Scrood Academy Chapter Two

s c r o o d // a c a d e m y
Niece flopped down on her bed and sighed, covering her face with her hands. A cloud of dust shot out of her mattress and she started coughing. "Damn…could this place get any shabbier?" She asked Eden, who was already covering her mattress with the black Batman sheets she's brought with her. For such a raging super-diva, Niece thought, Eden's sort of dorky. She arched one eyebrow and sat up on the mattress, crossing her legs.
"Do you think it's against school policy to jump off the roof of your dorm?"
"Do you think it's against school policy to kill your roommate so your mother will love you again?" Eden shot back, pulling a thick black comforter out of her suitcase. Niece briefly wondered how she could fit any clothes in there with all of the covers she'd brought. Then she realized what the raging super-diva had said.
"Listen Eden," she said, sounding exasperated. "We're going to have to live together. I know you don't like me, but could you at least give me a chance?"
"No," Eden replied without hesitation, tossing her old, ragged Gir plush onto her bed and stomping into their private bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Niece groaned, lying back down and massaging her temples. She wanted Eden to just get over this whole rivalry thing already, because it was seriously getting on her nerves. But she couldn't get angry with her cousin, because then Eden would have an actual reason to hate her.
"Why can't I just live a regular life!?" Niece screamed at the top of her lungs. She didn't care who heard her; she hoped everyone did, so that they knew how insane she was and would just leave her alone.
"Why can't you just shut up already!?" Eden shouted from behind the bathroom door. Niece huffed and stood up, quickly making her bed with the simple blue sheets and comforter she'd brought with her. She then turned on her heel and stormed out of their shared dorm room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

"I hate my life," Niece repeated, tossing a rock into the tranquility pond at the back of the Administration building. It was partly hidden by a line of trees in an attempt to make it seem like they were in the middle of nature. But they weren't. They were in New York, for Pete's sake. "I hate my life." She tossed another rock.
"You shouldn't say that," a male voice said from Niece's right. She glanced in that direction and saw a boy hanging upside-down from one of the trees. His shirt had fallen down, exposing his washboard abs. Oh great, Niece thought, another pretty boy.
"I'll say whatever I want, thanks," she said blandly, turning back to the pond and tossing another life-hating rock into the rippling water.
"Okay, I guess you will." The guy jumped down and walked over to stand beside her. He picked up a rock and threw it into the water. "I hate your life." Niece scowled at him, elbowing him in the ribs.
"Shut up," she growled.
"What? You can hate your life and I can't?"
"That's exactly how it is," she replied, tossing another rock. "What's your name?" She inquired, peering up at him.
"Callom, you?"
"Niece," she said softly.
"Niece?" He asked, gaping at her.
"That's what I said!" She snapped, tossing some raven-black hair over her shoulder. He shrugged and picked up another rock, this time saying, "I hate microwave-ovens." Niece's head snapped around and she stared at him. "Microwave-ovens?" She asked, stifling a laugh.
"That's what I said," he replied, grinning. Niece smiled slightly, looking down at the rock she held in her hand. "I hate cake," she chanted, tossing it into the water.
"I hate cabbage," Callom said, tossing another rock.
"I hate green ink pens," Niece said.
"I hate to-do lists."
"I hate ash trays."
"I hate white-gold."
"I hate desk lamps." It went on like that for a while, Callom and Niece tossing rocks into the water after saying something they hate. After an hour, Niece had completely forgotten about hating her life, and had moved on to hating staple guns, horse races, and ink pads.
"I hate cookies," Callom said, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes later.
"I hate - you said what now?" Niece snapped, her eyes widening. They were sitting on the grass surrounding the pond, after they'd both been too lazy to stand anymore. Callom shrugged, tossing another rock. "How can you hate cookies?"
"I don't know. I had a bad experience with them once."
"A bad experience?" She asked, her mouth hanging open.
"Yeah...this creepy woman with purple hair killed my Uncle Carmine, and to celebrate she ate a cookie. It was traumatizing, and I've hated cookies ever since." Niece thought about that for a long moment. Creepy woman. Purple hair. Celebrating with a cookie…Auntie killed Callom's uncle!
Niece sprang to her feet, brushed off her pants, and started to walk away.
"Wait, Niece, where are you going?" Callom called.
"I...I have to get back to my room." She doubted he heard her, but before she had time to care she was at the front door of her dorm and heading inside.