Crestford College was beautiful..too beautiful.
The buildings stood tall and polished, students moved with purpose, and laughter echoed through the walkways. Yet something about the air felt heavy, like the calm before a storm.
"Let me take you to the bursary office so you can sign in and confirm all your payments," the porter said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
He walked ahead of me in a neatly ironed blue two-piece uniform while I followed closely behind. As we moved deeper into the campus, I realized just how vast the environment was. Buildings stretched farther than I had noticed from the gate, and in the distance, I spotted another entrance which I assumed led to the dormitories.
When we arrived at the receptionist's office, there was a queue. I didn't mind waiting… but nepotism had other plans. I couldn't complain.
"This is Emily Kingsley," the porter whispered to the bursar, though he whispered loudly enough for me to hear.
She looked up, smiled warmly, and attended to me immediately. Within minutes, she handed me two cards.
"Welcome to Crestford," she said.
One card read Verified. The other was a key card with the name of my dorm and room number printed neatly on it.
Before I could respond, I heard a light scream behind me.
"We are roommates!"
I turned around and found myself face-to-face with a strikingly beautiful girl sharp features, flawless structure, the kind of face you'd expect on a runway. I loved seeing pretty girls, but something told me she talked a lot. Her smile gave it away.
"Hi, my name is Sophia. Nice meeting you, roomie," she said cheerfully.
"Hi, I'm Emily. Nice meeting you too," I replied, trying to match her energy. She seemed full of it, in a good way.
"Oh, you can leave now. I'll take her to the dorm," she said to the porter, who had been staring at us a little too long.
He handed me my bags and left immediately.
Strangely, Sophia looked familiar. I was sure I wasn't imagining it..but I said nothing.
She offered to help with one of my bags. I tried to decline, but she wasn't taking no for an answer.
As we walked toward the other gate, she talked a lot.
"You know, this isn't my first time here," she said casually. "I was supposed to be in my second year, but work disrupted my studies. I couldn't afford to lose that amount of money. Crestford College is very prestigious and as you can see, stunning but classism is a huge thing here."
She kept smiling as she spoke. I didn't know how she did it, but it worked for her.
"Anyone who attends this school comes from a wealthy family," she continued. "But there are levels to these things."
She explained that there were four dorms in the school: Blossom, Unified, Icons, and Elites.
"That's where the hierarchy begins," she said. "Elite dorm comes first with very limited rooms. Ten for boys, ten for girls. The others have twenty and above."
She paused as we arrived at the dorm gates. Bold letters spelled out DORMS above us. The gatekeeper opened it, and we both said a polite thank you.
"Over here," she added, "everyone is either a king or a queen."
At that point, I wasn't even listening anymore.
It felt like I had entered another world entirely. The layout of the dorms was mesmerizing. Each building had its name written in a unique design, the air felt clean and fresh, and everything looked immaculate.
I was already loving it.
We walked toward the Elite dorm and stepped inside.
Luxury screamed from every corner.
Our room was number 01, of course. With a subtle illustration from Sophia, I slid my card over the door, and we walked in.
I was thrilled.
The room was spacious, elegant, and perfectly arranged. Even the bathroom met my standards. I honestly couldn't ask for more.
"Do you love it here?" Sophia asked, throwing herself onto one of the beds.
"Yes, I do," I answered, unable to hide my excitement.
"You should be careful, though," she added. "People here can be serious bullies."
"Girl, we're number one," I smirked. "I'd love to see them try."
I had dealt with people like that all my life.
We began arranging our spaces, instinctively choosing our sides. In thirty minutes, we were done. After taking our baths, we sat on our beds for a while and spoke at the same time.
"I'm so hungry."
We burst out laughing.
That's when Sophia said, 'Let's go to the school's canteen.'
But looking back… I wish we never went."