemed to be more calm than Kenny. She hoped she hadn't just lost some new friends because of her silly rambling issues. She just got so excited being able to speak to other people now. It was like she had so much to say but... she couldn't get them out in time and she didn't just want to sit and ramble about herself the entire time... she would surley lose friends like that.

Romey's face cooled down a bit once the boy, now known as Kane, calmed down. She gave him a small smile, her eyes switching between him and Luke. It was strange, actually, to finally be talking to people. Strange because she realized she really didn't know how to act around people. Luke seemed very... hyper while Kane seemed more... mature. She wondered what grades they were in. Kane looked a little older than Luke... perhaps he was a senior. She suddenly remembered that Luke told her to show him a bit of her work. She gasped suddenly and reached for her bag that she filled with supplies her mother told her she would need. She pulled out a small folder, filled with different hand done art. Some were sketches and others were fully colors, but the best works were the still life paintings of objects she had pulled together in her house. She never got the chance to leave and go paint any sky lines or scenery... she she could only do still lifes.

"Here!" She said, "I want to keep them with me so I can see what others think. It's the only thing I've ever really done while at home. My mom was kind enough to buy me paints since she never let me out of the house. She said she didn't want me complaining about being bored... So, I taught myself." While she showed off her art to her two new friends... her eyes wandered around the cafeteria until they landed on a group of kids who looked like they could give a flying fuck where they were. They looked rich and important. She stared at them for a while before leaning toward Luke and Kan and asking, "Who're they?" She pointed to the group of expensive looking kids.

Maia was, more or less hiding out in her room. The speeches were always the same, after two years of listening to them, it'd gotten dull. Currently, the female was lying down on her bed, arms behind her head as she stared at the blank ceiling of her bedroom. She'd have to paint it, white was boring to look at.

Today she would more than likely meet the new dorm mate. How exciting. Hopefully they weren't uptight. The last one was a bit of a control freak.

Can't do this, can't do that, really Maia, Must you leave your homework lying around everywhere?

It almost had the french woman pulling her hair at the bickering. The dorm was huge, what did it matter if there was a bit of paperwork lying around the living room?

Now, however, it was going to be better. The last girl had graduated, leaving her with peace and quiet this year. Brushing back a few strands of hair, she decided it was high time to go and get some food. The opening speeches and introductions were due to end soon. If they hadn't ended by now.

Pushing her half empty suitcase closer to her bed, she finally stood, heading to the door of her room, and out of her dorm room with some quick strides.

Emilie looked up at Jocelynn with her signature flat expression. "You mean Mr Kane Rynner?" She snorted. That happy-go-lucky, 'I-love-the-world-and-the-world-loves-me' attitude of his wasn't exactly her cup of tea. Still, she considered the comment carefully. If truth be told he was actually... tolerable.

"Well, you could say that. I guess he's comparatively better than all the other Seniors, anyway." A slightly cold tone accompanied her voice on that last note as she accidentally caught a glimpse of the brief PDA shown by the two Seniors at the long table. Gripping her fork with slightly more force than usual, Em felt an unusual wave of relief to hear the loud whispers and giggles from the crowd of girls which was a warning bell that could only mean one thing—the rest of the Prince's possy had arrived. (Her, relieved by the arrival of the Princes? Guess it's true that there is a first time for everything, after all.)

She watched with a discrete glance as the red headed ex-model pulled away from his kiss and flashed an almost wolfish smile to his friends. Finally releasing the firm hold on her cutlery, she pushed her untouched plate of pasta—her initially intended final dish to complete her breakfast-lunch-dinner set—lightly towards Jocelynn. "Do you want it? I suddenly don't feel that hungry anymore," she murmured, rolling the left over broccoli on her plate in circles with a fork. Her eyes trailed the vegetable, a flash of the ones she used to boil at home—soft and withered at the edges which she got for free after hours at the fish market—burning in her mind.

Luke pretended to look offended. "I do not! It's true!" he fibbed. Pouting, he mumbled sulkily, "And I'm still very much sane."

When Kane held out his hand to him, however, all offense were forgotten. "Deal!" he grinned, pumping the boy's hand a few times before finally letting go.

He flipped through the folder the girl had handed to him with interest and assessed her work. "This is good," he commented with a growing grin, his eyes lit up with every page. "Really good."

He was fairly impressed when the girl mentioned that she had taught herself to do art. In the small black pit of his heart, however, there was a spark of envy. Everything that Luke had learnt all his life are the things that had been plunged into his head by his numerous tutors. The boy could calculate a college level Calculus equation at a drop of a hat and evaluate share holdings with his eyes closed, but give him a brush, and all he could ever produce on an empty canvas are squiggly lines since Art was never a subject for which his parents would even bat an eyelash. Luke, for the life of him, could only perform the things he had been programmed to do—nothing more, nothing less.

He recalled the one mantra he used to repeat over and over again and rock himself to sleep at nights when he was younger; if a machine didn't function as it was expected to, then it would be dismantled and thrown out to trash as nothing more than useless chunks of metal.

Hiding his destructive thoughts behind an easy smile, he took out a sketch from the folder and held it up for the girl to see. "Do you mind if I show this to some teachers?"

"Really, Shaelyn?"

A childish and naïve expression gazed down at Emilie, nodding happily in response to the question – as if yes, this was the only possible way she could reunite with her roommate. The two had an odd relationship, and to be honest Shaelyn wasn’t quite sure if they were friends or not. But either way, the easiest way to get Em’s attention was to annoy her or do something that upset her – and Shaelyn wanting the attention of the brown haired girl – did many things on purpose to annoy her.

You're my favorite, Em.

When she instructed her not to waste food she gave her a salute of understanding and went back to eating her lunch. Because of her lack of voice communication skills, Shaelyn did a lot of listening, and watching, and was very used to becoming part of the background during times like these.

So she sat, tray over her lap, letting her legs dangle and swing as she ate, her eyes and ears watching the conversation below her – her attention occasionally bouncing to other parts of the cafeteria. Much like everyone else in the room, her eyes were magnetically drawn to the royalty beginning to congregate in their usual “reserved” spot.

Bleck.

That ever familiar feeling of hostility crept up into her chest once again, her eyes narrowing. She didn’t like – no, couldn’t tolerate any of them, they all had their own little quirks that justified their presence on her black list. But one in particular bothered her the most, mainly because of the color of his hair. More than a few times she had heard someone ask if they were distant relatives, and when she would shake her head in opposition – they would usually say something like… “Oh right, there’s no way you could be related… just look at him!” Which was always a fantastic blow to her self image, which was a shame because she wasn’t ugly – just not a model.

All of them walked around with that slimy smug air surrounding them. Each one of them more perfect than the last, but that pretty coating was nothing more than just that – a pretty coating. And it wasn’t just a hunch, it wasn’t just something she wished to believe, it was an opinion based on facts. Facts she acquired from an inside source, but that was something they were virtually unaware of.

Time to stir up some trouble.

Setting her tray full of half eaten food down beside her on the rafter, she swung her body down and hung – her dangling feet feet from the cafeteria table below her. Thanks to her taste for the male uniform, she didn’t have to worry about anyone getting an up skirt view. After a few moments of dangling, she let herself drop, her feet making a loud crash as they hit the table. She wasn’t close to anyone’s food, so she figured it was a good landing. Stepping off the table, she shoved her hands in her pockets – her figure heading toward the lion’s den - paying no mind to the stares of those who weren't used to her antics.

It was time for a first day check in, and now – while it was on her mind, was as good a time as ever. As she passed the royalty, her shoulder “accidentally” bumped into the shoulder of Andrew Beaumont, her narrow hazel eyes only briefly contacting his before striding onward out of the cafeteria. As much as the blonde wished she wouldn’t appear this year – she did.

Walking down the hallway, the surprise of spotting a familiar face was instant. A small pout appeared at seeing that the girl was heading Out of the cafeteria, not In. Shae was already leaving? But, Maia was Just getting there, and the other girl was just leaving.

No. That wouldn't do. At least.. Not until she was greeted properly. Walking over to her, she stopped in front of the red headed girl.

" 'ello, poppet." A light grin on her face, eyes warm and playful as she looked to her friend.

One of the things she loved about Shaelyn was they were the same height. She wasn't the only tall female around. Heck, the girl was Younger and she was the same height. Made it easier to talk to each other without looking down, or up.

They both also shared the same love of things. While Shaelyn was the queen of the stage crew, she was up in the spotlight. The only downside was that the girl wasn't much of a talker. She'd really miss the ball of sunshine when she graduated that year. "You leavin' so soon? Party was Just about to start."

Thinking about it, she dug into her pocket for a certain trinket. Fetching it, she held out her hand, a keychain dangling from one of her fingers. "Yours." The thing was, of course a small seashell, no bigger than a quarter. Something she'd picked up from a trip.

"You said to bring you back something." Maia stated, lightly smirking.

Another year- the fourth one to be exact- and here Riley was a senior but not an ounce of pride to show as such. Honestly he didn’t even attend the announcement- and why should he? It was the same old speech, with the same old guy, and honestly he didn’t want someone barking at him for snoring in the aisle- it was not his damn prerogative to be the object of perfection. Oh no Velubian Academy had the princes and princesses to do that- hell even the student council was there to be a shining example of expressionless fiefdom.
Instead Riley existed in this school solely to leave.
Forced here by his father he had found this place both repugnant and boring- not that he really know what repugnant meant but if he did he would agree that the word very much so fit his thoughts.

So currently he was typing out a heated letter to his father’s personal advisor and the same woman that formed his schedule for this coming year. It was written all in Japanese with a few English words strewn in for good measure (most of those being terrible curse words that shan’t be repeated). With that finished he offered a yawn and glanced across the room to the bed that his fellow dorm mate would be sharing- currently his bag sat on it while his clothes dominated the other half.
“And now time to get some food,” Riley stated with a smirk before exiting his room. If the boy wasn’t so athletic (and filled with that wonderful metabolism that makes teenagers so enviable) he would probably be as big as a house for the sheer amount of food he rammed down his gullet.

Of course the cafeteria was crowded- all those doe eyed newbies with their heads filled with wonder. Most of the older classman had the common sense to not hover around him as the younger ones didn’t know better.
Every year there would be at least one that would attempt to be his friend. And that person- for the rest of the damn year would find themselves compacted tightly into a locker every time Riley saw them. He hated people- why couldn’t they learn that?
That being said there were a choice few people he found homage in- ones that weren’t so hoity-toity or self-absorbed as the usual flock that graced these halls. Sadly enough he didn’t see any of them yet- and so just took his usual table, propped his feet upon it, and idly used a fork he had snatched from someone’s tray in an attempt to get the rock out of the bottom of his shoe.

Riley decided in short- if someone didn’t annoy him soon he would find the two gingers and make their life a living hell. He swore up and down they were related- and they swore up and down they weren’t. Why did redheads all look the same? That was a hard question to answer. An easier one would be: why did Riley not care to learn the difference?
I’ll give you two tries on that.

Edward was devastated and distraught. No, not because Kristen cheated on him. Rather right before heading back to school he received a call. A chance at the fame and stardom he knew he was destined for. But no, he didn’t get the role. Instead he had to come back and be a big fish in a small pond. Well, as small of a pond as Velubian could be.

The part was made for him! He would have been a perfect fit for it! But no, they had to “go in a different direction.” That director had no vision! No sense of imagination! Edward had voiced all these things to his mother before he left. She made some tea and calmly and firmly told him to get over it. He was bound to get a role in the play at school. She then shooed him to the airport and off to school.

It is a long flight to Velubian from Sydney and Edward was sullen and pouty until he stepped onto the grounds. While his fellow passengers probably were annoyed by his grumbling, they did not know they were missing out on a flight of show tunes and pop music. He missed the opening ceremony, the plane arrived late. He was, despite his disappointment, glad to be back.

His first stop was his dorm room. He was curious who he would be rooming with after the issues he had the previous year. He had gone through several roommates who claimed they “could not put up with his singing.” In the end, he moved in with a senior who was never in the room anyways. But now he was roommate-less and assigned to a new room. When he arrived, he noticed that there was someone else’s bag on his bed. He shrugged, dropped his own bag on the floor and left, heading to the cafeteria.

The pink haired boy arrived in the main hall, only to find two fellow theater crew members standing there. “Shae!!!!!! Maia!!!!!!!” he sang out in excitement of seeing them, running up to them.

Em left her empty plates on the table—though, you should take note that she had properly stacked them into a neat pile. On that note, Em still remembered her first day as a Freshman in Velubian. After finishing her meal that day, she had stood up from her seat with the dirty plates in her hand and meant to bring them to the kitchen out of pure habit. Needless to say, she caused quite a scene and became the day's laughing stock when she started bickering with old Mrs. Field when she, defiant with her morals, insisted to clean the plates herself. It took her two weeks after that to yield to the so-called "regulations" of the academy—which she still find completely absurd to this day, by the way.

She started walking towards the exit, briefly acknowledging the presence of the Senior sitting alone at one of the tables. Her eyes narrowed at the sight. Riley Sakurazaka. Ooh, this was one person Em could never in her life imagine herself to acquaint with in a pleasant manner.

Here's the thing. To Em, she classified each person into three groups—people she liked, people she tolerated, and lastly, people she simply could not stand. And Riley was the one person to tick off all the boxes in her "Criteria Of People I Can't Stand" list (And off the record, that list actually exist—page 43 of her notebook). There was absolutely nothing about him she could even find slightly agreeable.

They had had their occasional run-ins—the dispute was inevitable considering her position in the student council and his infamous bullying habits—where she would win some and sometimes, he would win some—her, because he would stare dumbfounded at her bombastic remarks, and him, because she would be rendered speechless by his idiotic retorts. Em still couldn't understand why she even bothered with him, anyway. He was way too stupid to insult.

Before she left the cafeteria, Em paused and turned, taking one long, final glance at the Prince's Table. She noted that the group had somehow expanded in the short moment of her negligence but her eyes lingered on none but one person. She let out a soft sigh before flicking her gaze away and walked out.

Eyes watched the floor until she noticed a pair of feet blocking her path. Raising her glance she took in the voluptuous figure of one Miss Maia Gabrielle Roth – a wide smile spreading across her face. She had met Maia last year, actually, Maia was the person who drew her into Theater Club first. Not only is she a pro at wording things, and upon seeing Shaelyn’s curious eyes peek into the club rehearsing for the first school play of the year – instantly began to sway her with inviting words. At first, Maia thought Shae would be interested in performing, but when it became more than obvious she wasn’t just shy – but mute, she knew the perfect place for her. It all seemed to be perfect timing considering the previous head of stage crew had graduated the year before and nobody had yet to fill the position.

And as they say, the rest was history.

Reaching into a black bag that was slung around her shoulder, Shaelyn pulled out an iPad, flipping open the case and turning it on. Most who actually knew Shae well enough – recognized this item immediately, it was the tool Shae used to communicate with. She had gotten so good at using it, she could type up whole paragraphs of text in less time than it would take to even speak it.

Holding up the iPad it read;

I missed you!! ^__^

Suddenly, she watched as a keychain was dangled right before her eyes, hazel orbs following it as it swung back and forth. Gasping with joy she snatched it out of Maia’s hands and gave her a warm and rather tight squeeze around the waist, typing with the iPad as her arms were wrapped around her.

Thank you, it’s amazing!

Instantly, a giddy feeling spread through her as she was reunited with Maia – but to make it even better, another member of their little gang popped up in the cafeteria. And it was a good thing too, because Shae momentarily caught a glance of Riley – a guy who isn’t shy to picking on the red head. But the worst of it was that unlike the royalty… Shae actually wished he would like her, maybe at the very least – tolerate her. He was an older guy – a good looking guy (his aggressive personality oddly attracted her) who wasn’t afraid to put the other Seniors in their place. But sadly, he was a loner… and it was impossible to get him in a good mood.

Cocking her head to the side she gave a strange look at Edward, pulling her arms away from Maia to type on her iPad.

What’s with the pink?

If she remembered correctly, his hair was blonde last year. New rebellious look? Well… he was a pretty flamboyant guy as it is – pink hair wouldn’t be too far out of character.

Her smile lingered on her lips as she watched her mute friend pop out her i-pad. It was the girls way of communicating with everyone. Very useful due to the fact the girl never spoke. It wasn't long before she saw the message. Maia chuckled and nodded, hugging her back quickly. "You're welcome, ma petit."

It'd reminded her of Shae on her travels, so it really was no problem. Glancing back at a very familiar voice, the dark haired woman smirked. Placing a hand on her hip, she trained her eyes on the other boy. She quickly blinked in surprise before smirking in a greeting. "Nice to see you're back. What happened to the 'epic gig' you had said you'd landed?" Her eyes went back to his hair before training onto him again. No need to stare.

The teachers might not approve of such a vivid hair color. Pink was too, loud. He might have to change it if he wanted to participate in the plays. Unless he wore a wig. Wigs might work. She'd wear them too, if her hair was able to cooperate with being held down. It was always a tricky feat.

Giving a quick scope of the cafeteria, she noticed that there were a couple of the royal crew already there. A mischievous smile appeared, already plotting on how to mess with them this year. She usually avoided getting into tiffs with them, unless they asked for it. She didn't Mind a couple of them. In fact, if they weren't All together and catch them at the right time, they could be a little more tolerable.

The only problem was the boys usually talked about how many girls they scored. The girls, well... They weren't sweet or very trustworthy. Since this was going to be her last year, she would do her best to make this year a blast. No bars held back. Other than that group, she saw familiar faces everywhere. And a couple of new faces which she'd do her best to interact with. Nothing better than to urge new students to be more active in their programs.

"So, gonna join us, or you going to scurry off somewhere?" The last question was directed to Shaelyn. She was getting hungry, and they'd just get in the way if they just stood there, so, best to get a seat and their food.

Riley disregarded Em just like a mouse disregards a trap- oh be wary of that metal contraption it’ll be sharp when it snaps; yet it’ll stay prone until you hop into it. She could look at him with all the facets of disgust she wanted too- it really didn’t scald him into becoming a better man. It also didn’t help she was: stuck-up, bookish, and definitely would be more attractive if she really did apply any effort what-so-ever. It was only a momentary look from her but it conveyed the same feelings he received from all of the members of the royal table, the student council- hell- the either freaking student body.
He wasn’t here to garner favors, interact with the peons, or be otherwise disturbed from his daily assortment of activities. Riley was here to get his credits and then leave- back to Japan- and back to the family business. And they should hope- EVERYONE should hope- that he never see them again.

Another set of eyes collapsed against him- probably because he was staring directly towards the ginger girl and awaiting a time that he could torment her and her similar-haired companion. Shaelyn never looked at him like some monster or freak- or at least that is how he took her glances. Honestly he was confused as to what he truly meant but figured it out took too many brain cells and oxygen to truly deduce what she thought. Instead he just glanced away and tossed his fork to the ground- in the pathway of every walking being in this cafeteria.

A low whistle emancipated from his lips as that bright pink mop of hair made itself evident in the cafeteria- “look at that- have you switched sides Edward? Or did you just want to make yourself a moving target?” Riley announced with a bright fervor, and placed his knuckles into his palm. “I mean I am sure we could wash that pink out- just got to get a toilet and you gotta hold your breath.”

Ling held her breath for a while- probably too long but she didn’t care.
Currently no one had given her a single sideways glance since she had arrived and all had assumed she was exactly who she said she was- her brother. Fortunately she was young enough that she didn’t have to do too much binding, and she had hacked her hair off short enough that it was a trendy shaggy cut. While she felt as if she was blatantly a girl dressed as a boy- the world seemed to acknowledge her as her brother: Bao-Zhi Dao.

Yet the largest test seemed to be her participation in these hours before school actually began the next morn. She had been walking stiffly from here to there and not speaking to a single soul- assured that her voice and mannerism would completely give her away. Ling adjusted her collar again for the thousandth time- assured that it would cover her jugular and otherwise hide any hints of not having an Adam’s apple. A low hat hid the soft swoop of her brows- which fortunately her brother had shared some jaw-dropping feminine features. While that had made him all the more prize at their school it had made Ling almost androgynous to the point that many of the older girls had teased her.
Little did she know- that she would be happy for such a thing in this chronicle of her life.

So she wouldn’t have even stepped foot in the cafeteria had her stomach not made this most wretched of noise during the main speech and her nose had lead her here. Yet as those eyes got a glimpse around the cafeteria she was somewhat turned off by the cuisine presented and immediately missed home. Yet what her eyes did take in was the stark division of cliques and the fact that no one seemed overly friendly with someone standing outside their circle. Ling figured that this would work well for her given the fact that she didn’t need to become personal with anyone for fear they might find out who she really was. So instead of swiftly blending in the with crowd- she stood there awkwardly for a long moment and attempted to find a plausible route through this mess.
Yet from an immediate observation she figured that many- if not everyone- would not be proficient in Mandarin. So she decided that it might be opportune to jibber in her native language- for hope that no one would understand otherwise what she meant and hopefully wouldn’t find out the feminine mannerism in which she spoke.

Ling realized rather quickly this was a stupid idea.

Edward was used to weird looks. Or rather he was oblivious to them. Mostly he just brushed them off as normal and went about his business. As he reached the duo, he threw an arm around Shae and chuckled as he read what she had written. He had met her the previous year when she joined theatre. Her muteness never bothered him; he talked enough for the both of them.

“I lost a bet wit’ me best mate back at home, have to have pink hair for a year,” he said by way of explanation. “It was better than the other option.” It was true; the terms of the bet said that he had to either dye it pink or shave it all off. Edward had a feeling that his mate thought he’s pick the latter option, but he did not want to lose his hair.

He then turned to Maia, who had reminded him of the role he had lost. Woe crept across his face as he sighed dramatically. “I had within my grasp. It was nearly, closely, for certain going to be me they picked. Then,” he sighed mournfully, “they decided to go in another direction! Can you believe it?!”
As they entered the cafeteria, he noted the usual hustle and bustle of one of the busiest rooms in the school. There were tables for everyone and they all had their place. Edward had figured that out quickly. Luckily he found his place quickly in the school.

When Riley spoke, Edward knew that he had two choices, of which he chose to just ignore the guy. After all, he never saw him too much. He had dealt with him in the past; Edward unintentionally made himself an easy target. Instead of giving Riley the satisfaction of getting to him, he turned towards the food. “Let’s eat!” he announced, heading towards the food.

Romey smiled and shook her head at Lucas! "Of course not!" She said, "I would just like it back. I've read somewhere that keeping a folder full of your art is good for the future! I'm not sure why... But I'm not going to question it!" She pulled the rest of her art back into her back pack and zipped it shut. She quickly finished her lunch, happy that the food here was so good! She had never tasted anything better. Her mother didn't cook all that often! She was never a great cook and mostly popped some frozen stuff in the microwave or oven and then handed it to Romey when it was done. She wasn't sure why her mother was the way she was, but she wasn't going to question that either. Everytime she did, her mother would go off on some dramatic tangent about how "Mother knows best."

Romey eyed the cafeteria. There were so many people around. There was a group of kids who looked way to rich for their age... there were a few nicer looking kids that stood out, especially hanging around that kid with the pink hair, and then there were a few that were alone. Especially one that caught her eye. He was large and he looked a bit scruffy around the edges. Almost like...like... a beast. Romey's interest was peeked and she automatically wanted to know more about this man. She moved herself on her knees and lifted herself up on the table. She pointed slightly. "Who's that big guy over there?" She asked, "Do you know him? Why is he so big? I think I'm going to go say hi!"

Romey's smile peeked and she stood from her seat. That group with the pink haired kid had just walked away from him. Perhaps they knew him well or something. "I'll be right back, Ok?" She told Lucas and Kane and started to head toward the big kid. She had made her way through the crowd, excusing herself if she pushed or bumped into someone. Finally she made it to the large teen and smiled up at him. "Wow, you're tall!" She said. She held out a tiny hand to shake his, "My name is Romey! I'm a freshman here, who are you?"

Luke turned to the table that the girl had inquired about. Ahh, the Princes and their Princesses. Of course, Luke knew them quite well. Heck, everyone knows them. With a sly grin, he said, "They're the rulers of the school." He didn't add anything to the comment and only offered a smile to his new acquaintance. A calm secretive smile that implied he held knowledge over something she did not and was not the least bit eager to share.

Even though he was the School President, Luke acknowledged humbly his position in the academy. Sure, he and his crew had official powers but when it came down to it, the Seniors were the ones who called the actual shots. He didn't mind nor did he felt threatened by their presence, actually. In fact, he was more than content to stay back and watch when things unravel. He preferred doing things behind the scenes instead of actually stepping in the spotlight. There was much more freedom for him to do things at his will that way without risking getting into anyone's radar.

He noted the golden haired Senior—His Highness, Percy Avoli—playing with a stray near the Chinese section and gave a sidelong glance at the wide eyed Freshman he was sitting with, not missing the connection between them. Luke knew better than to go into the 'Stay away from them if you know what's good for you,' speech on the girl, because honestly, that's just a load of bullshit that would do nothing but trigger the hot blooded teenager to throw herself into the challenge. No, this was one mistake she was free to make had she chosen to. Luke would never deny someone their rights to screw with their own lives as much as they wanted—the choices which he himself had been denied.

Finishing the last bit of food on the plate, it seemed that the girl's interest on the Royalties had averted to another. Even without looking up, Luke could easily guess the object of her inquiry. The term 'big guy', give and take, could only be a definition suitable enough for one particular individual. As he followed the girl's eager departure with his eyes—the feeling quite similar to watching a mindless firefly closing into a porch's light while silently anticipating the dull sound of electrical shock which would halt the irritable buzzing—Luke couldn't contain an amused cackle.

This should be fun.

"A bet? What was the other one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Just what was the other one that Edward had picked the pink hair over? Looking him over again, the pink didn't truly deter from him. The boy was very bubbly and out there, it was almost impossible to miss him. With the hair, it just made it next to impossible to ignore him.

Hearing what he said about the missed opportunity for the job he wanted, she gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, shaking her head. "Showbiz, man, it's killer. You'll get something better. They'll see what they missed out on later." She encouraged, hoping to cheer the boy up.

Plenty of chances later on. In a way, it was a good thing he didn't get it. The boy needed to come back to them and grace the school with his loud and amusing antics. He'd forget all about it by the end of the year.

“look at that- have you switched sides Edward? Or did you just want to make yourself a moving target?”

Wait. She knew that voice. Sure enough, his next words confirmed her suspicions. An almost hopeless look appeared before she glanced over to see the form of a rather large male. Riley. Already starting on his antics? Typical. To her surprise, Edward just ignored the bigger male and headed to the buffet. It was either a very smart move, or a very risky one. Depended on the seniors mood at the time.

Maia almost smirked, raising an eyebrow up at Riley. "Can this wait til classes start? We're all hungry." Unlike most of the others, Miss Roth was not one to be intimidated easily, so she was one of the few who actually talked to the man Without cringing away. She didn't agree with his bullying, but it was something she had gotten more or less used to.

Light brown eyes glanced down to a young girl with short brown hair who, very boldly, walked straight up to Riley and introduced herself to him. She smiled lightly, glancing at Riley to see his reaction before looking down at her again. More or less, in thought. She seemed so innocent. Almost adorable. She was going to get stepped over by all the others in no time.

Riley’s brow shot up when Edward ignored his presence. Little did the intimidating senior know that that the pink plumed male was his roommate, but when he did- there would be hell to pay for this indiscretion. So the massive hulk of a senior stood- though in contrast he was no bigger than any kid on any high school varsity wrestling team- and moved towards the buoyant orbs of the theater group. Maia would probably say something- as she managed too when he stirred trouble in her fond little group- and he would inevitably cool off and trudge away. He respected the woman because in turn he assumed she respected him, or at least they had not shared words to indicate otherwise.
Still that did not mean Edward was so easily forgiven- maybe he would like his face decorated in the buffet food he so fondly ran towards?

Yet about that time he was greeted by a quaint female visage. She seemed buoyantly happy, and her lips were pressed into a congenial smile that was hoping to be both welcoming and inquisitive. Riley just frowned. There was always a freshman that wanted to speak to him, wanted to get to know him better, wanted to shake his hand and then stroll off into that congenial friendship sunset.
Screw all of that- screw it into the hard and cold ground, or at least that is what Riley thought.

Only one person in all his time at Velubian Academy had managed to successfully make friends with him, and that was only due to their persistence- and since then Riley felt as if he needed to squelch all sense of adventure as to avoid having more than one ‘good friend’.
“Why- how nice of you,” Riley stated in a dulled manner as he reached over to some poor student’s lunch and snatched an opened carton of milk. “My name is Riley.” He stated with the same boisterous monotone as before. “Now fuck off.” And with that- if girl didn’t move- he would have dumped milk over the crown of her head, crushed the carton, tossed it somewhere in the cafeteria and strolled away.

Edward should have been happy that freshmen were easy targets.

She wandered into the large cafeteria, looking about.
" Huh, so this is Velubian Academy's famous eating space," commented Miu, impressed by how big it was. Her own kitchen was barely a fourth of the size. She scanned the room for potential 'non deadlys,' as she called them. Non Deadlys were people who were actually nice. Then, suddenly, something caught her eye.

Is that....pink hair? That's...friggin' awesome!

She was about to go over to the pink haired person, but suddenly, she stopped.

Oh... she thought with disgust, A man. Better not go near him.

Then her stomach rumbled. Miu looked down at it in disapproval, as if to say, " Don't you dare do that again." But sadly, her stomach was a rather rebellious thing. She blushed slightly, and looked around, wondering if anyone had heard the embarrassing sound. Then, she stepped into the line for the food. " There. I'll eat. Happy now?" she muttered to herself as she glared down at her stomach.

Miu was a strange girl, talking to things that wouldn't talk back. But that was just Miu being Miu.

In response to Maia’s question, Shae typed quickly on her iPad,

Eh, I was on my way out – but I can stick around, I didn’t have anything important to do.

It was a lie, she did have plans to talk with Andrew, but she couldn’t very well tell them that. The questions would begin and then she’d rope herself into more lies, and that’s just a one way ticket to self sabotage.

Go get some food, I’ll grab a table for all of us.

But before she could get away, a whistle caught her attention. Turning her head to look over her shoulder she turned around to face him as he approached. Usually, Shae was pretty good at giving a sharp tongued retort, but they didn’t come easily when her opponent was one Riley Sakurazuka. It wasn’t fear, it was something else, she got choked up around him and nothing witty could ever come out – even when typed. So most of the time, she gets a little extra silent when pursued by his bullying tactics. But that didn’t stop her from bearing her eyes into him when he wasn’t looking – or maybe that stare wasn’t bearing…

Either way, she’d let Maia take this one in stride. Shae headed in the direction of the circle of empty tables that seemed to surround the prince and princesses. Was it the best idea? Probably not – but it certainly was the most fun idea, and Maia would certainly enjoy it.

Walking over to the empty table, Shae sat her bag down and leaned against the table, her eyes momentarily fixed on royalty. She was close enough to hear them speak – and her eyes were almost begging for someone to look over. A little bit of the steam Riley stirred up in her made her want to take it out on someone else.

Taking a moment to briefly pause from leering at the royalty, she looked over her shoulder to check up on if the two had gotten away from Riley or not, which they did – but someone else had gotten to him. A pretty little brunette – who was now officially, not one of Shaelyn’s favorites.

Oliver was a junior, and he had heard this speech time and time again – but yes, he was at the little welcoming ceremony once again. Why would he put himself through something most upperclassmen skip? Two reasons, the first being – how could he possibly miss a chance to stare at the hottest babe Velubien had to offer, Headmaster Nicolas Walton. Sure, he was older! Sure, he was married! But a schoolboy crush can’t be helped, whenever Walton passed Ollie in the halls – it would feel like crossing paths with a celebrity.

The second reason he made sure to make this years ceremony, was so he could get some fast time with the bright eyed and bushy tailed freshies that were joining the ranks. He liked to make his face known as soon as he possibly could, plus he had flyers to pass out!

The brown haired boy managed to pass out half of them at the ceremony and wanted to try and get the other half out in the cafeteria – which is exactly where he was headed. The flyers were simple – printed on paper that was a vibrant shade of neon orange. The text read;

WELCOME PARTY
DORM #206
10PM
CASUAL ATTIRE

The instructions were blatant and easy to follow. The party would start after lights out, the location was his dorm room and it was to celebrate the first day to an amazing year. There was no ending time for a reason, the fact that the party was going to last as long as it could without being shut down. It would likely only last a few hours before being crashed by the faculty, but that was the best part!

Giddy with excitement, Ollie strode into the cafeteria with a large, confident smile on his face. He passed them out to everyone he passed, giving out little sentiments to each group of people; “Hope to see you there~!” , “Oo, bring your friend too!” , “Don’t miss it~!”.

But this next step was very important. Ollie absolutely must invite the princes and princesses, if he didn’t, the party wouldn’t take off. All he needed were a few people to witness them receiving the invites, and then the rumors would start that they’d be there, and then everyone would want to be there. He approached the table, tossing down a few flyers into the center of it – his eyes gliding from one person to the next. “If you all aren’t too busy… you know I always love my special guests.”