Letters to Romeo. Chapter 9: Bonfire

Chapter 9:Bonfire

Eleanor and her three friends turned around and walked away from where they stood to go closer to the bonfire.

"Is she always like this?" questioned Julie. They were living in a modern era with techno-oh forget it, she thought to herself. The university welcod and stuck to traditional thods implented to keep the students in line, while so of the students had opted for the division of rich and the poor.

"A lot of them are like that," replied lanie with a sigh. "The first ti I t her, I thought she was sweet."

"But she's only a sweet talker," answered Julie, and lanie nodded her head. She had already t those kinds, and it was hard to differentiate such people's intentions to be true or false.

"Though Eleanor does co from a wealthy family, she joined the university in the sa year with Conner and ," explained lanie. They started to walk again, heading closer to the bonfire while also making sure to sit on the other side to avoid sitting near Eleanor's group. "She is obsessed with the rich class and she has been wanting to get into Olivia's group for a long ti now."

"I think now I can connect the dots much better," replied Julie.

Julie rembered how Eleanor had changed her tone when she had realized Olivia had spoken to her. She was trying to be friends with her because she wanted to know how she had gotten close to Olivia, when in truth, Eleanor had a misconception.

"I don't think she will bother anymore after knowing I belong to the so-called lower-class too," said Julie. But when lanie and Conner gave her looks, she asked, "What is it?"

"Julie," started lanie, her voice turned low even though the surrounding was filled with chatter that blurred others conversation. "The ones who get targeted are usually the people who belong to a poor family. Even though we got through and into this place with high marks, it doesn't warrant protection from the bullies. The safest way is to stay away from them."

"It looks like Julie is more popular," comnted Conner with his eyebrows raised.

"I don't think it is in a good way," murmured Julie as they sat down under a tree that was near to the bonfire. The little warmth that ca from the bonfire felt good, and she rubbed her hands against each other.

"Let go and get sothing to eat and drink," said Conner, and he left them.

Sitting here right now felt surreal because two months ago, Julie had never imagined being in a different place at this ti.

Like lanie had ntioned, there were indeed a lot of students scattered around the forest. Julie noticed so of the students were drinking alcohol or smoking. Most of them had their own group and were busy laughing and talking. As she looked around, she caught sight of Olivia and Maximus, who stood not too far away from where she sat.

Julie leaned towards lanie and asked, "What is with the famous five?"

lanie, who was looking around, turned back to Julie at her question. She said,

"They are the popular clique of this university. A total of five students who are all in their senior year. So like to break rules and get into trouble. They are often seen making visits to the headmistress' office with Mr. Borrell. A lot of students are wary of them, while at the sa ti curious to get closer to them. Supposed to be the elite of the elite in this university who don't like to mix with others."

Conner quickly returned with a packet of chips and three cans of cold drinks in his hands. He took a seat next to them.

lanie then continued, "You have already t Olivia Trosney. She's probably the only remotely approachable person in the group apart from another one. Likely because she helps in the infirmary. The next one is Maximus Marudas."

Maximus was grinning about sothing another girl said, who stood with them. "Who is that girl next to Maximus?"

The girl wore a black dress that stopped above her knees and her blonde hair tied into a high ponytail. She had a black choker around her neck. "That's Victoria Elliot and the other guy who is sitting on the log of wood with ginger hair, he is Simon Wallace."

Julie looked at the guy who looked tar in his clothing style than the rest of his group. He wore a shirt over his round-necked T-shirt.

"The last person to complete the group is Roman Moltenore," lanie whispered.

Julie's eyes moved from the ginger-haired boy, and it fell on the person whom she had t several tis since the ti she had joined Veteris university. "He is Roman? The one ntioned in rule number twenty-nine?" Julie asked in a surprised voice.

"He's the guy," confird lanie while throwing a potato chip in her mouth.

"He's the leader of the group and gets into trouble the most to be followed by Maximus. I think I lost the count of tis they received detention the first year I was here," Conner added his thoughts on the little gossip they were having.

Julie knew he belonged to the sa group because she had seen him with Olivia, but she didn't know he was the sa person she had been warned about.

Roman was wearing his usual leather jacket, and his jeans ripped at his knees.

The air around him seed aloof, which could compel a person to take a second look at him. One of his long legs was stretched forward, and the other placed near the log. He had his right hand placed on the surface of the wood while his head slightly tilted as he listened to one of his friends speak.

lanie then said, "The surprising part is that as much as so of them in their group get into trouble, they have good grades while most of us fail."

No wonder he didn't mind skipping classes, thought Julie to herself.

While Julie, lanie and Conner diverted to another topic, away from them, where one of the popular cliques were, Simon's eyes fell on the new student.

"Isn't that the girl?" asked Simon while staring at Julie.

"What girl?" asked Olivia, her eyes shifted to see where Simon was looking. Nobody in the group brought up about the new girl, who was now using the dorm, which once was Roman's room. Because they knew it would unnecessarily blow the dim burning charcoal in Roman's mind. "Earlier this week she was hurt. It was like a walking al to so of them."

"It takes ti for the new students to get accustod with the rules," said the girl nad Victoria, who leaned against the tree.

"Got into trouble?" asked Maximus with interest.

Roman's eyes didn't go to watch Julie as he had noticed her before the rest of his friends did. A few days ago, after watching her step near the gates of the Blue Block, he had left amused. Even though he appeared to be least bothered with anything, his ears continued to listen to his friend's words while he chewed gum.

"How about we ask her to join us?" suggested Maximus. Leaning forward, he asked, "What do you think, Ro?"

"Do whatever you want," replied Roman in a tone of indifference.

Julie smiled about sothing lanie said about Conner while enjoying her ti with them near the bonfire in the forest when soone ca to interrupt them with the looming shadow.

She turned to her left and saw a pair of long legs, and when she looked up, she saw it was Maximus. What was he doing here? Julie asked herself.

Maximus gave the three of them a bright smile before he suddenly sat down on his heels, "Good evening, what are you talking about?" he asked Julie.

lanie and Conner seed as taken aback as Julie because Maximus had walked to where they were and sat in front of Julie.

Julie replied, "We-we were talking about lanie and Conner's ti when they were in mid school."

"And what was that about?" asked Maximus with a bright smile on his lips, his eyes fluctuating from looking at her to her friends and then back at her as if he couldn't wait to hear more of it.

lanie then cleared her throat and said, "It was the ti Conner poured ink on his test papers and it soaked his written paper."

"How exciting," responded Maximus before his amber eyes fell on Julie, and he looked straight into her eyes. "I ca here to have you guys joining and my friends."

Conner's eyes went wide on hearing this, "Y-your friends?" he asked in surprise.

"Mhm," Maximus responded. The smile slowly started to feel unsettling to Julie because it was too bright. The last ti she had seen such a smile was in a movie where the guy was a killer. "I am sure we seniors would love to treat you with so refreshnts while we have a chat together. Also to get to know you all."

"We wouldn't want to intrude on your ti," said Julie because she wasn't sure this was going to be a good idea. Mainly because their clique was a popular one, she doubted it would go well with so of the students here who wanted to get closer. She offered him a smile, but Maximus didn't leave from there.

"Is that a no?" he asked directly, the smile on his face lowering down as he played with the pin in his mouth.

Julie felt her heart slightly drop at his cold tone where his expression had made one-eighty degree. "I don't think I used a no in my sentence," she said to him while feeling the nearby people's eyes on her and her friends.

"Great then, I will see you over there," said Maximus before standing up and walking to where his group was.

"Why did you do that?!" whispered lanie.

"What?" asked Julie. It wasn't like she hadn't tried to refuse as politely as she could, but her polite words had backfired.

"You don't refuse the seniors, Julie," lanie quickly filled her in. "They are so scary and unnerving like this one. All of us just go along with them and then hope to never et again."

"Does it ever work?" asked Julie in a low voice, standing up and slowly starting to make their way.

"Seniors often don't call us juniors to join them. It doesn't happen often," replied lanie. But Conner had other thoughts in his mind, and he said,

"I think it is pretty cool that they have invited us. Ah, the satisfaction of seeing Eleanor burn over this, can you imagine?" laughed Conner.

When Julie and her friends walked to where the five seniors were, she pushed her glasses up her nose. Sowhere in the back of her head, she could hear the sounds of drums loudly beating. Especially with the bonfire, it felt like they would be sacrificed, either now or later.

Her eyes t Olivia's, and the girl smiled, "It is good to see you here attending the bonfire, Julianne. lanie," she gave a nod.

lanie offered a nervous smile. "Conner Linton," Conner introduced himself.

"It's good to et you Conner. You are a student from the art departnt, aren't you," said soone who was sitting on a log of wood. It was the person nad Simon who had spoken.

"Yes, that's ," Conner seed pleased to know that a person in the group knew about him, and he wasn't an unknown junior.

Olivia spoke, "Let introduce you to the others. This is Victoria, Simon, Roman and Maximus whom you have already t."

The other girl looked unfriendly, who didn't bother to greet but stare at them, while the senior nad Simon smiled. When her eyes fell on Roman, his head tilted to the side while looking at her.

"Let us sit down," said Olivia, and Julie sat next to her while the others followed, leaving the log behind to join them. The place where they sat had soft grass-grown that made it easier to sit.

Julie quietly listened to the conversion between Olivia and Conner, holding a can of soda that had been passed to her. lanie seed like she was frozen in the presence of the seniors. And during that ti, Julie could sense Roman's eyes on her from the opposite side, but she tried to keep her eyes fixed on the two girls talking near her.

Suddenly, it felt like she had turned into an experintal mouse under the observation of a scientist nad Roman. He could have sat at the side, but it felt like he had purposely chosen the spot to sit right in front of her.

Her hands went to hug her again, feeling the cold air pass where they sat.

"So, Julie, how are you finding Veteris so far?" said Simon, who sat next to Roman. He seed pleasant in appearance with a polite smile on his lips compared to the brooding person on his left.

"So far it seems alright. I am still learning how things work here," answered Julie while not bringing up about the porcupine or the letters or about the detention she had been trying to stay away from. "I love the food here," and this earned her a chuckle.

"I am sure all the students appreciate the food that the university provides," chuckled Maximus and Julie noticed the subtle look Olivia gave at her friend. She wondered what that was about.

"Cannot deny that one. They do have so quality food," agreed Conner.

"Of course, we always aim for quality food," Maximus stressed on quality.

"Heard about your parents, we're sorry to hear that. Was it an accident?" asked Simon, his upper body leaned forward.

Julie looked slightly uncomfortable with the question, and she nodded, "Yes. It was an accident, an unexpected one." She tried not rembering it, sothing she had buried along with the coffin being closed.

"How co you didn't pick the other places? They have much more liberty even if ours is reputed?" questioned Maximus, and it seed like it had turned into a session of questions to her.

"I guess I wanted so ti away for myself and to start fresh. This place seed the best," she hoped the questions would drop.

Maximus started, "Must have-"

"Heard you had a phone problem, did you get it fixed?" asked Roman out of the blue while he continued chewing the gum, and Julie's eyes t his eyes. He was being sarcastic… Maximus must have told him because she did ask him about the network.

"I will, when I get it back ho..." answered Julie.

"Hm. You should be careful with the rules," he warned her, his voice distinct compared to the other voices she had heard this evening. "You never know which one will get you into trouble."

Julie gave him a nod and cleared her throat, turning away from him to ask, "Did all of you join this place together?" trying to switch the subject from her to them.

"I wouldn't say we joined together, but maybe with a bit of a ti gap of a few days difference. Since the beginning of the year," replied Olivia, her voice polite. She picked up a bottle of alcohol before taking a sip from it. "Do you want so?" she offered.

"No, I am fine. Thank you," replied Julie.

"Looks like you are that classic good and boring girl, who likes to keep a clean image. Taking a sip won't hurt," ca the voice of another girl from the group, Victoria. Suddenly the atmosphere around them turned silent with the group's eyes on the two girls.

"I don't like the taste of it and it doesn't warrant every person who drinks it to be fun. So are sad drunks," replied Julie with a small frown.

Both lanie and Conner turned alert as if they were sitting on pins and needles while the others in the group stared at the two girls.

"You are right. You do look like you might be a sad drunk," comnted Victoria.

"I don't need to prove my point by drinking it," Julie replied with a smile at Victoria, who stared back at her.

"You don't have to mind Tori's words, Julianne," said Simon, bringing her attention to him and for the briefest mont, her eyes shifted to Roman, who was staring at Victoria.

With only her not drinking while even her friends had taken sips, Julie found herself to be an odd one out. "Now that we have many mbers here, why don't we play a ga to liven up the bonfire?" she proposed.

"Count in!" Maximus was the first one to agree.

"Sure," said Simon.

"What about others?" asked Olivia, and she turned around to get nods.

"If it is better than the boring questions you asked, sure," remarked Roman.

"What ga are we playing?" asked lanie, and Julie was thankful for the question. She didn't want to do one more round of questions at her.

"Let's play munchies," suggested Maximus.

"Who eats a lot?" asked Conner in doubt.

Simon went on to explain it, "It is a ga where everyone eats together one after another. Make sure to concentrate and not to touch each other. The rules are simple, to be careful." That made zero sense! Thought Julie to herself. By the looks of it, lanie looked as confused as her, but she nodded her head like a sheep that was going to be butchered soon.

But sowhere, Julie was glad that they were going to play a ga that would distract everyone from any remarks or questions to her. She had co here to have fun, and so of these people seed nice.

"Alright then. Ti to shuffle," said Maximus with a clap in excitent. "lanie dear, why don't you sit between and Simon. Julianne next to Simon."

Before Julie could protest, saying she was good where she was sitting, space was already made, and she bit the inside of her cheek before crawling to sit between the two boys. After being pointed out that she was a possible boring person, she didn't want to prove it.

"Tori next to and Conner between the girls. I guess we have a perfect sequence now," stated Maximus, and he fished for sothing in his bag to pull out a box full of choco sticks.

Wait a minute…

Julie's mind started to race, and she realized what ga they were going to play.