Where Roads Converge

v.

The girls had found out from their classes that the boys were more than pleased to have them here. The teachers, for the most part, had a very different perspective. From the moment they stepped into their first class, chemistry, the professors eyed them with disdain. Of course, they kept those looks off Margaret, her last name saving her from the judgment. But the others had to ignore the stares and the feeling that the professors were expecting little of them.

When Allison and Diana had gotten to their trigonometry class, the teacher quickly made it clear that the girls were in the wrong classroom. Upon them showing their schedules to him, he stared at them as if they had forged the schedule but told them to take their seats anyway. Throughout the duration of the class, he consistently quizzed them on the topics on the board and kept a frustrated expression when they, specifically Diana, got them correct.

It appeared Mrs. Doharty had forgotten to tell Nolan that Henley did trigonometry junior year.

But these types of reactions were the reason why, in every class without fail, any Henley girl present would flock together. While it was only the first day, the girls felt like gazelles in the plains that were surrounded by lions. Boys were dishing vulgar comments left and right, and teachers were just waiting for them to fail.

By the time they got to English, the girls were exhausted. They couldn't help it after being pushed and shoved around in the hallways trying to get to class. It was like a neverending game of bumper cars, and the stack of textbooks that made their arms almost numb didn't exactly help the cause.

"It's almost over, right?"Eloise Yates asked as she readjusted her grip on the mountain of books she was forced to carry.

Maria groaned, "You mean it's not over yet?"

"All we have left is English,"Allison assured her with a bright smile as they walked into the classroom. Just like all the other rooms, it was sparsely decorated and bustling with boys trying to find their seats for the year. But the noise came to a screaming halt when said boys noticed the girls walking in.

"God, this is awkward,"Sarah mumbled.

"C'mon, it'll be fine,"Maggie beamed, "My dad is great!"

"I'm half in the hall and half out. Can you guys move in?"Diana made her way through to the front of the group and continued towards one of the open seats in the front, which encouraged the others to do the same. Maggie and Maria found seats in the middle row and set up their textbooks.

Allison saw a familiar face, and her eager smile grew, "Gerard!" She went to sit at a desk just behind him, which just so happened to be in the very back of the room and away from her companions. "So glad to see a familiar face."

"We have all the same classes,"Gerard chuckled, watching her face turn beet red as she hid her embarrassment behind nervous laughter.

"Guess it's just been such a hectic day. I can hardly remember what I ate for breakfast this morning."