Chloe decided that she hated boarding school. Her father had been promoted at work, which required a two-year stay in Hong Kong. They had tried Chloe in a school there, but after a term, had become very dissatisfied with the education system. Reluctantly the family agreed that she should come back to England to finish her school education. Chloe was eighteen, and needed to complete the last year of A-levels to secure a place at a good university.
Marymount Girls' School was very nice, and the teachers were excellent, but Chloe missed her friends dearly. She had been at Marymount for a whole month now, and hardly anyone had spoken to her. They had been very kind of course, and explained all the eccentric boarding school rules to her, and occasionally chatted to her at meal times or as the girls walked across the grounds from the hostels to the school itself - but there was no one that she could call her friend.
She longed for a real companion, someone to whom she could really talk to, and confide in - someone who would come across to her bed after lights out as she had seen the other girls do in the dormitory, and who would perch on the side of her bed and whisper secrets and giggle together. Nearly all the girls had such a friend, and Chloe could hear them laughing and talking softly to each other until quite late at night. In fact, it was only when the prefect came up to bed that everyone settled down and went to sleep.
Chloe was both afraid of the prefect and in awe of her. Her name was Alison Moncrief - she was a tall, slender girl who carried herself with great dignity. She was practically the same age as Chloe, but was very mature for her age, and could easily have been mistaken for one of the younger teachers. She made Chloe feel inadequate and completely inferior and insignificant. To start with she was frighteningly clever - she had won a scholarship to Marymount, and was destined to go to either Oxford or Cambridge.
She was also very attractive, and she knew it. Her long dark hair fell in waves across her shoulders when she wore it loose, perfectly framing a stunningly beautiful face - if you caught her gaze, her green eyes seemed to burn into you. Alison's complexion was perfect and her flawless white skin made her full lips look as if she permanently wore lipstick, though of course, wearing make-up was forbidden at the school. A slender straight nose, cheekbones to die for and a heart-shaped jawline all contributed to Alison being arguably the most beautiful girl in the sixth form.
There were ten beds in the dormitory, in two rows of five, and because she was the prefect, Alison had an adjoining room to herself, with her own dressing table and wardrobe. The other girls had to make do with shared chests of drawers and footlockers by each bed. As the newest girl in the dormitory, Chloe had been made to take the bed nearest to Alison's room. The established girls preferred to be further away, so that they could get up to more mischief, although Alison was so strict that nothing more wicked than creeping over to another girl's bed to sit and gossip ever occurred.
Chloe was fascinated by Alison. A prefect could stay working in her study much later than the other girls, who had to have lights out at ten, and each night Chloe lay on her bed, pretending to be asleep when the prefect came up to bed, afraid that she would get into trouble if it were discovered that she was still awake.
Alison seldom closed the door to her room so that she could monitor what the girls were doing, and each night Chloe watched intently as Alison sat in front of her mirror to perform her nightly routine. Alison would undo her hair which often hung in a long plait down her back, and brush it with sweeping strokes of her graceful arms, swaying from one side to the other as she did so. Then she would stand and undress. The regulation white shirt and grey skirt would be carefully removed, and standing only in her bra and panties, Alison would carefully fold away her clothes. Chloe would stare at her gently rounded breasts held in a variety of sexy bras. Some were frilled and lacy, others of sheer fabric and almost transparent. School rules did not allow such underwear. There were several male teachers on the staff, and it would be unseemly if the girls were provocatively dressed. Alison, for some reason, seemed to have special dispensation.
Chloe marvelled at her slender waist, the curve of her hips and her long, slim legs. Alison was Captain of both the hockey and the netball teams, and she excelled in almost every sport. An energetic sports routine kept her figure toned and slim, and when she performed rhythmic gymnastics in a tight leotard, she had everyone's gaze fixed on her, both male and female.
Chloe would wait with bated breath as Alison removed her underwear, and then, quite naked, she would reach under her pillow for her nightdress. As she leaned forward to pick it up, her breasts swayed, and the arch of her back above her beautifully rounded bottom always took Chloe's breath away.
Then Alison would slip the nightdress on, climb into bed, and turn off her light.
Chloe always felt guilty watching Alison's bedtime ritual. Exactly why, she could not quite say. But she never stopped watching. She wished that her own body were as lovely as Alison's, but it wasn't and Chloe felt sure that it never would be. Chloe's breasts disappointed her - she was not nearly as developed as Alison. Alison appeared to have a more mature woman's breasts, whereas Chloe had started to develop breasts very late.
At first, it seemed that only her nipples and areolae were growing, forming two prominent little peaks on her chest. She was delighted when eventually her breasts began to form, swelling beneath the areolae and nipples until Chloe had two hemispherical little breasts surmounted by rounded areolae and nipples. The way her areolae swelled and protruded from her breasts embarrassed Chloe - none of the other girls appeared to be like that.
Chloe was short, not much more than five feet tall, and although her waist was narrow, her hips seemed to her to be a bit boyish - she so envied Alison's hourglass figure. Whenever Alison turned to face her, Chloe would look at her flat stomach and the alluring dark triangular patch of hair, that formed a 'V' shape as if to say 'guess what I have down there'.
Chloe had pubic hair that was fair and seemed wispy and sparse compared to Alison - again she considered it to be a feature that was not at all womanly.
One night, Alison was particularly late in coming up to bed and Chloe lay waiting impatiently. She realised that it had become part of her routine to watch Alison, and if the prefect was late Chloe could never just close her eyes and sleep - she had to stay awake for Alison. Chloe thought that perhaps it was because she missed her mother, and needed the assurance that someone in authority was nearby - Alison's close presence to her bed was somehow reassuring.
All the other girls had long since fallen asleep. Chloe tried to sleep but tossed and turned - it was impossible. At last, she heard Alison come into the dormitory and enter her room. Chloe peered through half closed eyes as she lay quite still, watching Alison pursue her nightly routine. Each step was exactly the same as before, until at last Alison stood robed in her nightie and ready to climb into bed.
But then Alison paused, and came out of her room, and walked slowly down the dorm between the beds, as if she was counting the girls and making sure they were all there. Chloe shut her eyes tight, pretending to be asleep.
She could hear Alison's soft footsteps returning, and was surprised when the footsteps seemed to stop by her bed, instead of continuing into her room. Chloe open her eyes a little, and Allison moved silently to the side of her bed.
Chloe was terrified to hear the girl whisper, "Why do you watch me so each night?"
Chloe was too panic-stricken to answer but lay still with eyes tightly shut, still pretending to be asleep. Alison repeated the question, this time bending over Chloe - looming over her. There was no escape, and Chloe whispered back, "Because I can't sleep."
Chloe felt as if she was dreaming as she heard herself continue:
"And because I think you are beautiful. I like watching you."
The realisation of what she had said dawned on her.
