by Layman, Tate
Each hall of the dorm had its own bathroom, she knew, so there would only be a limited number of girls in here. The bathroom was made up of five shower stalls and toilets, and also an area with several sinks and mirrors. Whit was thankful that one of the shower stalls was empty. The water felt heavenly to her tired body and overwhelmed mind. As she stood under the warm water, she tried to focus on positive thoughts. This school was going to be a good thing. She would learn to control her dreams, and everything was going to be okay.
After wrapping her towel around her body, she rushed back to her room and pulled on jeans and a black t-shirt. Whit had been surprised by the lack of uniforms. She had assumed that all boarding schools required uniforms, but not Maverick. Students had to adhere to a dress code, but it was similar to the one at her old high school. The dress code was easy to follow, and the only pieces of clothing she couldn’t wear in her closet were her jeans with holes in the knees and her tank tops. She felt relieved not to be required to wear the little schoolgirl skirt and blouse. That would’ve sucked. But Whit found clothing was easy compared to her hair.
Whit ran back to the bathroom to try to tame her hair. After several minutes attacking her chin-length brown hair with a round brush and a hair dryer, she smiled. At least her hair was behaving today. She brushed mascara over her lashes and dabbed a little lip gloss on her lips. With a glance at her wrist, Whit swore and dashed to her room to grab her backpack. She threw a notebook, pen, wallet, and a book she’d started reading inside, then snatched a hoodie from the closet. She didn’t really know what she would need, but she wanted to be prepared.
As she walked out of the building, she saw Nolan sitting on a low wall in front of the dorms. When he saw her, he stood and grinned. Whit felt an unwanted tingle in her chest and reminded herself that he had a girlfriend and was a terrible flirt. He grinned at all girls, and she wasn’t going to be affected. He really was too good looking for her peace of mind, though. Today he wore a dark green American Eagle shirt with a pair of jeans. His shirt couldn’t hide the muscles beneath, and Whit sighed a little against her will.
“Hey,” Nolan greeted in a gruff voice, rubbing his eyes.
“Hey,” Whit replied. “You okay? You look a little tired.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep very well. Mark, my roommate, decided to snore a little louder than usual. It doesn’t normally keep me up, but shit, last night it was like a freight train was in the room with me.” He laughed tiredly. “I tried to cover my head with a pillow and I even threw the damn pillow at him, but nothing worked. I finally had to put my earphones on.” He shook his head.
Whit knew she needed to focus on something else before she developed a crush and became just like every other girl at Maverick. Besides, she had places she needed to be. “Well, I better head on to breakfast since I’m running behind. I’ll need all the help I can get to make it through this day.”
“Don’t sweat it. I bet we’ll even have a class or two together. I hope so at least.” He winked.
Whit settled for a casual wave, and turned toward the cafeteria. The walk was peaceful, but inside Whit felt frantic and nervous. When she got to the cafeteria, she tried to focus on the various food lines and what they were serving, but did a double take when she saw Nolan and his girlfriend arrive hand in hand and head off toward the cereal area. She wandered over to a pastry and muffin stand and selected a banana nut muffin, being careful not to look in Nolan’s direction. He had a girlfriend and that made him off limits. Whit would never mess around with another girl’s boyfriend. She just couldn’t do that to someone, especially not after she’d seen what cheating had done to her best friend in California.
Her name was Melanie and she’d been dating this guy Brent, for almost a year. Whit remembered that Brent had been a big flirt, like Nolan. She’d even warned Melanie that she’d seen Brent flirting outrageously with several girls, but Melanie had been blinded by love. That was until Melanie caught Brent at a party with another girl. She’d been heartbroken for months after that and Whit had worried about depression at one point. Melanie had finally gotten over it, but never trusted guys the same again. The experience had also made Whit realize that she needed to be careful who she got involved with and not to give her heart too easily.
Not wanting to sit alone, she glanced around for Ellie or Rory, but didn’t see either. After she grabbed a cup of orange juice, she walked toward a table in the corner. Accepting that she would be alone, she pulled out The Stand by Stephen King. Whit loved reading his books, and knew that if anything could take her mind off her upcoming day, it’d be one of his stories. She started reading it, but the noise from the surrounding tables kept intruding. Her nerves weren’t helping, either.
After reading the same page three times, she finally gave up on reading and glanced around. She saw Nolan sitting at a table close by, surrounded by attractive girls, and wondered how his girlfriend felt about competing for his attention. She knew that she would never be happy with someone like that. Whit forced her attention back to her breakfast and started to pick at her muffin when someone walked over and put their tray on her table. It was so unexpected that Whit jumped and immediately looked up into Nolan’s eyes.
“Why’d you sit over here by yourself? You could’ve sat with us,” he explained with a grin as he pulled out the chair next to her out and flopped into it. Before she could say anything, he continued, “So let me get this straight, you wanted to sit alone instead of with me?”
“Yeah, that was it,” Whit joked with a roll of her eyes.
“I know my table was full, but you could’ve pulled up a chair beside me. Hell, if I’d realized you were that shy, I would’ve grabbed a chair for you myself or saved you a seat.” He grinned.
“Well, I was really okay here,” Whit responded, but Nolan kept on.
“I guess I should’ve remembered that you’re new and therefore skittish,” he said with a deep laugh and a nudge to her shoulder. “So after you finish destroying that muffin, how about I take you to the main office to get your schedule? You know, give you a tour?”
Before Whit could respond, Nolan’s girlfriend, the pretty blond from last night, came over and put a hand on his shoulder. He peeked up at her and smiled. They whispered for a minute, and then she turned and walked away. However, before she walked too far, she threw a nasty glare over her shoulder directly at Whit.
“What was that about?” Whit asked as she watched the girl stomping away. She’d already realized it was because Nolan was sitting with another girl, and actually sympathized with the girl. She would’ve gotten angry too, if he were her boyfriend. Plus, did he think it was okay to flirt and lead her on when he had a girlfriend? What a jerk!
Nolan shrugged and rolled his eyes. “She was just upset because I said you needed help finding your way to the main office. I explained I was trying to be nice to you since you didn’t know anyone. She wasn’t too happy about it, I guess. It doesn’t really matter, though,” he finished with another shrug of his shoulders, like he didn’t care what she thought or felt.
“Okay first off, I can find the main office by myself. I don’t need any help. Secondly, I don’t remember asking you for assistance. Lastly, wasn’t that your girlfriend?”
“That was Caroline, she and I are … friends,” Nolan explained with a smile.
“Yeah right. I saw you two making out pretty heavy last night in front of the dorm. If that’s what you expect from your friends, then don’t expect us to be friends. I don’t get involved with flirts or players, if you prefer that title,” Whit said. She felt annoyed with Nolan’s attitude over the girl, and knew that if she didn’t get away from him soon, she would start ranting about respect and what a jerk he was. She needed to get away before she embarrassed herself.
Whit got up with a small fake smile and wrapped the remainder of her muffin in a napkin before peeking at Nolan. He was watching her with a slight curve of his lips like he found her reaction entertaining.
“I think I’ll find my own way to the main office, but thanks for the offer,” she said sarcastically. She quickly walked away. As she exited the cafeteria, she glanced back and saw that Nolan stood watching her with what she thought was a very amused smile.
When Whit entered the main office, she introduced herself and inquired about her schedule. The secretary searched through a filing cabinet until finally withdrawing a folder and flipping to a page at the back. After making a copy of the paper, she handed it to Whit, who looked over her list of classes. A moment later, she heard the office door open and shut behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and there stood Nolan. She grimaced.
“I just can’t get away from you, can I?” she asked in exasperation, turning back to the secretary. Nolan only responded by hovering over her shoulder so he could look at her schedule. Whit felt irritated by his attitude and the way he treated girls. She hated that he continued to pursue her even though he had a girlfriend, it just wasn’t right. If she was his girlfriend, she’d dump his ass.
“Hey, we have advanced biology and PE together,” he whispered in her ear as his hand squeezed her shoulder. “You still have to take the placement tests, so you’re not enrolled in a specific English or math yet. You also need to pick another elective. I’d advise either tech or home economics. Those are two of the best electives. They’re both pretty fun. I mean in home ec you basically cook and eat the whole time. It’s great. That’s my elective.”
Whit sent a fleeting snarl toward his hand on her shoulder. Nolan immediately removed his hand and took a step back, and she felt a little guilty. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how to treat him. She was annoyed at his flirtatious ways, but had to admit to herself that Nolan touching her made her heart pound. It was just his looks. Any girl would react to a gorgeous guy touching her. She just needed to remember that he was a jerk and womanizer underneath all that beauty.
Before Whit could respond about the elective class, the first bell rang. Nolan grabbed Whit’s hand and pulled her out of the office and down the hall. As they neared a classroom, Nolan squeezed her fingers and let go. Whit missed the warmth of his hand immediately. No, she could not develop a crush on him, he would break her. Her heart was already broken by everything that had happened with her parents. If anything else happened to it, she would be destroyed. Besides, he probably just liked the idea of a new challenge. She couldn’t afford to take him seriously.
“This is where the orientation meeting will be. I don’t see anyone else, but then again you might be the only new student at the moment,” he explained. “I’ve got to run to class, but look for me at lunch, we can sit together.” Whit rolled her eyes in his direction, totally ignoring his invitation for lunch.
Nolan put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll see you later. Have fun,” he said with another squeeze. Then he disappeared into the student-packed hallway. He was entirely too touchy for Whit’s peace of mind, she thought. She didn’t want to like a guy like him and needed to put a stop these feelings before she fell for him, just like all his other admirers.
Chapter 11
The first thing Whit noticed when she went into the classroom was the huge man standing by the window. She recognized him immediately as the headmaster, Mr. Tolman. She stood there looking at him for a few moments, working up her courage and bravery for the day ahead, when he turned around.
“Oh Whitni, I didn’t realize you were here already. I’m sorry for my rudeness. I was just watching way too many students running from the dorms to avoid being tardy. It wouldn’t matter if we started class at noon, some students would be late regardless,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head.
As he spoke, Whit studied him. She had forgotten how large the headmaster was. She wondered if he was a bonecrusher or just a very large man. He had gotten a haircut and trimmed his moustache and beard since her visit, though, which made him look a little less intimidating.
“As far as your orientation meeting, it will just be the two of us. I’m going to go over the basics about Maverick and what you can expect as a student. I’ll also be taking you on a quick tour so you’ll know where your classes are. Please feel free to ask questions when you have them, or if you don’t understand something. I was thinking that we could talk over the basics in the cafeteria. I was running a little behind this morning and had to skip breakfast. I guess I should go ahead and admit I was one of those tardy students when I was a student here,” he laughed. “If it’s okay with you, let’s head to the cafeteria,” he said with a motion towards the door.
“Fine with me,” she responded.
As they walked toward the cafeteria, Whit glanced into the classes that were in session. She couldn’t get over how normal everything looked.
“So I know this is a lot for a person to take in, and we’ll try to make your transition as smooth as possible. I know you must be curious about some of the students and their unique qualities, so I’m going to just briefly go over the different classes of students that attend Maverick. You’ll learn more about the different gifts as you interact with students,” Mr. Tolman explained. He continued to talk as he filled his plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. Once settled at a table with his breakfast, Mr. Tolman started what he called orientation. First, he questioned Whit to find out what she knew about the school and the different types of students. Then he began his explanation on how the school was organized.
He clarified that there were five classes of students: mind, body, energy, spirit, and outsiders. Each class consisted of a different type of student. He said that some of the information might be unclear now, but Whit would become very familiar with all the different areas of the classes and not to worry about trying to figure it all out in one day. Then he got started. The mind category was made up of psychics, telepathists, those capable of telekinesis, and mindbenders. The body division was entirely bonecrushers, while energy users were spell casters. The spirit group was made up of stalkers. He further explained that they were considered spirit users because they used their five senses to deepen their understanding and then relied on their spirit to lead them to their target. Whit didn’t really understand, but nodded nonetheless. The last class was outsiders, which consisted of vampires, werewolves, and fairies. Whit was shocked once again, because even though she’d heard about the vampires and werewolves, the fairies surprised her. She’d thought those were fictional.
Of course two weeks earlier, she’d thought all of this was fictional.
The longer Mr. Tolman talked, the more overwhelmed Whit felt. It was like everything she had ever believed was wrong. It made her wonder what type of monsters really walked the earth. She started to ask Mr. Tolman, but stopped herself when she realized that he would actually answer her. And that particular topic would scare her beyond measure. She’d just leave that question and answer for another day.
“Now, I know that was too much for you to process immediately, so I’m going to stop there with the descriptions. Like I said earlier, you’ll learn quickly about the different classes by interacting with the students here at Maverick. Do you have any questions so far?”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t really know where to start. I have a lot of questions, but I don’t think I can handle the answers just yet. I think I’ll ask later, when I have a better grasp on this reality,” she said with a forced smile. “Oh and call me Whit – everyone does.”
“Whit, it is then. Just remember, you can ask me questions anytime. Now, how about a tour of your schedule?” Mr. Tolman asked.
“Yes sir, that’d be good.”
He nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and Whit realized it was a copy of her schedule. They stood, finished with their breakfast, and walked out into the hall. As he walked, Mr. Tolman gave a description of each course. Many of the classes Whit recognized from previous years, like English, U.S. History, Algebra II, Biology, and Art. She was actually excited to see that she got to continue with art, which seemed to be a good o
utlet for her emotions. And her emotions were definitely in need of release. She saw that she also had Mind Study, which was self-explanatory. The classes that she didn’t recognize were Movement Performance and Cooperative Learning. History of Specials was also listed, but she vaguely remembered Mrs. Audrey talking about that class on the day she visited Maverick. It was the class that would cover the histories of all the different groups that made up Maverick. She was totally interested in that now that she knew the different types of students that went to school, thanks to the head master.
Mr. Tolman continued to explain her classes by comparing Movement Performance was similar to Physical Education. He said that Mind Study would be Whit’s focus area while at Maverick. Whit had figured that class out without any help from Tolman. She didn’t know what they would do and he didn’t go into detail, but she knew that it would be with Mrs. McFaddin. The last class on her schedule was Cooperative Learning, which, from the description, sounded like a class where she was required to interact with all the different types of students at Maverick. It was also the only class that combined all levels and ages of students.
After touring the main hallway where the regular classes were taught, Mr. Tolman led Whit to the auditorium, which he explained was where she would have Cooperative Learning. Whit glanced around, expecting to see objects or things she didn’t understand, but all she could see was a regular auditorium. The stage was set up with twenty chairs in a circle. Whit wondered if the chairs were for class or if there was a drama department.
Mr. Tolman must have read her mind, because he started outlining the many productions the drama department put on yearly, along with the many awards they had won. It was clear from his expression that he was proud of their many accomplishments. Once he finished his recitation, he glanced at Whit for her reaction, or maybe expecting interest of some sort.
