First day of new term
"Viv!! Viv!"
I turned my head to find Kate rushing towards me, and before I could process what was going on, her arms had flung themselves around me, engulfing me in a giant hug.
I smiled against her navy blazer. "I missed you, Kate."
"I missed you too! How did you spend the term break?"
I rolled my eyes. "I literally told you everything over the dozens of phone calls and video chats you, Angie and I shared over the break. Doesn't look like I have anything else left to tell you, Katie."
She laughed, just as Angie came over and hugged us both.
"Viv! Ready to be Head Girl?"
I groaned. "Nope, not at all. I don't know what to do! Firstly, there are the A-levels, then so many responsibilities, I don't think I can handle any of them, let alone all, plus I have to deal with Archer, the added bonus! This just isn't fair!"
The girls patted my back. "Ever heard of pre-performance jitters? That's what you're having right now." Angie offered.
Kate echoed her. "Yeah, and don't be so whiny. God, you make me regret being your best friend sometimes!"
I rolled my eyes. "You wish."
Together, we entered the stone building (or more like castle) of Bloomwood Prep, our navy blue skirts swishing against our legs. I quite liked our uniform. It consisted of a white shirt, navy blue skirt and blazer, along with a dark blue and off white striped tie. We had to wear black sheer stockings and any black shoes of our choice. We also had dark blue hats if we wanted to wear them. The boys' uniform was the same, minus the skirts of course.
As i strolled into the assembly hall, I could feel the eyes on me. I was going to be appointed the new Head Girl after all. I suddenly felt jitters running down my arms and back, me who'd never felt underconfident before.
Then i saw something which made my blood boil.
Archer was running down the aisles, helping the students get into lines and sit in order. The headmaster was looking at him and smiling (proudly, I presume) and as Archer caught my eye for a split second, he smirked and sent me a wink.
He was trying to make me look inept. I was going to make him pay for this.
I rushed over to where he was standing. "Archer, Archer, no! What are you doing? You're asking the students to sit all in the wrong order! The junior classes should sit on the right, we'd agreed upon this. I knew you'd forget the new order even when I'd drilled it into you, here, let me help."
Archer stared at me, then started to protest, slowly realising what I was doing. But by that time I'd already started telling the kids to get up and sit on the right side. They followed my instructions without protesting and within five minutes, everyone was seated again, albeit in different places.
Archer strode up and stood beside me.
"You deliberately made up this shite story about new seating orders to sabotage my work, didn't you?"
I smiled at him. "Archer, what are you saying? We'd so amicably agreed on the new arrangement which you carelessly forgot. Now Mr Richards will be disappointed in you."
He glared at me. "Damn you, Vivian. You're a bloody devil."
I glared back. "As if you aren't. You were constantly looking over at me while seating the students, to make sure I saw how proud Mr Richards was of you and how I was apparently doing nothing. I've been planning so much for this school, and on the very first day you're out to make me look bad!"
He rolled his eyes. "You deserve it."
"You know what? All this while I never imagined I'd do anything to sabotage anyone, but with you, I'm ready to do even that. Because you seem to be shameless and willing to ruin me. So why shouldn't I do the same with you?"
He glared. "Do whatever the hell you want. If it's war you want, it's war you'll get."
"Fine. Game on."
"Game on."
With that, we both looked towards the stage, where Headmaster was beginning his speech.
"...and now we welcome on stage the two students who've been selected as the new Head Boy and Head Girl of Bloomwood Prep for the academic year 2020-21. They have been decorated students all their lives, with plenty of special attributes, skills, intelligence and the ability to lead well. Please welcome, Archer Woods and Vivian Wentworth!"
We both got up on stage and stood, while Mr Richards pinned our badges onto our blazers. Then it was time for the oath-taking.
We repeated the words after Headmaster.
"We, the two students of Bloomwood Preparatory..."
Archer and I glared at each other out of the corner of our eyes.
"...vow to uphold the honour of our school..."
He 'accidentally' and very discreetly slammed his elbow into my side. I almost yelped out in pain.
"...and with pride, carry out our duties..."
I slowly and ever so slightly shifted my left foot and stepped on his toe. He visibly winced.
"...and work together in harmony, wisely and diligently."
We both snorted at that. Headmaster raised his eyebrows, and we composed ourselves quickly.
°
The first day passed by quite fast. Our lessons were taken by teachers who all had only one plan in mind, to drone on and on about how important this last year of sixth form was and how our A-levels were looming large before us. We had all chosen our subjects very carefully, keeping in mind what we wanted to pursue. The problem was, Archer wanted to pursue Photography, and I, Art. So he'd taken up Maths, Media Studies, Design and Spanish while I had Art, English Literature, Maths and Spanish. Hence, we had some common subjects for sixth form, and so had to spend even more unwanted time together. Ugh, the very thought bothered me to no end.
Thankfully, Angie and Beth (who wasn't too close to me but was still a good friend) were with me in three of my classes, while Kate was in two. Otherwise I have no idea what I would've done.
After 2:30 pm, when the bell rang for the last period to end, we all went back to the common room or our dorms before supper. All except Archer and I. We were supposed to go to our stupid study to sit together and do our work together till 7:30 pm. Only after that could we go join our friends for an hour, before supper at 8:30 in the dining hall.
I reached the study first. The corridor was of course, empty, since it housed only the study and the toilet. I could hear the noises from the hall but as soon as I shut the door, everything almost went silent. It was like I was in my own private office, not to be disturbed. It felt pretty damn good.
Of course, when I said not to be disturbed, I didn't mean Archer Woods.
He burst into the peaceful study with all the grace and silence of a bull who's seen red. "Alright, I'm goin' out with my mates. Don't tell Headmaster, no one has to know."
He was about to head out the door again, but I was having none of it. I pulled him back by his arm.
"You're not going out. The moment you step out of this door, I'm going right out and informing Mr Richards. I will do it. Plus, there's a camera here, you know."
If looks could kill, I'd be not just six, but sixty feet under right now. He shook my arm off, and brought his face a bit too close to mine.
"Um, what the hell do you--"
"Listen here, Vivian. You think you're such a good girl, aren't you? Headmaster thinks you're the perfect girl, always following orders, always doing what's right, not breaking rules. Well, he doesn't know what I know. None of them knows what I know about you. You've done a hell lot of things which wouldn't look good on your resumé, you know that right? And you've done them with me, so I would know. And now you can pretend to be a perfectly good student and act like a hypocrite, but I'm not you. I want to go out and I will. You can't tie me down, so you'd better back off."
I inhaled shakily. I couldn't breathe properly when he was this close. We hadn't been this close since...
I shook my head. I couldn't think about that now. I looked at him with as much calm as I could muster.
"You want to talk about being a hypocrite? Let's see who's a hypocrite. Me, who hasn't broken a single rule since the time I went out with you, and has been honest about it, or you, who goes out with his best mates almost every weekend doing god knows what, and then acts like he's doing all the work of the Head in front of Mr Richards. Who's the hypocrite now? I can happily go and tell Headmaster about every rule I've broken, every time I snuck out into the school garden after dark with you, every time I drew graffiti on the back wall of the toolshed with you, every time I had a midnight feast in the common room with you. I can say all this without hesitation, but it'll look like you've been the bad influence on me, Archer, not the other way round. And if you go out now and leave me to do all the work, I'm reporting you this very instant."
Archer looked at me for a long, hard moment. His dark brown eyes were looking at me so intensely I felt uncomfortable. But I held on to my ground and stared back, until he sighed and looked away.
"You've won this one, but don't think I'll let you get away next time."
I smiled. "We'll see about that. But for now, I've won!"
I pumped my fist into the air like they do in tacky movies, and Archer simply rolled his eyes. Then we got to work.
°
"Okay so what have we got here?"
I looked closely at all the instructions on the paper.
Archer leaned in close to the paper and and squinted.
"Why is the font so damn tiny?"
"Tell me about it."
We both struggled to read but after some time could finally understand what Headmaster was trying to say. (We'd have to give in a suggestion to invest more in font size.)
We were supposed to make a final list of the student council for this term. Candidates for student council were selected from the two years of sixth form, by the Head Girl and Boy themselves, every year, and they were to be the Prefects and assist the Heads in their job.
Now it was time for us to select.
"I think Ashley has it in her, don't you think?"
I rolled my eyes. "You sure you're not just saying that because she's fit?"
Archer glared. "I'm not that cheap, Vivian. No she's actually responsible, and quick to learn. I've seen her in class."
"Well, if you say so. I don't know her well, so I'll have to take your word for it. How about Jamie Kingston? He's a good boy, in his first year of sixth form. He'll do well as prefect."
"And how do you know him so well?"
"I had to tutor him last year for his GSCE and he seemed quite a fast learner and a responsible, hardworking boy."
Like this, after two hours and a whole lot of arguing and threatening, we finally came to a uninanimous decision about the student council members.
I leaned back in my chair and let out a deep whoosh of breath. "If we work like this, we're going to get nowhere."
Archer nodded. "Yeah, you're right."
I sat up. "What?! Did Archer Woods just agree with me?"
He rolled his eyes. "Don't overreact. It's true, we need to...cooperate more. For the sake of the school."
I thought for some time. I guess, sometimes, for more important stuff, sacrifices could be made.
I straightened my back. "Okay, let's make a deal. From now on, we'll both know we hate each other, but at the same time, we'll cooperate with each other and if even one of us starts to bicker, that person loses. It's a game. No bickering, even if we're dying to, even if the other person insults us or angers us in any way. Let's see who wins, you or my awesome self."
He narrowed his eyes. "Oh you want to play this game? We'll play alright, we both know I'd win."
"Hah, high hopes!"
"We'll see, Vivian. Game on." He actually smiled at me, though I knew it had nothing but devilish intentions. "Oh, and whoever loses will have to listen to anything the winner says, for a week."
I raised my brows, then held out my hand. He shook it firmly. It felt sort of strange to hold his hand after such a long time, but I had other things to think about now. Like our bet.
I gave him a saccharine smile.
Okay Archer. Game on.
°
a/n: game on!! let's see who wins this one ;) make sure to vote and comment guys, no one likes ghost readers :) lots of love xx