how to behead the headmaster - total drama

step nine: get ready for the trial

ALEJANDRO was confused as to why he'd woken up to the smell of cigarettes. when he opened his eyes wide enough, he realized where he was. the milton mansion. as an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach, the latino really just wanted to go back to sleep and pretend he didn't exist. the only thing stopping him at that moment was his phone going off non-stop.

he'd answered majority of the texts and calls from his parents asking if he was alright, telling them that he'd been at school studying with the rest of the students on lockdown. besides that, he'd received a text from heather saying that her trial was starting at one o'clock today.

another text came from courtney, saying that mr. milton wanted to meet with them all downstairs after they'd gotten ready.

alejandro set his phone down, turning away from the wall, only to see the bed beside him empty and the door to the balcony open. he got up to go outside, and found duncan leaning on the railing, scrolling through his phone and smoking a cigarette. he was also shirtless, but alejandro found it necessary to scratch that part out of his brain.

"your parents let you smoke cigarettes?" alejandro asked.

"no. but i'm eighteen, and they aren't here to stop me."

now standing beside duncan, alejandro leans on the balcony rail, looking at the bright green grass below them. he looks back at duncan. even with his nose and eyebrows pierced, his face still managed to look so relaxed. he probably didn't even have to do anything to it, either.

"you should quit," the latino speaks, "before it to becomes too much."

"is that your only reason?" duncan asks, lifting the cigarette to inhale once more.

before he even said anything, the amount of thoughts that were running through alejandro's mind was crazy.

several reasons. because it'll damage your pretty face, because you'll sound like the chocolate lady from spongebob, because my ego is too fucking big for me to admit that i'd have a crush on someone that smokes cigarettes-

"my abuela used to smoke. it damaged her lungs pretty bad."

barely anyone could see it, but duncan's mouth curled upward for just a few seconds while mumbling, "didn't know you cared."

it was at this point where alejandro mentally thanked his god for not being white. no one could see the blush creep all over his entire face.

"i... i'm just saying. anyway, mr.milton wants us all to get dressed and go downstairs."

"cool."

_______

"wanna hear the story of how i got sent to boarding school?" izzy asked eva. the two were currently in their newly shared bathroom, izzy brushing her hair and eva brushing her teeth.

"sure." eva said after spitting into the sink.

"okay! so, this happened when i was like, fourteen. there was this boy named scott, and he and i were good friends. we always skipped class and hung out together, because nobody else really liked us, even though we never even did anything to them. kids are just mean, you know?"

"yeah," eva mumbled, her toothbrush still in her mouth, "i know."

"right. well, there was one day where we had to go in for student testing. you had to show up or else you would have to suffer consequences. other people might not worry about that, but i've had several office referrals already. so of course, i was planning on showing up, but scott said he was going to refuse, and he wanted me to do it, too."