Follow Lydia

Iris knows there is a good chance she will be spotted, if she follows Arthur. Lydia, on the other hand, has never seen her or even knows who she is. This is an opportunity to learn something about her possible competition.

Once Arthur is out of sight, Iris turns the corner. Seeing Lydia heading the other way, she picks up her pace to not lose sight of the blond girl. Lydia waves hello to a few other girls and one teacher but never stops. She takes the stairs up to the third floor and Iris follows close behind, careful not to attract too much attention. Lydia continues down to the end of the hall to a girls' loo and enters. Iris pauses for a couple of seconds and enters.

Inside it is like most public facilities, although a bit cleaner. Many stalls line one wall while sinks are arranged opposite. A single tented window across from the door is propped open with a stick while Lydia and a brunette girl stand nearby. A peculiar smell hangs in the air.

"Do you need something?" The brunette girl asks Iris who clearly interrupted whatever they were doing.

"Um... No, not really." Iris responds, slightly confused. "Just needed to use the loo."

The two other girls briefly regard Iris with suspicion but soon turn their attention back to each other.

Iris makes her way into a stall and locks the door. Sitting down on the toilet, she quietly listens as the two other girls continue their conversation.

"I just know that bitch is going to give me a hard time this year." The brunette sighs. "She still has it out for me, ever since I beat her in the vaulting competition last year. I'm sorry you missed your stirrup but that's no reason to be pissed at me."

"She's so full of herself." Lydia tells her. "Part of me wants to do something to mess with her but it's probably best if we just ignore her."

There is a pause in their conversion and the peculiar smell drifts through the room once again. "Her boyfriend is a dog. I'm tempted to hook up with him once just to really stick it to her if she wants to keep being a bitch." The brown-haired girl says.

"Now who's the bitch?" Lydia laughs.

"Whatever, he's going to cheat on her anyway. Best she finds out sooner rather than later." The other girl chuckles. "Anyway, speaking of guys, how are things with you and what's his name?"

"Arthur? I don't know..." Lydia sounds discouraged. "We made out a few times last year, he didn't call me all summer, and now he seems like he isn't that interested."

"Well, he's a funny one anyway. No big loss." The brunette dismisses. "Except his family is loaded. That might be worth putting up with him for." She laughs.

"Oh, your terrible." Lydia jokes.

"You could always go after his brother. Now that boy is a dish. Wooo." The other girl hoots.

"Victor? Yeah... He's got eyes to melt any girl's heart." Lydia agrees. "But he's got so many girls around him all the time, no one stands a chance. He's a bit of an arse too, I hear."

Iris realizes she has been in the stall for a while, listening to the girls, and decides it's probably best to take her leave. Flushing the toilet before opening the door, she steps out and moves to wash her hands.

"Almost forgot you were in there." The brown-haired girl says, lifting an eyebrow at Iris.

"Don't mind her. Diana can be a bit rough sometimes." Lydia says with a goofy smile. "Name's Lydia. I don't think I have seen you around before." She extends a hand to Iris.

"Oh, I'm Iris. This is my first year at the school." Iris introduces herself.

"Your not one of those stuck up girls who thinks she better than everyone else are you?" Diana asks.

"Diana!" Lydia cuts off her friend.

"No, in fact, I was mortified when my father said I would be coming here. I hate those kinds of girls and imagined this place full of them." Iris admits honestly.

Diana nods her head in agreement. "Well, you're not wrong about this place. It's full of stuck up whores. But there are a few of us that aren't too bad. You smoke?" She chuckles holding her hand toward Iris. A lit spliff between her fingers.

Iris hesitates, considering the risk. She has smoked a few times in the past but it wasn't a regular thing. She knew she shouldn't risk getting kicked out of school but it would be nice to help take the edge off. "Um... Here?" She says, trying to buy some time to make her decision.

"Yeah." Lydia answers. "This loo is out of the way so hardly anyone comes in here. Even if they do, most of us here have an understanding not a rat anyone out. Even the girls you hate." She continues to explain. "You rat someone out, someone else rats you out. It's a vicious cycle no one wants to start."

"And the teachers have their own loo. They never come in." Diana adds.