The New Girl

Carolyn Borock

“Dad, I can’t go to boarding school, at least not an all girls one. Father, please!” Madison exclaimed.

“Madison ,sweetheart, we are almost there! You can’t back out now,” he protested.

“ Dad, I’m 13 years old. I think I can make my own decisions.” I said, standing my ground.

His face reeked of disappointment, and he looked out the window. I looked out the window as well, looking at the English country side. I was on my way to a new school, far away from my friends and family - a very fancy school, that we never could have afforded. My dad thought we were so lucky that I had gotten a scholarship. I didn’t see it that way.

“We’re here.” my father said.

Looking out at the building, it was like a castle, with so many pretty architectural details. I’ve never seen anything like it, being from New York City and living in a small apartment building. As we pulled up to the building, a lady came up to the car and waited until we stopped, with her hands joined together.

I walked out of the car onto the paved light beige colored brick driveway.

“Hello, my name is Ms. Varden and I will be your headmistress,” she explained.

Holding her head high and her hand out in a pleasant gesturem I hugged my father and said my goodbyes. She led me to the lobby of the school. It was amazing! There were two shiny wooden spiral staircases connecting at the top. As we headed up the stairs to my quarters for the term, I remembered my two best friends back home. Ohh, I loved to sing and dance around the room with them and just act like children! I knew I would miss that at the new school.

We reached my room and the headmistress said, “Unpack your things quickly and head down to the lunchroom in 20 minutes! Come on! Chop Chop!”, ahe said in her strong British accent.

My room had a fireplace and a princess bed,  with a massive canopy draping over the bed frames. It also had a great view of the lake in the backyard, as well as the pretty trees and adorable gardens. I unpacked my stuff and headed down for lunch. Suddenly, I felt myself flying down the stairs, and soon I was flat on my face, looking up at a pretty girl about my age, who had been bending over to tie her shoe. I must have tripped over her - not a great way to make a first impression.

“Omg, I’m so sorry!” I said to the girl.

She smilesd and started laughing, and soon I’m laughing as well.

“Hi, I’m Allison!” she said, still lying on the ground.

“Hi I’m the clumsy girl that just tripped over you. But I also go by Madison.” I said.

She smiled.

“Hey, come on, we have to head to lunch before Ms.Varden yells at us!” By now she was standing up and holding out her hand to help me up.

We started running because we didn’t want to be late. We looked into each other and smiled for a second and didn’t see that Ms.Verden was staring right at us, with her arms crossed andher stern face. We stopped immediately and crossed our hands and put our heads down.

“You must not run in the halls! Tou had to have known that, Allison!” Headmistress said.

“Yes, I’m sorrym Headmistress,” said Allison with a fake sad face.

“ Now run along!” said Ms, Verden.

We walked quietly until she was gone, then we looked at each other and started laughing.

“You must not run in the halls, you had to have known that, Allison!” said Allison, mimicking the headmistress.

“Hey so do you know about the annual color war?” Allison said.

“No, what's it all about?” I said.

“Well the color war is the annual baseball game that we have and the two teams Blue and Pink battle it out for victory!It’s right before spring break. I’m gonna be Blue you should join us.” Allison said.

“Yeah, It sounds like fun!” I said smiling.

We walked into the lunch room and it had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling! It looked more like a ballroom than a lunchroom.

This school was very small so there was only 120 kids in the school. There were many cliques though! The main one was the “Preps”; there was also the Nerds, and then there were the “Populars.”

“Who are they?” I said to Allison before sitting at a Prep table.

I was pointing to the Populars and allison made a face as she answered my question.

“They are the witches of Salem, the meanest of the mean.” Allison said.

I looked back at the two blondes, and the leader, clearly the brunette. They were laughing and talking. I wished for a second that I could be there and laugh with them.

“Hey, you ok?” Allison said.

“Huh.. Yeah sorry.” I said.

Allison went on talking to the Preps, and it was clear she was happy she was one of them. Wnen I started looking at them, the leader glanced over and used hand gestures to summon me over. I stood up and went over there.

“Hey wanna sit with us?” The leader said.

“Sure.” I smiled as I sat on the plush pillow on the chair.

“My name is Ashley and these two are Christy and Monica” the popular girl said.

“Hello, pleased to meet you, my name is Madison.” I said nervously.

“So I see that you are all chummy chummy with Allison.” Ashley said.

“Yeah she is ok.” I said.

“Well I just wanted to warn you about her! She was one of us last year, we kicked her out because she was always getting into trouble and blamed it on us.” Ashley said.

“She is not to be trusted.” The blonde twins said.

“Yeah and I also wanted to see if you wanted to go shopping with us after school and hang around us.” Ashley said.

“Sure. I’d love to!” I said.

It was after school and we headed to the mall and there was so many stores!

They wanted to go to the fancy stores and I couldn’t really afford it. My father gave me his credit card for emergencies. Well, I decided this was a fashion emergency!

We looked in Gucci and, to be one of the girls I was going to have sunglasses from here because it was tradition. I found a pair that was so pretty but they were $800 and I couldn’t afford it and my father would not be pleased. The girls’ voices kept repeating in my head.

“To be one of us you have to have the glasses!” Ashley’s voice said.

I didn’t care what my father thought and got the glasses but I didn’t have to pay because before I even went and paid for it. Ashley took the glasses out of my hand and paid for it.

“It’s ok! I got it! My parents are royalty they wouldn’t care that I paid for them.” Ashley said.

My eyes opened in shock, this was now the most expensive piece in my closet! We went to the other stores and I got a new outfit because Ashley said that I had to dress like them! They all dress in fancy designer clothes. I had none, so I had to buy some new clothes to fit in.

The next week, every after class, there were trips to Starbucks and the mall and into town everyday after school. Just me and the Populars. Allison was nowhere in sight.

At the end of the week, after my last class, the bell rang.

“Hey, Madison, can you stay for a second?” my history teacher siad.

I packed up my stuff and told the girls I will be there in a sec.

“So, I see that you are doing badly on your tests and I wouldn’t want you to lose your scholarship.” the teacher said.

“Ok, I will do better, I promise!” I said.

I rushed out of the class and the girls were waiting there with big smiles on their faces,  like a plan was underway.

“Come on, let’s go! The teacher just wanted a quick discussion on how I should make my essay into a book.” I said.

“Ok, let’s head to starbucks!” Ashley said.

We got to Starbucks and before I could even reach for my wallet, Ashley paid for my Vanilla Chai Latte.

“So I was talking to the girls and it’s our tradition to take a trip to Greece every spring break. We were wondering if you wanted to come?”  Ashley said with a big smile on her face.

“You would have to pay your own way though, and sadly you can’t, because you are on a scholarship so that means that you can’t afford even your drink that I gladly paid for!” Ashley said.

At that point I had tears in my eyes! I couldn’t say a word. As far as the Populars go scholarship girls are the lowest of the low! Allison, my first friend at this new school, had been right all along. And I had abandoned her.

“Please leave! Like now.” Ashley said.

“Yeahh..” The twins spoke.

I walked out of there. I felt bad for myself, but also for the way I had treated Allison. I was so rude to her I completely ignored her. She had warned me too - and I had been bought for a pair of Gucci sunglasses and a couple of drinks at Starbucks.

I picked up my phone and called Allison, and told her how sorry I was for everything I’d done. that she was right. Luckily for me, she forgave me, and I went later that night to a sleepover with her and the preps.

She said that to get back at them we had to win the Color War which was the annual baseball game!

We got the costumes for the color war all ready that night.

It was the next week and the color war was finally here!  

The Color War began and we won the whole thing was a blurr. All I remember is there was a faulty ball and it had Blue paint in it and when Allison pitched it to Ashley and she hit it. It went all over her uniform of Pink and ours Blue. She stormed out yelled at her friends and she disinvited them to greece. They unfriended her and now Ashley is disliked by the whole school and now the twins turned to Allison there original leader! Now allison was looking at me asking the most important question of my middle school life.

“ Are you ready to become the next leader of the new and improved Popular crew?”

“Yes, instead lets co-lead!”

The whole school was cheering our names, Madison and Allison!

“Madison and Allison!” The girls cheered.