Ella waited for her classmates to pass her in the hallway, before secretly making her way to the old abandoned janitor's closet she had cleaned up in the beginning of the school year when she found it on accident. It was a good place for her to hide out during lunch and breaks; the door was even lockable from the inside. It felt like it had been made just for her.

She placed her lunch on the card table that had already been in the room and looked around at the posters, and magazine articles she had taped to the walls. Ella couldn't help sighing as she thought about being caught someday and being forced to eat lunch with all the other students. Though until then, she was going to get the most out of her safe haven.

It was just that she was a new student who had been enrolled in the last month of school last year. Now she was in the 12th grade and nobody seemed to know she was alive. They never talked to her, or made any indication that she even existed. She prided herself on being different and unique. Ella never wanted to look the same as someone else.

At the moment, her fascination was with the Gothic Style and nobody at this school wore as much black as she did. While she did not label herself as a goth, people at her boarding school already put her in that category. It was a stereotype she should have expected. Ella wore mostly dark clothing, her favorite being black and dark blue. She had naturally black hair that was styled in a cute bob around her head, with the ends on each side being slightly longer than the rest of her hair.

Though she liked to wear different color wigs and extensions, depending on her mood, she at the moment had her hair dyed with a couple red streaks. It was a natural dye and would wash out after a few washes. She hated putting anything in her hair that would damage it.

With her back to the door, she leaned her forehead against the coolness of the wall. It was two months into twelfth grade and still nobody had made any effort to get to know her. Even the teachers seemed to snub her. Ella was smart, though they never called on her to answer questions. Her papers always came back with A's, but nobody had ever praised her for her hard work.

She glanced over at her lunch. It was a sandwich and some grapes. She picked at it, eating a few grapes and a bite of the sandwich, but she had lost her appetite.

In know it is pathetic, but is it so much to ask for one person to be nice to me. It's like I have the plague. She rolled her eyes and sighed again. But I am not going to change who I am for this school. Mom and dad already went through so much trouble to get me here and finding a school with a lax dress code, so I can be myself.

The warning bell rang, making her jump out of her thoughts. She grabbed her trash and left the closet quickly, before anyone noticed her.

Maybe I will have some luck with my new roommate. I can't believe they are making me move already. Her last roommate had put up with her for the month last year and the two months this year, but was rather stuck up and complained to the staff about wanting a single room. Ella got kicked out and was waiting to hear where she would be moving to. She was supposed to know by the end of her classes.

It's two months into the school year. I wonder how many students need roommates. Most of them have been here since the beginning...

Whoever it was, she hoped they wouldn't give her trouble.

Reviera sat outside in the courtyard. Her earphones sat snuggly in her ears as she listened to music. Sunglasses covered her eyes as she read underneath the sun. American History. She never really cared too much for it, but there some pretty interesting moments. While she could do away with the colonization of America, she enjoyed the romantic feel of the wild west and the grittiness of the Civil War. Other than that, the rest of her textbook was a snooze fest. She wasn't interested in history. What was the point in learning something she had no ambition in pursuing?

It was her free period - a luxury that seniors got. She had been at the boarding school for as long as she could remember. Freshman year to be exact. At first, she wasn't sure how she'd like it. Being away from home wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Going to an all female school didn't make things easier either. However, as she got through the transition, she made friends and even made a name for herself.

Swimming. It was the reason why she picked this place over the others. Unlike the other boarding schools she looked at, this institution supported their athletes as avidly as they did for academic perfection. It was the prestigious school for athletics and academics. Body and mind she supposed. While she had to work hard, it all paid off as a large 'C' was embroidered on her team warm-up jacket. There were three captains. She was one of them out of the twenty varsity girls.

As Reviera flipped the page, she heard the bell ring as she ignored it while the younger years moved about their business. Admittedly, she was going to miss this place when she was gone. The courtyard. The facilities. The teachers. Everything. This was her home, and she dreaded the day when all of this would be over.

Feeling a shadow cast over her, Reviera looked up. She smiled. "Hey Sam!"

The blonde smiled at her as she sat her things down and settled on the grass. "Thought I'd find you here. Last year. You excited?"

Reviera nodded as she marked her page and scooted the heavy tome away. "Totally," she said. "Trying for that conference record. Get that, and you're guaranteed an All-American!"

"You're fast. You'll get it," Sam said. "Oh, by the way. What happened with Kerry?"

Reviera frowned as she remembered the whole debacle. Due to an emergency - something about her family - Kerry had to take the year off and leave. She didn't really tell Reviera why she had to go, which miffed the swimmer slightly. They were friends. Roomies for the last two years. To have her just walk out without a word was ... rude. Now, some stranger - a transfer - was taking her spot. Reviera heard the talk on the grounds; and if they were true, her new roommate was a total weirdo. Maybe she could ask for a transfer if things didn't work out? Maybe a single if she had too.

"She just left," Reviera said with a shrug. "Hasn't been answering my texts either. She just disappeared. Literally."

"Sucks girl. Heard about your new assignment. Good luck."

"Wow, thanks. Great. Now I can't think. I guess I'll have to get things moved." Packing her things, Reviera stood up as she brushed off some of the grass from her white shorts. "See you at practice Sam!"

"See ya Revy!"

Walking towards the dormitories, Reviera's thoughts centered around her new roommate and the season. Anxious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling.

---

Sitting in her room, Reviera had moved everything to her side. While her roommates stuff was settled, she had yet to decorate things. Sitting on her bed, Reviera had opened yet another book - this one for fun. Her life wasn't all sports and fame now. When she had the time, she was quite the bookworm. Dabbling in fantasy to contemporary, she liked to think she had diverse tastes when it came to literature.

Stealing a glance at the clock, class should've gotten out for the day as she waited in silence. Even if her new roommate was some weirdo, a good impression could make this less awkward than it needed to be. Humming to herself, she sat there waiting reading about dragons. God, she loved the creatures. Childish she knew, but if people didn't like it, they could simply mind their business. She did her own thing regardless of what others thought. Always had and always will.

I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory.

This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an “I” they told her.

“Hiya,” one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. “So I haven't seen you around before?” She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard.

“Yeah, are you new?” The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle.

Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. “I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year.” Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an “I”, wouldn't notice her.

Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. “She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts.” Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting.

“Creative?” Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did.

“Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance.”

What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us...

“We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore.” Melodi pouted.

“Seriously? Why would you want me to help?”

“You might have fun,” Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. “Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair.” Bonnie smirked. “I bet you even draw.”

So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them...

“How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?” Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story.

Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. “You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it.”

It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes.

Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same.

“Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso.”

“Who?” The twins asked.

Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary.

---

When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be.

"North dorm...hmmm..."

Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened.

She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book.

She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure.

She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading.

"No way!"

Reviera flipped the book on its back. Why did the mentor have to die? Granted, she thought Halther was a grouch, but he was as close to a badass as any book character could get. He'd practically lost his whole entire family during the Dragon Wars. It wasn't fair. The main protagonist - some pompous little jerk - should've died instead. Reviera had half a mind to write a letter to the author, but she knew it'd never reach the woman. Reaching for the book yet again, she turned the page and continued to read on. The protagonist better get his act together she thought to herself.

Engrossed in the plot, Reviera didn't hear the door turn as she flipped another page. It was only when she heard walking against the carpeted room did she look up.

Her friends were right. The girl was absolute weird. However, not in the bad way. She was guilty of this too, but the normal dress etiquette was conservative upper class. There wasn't a dress code or anything, but it was a unspoken expectation of sorts. Reviera didn't really know how to explain it better than that. The girl's outfit left very little to the imagination, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Though she had a thing for sporty girls, her roommate wasn't that bad at all. Things could've been worse.

Finding her bookmark, Reviera broke away from her rather deep staring as she closed the book. Hopping off the bed, she brushed her shorts as she walked towards the girl. "No need to be quiet silly," she said as she stood in front of her. Offering her a smile, Reviera placed her hands on her hips. "So you're taking Kerry's spot, huh? Swell. Suppose we should break the ice. I'm Reviera."

Locking eyes with the girl, the make up pronounced her roommates eyes. It was kind of breath taking. "Need help setting up?" she asked. "Your side of the room is still a bit ... barren."

Ella smiled, feeling overwhelmingly better when the girl turned out to be decent. She had been so scared that this would turn into another Holly moment. Holly had been her last roommate and the one who threw a fit and got her kicked out. She hated how some perfect, rich snobs always seemed to get what they wanted. Ella's parents were well off, but she never acted like she ruled the world. Her mother was a lawyer and her father was a doctor. They were workaholics, but they had a good family dynamic.

"Sorry, I was only quiet because I saw you were reading. Some people will start wars if you interrupt." She smiled, though it turned into a small smirk. "I am one of those people. Reading is..." She trailed off, blushing, the crimson color a huge contrast to her naturally pale skin. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

She heard the rest of the girl's question and nodded. "Yep, I guess so. My last roommate didn't agree with sharing her breathing space with someone who dressed outside the cookie cutter standard this school seems to have." Her eyes widened, because that sounded a little harsh. She shook her head. "I mean no offense, not that you are one of them." She gave the girl an open up and down look. Reviera had style, maybe not as extreme as Ella, but she still seemed like an individual. Being cute did not hurt, either.

"Oh sure, thanks. All my boxes are packed and waiting to be carried from my old dorm." She looked down at the black and pink Hello Kitty watch she was wearing. It was going on 3pm and Holly was most likely already out with her older boyfriend. The boyfriend Ella had to hear about 24/7. That is all the girl ever wanted to talk about. "It's not a long walk from here, so shouldn't take more than a few trips. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Start wars? Oh lord," Reviera said as she tried not to laugh. "I know whatcha' mean though. The last thing I need is some chick being obnoxious while I finish the chapter. But, still, I don't mind." Noticing the girl blush, Reviera rose an eyebrow. Was she that shy? Reaching over, Reviera patted her shoulder. "I'm one of the few people on this campus that doesn't mind. Trust me when I say, some of the other girls ramble about less exciting things."

Reviera almost couldn't contain her laughter. She knew the unspoken dress etiquette, and she tried to add her little twist on things. Going to a school with scions from old money - she was somewhat on that band wagon - could be taxing at times. "No offense taken. I'll admit though, your style is really ... unique? Not a bad thing, we need more personalities here other than conservatively dressed," Reviera said as she winked, "Variety never kills. That's a lot of make up though. Does it take forever to do? I've only ever used eyeliner and mascara, but that's on the days I have time. Foundation never really sticks on for me. People have told me I don't need it though. So, never really explored cosmetics as much."

Watching the girl look at her watch, Reviera remembered she didn't have all day either. She'd probably have to skip out to practice then come back and help. Couldn't be late not. "I don't mind at all! Been thinking of how to kill the time before practice. Oh! Speaking of that, I hope you're okay with the smell of chlorine? I swim, and it's a smell I've gotten used to but others don't really care for it. If you really do mind, I'll try to use the extra shampoo. But no promises." Walking over to her table, Reviera picked up her phone and keys and walked back. "I think I can help with one round. Ready? Oh, before we get moving, what's your name? It's better than me saying 'miss' or 'girl' right?"

"My makeup?" Ella put a hand on her cheek and thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "It doesn't take me long, but when I first started, I looked like a racoon, I assure you. It takes practice. I could do your makeup for you, if you want, of course I will keep in mind your style." She grinned teasingly. "I won't turn you into another me..."

Unless you want, because you would look hot in a corset... Ella finished in her head, turning away from the girl and inwardly rolling her eyes at herself.

She turned back toward Reviera when she heard the girl mention practice. Ella tried not to show her disdain. Was this girl another cheerleader? She sure did not look like she was, but looks could be wrong. Her expression brightened when she learned the other only meant swimming. Ella shook her head and smiled.

"Of course not, no problem. If you don't mind my differences, I am not going to complain about something as silly as chlorine smells." She waved her hand. "I'm sure I can handle it." She was relived when she saw Reviera had a car. Ella had one, but it had been left back at home. Her parents saw no use for it on campus when it was not that big of a town and she could take a taxi if she needed to go off campus.

"One round, great!" She blushed. "Oh, right. I'm Ella. It's very nice to meet you."