章 242: Alex - Locker Assignments
Freccia Preparatory Academy, Alex repeated in her head. Had it only been 2 weeks since she last stepped foot in it?
The courtyard had become completely adorned with warm colors. A few students, both male and female, loitered around before the first bell would ring. Their bags occupied the scattered tables. They discussed various topics—mainly about the school's upcoming Winter Ball.
Alex took the same route towards the main office.
When she walked down the pavement, heads turned in her direction. Whispers started to surface. Her honey brown hair had been braided like a halo, circling the crown of her head. The rest fell onto her shoulders. Her stunning gray eyes shined almost silver.
She didn't pay attention to the chatter.
She couldn't hear them anyway because of her earphones.
She kept her chin up. Her poise remained straight. Her feet glided over the cement. One hand on her backpack strap, her unmoving arms stayed by her sides. She focused on her goal—the main building. It stood out from the rest of the campus since its structure had been inspired by Greek buildings.
Soon, Alex found herself inside the staff room. She hid her earphones away.
It looked exactly like she remembered, the cream walls, the doors on the left, the front desk, the lounge and the marble stairs on the right. She made eye contact with the receptionist, Miss Cora.
Before Cora could open her mouth, another person came by to greet Freccia Prep's newest student.
"Ah, Alexandra! It's lovely to see you again." Headmistress Jem said as she descended the staircase. She wore a tan cashmere dress, reaching down to her knees. It hugged her figure while the padding on the shoulders made them more masculine.
"Headmistress," Alex nodded in greeting.
"I am overjoyed to hear that you transferred!" Jem stated with her arms open for an embrace. She grasped the crook of Alex's arms and initiated air kisses on both cheeks.
"Thank you for the warm welcome." Alex laughed nervously.
"I would have Neal guide you to your classrooms but, alas, classes between males and females are still separated." The headmistress sighed, still holding onto Alex's arms, "I'm sure you would have been more comfortable with someone familiar."
"Ah, but, headmistress," Alex replied. Her lips stretched into a tight smile, "I believe my cousin also attends this school. I do appreciate that she hasn't been kicked out. It feels much better to know that I have family around."
If she had it her way, she'd rather not face that person any time soon—actually, she'd rather not see him at all. Ever. His family was the reason why she was even here. No matter which angle she looked, she could see their intentions clearly.
"Headmistress, the budget proposal for the Winter Ball is ready," a new voice joined them. A senior student came from the Student Council Room. Her bronze hair fell into beach waves behind her. Aquamarine eyes smiled underneath side-swept bangs.
She wore the same uniform as Alex except her blazer had a cream color with gold trimmings.
"Ashley! Perfect timing!" Jem exclaimed. She took the folder handed out to her and proceeded to introduce the two, "Alexandra, do you still remember our Student Council's system?"
"About the aristocratic titles with both male and female counterparts?" Alex answered.
"Precisely!" The headmistress snapped her fingers and placed a hand on Ashley's arm, "Well, this is Ashley and she is the school's Duchess."
"Duchess…" Alex tried on her lips, "Then, she is already a senior?"
"Good insight," Ashley remarked. A wide smile blossomed on her lips. She held out a hand for a shake, "Nice to meet you, Alexandra. Welcome to Freccia Prep."
Alex returned the gesture, "Thank you, Duchess Ashley. Please call me, Alex."
"Alex. Nice." The duchess nodded.
Jem clapped her hands and ushered them out of the office, "Now that you are acquainted, kindly escort Alex to her first class. We can't have her lost on her first day. Make sure to also brief her about locker assignments and other essentials."
Both girls ended up outside the staff room in no time.
Alex raised her eyebrows at the closed doors, "Well, headmistress sure is energetic."
Ashley chuckled, "She knows when to let us teens be. She probably thought the staff room is too stuffy for us. Did you already get your schedule?"
"Yes, they had provided it along with my ID."
"Let me take a look."
Alex took out a green plastic envelop from her bag. The size was big enough to fit her school documents. She opened it and handed over the schedule. She had laminated it to keep it from fading and creasing.
"You are quite the studious type, huh?" The duchess chuckled, reading the schedule, "I don't think I met a student as organized as you. Well, maybe except for one."
"I just didn't want to lose the copy of my class schedule."
Ashley gave it back, "You can actually view this online. "
Alex widened her eyes at that. It seemed Freccia wasn't as old-fashioned as Jae thought of it to be. Still, she'd rather have a physical copy of her schedule. She was more used to it that way.
She had color coded it with markers.
"Anyway, rooms are permanent," Ashley continued, "You wouldn't need to move except for laboratories and physical education. It's quite different than most schools but I'm sure you'll adjust quickly. Juniors are on the 3rd floor. Shall we?"
She led the way to the west wing. As they left the main building behind, the students gradually became all female. They moved out of the way at the sight of the cream blazer. Their eyes, however, stayed locked towards the duchess' companion
Alex observed the infrastructure more than the people. Whenever she accidentally met someone's stare, she did give them a smile before turning away. It wouldn't be good to be aloof around here.
Appearances were valuable.
She and Ashley went up a tower, using its staircase to get to the upper floors. If she remembered right, the freshman took up the first floor. Then, the sophomores filled up the second and so on. The third floor had fewer students out in the corridor.
"The lockers are joint for males and females per floor and divided into two since they are located in both the north and south wings," Ashley informed Alex as they headed for the south wing. It was the building of the school gates. They made a left turn.
The hallway they entered had a row of lockers pressed against both walls. They had divided into groups of three on each side. Both males and females hung around them.
"This row is for the females. The closer your room is to this hallway, the farther away its student lockers are," Ashley explained further, pointing to the right side. She didn't walk too far and checked the nearest locker group, "You are a junior, in room C and at seat no. 06… your locker assignment is 3C-06!"
She stopped in front of the 18th locker they passed by and pointed to its label near the handle.
Alex had to suppress her astonishment. She found the system easy to understand and to remember. It thrilled her for a bit at how organized it was. She grabbed the key on her ID lace and tried the keyhole.
It opened smoothly.
Her books had already been stuffed inside just like she was told. She immediately took out the class schedule from before and hanged it behind the door. The magnets clicked into place.
"Nice." Ashley nodded in appreciation. She glanced at her watch. She frowned, "I have to go. Will you be alright on your own? The closest classroom from here is A. Just enter the third one for C. If you are unsure, there should be a sign at its door frame."
Alex thanked her as she arranged her things, "I thoroughly appreciate the time you spent to guide me around."
"No problem." Ashley smiled, "I'll check on you later when it's break time. Hope you have a good day."
"And to you as well."
Alex watched as her back disappeared from sight. She heaved a sigh of relief, facing her open locker. She hid her face inside. Up to now, she probably didn't breathe properly. She had forgotten how much effort it took to keep up with the pretenses.
At least, she could learn to get used to it now rather than later.
But, she could loosen up a bit for a minute, right?
"Alexandra."
Her back stiffened at the sound of her name. A pair of leather shoes made its way to her side. A broad back leaned on the locker next to hers.
Alex exhaled sharply. The inevitable had happened. She swallowed the vile taste in her mouth. As much as she'd love to snap, she promised to be at her best behavior. She relaxed her posture as she shut her locker and faced her guest.
Standing at 182cm (6'0"), Neal tilted his head in her direction. He wore a stoic expression but his turquoise eyes had a rare twinkle in them. A look he reserved for when he found something that amused him.
Alex grimaced at his face, "Neal."
He blinked, unfazed by her attitude. He leaned in closer until he reached her eye level, his head lowering to her 162cm (5'4") height. He dropped his voice into a whisper.
"Is that really the right way to greet your fiance?"
クリエイターの想い 
CailinMatthews
CailinMatthews Aannd the pieces are falling into place! I swear tomorrow we'll finally know the full length of the compromise and the intentions behind it. XD
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Who excited for this rollercoaster?! I could only write up to 3 chapters for this mini mass release, sorry >.<
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For anyone asking, yes, Neal is a male lead :D
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Have an awesome day, lovelies!
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