Chapter 6

STELLA Feeling extremely cold, I hesitate to open my eyes. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” Elle’s voice is lively and fresh as if she’s been up for hours. How does she do that? Is this girl even human? I drag myself out of the bed and it’s even colder than I imagined. “I need coffee,” I mumble quietly to myself, but somehow Elle still hears me. “Oh, honey, I hate to disappoint you, but they don’t serve coffee here.” she smiles apologetically. “What?” I fall back to my bed. “And I thought I couldn’t hate this place more!” Elle sits next to me and brushes my hair softly. “Come on, S, it’s your first day here! Trust me, it’s going to be great! And you will enjoy your time here as much as I do if you give us a chance!” “You enjoy your time here only because you have a hot ass boyfriend who adores you!” I snort at her. “I have nothing of the sort.” “You have me and Carter as friends! And, trust me, that’s a lot!” she giggles. “Cause we are both amazing!” “True," I laugh and stand up to get my uniform. I put my white blouse on and a bow that I made out of the hideous tie they provided me with. Then I slip into the burgundy tartan skirt and a pair of over-the-knee, dark, grey socks. I pull on my dark grey school blazer with burgundy lining and school’s logo as well. The last touch – my black leather lace-up hiker boots. I turn in front of the mirror. Yep, I look like a rich spoiled brat. No surprises there. Oh, well. Elle whistles at me. “You look great! Something tells me the times of you not having an amazing and loving boyfriend will soon be over! Ha-ha!” “You wish,” I chuckle and we both leave for breakfast. The dining hall is filled with people, and I am amazed at the quantity of food provided. Yesterday’s dinner didn’t leave much of an impression on me, but breakfast here is really something! There is a station filled with different types of cereals, yogurts, nuts, and all kinds of berries. Another has at least ten types of eggs – scrambled, poached, omelets, frittatas. And then,, at the tables where the students sit, baskets are filled with different types of bread, toasts, buns, and jams. You name it and it’s there. Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, children are starving. I sigh. I make myself an avocado, salmon, and poached egg sandwich, and join Elle’s table as she waves for me and shows me to an empty seat right next to her. I almost reach it, when suddenly someone lands there just before me. I recognize Maddison’s sleek hair as she turns and smiles at me. “Oh, I am sorry, this seat is already taken. But I am sure you understand.” I look around and see that Elle is on one side of her, but on the otherside, there is Xavier. Yep, I’d better stay away from both of them. “Don’t be a b***h, Maddie,” Elle’s fuming. “I saved this seat for my friend. Piss off.” “I have something important to discuss with Xave, do you mind?” Maddie is being passive-aggressive. “It’s alright,” I say. “I’ll find another seat since it’s so important.” “No!” Xavier interrupts everyone. “Maddie will move since I am not in the mood to discuss anything important, and my brother’s girlfriend saved you this seat.” Everyone immediately quieted down,and I could see how red Maddison was turning. But it’s not from embarrassment. It’s definitely anger, as she shoots me with a deadly glare. Damn, and so goes my plan to stay low. “It’s really okay,” I say to somehow try and save the situation. “You see?” Maddie is glancing happily at Xavier. Yet, his eye have somehow darkened from his usual lighter shade, and he does not look happy. “Move, Maddie,” he says calmly and she jumps up and leaves the room. Everyone is staring at the two of us now. Xavier smiles at me and then nods at the empty seat. “How was your first night here?” he asks me while he cuts his bacon. “Cold,” I say honestly, and he looks at me, worried. I even feel a bit guilty. I know they all love this place and here I am, whining all the time. “Really?” he sounds concerned. “Nothing a warm cardigan can’t fix. I’ll survive,” I chuckle. “By the way, are breakfasts here always this… over the top?” “You don’t like it?” He looks slightly disappointed again. And I feel like the world's biggest asshole. “Well, I like that I managed to find my favorite,” I point at my sandwich. “But what will happen to all the food when we're done with it? Surely, there is no way such an amount of food could be consumed by the few hundreds of people who go here. Meanwhile, in some parts of the world, people are starving.” I stop talking, and once more I find that everyone is looking at me. Seriously? Have they never thought of that? “Well, you’d be surprised by how much people here can eat.” I hear Greg laughing. “However, today IS a special occasion of some sort. We are not sure what it is, though. Xave, by any chance, do you know what it is?” Xavier coughs at the mention of his name and gives Gregor an angry look. “Not sure either,” he finally says. “However, about the hunger and stuff. I’ve heard that our school is launching a program to help those in need.” “Have you really?” Greg sounds amused. “Yes, and it sounds like a great program!” Xave snarls at him. “Weren’t you responsible for it? And wasn’t the presentation like tomorrow?” I can swear Gregor’s face turned white. Did he forget? “Yes, I am and yes it is. And now if you will excuse me, I suddenly remember what a shitload of work I have to do till tomorrow,” he smirks and leaves the table. Xavier is looking smug. With them, I always feel like I don’t know something. The rest of the breakfast is uneventful, and the conversation is nice. Carter and the other guys c***k some jokes and make us all laugh. I am getting to know new people in the process and start noticing how the school runs. I am sure now that Xavier has authority over pupils, as whatever he says goes. They all obey him in some very weird sense. Considering how hot he is, no wonder all the girls have their eyes on him. He, however, seems uninterested. Although a few of the jokes left me with the impression that “back in the day” he was dating plenty. I wonder what happened. The last lesson of the day is P.E. and I am informed at the last minute that today is a field hockey day. What the hell is field hockey? We didn’t play it back at my school. I am wearing shorts that barely reach mid-thigh and some kind of overall with special trainers. “Here you go,” Elle gives me a hockey stick. “If need be – protect yourself with it. Sometimes we play a bit rough out here.” Now, I am not even sure I want to play at all. Elle explains the basic rules to me as she is our team’s captain, meanwhile, our rivals arrive at the changing room. “Hello there.” I hear Maddie’s voice and I cringe. She is fully equipped and smiling at me with her best smile. “Hi,” I squeeze out of myself and try to pretend that nothing happened in the morning, “Are we playing against you, guys?” “Yes you are.” Maddie’s eyes are on me the whole time. “Let the best team win.” She passes me and I hear her and her minions laughing. I look at Elle and see that her expression is troubled. I am so screwed. We arrive on the field as the boys are finishing their training. This is truly a feast for the eyes as I notice once again how good-looking the students are here. Six-pack after six-pack, as most of them, were playing shirtless. And I am thankful for that! I hear some kind of growling noise again, and turn to try and locate where it came from. Instead, my eyes fall on a body that was carved by the Greek gods themselves. It’s a walking Calvin Klein ad! My eyes shamelessly slide up the torso and meet familiar, piercing blue eyes. It’s Xavier. He is looking as happy as ever and gives me a wink... Oh God, did he see me drooling over his abs? I feel so stupid! Stupid, stupid, Stella! He passes me to take a seat in the spectator area and I hear clearly, “Do you like what you see, little bird?” I can literally feel my cheeks flush red. But luckily for me, it was time to take our positions on the field. Elle, as the captain of our team, gave out instructions to all the team members and the game has begun. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined. Yes, there was some pushing involved, but I’d give it a three out of ten. Nothing dangerous. I was probably just overthinking. Someone passes me the ball and I start running in the direction of the other team’s gates. I am so close I could almost feel it! However, in the last second, out of nowhere, Maddie appears and pushes me with her side. The rest is in a daze as I fly at high speed into the wooden barrier shielding the field. I hear something cracking as I fall and I can only hope that it’s the barrier and not my bones. Someone calls my name and a spark of electricity goes through my body right before I close my eyes. It’s warm and I feel safe. But why?