8 New...

*bang*

The door was slammed open harshly which made a loud sound by hitting the wall.

"Don't release your frustration on the poor door" Lani said. Layla snorted in response.

Lani lives in the Girls' hostel and Layla is her roommate, right now, whose distorted expression is enough to describe her foul mood.

"Have something first. There are your snacks." Lani pointed with her finger. "Anyways you don't look good with an empty stomach." Lani had later found out the reason why exactly her roommate hadn't come back from school. Thus, she decided to take care of some things beforehand.

"Hmm. Lemme change. Thanks, Lani." In response, she just smiled.

Having a good roommate is a blessing. And in this matter, both Lani and Layla were blessed. For Lani, she was always a good roommate despite her sometimes irritating attitude and sharp tongue. Likewise, for Layla, she was also a good roommate. After all, not many can see her caring nature or they simply don't bother to find out but focus on her sharp tongue but Lani could see and understand.

…

"Ah, food is heaven on earth. Pass me the water bottle." Layla exclaimed while wolfing down the meal she almost missed. Hunger causes irritation. And, to Layla, this is one of the worst things. She doesn't like to skip her meals, only in a rare situation she does so.

"I'm sorry I should've waited for you. No, I should've come with you. Sending a message wasn't enough." Lani said out of nowhere. Her voice was getting lower and lower, and her last words were like a whisper.

"Huh…oh, don't worry. It's all sorted. If you've come with me, you might end up crying." She was well aware of how easily Lani could cry. And, Mrs. Park definitely has the potential to make others cry.

"Umm… What happened… there?" Lani didn't want to ask, recalling her mood earlier. But she was dying to know the real situation. She was craving for gossip though she also knows how to digest information. This was one of her good traits.

A sharp sigh escaped from Layla before she started to talk about the situation she faced, words she heard. She didn't forget to complain in the middle of her story.

"I never expected to meet a new student there, much less to receive his help."

"There are two new boys. Which one of them helped you? Do you know his name?" Lani presented her question curiously.

"Name… no, but I can describe him." Before Lani could ask any further, she added. "He can annoy people without putting much effort. He seems to be an expert in it." She fluttered her eyebrows, waiting for a response.

"Huh...!? I... don't know." Lani was embarrassed by her confidence, still blaming Layla for not describing a correct manner. After all, it would be better if she would've described his appearance. Just as she looked at her roommate, her mind replied. 'She might not have paid attention.' Completely discarding the fact that Layla at least can tell the degree of handsomeness. She's not face-blind.

"You know what…" A sudden outburst of Layla startled Lani who was lost in her own thoughts. "…Mrs. Park really went too far. She was questioning whether my mother taught me properly or not when she wasn't even reflecting on her teachings.

And, that Oliver, he was bothering his sister for money so that he could buy some kinda gift for her. It's a ridiculous reason for stealing. I wonder why he didn't directly steal her money.

These Olive twins were such a pain."

"That… is Park twins." Layla just made a face seeing her correcting her.

*knock* *knock*

They were interrupted by someone's arrival. "Coming" Lani opened the door only to see a fresh yet familiar face.

"Hi, I'm your new roommate." Opal was standing at the door, sweetly smiling at her.

"Hello, I'm Opal Jin." She introduced herself to Layla who came to check.

"… Hi, I'm Layla Chen" She introduced herself, not sure what to feel for today's incidents.

"I know, I saw you in the morning." Opal was smiling sweetly. Her innocence was reflecting from her eyes. That was her first impression on both the girls. But, is she really like what they are seeing her now, or does she have any hidden nature. Well, they could only find out with time. Right now, they should only invite her in.

'Please, don't remind me of the morning'; "Ahem, Come inside."

Layla and Lani both started to remove their scattered things from that ownerless place which now got a new owner.

"So, you're our new roommate. Now it's like L.O.L." Layla joked.

"Huh…?" Her remark was out of her understanding.

"Don't mind her, she's cracking a poor joke. Again!" Lani clarified glaring at Layla. "It's... ahem, It's just a short form of our names. You'll get used to her." Sometimes she couldn't understand why Layla likes to do so when her jokes aren't that funny. In fact, they are terrible.

"Are you going to arrange your things by yourself?" Her hands look too soft to do so.

"Oh no, I have a helper. She's coming."

"Do you want anything? I'm going out" Layla directed her question to Lani.

"No… nothing right now."

Layla nodded. "Okay. Bye Lani. Bye Opal." She dashed out of the room.

…

Layla was roaming on the streets. One reason for her to go out was that she doesn't like others' presence in her room. It was alright if it would be Opal only because from now on, she has to adjust with her. Another reason, she was not in the mood to meet any elders today. And last was, of course, she would buy some snacks especially chocolates.

When she was roaming, her eyes fell on a notice glued on the wall of a shop. 'Hmm… maybe I should check this.' With this thought, she entered the shop leaving her unpleasant thoughts behind.

…

When Layla entered the room, a different scene entered her eyes. She noticed changes in the room. The usual empty space now has things, most of them pink. Her eyes traveled and stopped on a large cute bear on the bed which was covered with a pink bedsheet. Everything was placed in an orderly manner and all were new.

"Where's Opal?"

"She went out for dinner." She nodded in understanding.

"Are they transferred—"

"Yeah, they are from Imperial Garden." Imperial Garden was the name of the other school in the city. It was a school of riches. As for its peculiar name, it was due to the fact that its design was inspired by palaces, thus, its building was like a palace. A palace which clearly indicates the status of students studying there.

Hearing this, Layla's lip twitched, "Then, what are they doing here?" Since, when riches started to attend their school.

"She said it was due to personal reasons."

Both were silent, wondering about the three people's strange choices. Also, thinking about the changes they may have to face in the near future, completely unaware of the games fate will play.