ONE
The darkness of the night soothes my skin. The fall wind causes goosebumps to prickle all over my skin, and as I take a big inhale of the cigarette, letting the nicotine into my lungs. The feeling of ease is instant, a grey cloud of smoke leaving my lips.
I tighten the silk robes around my body, trying to lessen the cold. It seeps through the thin material, right into my bones. With a deep breath, I lean against the railings, observing the grounds of the academy.
Saint Valley Academy has always been the prettiest at night. The entirety of the property is lit up by a soft, dark yellow light that casts an almost mysterious glow to the spot where the students usually spend their free time. The front of the academy is filled with wooden benches and tables, and a beautiful garden of roses that is picture-worthy in the spring.
Across from the girls dormitory is the boys’ dorms, both buildings mirroring each other. On the left side of the grounds is the school itself, which has some amphitheaters, a library that takes up theentirety of the top floor, and classrooms that are straight out of a nerd’s wet dream.
Me. I’m the nerd.
“You’re going to catch a cold,” a voice comes from behind me, and I flinch, nearly dropping the cigarette. With a sigh, I take another sharp intake of the nicotine, turning around to the familiar face of my closest friend, Avalon.
“I can handle it,” I release another stream of the grey smoke, watching as it disappears slowly into the air. “Why’re you up, anyway? Your bedtime was ages ago.”
Avalon rolls her eyes, taking a couple of steps forward, until she’s standing right next to me, watching the sky carefully. “I couldn’t sleep. The exams start tomorrow, and I’m worried.”
“Did you not study?”
“I did,” she defends, crossing her arms. “But not everyone is a genius like you, Soph.”
“I’m not a genius,” I snort. “I mean, I wish I were, but unfortunately, all the good grades are just a result of my hard work.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Avalon yawns, waving her hand dismissively. “But, aren’t you excited? This is our last year here. You and Soren will be fighting for the top student spot again, no doubt.”
As soon as that name leaves her lips, I scowl. Avalon snickers at the expression on my face, and I suppress the urge to strangle her right here and now. The topic is rather sensitive, and I’d prefer never to hear that stupid name again.
“There’s nothing to fight over,” I take the last drag of my cigarette, before putting it out against the metal railing and pocketing the bud to toss out later — because I hate littering almost as much as I hate Soren. “I’m the best, and the bastard will find that out soon enough.”
Avalon rolls her eyes while laughing. “You two are impossible. Every semester it’s the same old story, Sophia and Soren racing to see who can get the highest grades.”
“To be fair, I’m winning thus far. I’ve been at the top of our year for four semesters.”
“Not in a row though,” Avalon points out. “Meaning, if he beats you this time and last semester, you will be tied.”
“Tying with him is worse than losing,” I hiss. “But it won’t happen. Soren skipped way too many classes last year. I doubt he’ll be prepared for what’s coming.”
“Don’t tell me you spent your entire summer preparing for the exams that we’re taking, studying a whole year’s worth of material; over the course of three months… again?”
I smile sheepishly.
“You did, didn’t you?” Avalon deadpans. “Is that why you’ve been so hard to reach this entire summer?”
“Maybe,” I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “But I also had a lot of things to do. You know how my parents are.”
“Oh, sweetcheeks, it must be so hard being you,” she mocks. “Having a family that’s sitting on billions of dollars, not having to lift a finger in your entire life?”
“I’ll have you know… I do lift my finger.”
“When?” She lifts a brow. “When summoning your maids and butler?”
“Alright, that was funny,” I chuckle. “But, my father won’t just hand over the business to me if I’m incompetent, you know. I have to learn a lot, and I spent the entire summer being dragged around with him.”
“Business meetings?”
I nod. “More or less.”
“But what about your brother?”
