Diana Bennet, the Welton-famous pessimist has had an interesting time at the prestigious academy she attends. But with a new English teacher and an alter in rivalry things begin to change.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Ms. Bennet, we are thrilled to have you back," Nolan announced, a pathetic attempt of a smile written upon his face. He outstretched his hand, which I accepted awkwardly. His handshake was harsh and firm, a lot like his expectations really. I gave him a weak smile, withdrawing my hand from the frail man as swiftly as I could. My father sent him a simple nod, 'the professional way to communicate' as he'd put it.
I breathed a heavy sigh as we exited the building, immediately heading towards our car. The pebbles on the ground made walking difficult, each stone rocking under my feet. I kicked them roughly, my polished school shoes now covered in grit. I looked up to my dad, he was already sending me a disapproving look. He was in one of his formal suits, ready for the work he had to attend to as soon as he dropped me off. His dark hair was gelled back, slick and shining from the light. He had a long face with a fairly large nose, his lips were unnoticeable. His eyebrows were untamed and his face rested in a look of disgust. We had no resembling physical features, except his infamous scowl I happened to inherit. I got all my looks from my mother. He finally noticed my stare, meeting my eyes. The corner of his lips tugged into a smirk, both of us stopping as we reached the car. He chuckled at my lack of response, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into an embrace. He pulled away, ruffling my hair with his hand.
"Don't leave me here," I mumbled, thinking of the workload I was soon to receive.
"I'll be back before you know it, you do this every year." He encouraged, talking with his hands.
I gave him a genuine smile, he returned it with a shake of his head. I pulled open the boot, my leather suitcase staring back at me. I grabbed it firmly by the handle, removing it carefully to ensure there would be no damage to the vehicle. I was going to miss my parents, we didn't have a terrible relationship and we all shared something in common: cynicism. I pulled the car boot down until it clicked, satisfying me. My dad walked round to the driver's seat, opening the door. Before sliding in, he gave me a sympathetic smile (which I returned rather reluctantly). I drew my attention to the familiar institution. It was an excessively extravagant building, the architecture admirable nonetheless. Stone pillars marked open hallways and each door was etched with detailed figures, mostly knights and mythical creatures from legends. The acres of green that surrounded the site added to the scenery, it all felt like a façade for the real experience. I heard the sound of a familiar engine, not even needing to glance back to acknowledge the fact my father had driven off. I inhaled deeply, setting off to my dormitory.
-
The dorm was smaller than the rest, only because I didn't have a roommate of course. But, it did come with the luxury of a bathroom. Being one of the few accepted girls at Welton was both an honour and a burden. Of course, you had to get in on a scholarship. There was one girl in each year, it was apparently to test the female minds and see if they could 'keep up' with the structure and work at such a prestigious institution. In my opinion, it was ridiculous. They knew well enough we were all capable, they just needed some guinea pig to make a mistake so they could finally find an excuse for their patriarchal views. Pathetic, honestly. But I knew I was already on thin ice- there could be no mistakes this time. It was the same each year. My time at Welton had always been a bit rough, teachers had their expectations and students had theirs. However, I also happened to have a severely pessimistic outlook on life, which I guess wasn't totally useless. I always expected the worst, so I was either content with little things or unaffected by my prediction. Sometimes it didn't help me much, rolling around in your own misery wasn't the way anyone was supposed to live life. Even in the chaos, I had made some friends. Steven Meeks and Gerard Pitts. The two people in the school I could actually talk closely to. Meeks was smart, sweet and abnormally anxious. This meant I could talk to someone with intellect and also avoid people with him at the same time; him being one of the kindest people on Earth was definitely an amazing addition to his character too. Pitts was sarcastic, creative and extra blunt (even when you didn't want him to be). He was the literal best person to hang out with if you were in need of cheering up or just having a laugh. It was also funny watching him interact with other girls. Last year, a girl in the year below asked him if he knew where a certain room was and he had a full on break down. I was with him at the time, trying to contain my laughter from the lack of words that he could pronounce properly.
