THE private EDGE

I rolled in the bed, completely unaware of my surroundings. Thump.

“Crap.”

I pulled my face off the floor and rubbed my eyes. And groaned.

It was six am, time to get back to our dorm before the room checks started. My eyes felt heavy as I heaved myself from the floor. I swallowed a few times to get the dry feeling in my throat moist. I walked groggily over to Kayla’s side of the bed, barely awake. I shook her shoulder with all the effort I could produce. Normally I was a morning person, not today.

“K, get up.”

“Mummy, I don’t wanna go to school today...”

“Just get up, dropkick.”

“Wh...What? Ry,” she complained.

“Look woman, I’m not happy about it either, but we have to get our butts moving.”

She rolled over and pulled a pillow over her head and didn’t budge. I sighed. Grasping each corner of the doona at the base of the bed, I ripped it and all the sheets off. Kayla recoiled and tucked herself into a ball.

“Fucking hell Riley.” She glared up at me. I smiled sweetly and threw the sheets on the couch. Kane began to rouse in his sleep, I beckoned Kayla to hurry up but she just mimicked me immaturely and stuck out her tongue. I rolled my eyes, slipping my shoes on, grabbing my bag and picking up any clothes that I’d left lying around.

“Geeze, you are a neat freak.”

“Shut up.”

She met me at the door and we crept out, silently praying that no other student was up in the boy’s dorm yet. We knew that the teachers were up and buzzing around trying to find all the people that wouldn’t be in their home room by eight. I know, right? It’s the freaking weekend and they want us up at eight am! It’s the biggest hunk of crap you’ll ever hear. Luckily it’s not that way on Sundays. They let us sleep in but we have to be in the hall for lunch...crap on a stick.

When we refer to teachers behind their back we don’t use their real names...unless we like them...which is very rare. We give them all pleasant little nicknames, or no name at all, there’s just: that, it, them etc. I swear that teachers were pacifically invented to ruin the beginning of our lives into adulthood because there time is nearly over, only a few more years for some of them and they’ll be living in a home.

As we tippy toed down the flight of stairs that led to the bottom floor I could begin to hear muffled voices of the prefects organising and cleaning the boys’ home room. Their voices drifted in and out of my ear shot as we spiralled down the stairs.

“Bloody mess...clean it them selves...we didn’t do it...” (Ha-ha suckers)

All the girls pitched in when it came to cleaning our home room, most of it was it normally done by the time we got back because the geeks would get up uber early to make sure everything was perfect. Generally the head would come around with a DP (Deputy Principal, for those who aren’t very school orientated) and do the inspection herself but sometimes just the DP’s would come...they’re not very nice.

We rounded the corner to the back door when it opened before us and two boys walked in, I gasped and Kayla swore. My heart beat sped up when I saw who they were. The boys were in the year above us; the first one I saw was James, typical tousled brown hair, gorgeous brown eyes and a little-boy smile, tall and handsome...but next to him was the newbie.

“Don’t do that,” Kayla snapped.

“Sorry, Kayla, should ‘a guessed you two would be in here,” he smiled back.

I rolled my eyes. “So what brings you to our humble abode?”

“Just showing Jared around.” He gestured to the newbie.

Jared, huh? “Well, welcome to EDGE Secondary Boarding School,” I announced, bowing slightly to add a posh effect.

He smiled at me...he smiled at me! The heavens opened up, music was everywhere, cupid sang, the world was bright, fireworks in the background – Not!

But the smile reached his eyes.

“Oh God,” Kayla repeated Andy and stalked out the door, brushing shoulders with James.

I smiled sheepishly, only if they knew, “I’d hate to leave, but I really must be getting back to my home room before England gives us more than the hall to clean.” It was more a warning to myself to get a move on.

“Again?” James laughed.

“Since we cleaned it so well last time, she just couldn’t resist making us do it again,” I forced a smile.

Jared chuckled lightly, his eyes found mine and he smiled again, this time it was one of those little boy smiles that just melt your heart. I stopped gawking at him in time to keep James from realising something was up.

“We’d better keep going.” James put his hands in his pockets as he nodded goodbye and walked away with Jared. I smiled and sprinted out the door, goose bumps immediately rose on my arms from the chilling wind, and forced all thoughts about the ri-god-damn-diculous hot-ass of a newbie out of my head. (I know, I’m such a girl.)