End of the first day.

But yeah, as glad as I am that I managed to make some… good acquaintances on my first day, these people were still mostly strangers to me, save perhaps Eric, and having to think about how to be with them was mentally exhausting. Thinking about what to say, what not to say, how to say it… I’m not built for this, not like Isabelle and Thomas are.

So after our final class of the day, when Steven suggested we all go for a drink or something, I refused using my escape card.

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m here with other people and I’m driving. We also need to pick up someone else.”

“Oh. Oh well. We’ll see each other tomorrow, then,” he said. “And hey, give my stuff a listen, okay? I want your opinion.”

I chuckled. “I don’t know why you would, but sure.”

“Hey,” Luna said, drawing my attention. “Text us what your friend would like us to cover. We’re serious.” Beside her, Ruby nodded.

“She said she’ll think about it, so I’ll text you once she’s made up her mind.”

“Um… I promised I’d meet my girlfriend after this, so I’ll be leaving now,” Eric said. “Glad to meet you all. See you tomorrow.”

“Take care, Eric. See you tomorrow.”

We all waved as he left, and once he was out of earshot, Ruby approached me and whispered.

“Does he really have a girlfriend?” she asked, a little incredulous.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Come on…” I said, frowning at her.

“I’m sorry! He just seems really… withdrawn,” she explained.

“Meeting new people is stressful, okay? But yeah, he does.”

“Disappointed, Steven?” Luna teased.

“Mmm… Not too much,” he admitted. “He seems like a nice guy, but I’m not really into the gloomy types.”

“You wouldn’t have paid attention to me a year ago, then,” I said, shaking my head with another chuckle. “Well, I really do need to get going. See you all tomorrow.”

I left the arts building and met up with Alice and Sarah at the top of the main stairs leading down the hill, greeting them both with a quick peck on the lips.

“The others?” I asked.

“On their way,” Alice said, checking her phone.

“How was your day?” I asked them.

“Fine,” Sarah said. “People in my class might be a little too intense, though.”

“What do you mean?” Alice asked her.

“Mmm… It’s like they’re full of energy and enthusiasm. We’ll see how long that lasts. We were already given a few books to buy, and… Well… They’re complex.”

“How do you know?” I asked her.

“Thankfully, my dad already has them. I tried to read them a couple of years ago and they fried my brain. I’m hoping I can understand them better now.”

“Most of my classmates seem pretty serious,” Alice said, rubbing the back of her neck. “And some look like they’d rather not be here at all. I suppose I’m in a similar boat.”

Grace and Noelle came out of the main building together, talking about something before they turned to us.

“Did everyone else have a boring day or was it just me?” Grace asked.

Now that they were here, we began to make our way down the stairs after I greeted them both with a quick kiss as well.

“It was a bit dull, yeah,” Sarah admitted.

I chuckled. “Why? Did you have a good day, Noelle?”

“Kind of,” she said, smiling. “I made a friend. We sat together and, out of nowhere, she asked me if I played games. I said I did and we talked a lot after class.”

“I wonder how Mila’s day went,” I said, a little worried.

“We’re about to find out,” Grace said.

We got to the parking lot, got in the van and drove off to pick her up. In the way, they caught on that I had yet to say anything about my day and didn’t let me escape it.

“Hey, you,” Sarah said, sitting next to me in the co-pilot seat. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing. Spill it.”

I groaned loudly and sighed. “Eric and Julian are in my class,” I said.

“Oh for the love of…!” Grace groaned with me.

“I suppose it makes sense,” Alice said. “Though I honestly didn’t expect Julian to keep pursuing music.”

“Yeah, I thought he was just in it for the attention,” Noelle said.

“I ignored him and thankfully he did the same. Eric, though… We ended up hanging out together with some other people. The two girls Fern and I watched playing in the mall are also in my class. You know, the ones that talked shit about me.”

Sarah crossed her arms. “What kind of weird curse do you have on you?”

“She’s called Frey, but I don’t think she has anything to do with this.”

A sharp headache as quick as a blink hit my head and left. It seems she didn’t appreciate me calling her a curse.

“There was also this one guy who was interested in all of us because we share our music online, so we ended up having lunch together. The two girls ended up apologizing.”

“Your day sounds a lot more eventful than ours,” Grace said.

“And I get the feeling you would’ve rather it wasn’t,” Alice said, giggling.

“Yeah… But it’s a good experience, I think.”

Soon we picked Mila up close to her modeling school. She got in with the girls at the back and moved to kiss me on the cheek from behind my seat.

“I bet you guys have already said everything, but I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to repeat it for me,” she said, grinning.

“You start,” I told her, driving off towards our house. “How was it?”

“Um… It was weird,” she said. “We had an orientation class and they told us everything they’d be teaching us. I read the curriculum with my parents, so I knew it’d be more than just learning how to pose in front of a camera or walk the runway, but they said we’d even cover stuff like public speaking, voice projection, nutrition advice… It seems a lot more serious than I expected.”

“Did anyone there recognize you?” Noelle asked her.

“Ah. A few girls did, and they didn’t seem very happy to see me there,” Mila said with a little grumble. “I guess learning how to deal with bitches is the invisible part of the curriculum.”

“Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me,” Alice said with a sigh. “It’s a highly competitive area, you’re gorgeous and you’re going in with the advantage of a small fanbase already. Other girls are bound to be jealous.”

“There were still some friendly girls, and even some guys. Though I’m being cautious. I don’t know if I can trust any of them. Some already came to me badmouthing girls who didn’t like me.”

I grimaced.

“Sound like you’ll have a rougher time than any of us,” Sarah said. “If you need anything, just tell us, okay?”

“If you’re unsure about anyone, let me meet them,” I told her. “It won’t be perfect, but I should be able to tell if they’re being disingenuous.”

Ah, right! That’s reassuring. Maybe next time you come to pick me up.” Mila said, nodding. “Now, what did I miss about you all?”

“The girls who talked shit about Oliver yesterday are in his class,” Grace said. “So are Eric and Julian.”

Mila blinked for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t hear that right. The two bitches, Eric, and who else?”

“Doesn’t really matter, does it?” I said.

“I suppose not. OH WELL.”

Exactly.

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