A/N: Just a quick note, I have made some changes to chapter three recently. So I would advise you to read that again because some things are mentioned in this chapter. Thanks!

AT THIS POINT, I'm seriously considering choking myself with this tie.

In the past twenty minutes I have spent attempting to tie this striped piece of shit, I've only gotten as far as placing it around my neck. This tie is either impossible or I'm just an idiot. Most probably the latter.

"How the fuck...." I trail off, standing in front of the small mirror attached to one door of my wooden wardrobe. A string of curse words escape my mouth, intensely wondering if I could get away with wearing it as a damn scarf. 

"Over, under, over, through the loop. It's not that hard, Hay." Noah comments arrogantly, sitting on my bed and eating a bag of nacho flavoured Doritos, no doubt spreading crumbs everywhere. He was already dressed in his uniform; black pants, a white button up and the same red and white striped tie perfectly tied around his neck. 

The female uniform was the same, a similar short sleeved blouse though with ours, they take into account that we actually have hips. Instead of the black pants we have to shimmy into a burgundy pleated skirt that my dear mother had ordered in the wrong damn size. If I bend over, I'd flash poor Noah my blinding-white pale ass cheeks.

Fortunately for me, Caldwell allows students the freedom of footwear as long as it's black and outerwear. Hence why Noah was adorning a fitting grey hoodie over his uniform, and I had picked out a denim jacket and a pair of my worn black converse that I absolutely adore. 

"That's the understatement of the millennium." I huff, dropping my hands to the side and turning around to face him and fold my arms angrily across my chest, "I've never worn a stupid tie in my whole entire stupid life. Of course it's fucking hard." 

"Here, let Daddy Noah give you a hand." Noah offers as he rolls off my bed and shuffles towards me. 

"Never say that again." I demand sternly, cringing slightly as I glance up at him. He begins to interlace the confusing folds and flaps of the two sided piece of material, laughing. Up close, I got to stare at his perfect, blemish-free face. Not gonna complain. 

"And....there." He exclaims, brushing his hands like he had just completed the hardest work in his lifetime, "I'm fucking good." 

He grabs me by the shoulders and gently turns me so I'm facing the mirror once more. I grumble bitterly as my fingertips pull and pick at the tight material of my blouse sticking to my torso. 

I tilt my head to the side, pulling at the hem of my skirt that I'm positive is for a seventh-grader, "I look like a stripper." 

"You would make the best stripper in the whole world." Noah smiles at me through the reflection of the mirror, his large hands still on my shoulders. I roll my eyes but I can't help the smile that stretches across my face. 

"That doesn't make me feel any better." I say as Noah walks back to his packet of Doritos and I pull my blonde hair up into a high pony on top of my head.  

"But it made you smile." Noah points out as I pull a few strands down to frame my face. I slip into my denim jacket and slide my arms through the arms of my bag, hanging them on my shoulders and Noah throws one strap of his bag over his. 

After locking my dorm we take the stairs, figuring it's safer than cramming into an elevator full of guys where one could "accidentally" stick their hand up my skirt resulting in me having to break their nose or wrist....or both.

As we cross the courtyard heading towards Calgary Hall, the main building consisting of classrooms, I could feel everyone's stares on me. Some just staring blatantly and some turning to their friends to whisper. 

"What's with all the stares?" I question Noah, glancing around the crowded courtyard, "Is this how you welcome new students. Because newsflash, it's fucking creepy." 

"Everyone knows that you're the only girl rooming in the Elwood." Noah whispers in return, bending down slightly so his mouth was in proximity of my hearing. "Like I said, word flies fucking fast in these parts." 

I try to ignore the stares as we continue on our way to class, but it doesn't work as well as I hoped and the stares increased the closer we get to the classrooms and the courtyards become more heavily populated. 

My first class of the year is English Lit, the most mundane class possible. I have a study period after this however and I will use it to go see Headmaster Sullivan about my rooming arrangements. I will finally be able to get the hell away from Chase and never utter a single word to him again. Dreams actually do come true. 

Noah walks me to a class, before departing to his own Good Behaviour class. I stroll in casually, clutching my grey folder to my chest as my eyes gaze over the already busy classroom. I spot a a desk a few rows down near the window and silently walk towards it as the stares stick to me like glue. 

I place my folder on the surface, slipping my bag to the ground as I slowly take my seat. I smile at my new desk buddy, a sweet looking girl with brown eyes, heavy black eyeshadow and a silver nose ring, "Hi, I'm Hay—" 

She screams. Well more like shrieks like a damn fucking banshee, her mouth wide open as her high-pitched shrills fill the classroom.

"Oh shit-oh fuck!" I mumble, swiping my bag up from the ground and my folder from the desk as I stumble out of my chair, trying to get the hell away from the possessed girl. When I finally raise to my full height, the students in the classroom are chuckling quietly and I slip my bag back onto my shoulder, blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"Hey, new girl." I turn around at the voice, noticing a girl with perfect sun-kissed skin and a head full of curly black hair. She smiles at me as she waves me over to her table. I shuffle towards her as she pats the wooden surface of the desk, "This seats free." 

I smile, laughing breathless as I sit down next to her and drop my bag to the floor, "Thanks." 

"No problem." She grins, placing her chin on her the knuckles intertwined hands, "I'm Vera Miller, by the way." 

"Hayden Jones." I introduce myself, placing my grey folder on the desk in front of me. 

Her brown eyes widen, "Oh, so you're the girl who's dorming in Elwood. Lucky you." 

"Lucky? Try karma hasn't had enough of my ass and wants another go." I roll my eyes, sighing as I rest my elbows on the surface of the desk and glance over at her, wondering why such a beautiful girl was here of all places. She looked like a model, "So, Vera, what the hell are you doing in here?" 

She sighs and relaxes back in her chair, "I have a habit of stealing really expensive clothes from shops. I blame my mother for giving me impeccable taste but no fucking money. She cut me off after a spent my last month's allowance on a trip to the Galapagos Islands." 

Trust fund baby, I conclude. 

"How is being fashionable a crime?" I joke with her as she throws her head back and laughs. 

"That's what I told the judge!" She exclaims as we laugh together. She seemed like a really nice girl, but then again the only other girl I've met so far has screamed bloody murder in my face. 

"Good morning!" The teacher flies in through the door, carrying a suitcase in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, "How was everyone's summer's breaks?" 

"Prodigious, monumental, tremendous!" Vera explains loudly, a bright smile on her face as the class laughs at her answer. She then nudges my arm with her elbow, "Just a head's up, Mr Lancaster a big fan of complicated words. This class is the easiest to get an A in." 

"Thanks." I smile at her as Mr Lancaster, the English Lit teacher, turns to the class and sticks his thumbs in the waist band of his khaki suit pants. 

"Please join me in welcoming our new student, Hayden Jones to Caldwell. She comes all the way from the sandy beaches of California." Mr Lancaster gestures to me all the way down at the back, every head swivelling on their necks. I instantly felt like curling up inside a fifty foot hole, "Miss Jones, would you please come to the front and introduce yourself." 

"No thank you." I reply with a small smile. 

"Oh come on Hayden, everyone here is friendly." He smiles widely at me from the front of the class. Has he even talked to his students? My eyes instantly go to the little miss screamer on the side of the room and her brown eyes narrow into very thin slits. I swear a shiver passed down my spine at the sight.

I stand up from my desk nervously, running my hands down the front of my skirt as I make my way to the front. It was so quiet I could hear my converse on the wooden floorboards. Mr Lancaster smiles at me as I turn around to face the class. 

I clear my throat, "Uh...my name's Hayden." 

"We already know that, Hayden. How about you tell us something about you or what you did to get into Caldwell." Mr Lancaster leans back against his desk, folding his arms. I felt like slapping him or something. Is he not aware that there's a very real thing called fear of public fucking talking? Obviously not. 

"I blew up my school cafeteria." I answer as sounds of shocked splutters ripple through the seat students. I nod, locking my arms behind my back, "Completely on accident though, I'm no pyromaniac. But the graffiti was on purpose and that's only because my principal was a massive asshat." 

Mr Lancaster smiles nervously, "Hayden—" 

"Oh sorry, Mr Lancaster." I apologise quickly, "I meant gargantuan asshat." 

The class chuckles lightly as my eyes graze over the students, locking with Vera's who sends me a little wink and a huge smile.

"Okay class," Mr Lancaster claps his hands as he turns to the class, "Are there any questions for Hayden?" 

"Yeah. What's your cup size?!" Someone hollers from the classroom and I glance through the students to see a guy with a black 2012 Bieber hair cut smirking at my cockily as his friend besides him slaps his broad shoulder with appreciation. I roll my eyes. 

One of these days I swear I'm going to eye roll myself into another damn dimension.  

Mr Lancaster steps forward, "You don't have to answer that Hayden, Jacob is just being—" 

"My cup-size?" I question as he nods. I tap my chin and glance down my my boobs, "I think it's a 34-fuck-you." 

The jaws of students drop as shocked gasps echo. Jacob's cocky smirks slips from his lips as I replace my nervous grin with it. Everyone starts laughing at Jacob as Mr Lancaster advises that I return to my seat. I do so, walking down the aisle and slipping back in next to Vera. 

"I knew you were special." Vera nudges me with a large grin, "We're going to be best friends."

♤♤♤♤

"I'm sorry, Hayden. But all rooms in Arlington are full." Headmaster Sullivan explains, intertwining his fingers as he reclines back in his pompous leather chair. I raise an eyebrow, slowly leaning forward in my chair. 

"Excuse me?" 

"We apologise for the mix up but every senior and junior room in Arlington has been taken, and every freshman and sophomore room in Emerson Hall are also full." He furthers his explanation. 

I splutter, "So does that mean I have to stay in Elwood?" 

"Not definetly." He waves his wrinkled hand through the cold air of his office, "Just until someone moves out of either female dorming hall." 

"I can top and tail with someone, I seriously don't mind. I'll even sleep on the fucking floor if I have to." I gravel, slowly becoming desperate. There was no way I was spending another night in that hell hole with that devil. He snores like a damn tractor. 

"That's preposterous, Hayden." He laughs as he rests his palms on his large oak desk, "Look, if you have any further problems with your roommate, come to me. It can't just be because he snores and doesn't have a sense of humour." 

"You forgot the main one; he's an asshole." I fold my arms, throwing myself back in my chair. 

Headmaster Sullivan nods, "I'm aware, but I can only move you because of much more trivial and dangerous situations. And in that case, it you'd still live in Elwood just in a different room. If any of that is to happen you come straight to me and I will do my very best to help you. But at the moment, I'm at a cross road here." 

"You do realise that Chase is graded red and I'm a fucking green. Mix those two colours together and what do you get? Shit." I explain, leaning forward and placing my hands on the surface of the desk, "He will murder me in my sleep."

"Chase was graded red when he arrived. He's been here for six years, Hayden, and he's shown great signs of improvement." Headmaster Sullivan relays, almost proud, "I can assure you that nothing will happen to you." 

"And I can assure you that I am not assured." I retort before sighing heavily, realising arguing will get me nowhere, "What about the other guys in the dorm?"

"I'll organise an assembly and we can set some ground rules." He smiles slightly, fixing the glasses perched on the tip of his nose, "But trust me Hayden, when someone moves out of Arlington or Emerson, you'll be the first one notified."

I huff and stand, picking my bag up from the floor in the process, "Thank you, Headmaster." 

"My pleasure Hayden." He smiles at me, "And I hope you do enjoy your time in Caldwell, even though you got off on a rocky start." 

Don't hold your breath. 

I smile at him tightly as I turn and leave his office. I felt like screaming or punching something. Specifically Chase Everett's face. 

Vera glances up at me from the magazine on her lap as I storm out into the waiting room. 

"So? How'd it go?" She questions, standing to her feet and slipping her expensive Michael Kors handbag onto her slim shoulder. I pout and glance down at the ground. 

"Horrendous." I groan, "I have to sleep in the same room as Chase and if he doesn't murder me first, there's no doubt that I'm going to murder him and I'll have to go to prison and get a under cut and—" 

"Come here." Vera opens her arms out wide and I walk into them, "We're both dramatic bitches. How wonderful." 

We begin laughing at each other before Vera suggests we go to the dining hall and see what foods have been put out. I say that's a fucking fantastic idea. 

so you've met vera? what do you think? 

hayden has to stay in elwood, not that much of a surprise actually because then they'd be no story. duh.

remember to send me messages if you want!