Crawford Academy

Iris Holmes was sitting in homeroom casting an incredulous gaze as she took in her surroundings. She was in the centre of the classroom and could see everything that was going on around her. She didn't understand what was going on. Iris has been attending this school for about a month now, since the beginning of the school year, and she still had no clue what was actually happening around her. Her classmates were sitting in their in small groups talking, giggling, and showing off about what they did this past weekend. She caught some phrases of what they were saying. Her jaw dropped when those words met her ears.

“Is that the new Harry Winston necklace?”

“Oh my soul, how did you get the Graff Diamonds Hallucination? I didn't even know they were on sale yet!”

“I heard you got the Wizard of OZ ruby slipper? I heard that it was on sale for only $612,000!”

“I had so much fun with you this weekend! We should totally visit Musha Cay again. I’ll fly us this time!”

Iris Holmes was surrounded by rich kids. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped in awe at the names of brands they were just throwing around. As if these products didn’t cost more than what her mother made in a year. That realisation caused her body to slump forward and bang her head against her desk. It was only Monday and the week already felt as if it went on too long.

Iris felt suffocated. The odour of wealth these people emit choked her and stomped all over her self-esteem. Their intricate hairstyles and finely pressed school uniforms -a white-collar button-up shirt tucked into a red patterned skirt or grey ankle-length pants, red blazer and tie with the school emblem on, the girls had to wear white knee socks and everyone could wear whatever shoes they wanted- and their diamond accessories made her feel like an outsider.

And oh! how much they loved making her feel inferior. While her classmates didn’t physically harm her, they believed that her money status was contagious and if they touched her they would be dirty. They enjoyed spitting words like commoner! and beggar! and

Iris wished she could call them all a bunch of rich, airheaded babies, but the truth of the matter was that her schoolmates weren't stupid at all. They've been taught to be the very best at everything. Iris has seen some of them actually speaking up to eight different languages in one conversation, solve math problems faster than a calculator could, name historic artifacts, and how much it was worth by simply smelling it. Hell, even their sniffing sounds smart. They didn'tt slouch, they walked with perfect posture when strutting down the halls, didn't mess on themselves when they were eating -then again, she never saw them eating anything that didn't require a full cutlery set- never saw them sitting on their backs as they tried to stay awake for class. Iris was convinced that they didn't drool in their sleep and that their shit smelled like roses. You never know with these people.

“The Red Notice! Tom Radcliffe from 2A got the Red Notice!”

A boy's shout penetrated the air, silencing the classroom. The voice sounded slightly out of breath, loud and slightly anxious as if afraid, yet excited about whats to come. Iris jerked upright and turned towards the door, in perfect sync with the rest of the class. The stillness was deafening as they sat stiffly in their seats; some had pity in their eyes, some had vicious excitement and some's eyebrows were furrowed in understanding. Iris's stomach turned, her veins boiled with anger as she glared at the door with disgust.

But no one moved. No one dared to. The air thickened as the eery silence continued. Even the teacher was stiff in his seat, his arm still in the air with a pen in his frozen hand. Everyone was waiting, listening like dogs, ears twitching towards the sound. The image of these pretty people with long droopy ears on the top of their head popped into Iris's head and made her internally snort. They would probably decorate the ears in diamond bows.

“The Red Notice! Tom Radcliffe from 2A got the Red Notice!”

It was as if a bomb just went off. The teenagers exploded awake, grabbing their things, and already opening the camera apps on their phones. In perfect synchronisation, they scrambled towards the door, similar to a herd of buffalo running from a predator. In this case, they were running with their eyes wide open towards the danger.

Iris sat still. Her angry gaze disappeared and was replaced by disgusted fascination. It was somewhat nauseating to see how these bragging and poise young ′adults’ turn into sniveling children vying for attention from an absent parent. The girls were squealing and jumping up and down, bouncing their way out of the classroom. The guys were fixing their hair and straightening their clothes as they puffed out their chests. Really, just like children crying for praise from their mother.

Then it was quiet once again. It was a different kind of silence, the peaceful kind you get when you’re alone. Iris turned towards her desk and laid down, her forehead resting against her forearms. Her fiery red and curly ponytail flopped forward, covering her face entirely. She was already exhausted with her classmates’ actions and the day has just started.

“Iris?” A soft and unsure voice spoke. Feminine, judging by the high octave it was speaking in. “Iris? Shouldn’t we join them?”

Iris rolled backward and leaned on the backrest of the chair, looked up, and was unsurprised to see who was in front of her. Standing there in a nearly identical uniform as Iris was Victoria McCormick. She was the only somewhat friend Iris really talked to. Quiet and shy, not many people really took notice of her. She, like Iris, preferred to stay in the background and try to be invisible. It was a difficult task when one of them was absolutely gorgeous and the other had hair so red and curly that it looks like she had fire on her head.

And Victoria was beautiful. She had thick chestnut hair that fell perfectly straight to her shoulder blades and framed her face, drawing attention to her defined jawline and high cheekbones. Her dark eyebrows were plucked, forming an arch over her sea-blue eyes and making her look as if she was politely interested in her surroundings. She had a small straight nose and cupid-bow pink lips. Her eyes appeared brighter due to her golden sun-kissed skin. Victoria was of average height and had a lithe body with willowy curves and long legs that never seemed to end. Unlike the rest of the students, Victoria always seemed to float when she was walking down the halls.

Her uniform was beautiful as well. Even though Victoria and Iris wore the exact same outfit, Victoria pulled it off much better. The uniform fit her like a glove, accentuating her hips and waist, giving the uniform a feminine touch. Her skirt was shorter than what was actually allowed -four fingers above the knee- but she had shapely legs that made it seem as if it was just the right length. She wore classy black stilettos that looked surprisingly good with the white knee-high socks. Her earlobes were decorated with small silver diamond hoops that matched with her simple bracelet and the many rings she adorned on her long fingers. Her nails were neatly manicured and varnished with black and silver patterns.

All in all, Victoria looks like the type of girl you would see on the red carpet or on the cover of a Vogue magazine.

Iris was woken from her observation when she looked above Victoria’s head and saw the clock hanging on the wall. She saw the time just as Victoria’s question registered.

“Well,” Iris responded. “The first period is about to start and we have to walk past the commotion to get there. We might as well go now.”

Iris stood up from her seat and picked up her school bag.

Just as both girls exited the classroom, Victoria spoke.

“Why do they act like that?” she asked softly. Her voice still echoed through the abandoned hallway. The only other sound was the noise their footsteps made.

“Many reasons,” Iris said lightly. “They can’t think for themselves and need someone to lead them. They let their hormones lead. They crave attention. They’re prey that keeps trotting after the predator. Honestly, it’s like watching-”

“The Lion King,” Victoria and Iris finished together. Victoria was smiling as if she knew what Iris was going to say. She gave the same answers every time Victoria asked. The sound of shouting and cheers broke their moment. The girls shared an uneasy glance before rushing towards the commotion.