There’s a girl at a big boarding school. At this school there are ‘wars’ between the houses, during sporting events but in their free time too. The girl is walking down to the dorms when she hears a boy talking in a nervous voice. She goes to see and sees a kid being initiated into a house group of ‘bandits’. The girl yells that they are all sniveling cowards and then lots of kids jump out from hiding places and start fighting the initiation group. Turns out that other ‘bandits’ had been hiding and waiting to attack.
A tall girl pulls her to safety behind a wall, she had been hit by a thrown rock and her forehead is bleeding. The teachers come and break up the now violent fights and take anyone injured (including the girl) to sick bay.
In sick bay she remembers the disco that had taken place earlier that year. The girl had though that no one would ask her out, so she said yes to the first guy who did. His name was Paul and he got really jealous and protective, she thought it was a little over the top, it was after all only a date. When a guy from the year above asked her a little while later she said no because she had already said yes to Paul, although the older guy was really nice and attractive.
On the night she wore a long blue dress with a split up the side of her leg. The older guy looked at her in a way that made her stomach feel all warm. She wished that she had said no to Paul because he wouldn’t let her dance with anyone else. After drowning a drink she told Paul that she was going to go dace with her dorm friends ALONE. But as she was dancing with her roommates the older guy danced over. They danced and just as they were about to kiss the music stopped with a loud screech. The teacher shove through the students to break up a punch up two guys had started on the middle of the dance floor. Everyone gets sent to their dorms and the night was over.
The girl is released from the sick bay and the day after the older guy asks her out on a date. She says yes and is really excited. They day before their date something happens though.
The girls have a swimming race in the ocean as a sporting event. It is a really cold day and all the girls wear wet suits.
The girl swims across forming a triangle with two other girls in her house, which will get them more points. All the boys run out yelling and jump into the water, there are people everywhere and it becomes difficult to swim.
Paul is there and he is the leader of the attacking group. He swims over to the girl and yells at her that she is a traitor and he is going to make an example of her. Everyone should know that you get punished when you betray your house for a guy. He starts to strangle her and knowing he wont let go, she struggles and then goes limp. Paul laughs and drops her in the water where she doesn’t surface. Panic breaks loose and the older guy dives and grabs the limp girl, dragging her to shore. He gives her CPR and she throws up lots of water, sand and some seaweed. Her skin is grey, her eyes bloodshot and there is blood on the corner of her mouth but the older guy looks at her like she is the most beautiful girl in the world.
Paul gets sent to jail for attempted murder, the house wars are less violent after that and the girl gets to go on her date. Even if her voice is a bit hoarse.