“Huh?” Poppy managed to strangle from her throat, but before any more could be said to save her from such a savage response, the doors opened and in walked, surely, the next Miss Wales. 

Her beauty was so palpable that Poppy couldn’t help but glance down at her body and compare. As usual, the plain blonde girl drew up short. Massaging her shoulder with one hand self-consciously, the O’Conner scooted back in her chair and turned to face the newcomer.

“Uh, yeah, um, sorta new. Well, I guess, yeah…this is my first year here.” Poppy wanted to smash something against her head. Could she be any more awkward?