“Who is she anyway?” I blurted, then quickly took a huge gulp of Sprite as everyone turned their gazes on me.

“I don’t know, wasn’t much of a talker. I wonder if she’ll be in our classes.” Alice mused, then shifted facial expressions so fast I was tempted to ask if she was part cartoon as a girl in a white chef’s coat shyly approached our table.

“Hey guys.”

“Hi!” Dana exclaimed, promptly spilling water all over her skirt. “Fuck!” She furiously scrubbed at it with napkins while the girl in the coat looked at her with a mix of amusement and adoration. I quirked a brow.

“Hi Lara.” Bette greeted sagely and the rest of us followed her example. The red-head didn’t stay long, just enough to let Dana redeem herself and say hello without spilling anything, then said bye to us and returned to the back room she’d appeared from. When she was gone Alice went back to her previous conversation without missing a beat.

“You know she didn’t say anything at all now that I think about it. Didn’t even introduce herself. Maybe she’s one of those stuck up types. She’ll fit right in with the rest of the Leche’s.” For some reason I felt my blood run a little hotter at that.

“I don’t think so. She’s probably just shy.” I said reasonably, taking a bite of the slightly jiggly dessert thing I’d gotten and instantly forgetting what the hell I was talking about. A chuckle went through the table a minute later.

“Enjoying that cheesecake there are you Shane?” Alice asked and I realized I had closed my eyes, and my spoon was still in my mouth. I yanked it out, certain I would’ve been bright red if I didn’t have a tan.

“Uh yeah, it’s good.” I replied, immediately looking out the window at two squirrels chasing each other like it was prime-time tv. They laughed again and the rest of lunch passed by uneventfully. As did the rest of my first day, with most of it being spent watching the strange group of girls who had somehow become my friends. My suitemates all seemed to have their own thing going on, but what stuck out most to me was the subtle feeling of ‘other’ surrounding them. Only a couple of other girls came up to say hi to me that day, and for the most part everyone just seemed to steer clear of our little group. I can’t say that I minded.