Chapter 15: Unexpected Welcome
Starlight had absolutely no idea what to make of the current situation. This was not how she had expected her first few minutes in the dorm to go. If anything, she had been prepared for awkward introductions or even outright hostility. An enthusiastic stranger launching herself across the room to hug her had not made the list. The problem was that Starlight had never been comfortable with physical affection to begin with. Ever since she could remember, she had disliked skinship.
Even during the few relationships she had been in, excessive touching had always made her uneasy. The moment someone got too close or touched her unexpectedly, her entire body would instinctively lock up.
It wasn’t something she did on purpose. It was simply how she reacted. Her muscles would tense, her thoughts would scramble, and an overwhelming urge to put distance between herself and the other person would immediately take over. Unless it was her mother or one of her siblings, physical affection had always felt strange and uncomfortable to her. So being trapped in the arms of a complete stranger she had known for less than ten seconds left her feeling utterly lost. She stood there stiff as a statue, her arms pinned awkwardly at her sides while her brain desperately tried to process what was happening.
Was this normal here? Did people just throw themselves at random roommates the moment they met?
After several long seconds of enduring the hug, she finally found her voice.
"Um..." she began awkwardly, trying not to sound rude. "Excuse me... could you please let go of me?"
The girl immediately released her and took two hurried steps back, her amber eyes widening in embarrassment. She quickly tucked a loose strand of her bleached copper hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture that somehow made her already cute face look even more endearing.
"Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" she blurted out, waving her hands frantically. "I didn’t mean to come on so strongly. I just got really excited."
A sheepish smile spread across her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It’s just that I’ve been looking forward to meeting you ever since I found out you’d be staying here."
She straightened and extended a hand toward Starlight. "My name is Elle Macpherson." Her smile widened. "And seriously, I’m so glad to finally meet you."
Starlight blinked, genuinely taken aback, not only by the sincerity in Elle’s voice but also by the fact that the girl seemed to know exactly who she was and apparently already knew she would be assigned to this room.
Seriously, what the hell was going on around here? How was it possible that everyone she had met so far seemed to be expecting her? Had they been told in advance who their roommate would be? Or was there some kind of academy system that informed students whenever a new resident was assigned to a dorm? Whatever the explanation was, it left Starlight feeling as though she had missed an important conversation everyone else had been part of.
She couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that she was the only person in the room who had no idea what was going on.
Before she could voice any of those questions, Elle turned enthusiastically toward the other occupants of the room and pointed toward the girl lounging in the seating area.
"That’s Ariel Winter."
The blonde inclined her head politely.
"Welcome to our humble abode, Star."
Ariel was beautiful in a delicate sort of way, with soft blonde curls, pale blue eyes, and a gentle smile that made her seem approachable. She looked like the kind of person who couldn’t hurt a fly, the sort others instinctively trusted and felt comfortable around.
"And the acrobatic one over there is Chloe Bennett," Elle said, pointing toward the black-haired girl sitting cross-legged on the floor, who was absentmindedly stretching one leg over her shoulder.
The acrobatic girl gave a cheerful wave.
"Nice to meet you, Star."
Chloe was gorgeous. Unlike Ariel, whose beauty was soft and delicate, hers was polished, striking, and almost intimidating. Her black hair was pulled into a high ponytail that swayed whenever she moved, while her honey-brown eyes sparkled with energy and mischief. Combined with her straight posture, effortless grace, and athletic build, she gave off the air of someone who belonged in a ballet studio or a gymnastics arena rather than at Asterion Academy.
Starlight found herself strangely at a loss.
Ever since arriving at Asterion Academy, she had been bracing herself for hostility, ridicule, or at the very least indifference. Nothing about her life had prepared her for this. These girls barely knew her, yet they had welcomed her with open arms as though she belonged here. Not one of them had looked at her with contempt or treated her like she was beneath them. Instead, they were smiling at her, talking to her as though they had been friends for years, and had already given her a nickname despite knowing her for less than five minutes.
For Starlight, who had spent most of her life being bullied because of her background, this situation was suspiciously weird. She was so used to being judged, mocked, or looked down on that being welcomed so openly felt almost unnatural. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it, but she couldn’t deny there was something comforting about it.
For the first time since stepping foot inside the academy, Starlight felt as though she could finally breathe. The tightness in her chest eased slightly as she stood among her new roommates. It was unexpected, a little suspicious even, but she couldn’t deny that being welcomed so warmly felt... nice.
Chloe pushed herself to her feet and cracked her neck before stretching her arms above her head. "So," she said, glancing at Starlight, "have you decided who’s going to be your manager?"
Starlight stared at her blankly.
Before she could respond, Elle immediately turned toward her. "It better be me," she declared without hesitation. "I was the most excited when we found out you were going to be staying here."
"Hey, Elle," Ariel cut in, shaking her head. "That’s not fair. You have to let her decide for herself."
Elle rolled her eyes. "Duh. I’m not forcing her," she said. "I’m just making sure she knows I’m clearly the best option."
Chloe chuckled at that. Elle blinked at Starlight with an exaggeratedly cute expression and clasped her hands together.
"Choose me, alright?" she pleaded. "I promise to be a very good and diligent manager."
Starlight looked from one girl to the next, completely and utterly lost. "What manager?" she asked. "What are you even talking about, and why do you want to manage me? None of what you’ve said so far makes any sense."
The three girls exchanged glances before turning back to her, looking at her as though she had just announced she had been living under a rock her entire life.
Then Elle dramatically slapped a hand against her forehead. "Oh, right! You haven’t opened your welcome package yet," she said. "That means you wouldn’t know about the Apex Rankings or AsterBuzz."
"Oh yeah, that explains everything," Chloe said with a laugh.
Starlight frowned, her confusion only deepening. "What’s AsterBuzz? And what’s the Apex Ranking?" she asked. "More importantly, what does any of that have to do with you guys wanting to manage me?"
Ariel stared at her for a moment. "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me," she said.
xxx
I dedicated the name Elle to the first supporter of this book, Elle_m_n_o_p. I hope you don’t mind me using your name for one of the characters. Thank you for your support.
I hope you stay with us until the very end of this journey.