The Teaching Assistant

Chapter 40
The Teaching Assistant, Part 40

Part 40

It was a much different morning than the previous day. 

Arriving at Westridge in her own car and changing into the academy uniform was one thing; starting the day on campus by waking up in a dorm room was something else entirely. As she stepped out into the hallway, Amelia slightly blushed at the thought that she looked no different than any nearby other girl doing the same. Of course, she was set apart by the fact that she was flanked by a prefect and her ‘older cousin.’ 

Although, if she had a choice, she would have opted to be alone for the walk. She would be getting enough attention as the new girl, and her current plan hinged on being as invisible as possible. While slipping away from the two senior girls was the biggest concern, she also didn’t want to be delayed by potential friends like Piper, or enemies like Summer. It felt a little weird to frame things like that, considering her real age, but Amelia didn’t know how else to think about it. She was still subtly in survival mode, so simplicity was the easiest way to compartmentalize everything. 

She didn’t have to deal with a flurry of other students right away, like things had been between classes, as apparently Ashley hadn’t just been mentioning the ‘late to breakfast’ thing as an excuse to get her moving. There were a couple of other stragglers making their way down the dorm room halls, no doubt getting a later start due to it being the weekend, all of whom picked up the pace when they noticed Claire. 

The brunette quietly scoffed to herself. She told Amelia that only the strictest prefect would write up girls for being late to a meal. The punishment of being turned away from the line was enough; it usually only took a missed meal or two to teach students the importance of being punctual. And, while it wouldn’t usually result in an infraction, a prefect was always scheduled to take up the rear of the line once the hour was up. 

As ridiculous as it sounded to limit mealtimes like that, Amelia had to remind herself that this wasn’t university. Her own teenage years at public schools had included rotating thirty minute blocks for lunch, including the walk to and from the cafeteria, and this was just the boarding school iteration of that since all the students lived on campus. Also, it wouldn’t be her problem when she was a teaching assistant, and it’s not like complaining about it to the girls escorting her was worth the effort. 

It wasn’t until they neared the dining hall, as it was called here, that it dawned on Amelia how hungry she was. Yesterday, Ashley’s tour had gone through lunch, something Amelia hadn’t thought twice about at the time. She had figured her ‘first day experience’ would only go through the end of classes at the latest, and she could grab a late afternoon snack or an early dinner afterwards. Instead, her only non-breakfast meal had been what Claire had offered the night before. Not nearly enough calories to cover two full meals, and not exactly the most filling snack, either. 

Amelia was hit with a tantalizing concoction of aromas from down the hall, and it was a miracle her stomach didn’t start growling then and there. She kept playing it cool, however, and continued to walk in step with Ashley and Claire while the latter continued to casually talk about nuances to the handbook rules that Amelia probably wouldn’t have picked up on simply by reading them. “Of course, there are exceptions for prefects,” she said, “We’re often running behind, as it’s easy to get caught up dealing with difficult students like you. Technically, we’re never fully off duty. If I see something, it’s suddenly my problem.”

“And you never abuse that to sleep in or show up to class late? Or both?” Ashley smirked. She let out a dramatic sigh and mimicked Claire’s voice, “Sorry, teach. I had to write up 69 infractions before leaving my dorm. It took so much out of me.”

“For the 69th time, I don’t swing that way,” Claire rolled her eyes, “Although FYI, Millie, boys aren’t allowed into any of the dorm buildings. They can visit you on campus, but it’s strongly encouraged for them to remain in public spaces. Weekday afternoons technically work, although most people prefer weekends for family, friends, significant others . . . ”

Amelia only passively listened as they stepped into the dining hall. Not only was she starving, but the rules about visitors were hardly a concern for her. The second she had access to the outside world, her only focus was going to be getting off campus. Also, she wanted breakfast. Transfer student or not, she still needed food, and all the nearby trays she spotted all looked so good thanks to her current state. Westridge was also one of the highest rated schools in the region for meals, although that was hardly a fair fight when there were only so many private schools in her state or the surrounding ones. It’s not that the average public school didn’t try, but they only had so much budget to work with. Amelia mostly brought her own lunch to school growing up; it was healthier, and also gave her the option to snack here and there, especially during the semesters where she got screwed over with a terrible lunch window. 

“Speaking of which,” Claire said, “Duty calls! I’ll hop in line in a few. Good to take her the rest of the way, Ashley?”

“Of course, Ms. Claire. I can handle my little cousin. You won’t be any trouble at all, will you Millie?”

“No, Ashley. I won’t be any trouble.” Playing it safe, Amelia answered like a ‘proper Westridge girl.’ It still felt excessive to echo close to the same thing asked of her, but she would do anything to get these two girls off her back. The sooner she could shake them, the better. With that in mind, it was simply better to play the role as best as she was able. While reading the entire handbook in one sitting had resulted in staying overnight–not really, since Amelia was certain that Ashley would have found a way to delay things one way or another–her studious self had absorbed a lot thanks to the way she had been tested along the way. Amelia had been a good student her entire life. Although her current circumstances were all kinds of demeaning and humiliating, she was more than capable of pretending to be what she naturally was anyway. 

Their late arrival put them at the end of a pretty long line, which was mostly made up of older girls who no doubt liked to sleep in. Amelia huffed out a quiet sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was socialize with girls in her alleged grade; she was more than happy to sit back and let Ashley chat instead. The dark haired senior did introduce her once or twice along the way, resulting in more uses of ‘Millie’ and ‘cousin.’ As usual, no one questioned her false age in the slightest. On top of that, Amelia came across way more shy than her actual self. In the back of her mind, she knew that she should have been trying to display that she was a mature adult, but ultimately failed to follow through in that regard. Between her hunger, her embarrassment at being constantly assumed to be nearly ten years younger than she actually was, and her nervousness that Ashley would have a problem with her being anything but ‘thirteen,’ Amelia ended up being rather awkward and soft spoken around Ashley’s peers, and eventually let herself fade into the background as they launched into their weekend plans. 

Once they made it to the trays, Ashley finally turned her attention back to Amelia. “Alright, Millie. Show me that you can create a well balanced meal for yourself. Not just pancakes and whipped cream, okay?”

Amelia blushed and parted her lips to say something in response, only to be cut off by the giggling of the other girls. She was supposed to be thirteen, not five. Even Amelia’s younger self was at least somewhat competent when it came to nutrition. Once she got past the annoyance, however, Amelia considered the idea that Ashley might be doing more than teasing. This could be yet another test that went beyond the academic side of things. From both her research and her personal experiences thus far, Amelia knew that there were plenty of standards for students outside the classroom. And, since it was the weekend, of course there was going to be more focus on stuff like that when possible. Anything that would set Amelia up for failure, as long as Ashley was enjoying the excessive prank/game that she was playing at Amelia’s expense. 

Test or no test, Amelia wasn’t going to have a problem here. Hungry as she was, it’s not like she was going to stuff her face full of unhealthy foods. The breakfast buffet before her meant that she would get a small breath from Ashley unless the eighteen year old decided to amuse herself by following Amelia’s exact route. 

Once she had eyes on some of the options, Amelia’s stomach did rumble a little, but she forced herself to do a small lap to check everything out before making any decisions. More for herself than for her ‘cousin,’ Amelia opted for more fruits and vegetables than anything else, although she was most looking forward to the eggs and a couple pieces of meat. It was her first real meal in 24 hours, and it would be nice to have some sustenance before figuring out how to achieve the mission she had in mind. 

She half expected Ashley to appear and give her selections an informal grade, but it was Claire who ended up finding her next. “Millie!” she waved from just beyond the drinks section. “Over here.” Once Amelia had finished completing her tray with a glass of water, she reluctantly made her way over to the brunette. Even when temporarily separated, it seemed like Ashley and Claire managed to collectively stay attached to her. “I found you a table,” Claire said, “Follow me!”

Amelia hadn’t actually considered that part until Claire mentioned it. She had been so focused on food that she was just now taking in the crowded dining hall and thinking about the fact that anywhere she sat would require being more social than how things had been in yesterday’s classes. Facing forward and keeping her head down had been manageable when there was an expectation for everyone to stay quiet and pay attention to the teacher up front. But being the new girl when she didn’t have that buffer . . .

By the time she saw where Claire was taking her, however, Amelia’s heart dropped. Literally any other table would have been better. Hell, she would have preferred leaning into the ‘shy new girl’ thing and sitting alone. Anywhere but where she was clearly being led to. 

The last thing Amelia needed was another face off with Summer.