Sara held an open book in her hands and pretended to read. She glanced secretly at her roommate, who was smoking a cigarette, sitting on the windowsill by the open window.From the moment Sara had entered the room, the brunette had ignored her, behaving as if she were invisible. The girl saw that she didn't intend to befriend her, so she didn't even try to start a conversation. She preferred being ignored to being trampled on. After so many years, she had grown used to living alone. She had never had a true friend, only acquaintances who used her because of her father's money. They pretended to like her, while in reality they only loved shopping together. Once, she had been so naive and foolish that she allowed herself to be manipulated, which later caused problems with her father.Now she tried to be assertive and start coping with the world around her. She wanted to be braver and able to face all problems. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but for her own good, she tried to make it true.
Her roommate put out the cigarette and threw it out the window. She glanced at her phone, which made a quiet sound. She took the device in her hand and smiled as she read a message from her friend.Sara lowered her gaze when the girl noticed she was watching her curiously."How's your name?" she suddenly asked, and the teenager hesitantly raised her head and pointed to herself."I'm asking you. There's no one else here. Unless there are ghosts," she added with disdain.The girl swallowed hard."Ghosts?" she looked around the room nervously."I was joking, but seriously, how did you get here? Your personality is very different from the people trapped in this center. You couldn't have done anything wrong. You look like a good girl," she said, measuring her with a glance."My name was Sara, and I got here innocently, falsely accused. It was all my devilish sister's fault. She framed me," she replied.The brunette nodded. She pursed her lips and leaned back against the wall."I've dealt with such freaks, that's why I'm here. Stupid dolls who only think of themselves. They deserve to be beaten," she declared, snorting under her breath.Sara's eyes widened when she realized she shared a room with a real terror. The girl was dangerous and looked like someone who didn't care about anything."Why are you looking at me with a scared look? You're different from them, so you don't have to be afraid. There are a dozen of them here, so I have someone to bully," she added quite seriously, and Sara remained silent.
She was indeed dangerous, although she had the height of a model."What's your name?" she asked hesitantly, afraid she would be scolded. She didn't know her thoughts, especially since she didn't mince words.The brunette looked at her carefully for a moment, as if considering whether she wanted to be friends with her, then answered:"Laura."Sara nodded.The phone made a quiet sound again. The brunette read the message and smiled to herself."New girl, I think it's time to get you sorted out a bit. If you're that shy, people here will destroy you. I'm taking you to a party at my friend's place. You'll meet some people, gain some confidence..." she announced, to which the brunette immediately protested. She wasn't the type of person who went to parties. That wasn't for her. She preferred sitting in her room and reading her favorite book."Don't force me to go there against my will. Leave me alone. Forbidden parties are something everyone here loves. You have to meet some people or you won't get out of here quickly," she said, not taking her eyes off her. "You don't want me to be your enemy, do you?" Sara's eyes widened in terror. She got up from the bed without a word, and Laura's face broke into a triumphant smile.
In the corridor, Laura put her finger to her lips, signaling to be quiet. It was late evening, and the place seemed empty. They went down the stairs and hid behind a wall when they heard distinct footsteps that belonged to a teacher. The man left, so Laura peeked around the corner to make sure it was safe. She pulled Sara's hand and quickly led her to the boys' dormitory floor.The brunette was so scared that instead of watching her steps, she nervously looked around, fearing someone would notice them. She accidentally stumbled and fell down the stairs. Laura helped her up and, muttering curses under her breath, took her to her friend's room.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, Laura shouted loudly, making her presence known. A tall blond with blue eyes approached and looked at Sara carefully."The new girl who greeted us with a lingerie show on the stairs right at the entrance," he said, sizing her up. "I'm Simon," he introduced himself, extending his hand. She shyly shook it, glancing around the room with a timid look."Sara," she replied.She looked at Laura, who stared at another girl with hostility in her eyes. It was the same slender brunette with curly hair down to her waist who had mocked her earlier."Can you explain why Julia is here?" she asked."She came because she heard Matthew would be here too," he replied, a frown of displeasure on his face. The brunette looked at him, and her eyes sparkled at the sound of the name of the boy who had helped Sara earlier with her suitcase."I don't know what everyone sees in him," he added indignantly.Laura ignored his words, fixed her blouse to emphasize her chest. She threw back her thick brown hair and asked her roommate how she looked."Very nice... and sexy," she answered, glancing at Simon from the corner of her eye.At the sight of his friend, he swallowed and turned his face away. He scratched his neck nervously and walked away. Laura also disappeared somewhere in the growing crowd. It was uncomfortable because the room was cramped.
Sara stood in the corner and discreetly watched the students having a great time. The girls jumped on the beds, and Simon roughly pulled one of them, causing her to fall to the floor. Her boyfriend didn't like it and lunged at Simon, but Laura stood between them and punched the stranger in the face. The brunette wanted to respond but was stopped by Matthew, who grabbed the boy by the arm."You may be a big jerk, but you don't hit women," he said sharply, which pleased the brunette immensely. She smiled widely and agreed with him, instructing the boy that hitting women was a sign of weakness.The offended brunette took her girlfriend and left the room, cursing the party participants. Laura thanked Matthew for the help, discreetly flirting with him, to which he only nodded and left. The girl was unhappy, clenched her lips, and hit her friend on the arm."I told you he would never look at you. He's the most popular guy in the center; he can have anyone," she said indignantly, but these words didn't please Laura. She snorted angrily and gave a hateful look to Matthew's ex-girlfriend.
Sara glanced sideways when she felt someone standing next to her. She blushed when she saw Oliver, who was silently sipping orange juice. One of the girls tried to talk to him, but he rudely dismissed her.Finally, he threw an angry look at Sara as if she were to blame. The brunette decided to leave, not wanting to irritate anyone, but Oliver didn't let her. He grabbed her hand, forcing her to stay with him."Stand here and don't move," he said in an unpleasant tone, so she obediently complied. Leaning her back against the wall, she looked with frightened eyes, hoping to see her roommate who would help her."If you stay here, these pushy kids will stop bothering me," he added after a while, so Sara nodded. She wasn't the type to have enemies. The exception was Victoria."And start breathing, because you're turning purple," he noticed, only then realizing she was holding her breath in his presence. She didn't understand what was happening to her and why she acted so foolishly."If you're scared, people will think I'm threatening you. Seriously, what's wrong with you?" he asked.She looked at him uncertainly, but it was a mistake because Oliver watched her the whole time. She blushed and turned her face away, pretending to look with great interest at something else.
Uninvited guests — teachers — entered the room. Everyone started running, pushing each other to avoid getting caught. Only Sara looked around the room in panic, not knowing what to do. Seeing her fear, Oliver stepped back and grabbed her hand. He helped her get out of the room.A woman shouted that she had seen everyone and the students would face severe punishment, but the young people apparently didn't care, laughing and running away, treating it like a great game.
Oliver parted from Sara before the stairs leading to the girls' rooms."Don't thank me, because I don't like it," he said and ran down the corridor, leaving her alone.
The girl was scared when she heard voices. Fearing they were teachers, she realized she wouldn't make it upstairs, so she noticed a door near the stairs. She opened it and entered without looking inside. She quickly closed it behind her.It was dark, so she couldn't see anything. The walls were so cold that a chill ran through her. She tried to find a light but was afraid to touch the walls, fearing spiders. She felt as if they were crawling on her, though it was just her imagination playing tricks.
Not hearing voices outside, she decided to leave and return to her room. Her heart was beating so hard she felt it in her throat when she couldn't open the door. She pulled the handle and then realized it only opened from the outside.She started calling for help with panic in her voice. She didn't care if it was a teacher; in that situation, she preferred to be punished than spend the whole night there.
Panic turned into crying when no one heard her. She sat in the darkness, having a strange feeling that she wasn't alone. And although she couldn't see anything, she felt something was watching her.
"Hello, I need help!" she shouted once again, hoping that someone would just happen to be passing by. "I'm begging you!"She pounded on the door with her fists, thinking it might magically open and allow her to leave that awful place. She might have even believed it, if she hadn't suddenly bumped into someone while trying to get out.She was sure it was her own fault, yet her savior turned out to be a handsome blond man, about one meter ninety tall. He grabbed her by the shoulders, saving her from a painful fall. She lifted her head to look at his face. For the first time, she didn't look away — she stared straight into his eyes. In her mind, she admired his beauty; he was so striking that he looked like a character from a fairy tale. Perfect features, large brown eyes that watched her carefully, and full, sculpted lips."Are you all right?" he asked in a deep voice. Sara opened her mouth, then nodded. The boy released her, but she didn't take her eyes off him."Are you sure you're okay?" he repeated the question, and she nodded again."New student, may I know what you're doing in the corridor at this hour instead of being in your room?"She heard the headmaster's voice and was instantly brought back to reality. She stepped away from the boy, realizing how foolish she had been. Suddenly, embarrassment overwhelmed her."I… well, that's just it…" Confused, she scratched her head, unsure how to explain herself. She didn't want trouble on her first day."It seems someone locked her in that room, and she couldn't leave. I helped her," the blond boy said, and Sara looked at him gratefully."You did well, boy. Excellent. The kids' jokes here are irresponsible," the old man said, placing a hand on the tall boy's shoulder. "You come from a good home, so you know perfectly well how to behave. Your father is the prime minister, so he raised you accordingly.""What nonsense. He's not a good man at all. You can't call that a person who locks up his son in some debilitating facility that looks like a prison. I have a tough character and might harm his career, so he had to do it. Well, of course, no one can find out that he has a bastard son at home! That would be a tragedy for his image." The boy snorted with disdain, then added, "If he calls, tell him to go fuck himself!"The blond boy walked away, and the man watched him until he disappeared."Amazing," he whispered, but then quickly grunted, realizing he was being watched by a schoolgirl. "Miss, go back to your room right now!"Sara obeyed the principal's order and ran upstairs without a word. She entered the room, which was empty. Laura still hadn't returned. Sara hoped her roommate had run away and hadn't been caught by the teacher.