==/== Chronicles of My Seventeenth Year ==/ ==
Episode One – A is for A brand new year.
Caramel Academy, home of academic brilliance, sporting prowess and an all round Catholic spiritual belief system. There you’ll find heirs training to succeed the leaders of the Nation, the best and brightest High School students in the country along with a large percentage of their parents income being deposited year after year.
It’s located on a vast expanse of impressive grounds complete with two Olympic sized swimming pools, a huge track and sports field, the best class room facilities loaded with the most high-tech academic equipment and a rather impressive lake with canoes and strategically placed ducks.
There are hundreds of impressive students this story could be based on at Caramel Academy, honour students, musical and artistic geniuses, the nerdy types with really thick glasses bound to discover the cure for a disease or two but those students are boring and neither you or I are scouts for Harvard or Yale.
So instead, we’ll focus on a misfit group of quirky and often hilarious Sophomores who, just like everyone else in the world, are just trying to get by in their own, special way...
==/==
This story begins on the first day of the school year. Our heroine is Natalie Kruger, she’s a green-eyed, black haired seventeen year old with slightly scruffy uniform attire and at this moment can be seen dashing through the school’s front gates in search of her two friends.
The first is Melanie Brooke, a usually calm brunette is currently looking worriedly at the girl standing next to her, a redheaded trouble maker named Caroline Stevens.
“You’re not planning anything ridiculous for today are you Caro?,” Mel asked quite seriously.
“What? No I don’t plan that stuff it just happens,” her friend replies.
“Well that’s comforting,” a teasing voice says from behind them.
Both girls turn and grin at the familiar face starting back at them.
“Nat!,” they say together.
“Don’t I get a little fanfare?,” Natalie replies without missing a beat. “A year away at a different school and you guys didn’t even get me presents?”
Caroline pulls something from her jacket pocket.
“As if we’re that insensitive! Got you this year’s class list,” she says as she hands the piece of paper over.
“You stole it?,” Nat asks with raised eyebrows.
“I found it,” Caro replies with as she lets her grin grow a little wider.
“Ok now I’m definitely sure you stole it.”
“Nat, I’m telling you I found it.”
One eyeroll later and the redhead is forced to acquiesces with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Yeah ok I stole it. But in my defence it was sitting on Heedy’s desk in her office and that woman, is just so retarded.
“Who’s Heedy?,” Nat asks as she reads through the list, smiling at the familiar names.
“New Principal, started last year, retarded comment seconded,” Melanie replies, providing the answer like a journalistic pro.
She and Caro watch Nat smiling at the list and can’t help but smile themselves.
“She’s happy to be out of exile and back with her loyal followers,” Caroline quips. “Look at that smile,” she adds teasingly.
Just as the comment leaves Caroline’s lips Melanie notices the smile in question slip.
“Stateman’s on our list?,” Nat asks with an invisible sweat drop starting to form at her hairline.
“Yeah I tried to cross her out...,” Caro replies with a sheepish look.
“I can see that, there are marks.”
Melanie shrugs to herself as amusedly watches her friends start stressing out over an old classmate’s appearance on the list.
“Maybe we should give her a break,” she says. “After all Nat, you haven’t seen her in a year. She could have changed over the summer.”
At that moment, a loud, almost speaker-like voice cuts through the air making everyone in the vicinity cringe and everyone out of it wonder what was going outside.
“Lines people! Straight lines!,” Hayley Stateman screams out again.
“I’ll take my opinion back now,” Melanie says matter-of-factly. “She’s the same.”
“Where is she? I don’t even see her and my ears are bleeding already,” Caroline replies as she searches for the familiar features of the attractive strawberry blonde.
“Found her,” Nat replies as she points towards the field. “She’s over there herding the sheep.”
==/==
On the field... which is not quite ‘nearby’ Hayley is pacing up and down the class lines trying her best to get them as straight as possible.
“Who the hell gave her a megaphone? I’m gonna sue,” one student whispers to another.
“I think that’s just her voice,” her friend replies.
“In a few moments we’ll announce the class lists... there’s just been a tiny hiccup,” Hayley says in her trademark annoyed fashion as Nat and friends step onto the field.
“Don’t aggravate her!,” Caro says out of the corner of her mouth.
“Why not?,” Melanie asks with genuine curiosity. “You wanna be the first to piss her off today?”
“I believe this is what you’re after,” Nat says to Hayley, letting her smirk answer her friends.
Hayley’s eyes grow wide at the sound of Nat’s voice.
“You! Who let you back through the gates?!”
“Ah look at that,” Melanie says to Caroline with a grin. “You lose.”
“Is that the class list?,” Hayley continues. “I don’t believe this! First day and already you’re causing trouble!”
“Come on Stateman, it’s not that bad right! You have the class, I have the list, we make a pretty good team!”
“Actually I have the class, and that list is my responsibility,” a new voice replies coolly.
“Sophie Fuller,” Natalie replies in the same tone.
“Am I famous?,” the blonde girl asks as she adjusts her trendy glasses.
“The only name on the list I didn’t recognise,” Natalie replies with a slight shrug before holding out her hand.
Sophie accepts her handshake as she looks Natalie in the eye for a few seconds.
“What the hell are they doing?,” Hayley asks as she and all the other students look on at the scene.
“Sizing each other up,” Caro replied nonchalantly. “Seen Nat do it before, right before the beat down.”
“I don’t think a beat down will be necessary,” Sophie replies suddenly turning her attention to Caroline and smiling sweetly. “I’m the Student Council President, she’s a transfer student, the parts we’ll play are clear.”
“I’ll let you cast the parts,” Natalie replies seriously, the amusement in her eyes missed by everyone except her new found rival. “But I’ll be writing the story.”
She stares at the blonde for a few more seconds before stretching her arms up in the air as a sign of loosening up.
Hayley quickly clears her throat before once again beginning to herd the students in lines as Sophie prepares to split them into their classes.
==/==
“I’m quite interested in how this year’s gonna turn out for us guys,” Nat says to her friends with a smile.
“You would be,” Megan replies with a laugh as Caroline gives both the peace sign along with her favourite smirk.
==////==
Comments/ Reviews/ Constructive criticism is encouraged and welcomed.
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