Anima

Kenzie

It is not even 8 am yet and I am already exhausted. Just thinking of the day ahead has me wanting to crawl back under my blankets and sleeping the day away. First day of school tends to have that effect on me.

The parents put on a big show of how much they are going to miss their kids. We all know secretly, they are happy to have their homes to themselves again. Add on top of that the dramatics of the students when they meet up with friends they haven’t seen on break. It is seriously headache-inducing.

Then you take that feeling times at least a hundred and you’ll get what first day back at Wellington Academy are like. After all it is essentially a boarding school for the offspring of the uber-wealthy so they can’t be outdone by anyone else.

I usually avoid the extra-ness as much as possible by moving back into the dorms as early as humanly possible. Unfortunately this time, because of Cassie, I couldn’t.

Not all students live on campus and up until now, Cassie was one of those students. Because its senior year and I guess people just need to be different in the last year of high school, Cassie decided she wants to live on campus now too. Unfortunately for me Cassie didn’t want to check into the dorms earlier and Serena and Mark wouldn’t let me leave without her so I had to wait until the last moment because the princess has spoken.

Just one more year and I will finally be free from the King family and the burden of their name.

Don’t get me wrong, I know I am very lucky. Getting adopted is already hard enough but getting adopted into a well-off family is even harder. There are kids way worse off than me. I just wish the Kings didn’t act so obviously put off by my presence in their family, Cassie especially. I literally didn’t ask to be here.

Before I walk into the dining room I can already hear Serena and Mark fawning over Cassie. It takes great restraint not to roll my eyes.

“I am going to miss seeing you every day. Are you sure you can’t just stick with the commute this year too? It is a very short commute, you will barely notice it.”

“Mom, we talked about this. I really want to experience dorm-life before college. It will be great practice for next year.” Cassie says sounding exasperated but enjoying the attention no doubt.

“Morning.” I greet.

“Morning, Kenzie.” Serena is the only one that responds as usual.

“Are you sure you’ve got everything you will need?” Mark asks as I pour myself some tea.

“I think so…”

“You don’t sound too sure. Didn’t Mackenzie help you pack?”

“I guess she was too busy.” Cassie replies. Trying to stir up trouble for me as per usual.

“You didn’t ask, Cassandra.” I say knowing she hates being called Cassandra by anyone other than her parents.

“She didn’t have to ask, you should have offered. What was the point of us allowing you to board all these years if you are not going to use that experience to help your sister, Mackenzie?” Serena says.

I suppress the urge to retort; “I don’t exist solely to help your daughter, Serena!”

At the other end of the table, Mark looks at me with a gloomy expression and across from me Cassie looks down at her plate to hide her barely concealed taunting smirk.

And they wonder why I chose to stay on campus since I was ten instead of commuting when the house is barley a 30 minute drive from campus?

“I’ll wait out front.”

“Meredith prepared such a great spread today. Is that all you are having?” Serena says eyeing the solitary muffin and travel mug of tea I am holding.

“Yep, not much of an appetite I guess.”