Karma

Hazelwood Academy had been up and running since 1931 and yet it still doesn’t look a day old. The reddish, carefully placed bricks it was made of had no graffiti or noticeable marks on it and the tall white pillars looked freshly painted. The school was huge. I couldn’t see how far back it went but the center building was wide and looked to be at least four floors. The two building connected on either side came forward, about three stories each. To the left of the school there was a short arched pathway leading to another rather large building labeled Boy’s Dormitory and on the opposite side of the school there was the same building, only that one was labeled Girl’s Dormitory.

It didn’t take a lot to shock me – I was used to big houses, fancy buildings and rich people – but this school managed to do just that. All the students were dressed in the uniform – boys in gray blazers and black slacks, girls in gray blazers and plaid skirts with different shades of blue – and it didn’t look like anything was out of order. It made me a bit uneasy, the uniforms (that I wasn’t informed about) and the properness, but it was what I signed up for. Besides, everyone being dressed in pretty much the same thing will only draw less attention and that was exactly what I was looking for.

“Do you have any questions, Poppy?” Mr. Green, the dean of the school, asked me. He had a droning voice that sounded like a robot’s, his gray hair was neatly styled combed over and his wrinkles showed his many years of frowning.

Needless to say, I accidentally zoned out on most of what he said. But nevertheless, I shook my head. “No, sir,” I answered politely. My mom and dad sat on either side of me and I knew they especially wouldn’t be pleased if I’d asked a question he already explained.

“Fantastic,” he replied with a stiff smile. He opened the manila folder on his desk, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to me. I skimmed the page, seeing that the top of the page read 2013-2014 CLASS SCHEDULE. “You’ll be busy getting settled for the rest of today but starting tomorrow, that’s how your day will go. We do check rooms during breakfast to make sure nobody’s still in bed without permission and there are consequences if you are. For free period and time, you are not to leave the school grounds and you should use that time wisely.” I nodded obediently, watching as he switched a few papers from the folder to another manila folder, labeled with my name, before placing my schedule into the first folder and handing it to me. “In that folder, you’ll find the student handbook filled with the rules and regulations – so I highly advise you check those out – as well as a map and any other information you can think of.”

“Will somebody be showing her to her classes?” Mom interjected, her hands folded neatly over her crossed legs.

Mr. Green eyed her skeptically, as if trying to decide if she was one of those overbearingly worried moms or if she was just curious. “Not exactly,” he finally asked. “We’ve arranged so that most of her classes are shared with her roommate, which can be helpful, but the layout’s simple. The upperclassmen classes are generally located on the left side of the building and the top floor, while the lowerclassmen are located in the middle two floors and the right building. The gym, auditorium and cafeteria are all on the bottom floor.”

Dad nodded. “Poppy’s a smart girl, she’ll get the hang of it,” he replied.

Mr. Green opened his mouth but was cut off when my phone went off, signaling I had a text message. I tried to remain motionless, suppressing my surprise. I hadn’t gotten a text from anybody but my mom in awhile, as sad as it sounds. “As for electronics, cell phones aren’t allowed. We’ve tried to permit them in the past and found that it only causes distractions,” he explained.

“How do we keep in touch then?” Mom questioned.

“Pay phones, mainly,” he answered. “We’ve got them placed in the dorms and all throughout the hallways. If there’s an emergency at home, contact the main office and we’ll get Poppy for you. You can also send emails as laptops are allowed because of schoolwork. And if you don’t have one, we do have a computer room. But the internet connection will be cut off at 9:30 every night.” I nodded, not too put off by the fact I can’t have my cell phone. As I said before, I didn’t have anybody to text. “Anymore questions?”

Both my parents shook their heads before looking at me, waiting for my answer. “No, you’ve covered any questions,” I responded.

“Good,” he said, nodding. “Then I suppose it’s time for Poppy to say goodbye so I can show her to her room.”

I nodded and we all stood up, me turning to Dad for a hug first. I knew his wouldn’t be as emotional and I was right; after what seemed like a robotic hug and a “Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” he had released me. I turned and was immediately caught in a tight embrace by my mom. I patted her back comfortingly, feeling her sniffling in my neck. “It’s okay, mom. It isn’t like I’m going out to war,” I kidded.

“Donya,” Dad nearly scolded.

I rolled my eyes as she pulled away, chuckling as she wiped at her eyes. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I just thought that I’d have another year before I had to worry about you moving away for school.” I smiled sadly at her, wishing I could just tell her everything and that I didn’t want to have to do this. “Anyway, I’ll take your phone. I promise we won’t go through it.”

I chuckled and nodded, pulling my phone from my pocket. “Let me just check this text first, okay?” I told her. I pressed the home button, my breath hitching in my throat when I saw who had sent the message. I typed in my password, viewing the whole message.

Seattle, huh? Lol. You can try to run from your problems but you can’t hide. Everyone here knows what a slut you are and it’s only a matter of time before everyone at your new school knows. Enjoy it while it lasts.

I felt my stomach flip at Kolby’s words but I quickly shoved the feeling away, deleting his message. I turned my phone off, suddenly grateful for not being able to have my phone. I wouldn’t have to read anymore messages like this. “Here you go,” I said, plastering a fake smile on my face as I handed my phone over to my mom.

“I’ll make sure it’s fully charged and ready for use when you come to visit,” she promised and I only nodded. After a few more goodbyes, along with tears and hugs from my mom, my parents were finally gone, leaving me alone in the office with Mr. Green.

“Let’s get going, shall we?” he suggested, standing up and clasping his hands together. I grabbed my book bag and suitcase and followed him out of the office. There weren’t many students walking about, giving Mr. Green the perfect chance to point out different areas that he felt I needed to know, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus. I observed the hallways – clean brown wooden floors without any scuff marks and fancy flower wallpaper – and I couldn’t help but feel out of place. This place was nicer than my own house and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the kids were just as pristine. “You go through these doors to get to the dorm,” he announced, pushing through double doors.

I nodded as he began spouting off dorm rules and I prayed that I was going to get a roommate that would fill me in on everything that I zoned out on. Kolby’s text was still fresh in my mind and I’m sure once I started my classes I’d be able to forget about it better but until then I just needed a day to pull myself together. Luckily, I snapped out of it just in time to hear Mr. Green asking me for my room number. “Room 149,” I recited, glancing at my sheet.

He nodded as we walked through the glass double doors. “That’s on the first floor, just through this hallway,” he informed me, gesturing to the left. He must’ve thought the common room wasn’t important to explain because I barely got a glimpse of the red couches before he was walking down the hallway. “Here we are,” he announced, stopping at one of the many wooden doors. “The bathroom is at the very end of the hallway, there’s one on every floor,” he explained before pushing open the door.

We stepped in and I automatically knew which side was mine. Though it was identical furniture wise – a single bed on each side with a desk at the foot of each bed – the left side had a desk full of papers, a bed full of pillows and a wall full of posters. “This is nice,” I commented, dropping my things on the bare bed.

He nodded. “We don’t allow excessive wall decorations – Ms. Perkins is pushing it a bit here – but feel free to decorate in moderation,” he said. “Any questions?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, biting back the million questions I had. “Wait, what do I do for the rest of the day?”

“Get settled,” he told me. “You’ve missed lunch but until dinner, you’re to get unpacked. You can explore the common area but you’re to be in the dormitory building until then. Your roommate should be getting back in a few hours so get acquainted with her, as there will be no different rooming arrangements.”

I nodded. “Okay,” I said.

He nodded curtly and turned to walk back to the doorway. He stepped out and right before he shut the door, he gave me a tight smile. “Welcome to Hazelwood Academy, Poppy,” he said politely before shutting the door, leaving me alone with my confusion.