Hey Romeo, Don't You Think You're Just a Tad Overrated?
Prep School
It was Saturday again. And everyone knew what that meant. That's right.
Saturday Special Egg Omelets.
"Aw, the line's so long!" I groaned as I stood with Will with empty trays in our hands, still in our pajamas.
Will yawned. "Why did you drag me out of bed during the Breakfast Rush Hour? Can't you enjoy a nice family Saturday brunch at the McAllister house?"
I gesticulated wildly at the insane line that we were currently taking part of. "He-llo! Saturday Special Egg Omelets!" I emphasized.
Will yawned again, messing up his already mussed up blonde hair. It struck me once again at how cute Will actually was. Shame really, I'd bet he could probably have any girl he wanted. "I'm going to get some waffles," he said, mid-yawn, shuffling out of line.
"No!" I hissed, tugging him back by his sweatshirt hood. He glared at me. "She's over there!" I pointed up towards the front of the line.
Will craned his neck. "Oh. Ew, Brynne Albright? That girl has no class, seriously. Did you know she asked me out in freshman year?"
My eyes widened. "No way," I crowed. "What did you say?"
Will shrugged. "What do you think I said? 'Sorry, I'm not into flippy skirts,'" he said. "Here, get your stupid omelet and let's go," he prodded me as we finally made our way to the front. "I want a waffle."
"Patience, boy," I said jokingly. The kindly cafeteria lady slid a steaming omelet onto my plate, and my mouth almost started watering. Will finally got his waffles after bouts of complaining, and we made a beeline towards our usual table.
"Amen for Canadian maple syrup," Will muttered as he generously poured the thick, heavenly substance over this waffles.
I dug into the omelet. It tasted like heaven to my taste buds. I sighed deeply.
"Hi," someone announced suddenly as he or she plopped down in an empty seat at our table.
Will and I both looked up, our expressions shifting from curiosity to disgust in mere seconds. "What are you doing here?" we asked in unison.
"Cute, I didn't know idiots spoke as one too," Brynne Albright stated flatly.
Will managed something sounding like a cross between a laugh and a snort. "Look who's talking," he muttered, sinking lower in his seat.
Brynne ignored him. "Anyways, Aurelie," she said businesslike, facing me. Her eyes quickly scanned my outfit—my pajamas, consisting of a ratty old Harvard sweatshirt and green and white flannel pants—and rolled her eyes.
I scowled. "Did you have something to say?" I asked coolly.
"Um, yeah. As the junior class secretary, I'm here to inform you that you currently have no extracurricular activities listed under your schedule. In order to keep our class status within the nation's rankings, I insist that you at least try out for one club or one sport," Brynne said, pulling out a manila folder.
I stared at her. "Junior class what?" I asked.
Brynne sighed exaggeratedly. "Seeing how Cam says you're 'physically handicapped during your performances during P.E.' I signed you up for the math team, Aurelie. It should do you some good," she smiled cheekily at me.
"What?!" I yelped, outraged and incredulous.
Several nearby tables turned to look at my outburst. Will's blonde eyebrows flew up behind his bangs and disappeared, his blue eyes wide with shock.
"You can't do that! I didn't consent to the freakin' math team!" I whispered furiously, trying to lower my voice so the others would stop watching. "The secretary of whatever class can't do that, can they?" I looked at Will for confirmation.
He stayed silent throughout the entire conversation, shrugging at me.
Brynne pursed her lips and tapped her professionally treated nails against the wooden tabletop. "I held an appointment with Headmaster McAllister. He agreed that you should partake in some extracurriculars as well, in order to maintain our top ten ranks of all the nation's boarding schools for the graduating year of 2010," Brynne stated.
I clenched my fists. David. I thought almost maliciously.
"So anyway," Brynne continued with no interruption, "there's a meeting this afternoon in Macgregor Hall," she smirked and stood up. "Don't be late!"
I huffed. "What the hell is the secretary of the junior class?" I asked Will disbelievingly.
Will shoved another syrup slathered piece of waffle into his mouth. "Student Council," he answered shortly. "Secretary is the best that Albright could come up to. They take care of the entire class, like a mother hen looking after her chicks."
"Student council? Class secretary? Math team?!" my voice rose in pitch.
"Shh," Will pointed his fork at me, glancing at the neighboring table. "Yes. It's part of the school hierarchy! First, it's the two class prefects, one boy, and one girl. They're the king of kings. Next, is the student council body president, followed by the vice president, the secretary, and the treasurer. Then it's the committee members who pitch ideas every once in awhile, and finally, it's us slobs," he pointed the fork at himself.
I wrinkled my brow. "What the hell is that?" I said. "I thought the school hierarchy was something like jocks, the cool and popular people, the beautiful people, the drama crew, the art club, the marching band geeks, and the math nerds!"
Will glanced at me questioningly over his waffles. "Hon, that is the high school hierarchy," he said. "But you forgot one thing," he leaned closer. "You're attending McAllister Academy."
___________________
"McAllister, Shmacallister," I muttered as Will and I finally left the dining hall. I lifted the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.
"Don't dirty your last name," Will smirked.
I aimed a slap at him, at which he neatly dodged. "Why the math team? Isn't that like…degrading?" I voice aloud.
"No, not really. It's actually pretty honorable if you do well," Will said.
"Honorable?" I snorted.
"Brynne's in your Calculus class, isn't she?" Will asked. "I think she's just doing it to humiliate you. Since she probably knows math isn't your thing. It's subtle, but still sabotaging. I have to hand it to Brynne for this one."
It was quiet for a moment. "I don't get it," I finally announced. "What's so special about this school anyway?"
Will sighed. "You still don't get it, Aurelie? McAllister Academy is for the specially gifted and talented." he enunciated. "That means everyone here, yes, including me, are all extremely able in some way. I know it's shocking to you, but this school doesn't admit stupid people, even if they wave millions of dollars around. Do you understand?"
I nodded torpidly. "Wait…so what's Brynne's grade point average?" I asked hesitantly.
"3.85," Will said without skipping a beat.
My jaw dropped. "And…Max Austerlitz?"
Will shrugged. "He's bit more on the average side, but 3.5."
"You? Alyssa? Beth?"
"3.75, 3.6, 3.8, respectively," Will listed off. "Everyone in the class gets their grade point average posted on the roster at the end of each quarter in order from highest to lowest," Will explained.
I felt my stomach drop to the floor. My friends and even my boyfriend…they were all brilliant. They made my previously average 2.9 score look more than pathetic here. "What about…Cam Gallagher?" I almost whispered.
"4.0," Will said. "But I think last year's last quarter, he managed to reach 4.3," he said almost cynically. "Well, you have to have a 3.95 or above to be a prefect."
I felt frozen. "Do you get it now, Aurelie? This isn't just some sort of stupid, rich, preppy, boarding school. It's not like those ones in the stories, where everyone just chills and has fun. It's real competition here. Do you know how lucky you are to be able to come here as the headmaster's daughter?"
"I didn't know," I muttered. "I thought all of you guys would be snobs," I admitted.
Will laughed. "I'll forgive you for that. But there's one thing you must know, Aurelie," he said as we came to a stop in front of the McAllister house. "Everyone here wants to be at the top. And they're willing to do anything to get there. Even if it means dragging down your best friends."
My fingers grew numb.
"Good luck, Miss. McAllister," Will tipped his invisible top hat to me, smiled sweetly, and disappeared around the corner, leaving me standing on the front steps with my thoughts.
Saturday Special Egg Omelets.
"Aw, the line's so long!" I groaned as I stood with Will with empty trays in our hands, still in our pajamas.
Will yawned. "Why did you drag me out of bed during the Breakfast Rush Hour? Can't you enjoy a nice family Saturday brunch at the McAllister house?"
I gesticulated wildly at the insane line that we were currently taking part of. "He-llo! Saturday Special Egg Omelets!" I emphasized.
Will yawned again, messing up his already mussed up blonde hair. It struck me once again at how cute Will actually was. Shame really, I'd bet he could probably have any girl he wanted. "I'm going to get some waffles," he said, mid-yawn, shuffling out of line.
"No!" I hissed, tugging him back by his sweatshirt hood. He glared at me. "She's over there!" I pointed up towards the front of the line.
Will craned his neck. "Oh. Ew, Brynne Albright? That girl has no class, seriously. Did you know she asked me out in freshman year?"
My eyes widened. "No way," I crowed. "What did you say?"
Will shrugged. "What do you think I said? 'Sorry, I'm not into flippy skirts,'" he said. "Here, get your stupid omelet and let's go," he prodded me as we finally made our way to the front. "I want a waffle."
"Patience, boy," I said jokingly. The kindly cafeteria lady slid a steaming omelet onto my plate, and my mouth almost started watering. Will finally got his waffles after bouts of complaining, and we made a beeline towards our usual table.
"Amen for Canadian maple syrup," Will muttered as he generously poured the thick, heavenly substance over this waffles.
I dug into the omelet. It tasted like heaven to my taste buds. I sighed deeply.
"Hi," someone announced suddenly as he or she plopped down in an empty seat at our table.
Will and I both looked up, our expressions shifting from curiosity to disgust in mere seconds. "What are you doing here?" we asked in unison.
"Cute, I didn't know idiots spoke as one too," Brynne Albright stated flatly.
Will managed something sounding like a cross between a laugh and a snort. "Look who's talking," he muttered, sinking lower in his seat.
Brynne ignored him. "Anyways, Aurelie," she said businesslike, facing me. Her eyes quickly scanned my outfit—my pajamas, consisting of a ratty old Harvard sweatshirt and green and white flannel pants—and rolled her eyes.
I scowled. "Did you have something to say?" I asked coolly.
"Um, yeah. As the junior class secretary, I'm here to inform you that you currently have no extracurricular activities listed under your schedule. In order to keep our class status within the nation's rankings, I insist that you at least try out for one club or one sport," Brynne said, pulling out a manila folder.
I stared at her. "Junior class what?" I asked.
Brynne sighed exaggeratedly. "Seeing how Cam says you're 'physically handicapped during your performances during P.E.' I signed you up for the math team, Aurelie. It should do you some good," she smiled cheekily at me.
"What?!" I yelped, outraged and incredulous.
Several nearby tables turned to look at my outburst. Will's blonde eyebrows flew up behind his bangs and disappeared, his blue eyes wide with shock.
"You can't do that! I didn't consent to the freakin' math team!" I whispered furiously, trying to lower my voice so the others would stop watching. "The secretary of whatever class can't do that, can they?" I looked at Will for confirmation.
He stayed silent throughout the entire conversation, shrugging at me.
Brynne pursed her lips and tapped her professionally treated nails against the wooden tabletop. "I held an appointment with Headmaster McAllister. He agreed that you should partake in some extracurriculars as well, in order to maintain our top ten ranks of all the nation's boarding schools for the graduating year of 2010," Brynne stated.
I clenched my fists. David. I thought almost maliciously.
"So anyway," Brynne continued with no interruption, "there's a meeting this afternoon in Macgregor Hall," she smirked and stood up. "Don't be late!"
I huffed. "What the hell is the secretary of the junior class?" I asked Will disbelievingly.
Will shoved another syrup slathered piece of waffle into his mouth. "Student Council," he answered shortly. "Secretary is the best that Albright could come up to. They take care of the entire class, like a mother hen looking after her chicks."
"Student council? Class secretary? Math team?!" my voice rose in pitch.
"Shh," Will pointed his fork at me, glancing at the neighboring table. "Yes. It's part of the school hierarchy! First, it's the two class prefects, one boy, and one girl. They're the king of kings. Next, is the student council body president, followed by the vice president, the secretary, and the treasurer. Then it's the committee members who pitch ideas every once in awhile, and finally, it's us slobs," he pointed the fork at himself.
I wrinkled my brow. "What the hell is that?" I said. "I thought the school hierarchy was something like jocks, the cool and popular people, the beautiful people, the drama crew, the art club, the marching band geeks, and the math nerds!"
Will glanced at me questioningly over his waffles. "Hon, that is the high school hierarchy," he said. "But you forgot one thing," he leaned closer. "You're attending McAllister Academy."
___________________
"McAllister, Shmacallister," I muttered as Will and I finally left the dining hall. I lifted the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.
"Don't dirty your last name," Will smirked.
I aimed a slap at him, at which he neatly dodged. "Why the math team? Isn't that like…degrading?" I voice aloud.
"No, not really. It's actually pretty honorable if you do well," Will said.
"Honorable?" I snorted.
"Brynne's in your Calculus class, isn't she?" Will asked. "I think she's just doing it to humiliate you. Since she probably knows math isn't your thing. It's subtle, but still sabotaging. I have to hand it to Brynne for this one."
It was quiet for a moment. "I don't get it," I finally announced. "What's so special about this school anyway?"
Will sighed. "You still don't get it, Aurelie? McAllister Academy is for the specially gifted and talented." he enunciated. "That means everyone here, yes, including me, are all extremely able in some way. I know it's shocking to you, but this school doesn't admit stupid people, even if they wave millions of dollars around. Do you understand?"
I nodded torpidly. "Wait…so what's Brynne's grade point average?" I asked hesitantly.
"3.85," Will said without skipping a beat.
My jaw dropped. "And…Max Austerlitz?"
Will shrugged. "He's bit more on the average side, but 3.5."
"You? Alyssa? Beth?"
"3.75, 3.6, 3.8, respectively," Will listed off. "Everyone in the class gets their grade point average posted on the roster at the end of each quarter in order from highest to lowest," Will explained.
I felt my stomach drop to the floor. My friends and even my boyfriend…they were all brilliant. They made my previously average 2.9 score look more than pathetic here. "What about…Cam Gallagher?" I almost whispered.
"4.0," Will said. "But I think last year's last quarter, he managed to reach 4.3," he said almost cynically. "Well, you have to have a 3.95 or above to be a prefect."
I felt frozen. "Do you get it now, Aurelie? This isn't just some sort of stupid, rich, preppy, boarding school. It's not like those ones in the stories, where everyone just chills and has fun. It's real competition here. Do you know how lucky you are to be able to come here as the headmaster's daughter?"
"I didn't know," I muttered. "I thought all of you guys would be snobs," I admitted.
Will laughed. "I'll forgive you for that. But there's one thing you must know, Aurelie," he said as we came to a stop in front of the McAllister house. "Everyone here wants to be at the top. And they're willing to do anything to get there. Even if it means dragging down your best friends."
My fingers grew numb.
"Good luck, Miss. McAllister," Will tipped his invisible top hat to me, smiled sweetly, and disappeared around the corner, leaving me standing on the front steps with my thoughts.