THE BAD BOY OF KING ALLEN

Allison's POV:

I kept the boxes on the floor as I entered the place. As I moved my eyes around, I noticed that it is painted in a small cinnamon brown and ivory white in color with old and dusty furniture.

"Don't over think over this place" Rylee, my roommate said from behind as she carried my bag inside.

"Hey... thanks" I said and took my bag from her.

"It's okay..." Rylee said.

"Um... And ah... I wasn't overthinking" I smiled and while looking around, continued, "It's just that this place looks quite old"

"Yes it is..."Rylee said. Walking forward and looking around the house she added, "It is the owner's grandma's house. She died, so they are renting it" Rylee said.

"Oh she died in this house?" I asked anxiously.

Rylee laughed and added, "No... Don't worry. She died in the hospital. When she got very sick, the owner took her to his own place to take care of her and after some weeks she was admitted to the hospital and after that she died..." Rylee explained the whole story.

"Oh I see... That's really sweet of the owner to take care of an old lady" I said in amazement.

"Yes, of course it is... He's really nice. He never bothers me if I am ever late to pay the rent. He understands very well that we students work hard to study and to earn" Rylee praised the owner.

"Oh nice..." I said and looked around again.

"It's not that bad..." I added and smiled.

Rylee laughed and started, "It is not at all bad for you..."

"Really?" I asked and wondered, "How?"

"Because from here... it is just a ten minute walk to your new school" Rylee said.

"Wow... That's great" I said happily.

"Yeah and considering, that there is no school bus system in this school... It is actually great" Rylee pointed out.

"No school bus system?" I asked her in confusion and walked forward to keep my bag on the couch as it was quite heavy to stand while carrying it and listening to the things, Rylee was disclosing.

"Yes... Don't you know that?" Rylee asked in confusion.

"Ah... no" I said and widened my eyes.

"You see, it's an elite school, with elite education and elite students belonging to elite class families. So there are no students who can't afford a car or a driver to drop them to school, you know" Rylee revealed and my eyes were left open and my jaw dropped down.

"What happened?" She asked while placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Um... no... It's just that before coming here, Mr. Owens, um... my previous school's teacher... he told me that this school is quite elite and it is one of the top schools of Louisiana located in Maneville town. But he didn't tell me that this is so going to be upper classy that there would be no bus system..." I said making a nauseous face.

Rylee chuckled and we started walking towards the stair case in the corner of the living room when she started, "Allison... Do you know how lucky you are to get into that school?"

"I know, but..." I started while we climbed up the stairs.

"You know very few students get scholarship to this school once a year and so many students can only dream to go in there" Rylee pointed the fact out leading me to think about how ungrateful I was being. As we reached up to a room, Rylee turned to me and said, "This is your room. You can rest here for a while before you unpack"

"But the boxes are downstairs" I said to her.

"It's fine... Let them be there. We'll carry them up in the evening when I'll come back from school" Rylee said and smiled.

"Um... Do you also study in...?" I was about to ask.

She chuckled and added, "Ah no... Do you think I'd study in that school considering the fact that I live here?"

I smiled and looked down and she added, "I study in a government school and that is approximately fifteen minutes from here but to the west... Your school is on the east side"

I nodded and she added, "You rest here for a while and roam about the house when you feel like..."

I nodded and smiled at her. She smiled and climbed down the stairs. Rylee seemed nice to me. She is sweet and welcoming. I felt lucky to have such a nice roommate who has a vast knowledge of this town and of my new school which is King Allen High School of Arts and Literature. It is one of the popular and elite schools in the town of Maneville, Louisiana. I agree with Rylee. People die to get into this school but only those students get in who are excellent in their grades or they are insanely rich. Every year, my previous school, St. Teresa High school, selects one student from their school to complete their senior year at King Allen. The teachers and the principal at King Allen check their grades throughout the senior year to see if they are eligible for the scholarship for King Allen College of Arts and Literature. So I had to work real hard to get good grades and get into King Allen College so that my mum can achieve what she dreamt for me.

I took a deep breath and entered my room. As I entered in, I saw a small room with wooden flooring and concrete walls. On the left side of the room, I saw a queen size bed. The bed size made me happy because of my awkward sleeping styles. There are tables on either side of the bed which has contemporary copper color lamps which looked fashionable and traditional as well. I wished they work. Moving my eyes to my right, I saw a small coffee table which looked old and chipped from some areas and it has two small chairs on either sides. Next to that coffee table is a wooden wardrobe which looked old too. I sighed and wondered if it was the right place to stay for the whole year but then I realized I had nowhere else to go. So I took a deep breath and walked into the room and tossed my bag on to the chair. Throwing myself on the bed and lying down, I took a sigh of relief and shut my eyes slowly to feel the calmness of that room. It wasn't that bad. As I was about to get into a deep sleep, my phone rang. I got up immediately and looked at my phone to see mum calling.

"Hey mum..." I said while lying down again on the bed.

"Ally... did you reach the house safely?" Mum asked me.

"Yes, mum..." I said lazily.

"How's everything in Hattiesburg?" I asked while keeping my eyes closed.

"Everything is fine here, darling. You must stay safe there, okay?" Mum said.

"Yeah sure, mum" I said and placed my hand on the forehead.

"How's your roommate? Is she good to you?" Mum asked anxiously.

"Yes, mum she is very nice... Everything is nice here" I said and after a pause I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling after which I added, "This house, this room... Everything is perfect here, mum, except for the school"

"Ally..." Mum said resentfully. "Are you still mad at me?" She asked.

"No, mum I am not mad at you... I am just..." I said and breathed heavily after which I added, "I was really good at St. Teresa, mum"

"That is why you got into King Allen, honey... People die to..."

"People die to get in King Allen, mum. I know that..." I completed her bitterly.

"Ally, honey look..." Mum said and after a pause, she added, "You should be resilient and try to adapt this new school, new people and new experiences. You couldn't stay in Hattiesburg and turn down such big opportunity that came your way. You have no idea what your future is going to be like if you get into King Allen College. Success will come to you, honey" Mum said.

"Mum... Success doesn't come from good school or good college. It comes from one's talent... Anyway, I get you..." I said.

"Honey, I..." Mum started.

"Mum... I am really tired right now. I will call you tomorrow?" I asked her politely.

"Yeah sure" She said and added, "I love you, Ally"

"Yeah... Love you too, mum, bye" I said and hung up the call after which I took a deep breath.

"No one can understands me..." I said in frustration. "Everyone knows how good this elite class school is but no one knows how bad this can be to me..." I added and banged my phone on to the bed.

"This school is going to ruin my future, mum. I have this feeling..." I said while looking at the ceiling and shut my eyes tightly to go into a deep sleep...