All Boys Summer School

(2) Orientation

The next few days passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was Friday. Ally, Kayla, and I went shopping yesterday for supplies I’d need for the next two months—though I felt like they dragged me along. This morning, Elliot would catch a ride with my mom and me since his parents were busy.

"Alex, we are leaving in ten minutes! Hurry up!" Mom called from downstairs as I slipped on a pair of skinny jeans Ally had brought for me. She insisted I needed to look good to make friends with guys and mentioned I was lucky to have Mom’s curves and a good figure for my age.

"I'm almost ready!" I shouted back while Kayla grumbled from her bed, "Shut up!"

I put on my fitted blue V-neck top, showing a hint of cleavage, then my gray jacket. I slipped on my Converse and baseball cap, grabbed my phone, power bank, headphones, and some cash, and stuffed them into my small bag.

I went downstairs to find Mom eating an apple and looking at her phone. She glanced up.

"At least you're not in baggy clothes that make it look like you don't live in a proper house," she remarked as she grabbed her purse. "Let's go; we still need to pick up Elliot."

***

Elliot lived twenty minutes away. When we arrived, he was waiting on the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Morning, Aunty Sophia! Hey, Alex," he greeted as he climbed into the backseat next to me.

"Hey, Elliot! Excited for summer school?" Mom asked eagerly.

"Yeah, just trying to escape the house for the summer," he shrugged. Then he turned to me with a smirk. "So, Alex, I heard you vandalized two vehicles?" His gray eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Yes, Olivia and Christian's—they had it coming," I replied tightly. "I saw them hooking up."

"Remind me to punch Chris when I see him," Elliot grinned. This is why I loved my cousin.

"Elliot, don’t get mixed up in Alex’s drama, please," Mom sighed.

"But her drama keeps me sane; I live for it!" he winked at me, making me smile.

"Just no violence."

"Since when has Alex's drama not involved violence or anything illegal?"

True.

We arrived at the boarding school forty-five minutes later, with orientation set for 9:30 AM and it was now 9:00. We had time to kill.

"I’ll pick you up later; have fun," Mom said as we got out of the car.

"We will, bye!" I called as she drove off, and a few other cars dropped off students.

We approached the school, which had high gates with sharp edges on the top.

"Welcome! Your names?" a man with a clipboard approached us.

"Elliot and Alex James," Elliot responded.

After checking his clipboard, he made two ticks. "You’re good to go."

As we walked through the gate, I noticed a few guys checking me out.

"No way, a girl?" one said.

"I’m so glad my parents sent me here this year!"

"Finally, it won’t be a boring summer after all!"

"I call dibs."

"I bet I’ll have at least five guys’ numbers by the time we leave," I chuckled.

"No doubt about that," Elliot replied.

_____

"Hello, I am Mr. Green, the headmaster, and welcome to Bridgeton Academy. For the next two months, you'll be doing schoolwork like you’re actually in school, but don’t worry, you’ll have some fun too," Mr. Green introduced himself.

We sat in the assembly hall as he spoke from the stage, with teachers seated behind him. A few guys checked me out as I entered with Elliot, and a couple even tried to get my number.

"I hope your grades improve while you’re here. This year, we have a slight change—a female will also be staying with us. Come up on stage, Alex James," Mr. Green commanded. I got up and walked to the stage, feeling over a hundred pairs of eyes on me.

"I decided to let her in since I was feeling generous and had room," he added. "But remember, no s****l contact with her, don’t hook up with her unless dating, and absolutely no showering with her. Got it?" he snapped as I turned red.

"But can we check her out?" a guy from the crowd asked.

"Well, I can’t stop you since most of you are already doing it." Most of the guys quickly looked away. "That’s it for now; you'll have a tour, see your dorm, and get your badges," Mr. Green concluded. "See you on Sunday."

I walked off the stage and found Elliot waiting by the exit.

I wondered who my roommate would be.

______

"And this is one of the cafeterias," our guide said, pushing open the double doors. To the right were glass windows with connecting doors to eat outside. The cafeteria was huge, fitting for the boys sent here by wealthy parents.

"I'm going to love eating here," Elliot commented in awe.

"Me too! I’ll ask my parents to transfer me here in September," a guy with short chestnut hair said from behind us. "Name’s Noah," he said, extending his hand.

"Alex, and this is my cousin, Elliot," I replied, shaking his hand.

"Cool! For a second, I thought he was your boyfriend," Noah laughed.

"Nah, I'm way out of his league," I boasted.

"You mean I’m out of yours," Elliot scoffed.

"Now this way to the library," the guide continued, while most of the boys protested, including me.

"Not a fan of the library, surprisingly," Noah remarked.

"I don’t really like school, but this guy does," I nudged Elliot.

"Not surprised; he looks like the type," Noah and I laughed as Elliot mumbled under his breath.

My dorm building was number two, room ten, while Elliot’s was eighteen, and Noah was in building three. When I opened the door, I found a guy dancing with headphones on—his back to me. When he turned around, he froze, and I laughed.

"Sorry about that! I’m Charlie, but you can call me Charles. What’s yours?" he said, turning red.

"Alex. Nice dancing."

"So you're going to be my roommate?" he asked. I nodded. "Cool, you can choose any side of the door; I don't care," he said, running his hand through his curly black hair.

"The left is fine," I replied, since I was used to sharing a room back home, so it wouldn’t be awkward.

"Are you used to sharing a room? Because I am," Charlie chuckled. I nodded in agreement.

"Knock, knock," Elliot tapped on the open door. "Ready to get your picture taken for your ID?" he asked.

"Sure, and Elliot, this is my roommate Charlie," I introduced them.

"What's up?" Charlie said, tilting his head.

"Just so you know, if you ever think about making a move on my cousin, I'll break your bones," Elliot threatened, causing Charlie's light brown eyes to widen.

"Don't worry, he can't hurt a fly," I assured Charlie as he relaxed. "Now let's go get our IDs and stuff."

"Wait, are you going to wear pants like the rest of us?" Charlie asked as we left the room.

"We'll see," I shrugged.