Chapter Four
1263 Words
The next morning, I woke up later than I had planned.
Panic immediately set in.
I quickly brushed my teeth, got dressed, grabbed my bag, and rushed out of the hostel toward the matriculation office. I was certain I would meet a long queue.
To my surprise, only a few students were waiting.
I quietly joined the line.
The girl standing in front of me suddenly turned around and smiled.
"You're new too?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Ashley."
"Melanie."
"It's nice to meet you."
Unlike me, Ashley talked as though she had known me for years.
Within a few minutes, she had asked where I was from, what course I was studying, and where I lived on campus.
Before I knew it, she had collected my phone number.
"I'll send you everything," she said.
"Everything?"
"You missed your first class this morning."
My eyes widened.
"I did?"
She nodded.
"But don't worry. I'll send you the class timetable, lecture notes, and every update. We're in the same Economics class."
I immediately felt relieved.
As we walked around campus after collecting our matriculation numbers, Ashley seemed to know almost everything.
She pointed out the faculty buildings, the registration office, the cafeteria, the library, and even warned me about lecturers who hated lateness.
Within an hour, I had already learned something important.
Everything at St. Ashford Academy revolved around money.
If you wanted something...
You paid for it.
Ashley and I eventually realized that we even lived on the same street inside the residence halls.
She was completely different from me.
She was loud.
Confident.
Friendly.
And talked almost without taking a breath.
I wasn't sure whether I liked her.
But I knew one thing.
I didn't have anyone else.
When we returned to my residence hall, I discovered that my room was locked.
Thankfully, Ashley was still with me.
"You can wait in my room," she said.
I followed her.
The moment she opened the door, I froze.
Boxes of snacks were neatly arranged on her shelf.
Expensive perfumes lined her dressing table.
Designer handbags hung beside her wardrobe.
There were chocolates, soft drinks, biscuits, and enough food to last for weeks.
She noticed me looking.
"Have some snacks."
I smiled politely.
"No, thank you."
"Come on."
"I'm okay."
Instead of arguing, she grabbed her handbag.
"Let's go eat."
I wanted to refuse.
I really did.
But my stomach betrayed me.
I was hungry.
So I followed her.
When we reached the restaurant, Ashley ordered confidently without even looking at the prices.
I, on the other hand, stared at the menu.
Everything was expensive.
As I watched the cashier announce the total, I silently calculated how much money I had left.
I'm definitely calling my parents tonight.
After today... I probably shouldn't buy food again until tomorrow.
Ashley spent the entire meal talking.
About campus.
About parties.
About school life.
About the places she wanted us to visit.
Then she looked at me.
"We're going out tonight."
I smiled awkwardly.
"I don't think I can."
"Why?"
"I'm tired."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
The truth was...
I barely knew her.
She talked too much.
And I wasn't comfortable following someone I had only met a few hours earlier.
She shrugged.
"Another time."
We laughed about random things before heading back.
By the time we returned, my room had finally been opened.
Ashley followed me inside as though she had lived there all her life.
She slowly looked around the room.
Then her eyes landed on my bed.
For just a second...
I noticed a look of disappointment cross her face.
Maybe she had assumed I came from a wealthy family because I was so quiet.
If only she knew the truth.
She climbed onto my bunk without asking.
She stayed there for hours.
Sometimes we talked.
Sometimes we simply sat in silence.
Surprisingly...
It wasn't awkward.
It actually felt comforting.
My roommates kept stealing glances at us.
Finally, one of them laughed.
"So you've already found yourself a best friend?"
I couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't think so."
Ashley laughed louder than everyone else.
As the evening grew darker, Flora finally returned to the room.
It was the first time I had seen her since morning.
She looked exhausted.
The moment she entered, she smiled and waved at everyone.
"Hey, girls."
We all smiled back.
One of our roommates immediately pointed at me.
"Flora, your friend has already found herself a new bestie."
"I just hope that noisy girl doesn't spoil Melanie."
The room erupted with laughter.
Flora looked at me before smiling.
"I don't think anyone can spoil Melanie."
"She's too quiet."
I laughed softly.
If only they knew how badly I wanted to stop being the quiet girl.
As we continued talking, my phone vibrated.
It was a f*******: notification.
I opened it.
The message was from Ethan.
A boy from my secondary school.
We had never really spoken.
The only conversation I remembered happened one afternoon when I walked into class and found him sitting in my seat.
"Can you move, please?" I had asked.
He stared at me in complete shock.
"You can actually talk?"
The entire class laughed.
I was so embarrassed that I walked away without saying another word.
Apparently, that had been the first time he had ever heard my voice.
Now he was texting me.
"I saw you on campus today. I didn't know we ended up in the same school. Let's meet tonight."
I stared at the message.
I was both happy and confused.
He had never spoken to me in secondary school.
Why now?
After thinking about it for a while, I agreed.
As I changed my clothes, I realized something.
This school was changing me.
The old Melanie would never have agreed to meet someone she barely knew.
When I met Ethan, he smiled warmly.
"I'm glad you came."
He introduced me to two other students from our former secondary school.
"It feels good seeing familiar faces again," he said.
I smiled.
For the first time since arriving at St. Ashford Academy...
I didn't feel completely alone.
As we talked, Ethan suddenly became serious.
"There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Be careful around Dylan."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Let's just say... he's known for getting into trouble."
I didn't ask any more questions.
After a while, Ethan offered to walk me back to my hostel.
The campus looked beautiful beneath the night sky.
Students walked in groups.
Some sat on benches laughing.
Others held hands as they crossed the courtyard.
Halfway to my hostel, someone called out.
"Ethan!"
We both turned.
It was Dylan.
He walked toward us with a confident smile.
"So it really is you, Melanie."
I smiled politely.
"We went to the same secondary school."
He nodded before taking out his phone.
"Give me your number."
Without thinking, I shook my head.
"No."
He looked surprised.
"No?"
"I'm sorry."
The truth was...
I wanted no trouble.
Especially after Ethan's warning.
Dylan smiled.
"No problem."
He walked away.
When I finally returned to my room, I changed into my pajamas and reached for my phone.
A new message had arrived from Ethan.
"Be careful."
"Those guys warned me to stay away from you."
I stared at the screen.
Stay away from me?
I had only been at St. Ashford Academy for a few days.
How had I already become the center of a warning?
I placed my phone beside me and lay down.
Sleep never came.
Something told me...
My life at St. Ashford Academy was only just beginning.
- Writer
