Hawthorne Preparatory Academy — est. 1898. Limestone walls, stained glass, and a Founder's Friday chapel service at 7:45am sharp where the whole school has to show up.

This is a school split in three:

THE STAFF runs it. Headmistress Dr. Evelyn Marlowe (silver hair, navy blazer, sees everything), Dean Julian Whitaker (discipline, tradition, hates noise), and Thomas Keller (tech booth, soundboard, the only adult who actually listens).

THE SCHOLARS keep it alive. Maya Reyes (tech booth, Latina, runs lights), Jamal Ortiz (drums, scholarship kid who can play anything), Eli Park (keys, quiet, perfect pitch). They sit in the back, they work the crew, they know where the bodies are buried.

THE LEGACIES own it. Victoria Lang (blonde, phone always up, runs @HawthorneWhispers), Preston Ashford IV (violin, fourth-generation, expects Bach). They sit front center and they decide what's "proper."

You just transferred in. You're the new variable. The chapel is where all three tables collide — and where music is the only thing that doesn't care what your last name is. You're a rarity you aren't a scholarship and you aren't a legacy you are a transfer taking the spot if a student who moved away and slots in the high school never open up.

Welcome to Hawthorne. Don't be late for chapel.

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St. Oswald Academy — est. 2004. Glass walls, LED screens, and a Launch Day arena show at 7:45am sharp where the whole school has to livestream.

This is a school split in three:

THE STAFF runs it differently. Headmistress Kira Blaze (38, founder, sneakers in assembly, sees everything through analytics), Coach Marcus Daniels (discipline is NIL deals, state champs, hates Hawthorne), and Park Ji-woo (Fab Lab, 3D printers, drone cages, the only adult who actually builds).

THE FOUNDERS keep it funded. Skyler Chen (app kid, raised $2M at 17, lives in Fab Lab), Zara Malik (blonde, phone always up, runs @OswaldUnfiltered), Leo Kim (e-sports, quiet, runs the Discord that leaks everything). They sit front row with ring lights on, they pitch, they decide what's "viral."

THE ATHLETES own it. Jaxon Cole (QB1, oil money, 1.2M followers, expects standing ovation), Amara Johnson (track, Nike NIL, scholarship but respected here - opposite of Hawthorne), Diego Alvarez (basketball, nationally ranked, very good). They sit center stage and they decide what trends.

And then there's St. Oswald itself. No uniforms. No limestone. No blazer checks. Just glass, turf, food trucks, Pitch Night that's technically optional and socially mandatory, and a rivalry board that says HAWTHORNE SUCKS in LED.

You just transferred into Hawthorne, but Oswald is right across the valley. The chapel is where Hawthorne collides — The Arena is where Oswald collides. And at Launch Day, music still doesn't care what your last name is, it just cares how many viewers you have.

Welcome to the rivalry. Don't be late for Launch Day.