It's A Scandalous Affair

A Waverly Owl should not use sleepovers as hit missions

Joie stood in the big Dining Hall, simply staring. It felt so antique. The dark wooden beams standing probably thirty feet tall to the high ceiling. The setup reminded her of Harry Potter. The long tables going from end to end of the hall, with smaller rectangular tables on the outside. Each one with a Maroon table cloth decorating them.

She’d just sat through an hour of hunger while listening to the Dean rant about the history of the school and then the new programs. After hearing about the new golf clubs, she’d dozed off. A unexcused shove on her shoulder woke her when it was over and she followed the crowd of people leaving out of the great oak double doors.

She took one step and immediately bumped into someone. “Oof!”

“Sorry,” A male voice said. Joie lifted her head to see the handsome boy from yesterday. His brown eyes looked a little dazed, but he smiled when he saw it was Joie. “Joie, right?”

“Yeah. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Easy Walsh.” He stuck out his hand to shake hers, which she complied with.

“Awesome name. I love you hair, too.” He smiled, amused.

“Thanks.” She heard someone call his name and smiled. “I’ll let you tend to business, Mr. Walsh. Catch you later.”

“Yeah,” He nodded. “Later.” With a parting wave, she walked away until her name was called once again.

It was Brandon. She smiled and waved back, walking over to where he was standing beside one of the smaller side tables. His hair looked like he sculpted it just go. His Waverly blazer was buttoned over a white Saville Row Cuttaway Collar fitted shirt. She knew he must be hot, wearing two layers of long sleeves. The Things we do to look nice.

“Assigned seating,” He nodded toward a chair across from thee table, in front of him. She laughed, relieved.

“I didn’t even know it was arranged. I feel dumb.” She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t put it on you, Waverly likes things proper.”

“Well I guess they’ll be hating me” She muttered, looking at the gold name plate that read Joie Bell on a gold rimmed saucer. Next to hers, one read Veronica Mabry.

While she ran her fingers along the table cloth’s embroidery, a blonde girl approached the table. Her blue eyes seemed frantic and nervous. Joie smiled, knowing she was probably intimidated. Joie knew it was easy to feel like that here. She almost let it get to her this morning. If she could feel out of place, this girl sure could.

“Hi, Veronica?” She smiled at girl.

“Yes,” She smiled back almost hesitantly. Poor girl.

“Can I just say you are really pretty?”

To say she was surprised was an understatement. She blushed and sat down, thanking Joie for the compliment. Brandon also greeted the girl, smiling. Watching Joie interact with the senior was…new. He’d never seen a helping hand from any girls at Waverly. It was a dog eat dog world. You make your own name and other people help you ruin it. It was a shame how some girls let high school turn them out. So, to Brandon, commenting someone younger than you was a little gesture in a big way.

“Who’s supposed to be sitting next to you, Brandon?” Joie asked him, after making a joke to Veronica.

“Um, Joe. He should be down here soon” Brandon was precise about hisappearance, but Joe had this infatuation with his hair. It took time, to say the least.

“You two are room mates?”

“Yeah. It’s me, him, and Heath.”

“Ohh, tough break.” Joie joked, thinking back to how drunk Heath had gotten at the party last night.

Brandon chuckled, “Who are you rooming with?”

“Callie Vernon?” Joie, tilted her head to the side, looking at Brandon to see if he was familiar with the name. Joie yet to even see Callie. Two days, and it was like living with a stranger. But whoever Callie was, she had no problem with leaving her clothes all over the damn room. It made Joie grimace, but it wasn’t bad enough for her to through the stuff out of the window.

Callie Vernon. That name alone sent a pang through Brandon’s broken heart. The one girl he thought he’d found love with. She left him for punk ass Easy Walsh. God, how he hated Easy and his unkempt ways. He tried to act as if she were anyone else hoping Joie hadn’t noticed his reaction; he shrugged, smiling.

“I have a single,” Veronica shrugged.

“Lucky,” The group of three heard, all three looking up to see who exactly was speaking. They didn’t expect a gorgeous Adonis like Joseph Jonas to smirk back at them. Brandon rolled his eyes at his room mate and gave him one of those ‘boy’s only’ handshake hug things. “I have to share with this butt,” Joe pointed at Brandon

“Oh! I’ve seen you before.” Joie laughed, making Joe quirk an eyebrow.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. Remember this : ‘Die friggin’ loser!’ ” She imitated, making Joe go red in the face. The whole table joined in for a laugh, getting a few surrounding table to look over.

“What can I say? I mean business when it comes to Call Of Duty.” He smiled. Joie returned it. “I’m Joie.”

“Joe” They continued to smile at the matching names. Joie looked for Veronica to introduce herself to Joe, but she seemed to be overwhelmed by his face. Joie laughed, “And this is Veronica,”

“Hey, Veronica,” He winked and she blushed, fingers beginning to fiddle with her Jill Stuart Kasia skirt.

“Where’ve you been all day, Joe?” Brandon asked him while Joe took the opportunity to study him. He looked so much more casual than his Waverly blazer was supposed to be. It was his hair, she decided, eyeing the thick curly hair that fell onto his forehead. It stopped right before his thick eyebrows which sat over brown eyes too dark to be hazel but too light to be chocolate. There were freckles scattered about his neck and a few about his jaw. When he smiled, she did also. He was handsome.

After some more talking, the food was served. The waiter came around with a choice of Chicken Alfredo or Salmon. Joie performed inny-minny-miney-moe to choose. “Chicken Alfredo it is”

“Promising method,” Joe smirked.

“I’d like to think so,” She replied, looking him in the eye.

The table’s dinner was filled with comfortable conversation and easiness. Veronica loosened up and willingly participated in the jokes. Joe was genuinely happy. Approaching the table and seeing two girls made him uneasy at first. But as soon as Joie spoke, his discomfort was relieved. She was so easy going and extremely funny. Joe didn’t have a lot of ‘girl’ friends that he chose to hang out with. Tinsley could’ve been better if she weren’t so flirty and manipulative. Oh, and a total bitch. He’d heard she was coming for the new program, but hoped against it. He didn’t need the full high school experience all over again.
As dinner was finished and people started to file out, Brandon spoke up. “It’s visiting hour. You guys wanna hang out?”

“Your dorm?” Joie asked. Both him and Joe nodded. “Veronica?” She turned to her.

“Sure!” She smiled, clearly excited.

“’Kay then. We’ll meet you in ten.”

Walking back to their dorms, Joe and Brandon ran into Benny Cunningham and her best friend Sage Francis. Looking at them, Joe noticed Sage hadn’t dropped her annoying fad of chewing huge wads of bubblegum.Benny's black Stella McCartney summer dress was a bit see through, revealing a black La Perla Malizia bra.

“What, no hello?” Benny asked, smirking.

“Hey Benny. Sage. Have a nice Summer?” Joe asked.

“Of course. Cabo is always good to me.” Benny laughed. Brandon responded with a ‘Good to know’.

“You friends with the new girl?” Sage asked, giving a view of the pink bubble gum monster in her mouth.

“Just met her.”

“Well, Brandon didn’t. Who is she, B?” The girls inquired.

“Her name’s Joie. Don’t know much about her. Why, Benny?”

“Just asking. She’s been being referred to as New Girl. Thought we’d name her properly.”

“I thought you’d already know. She’s rooming with Callie.”

Benny’s eyebrow quirked at hearing that. That made everything a lot easier.