The Academy

Chapter Thirty-Three || calm

"SHE REALLY SAID THAT?" He asks me, incredulously. I nod.

After school, we all came home on the bus, except instead of going straight to the boarding house, I decided to go home with Vaughn until dinner.

My excuse was that we hardly spend time together now that we're back at school, but really, I just wanted to cuddle.

We're now laying under his covers, our uniforms laying in the corner of the room from when we got changed.

Immediately after getting himself clothes, Vaughn handed me a grey t-shirt and some boxers so I'd be comfy. And let me tell you, I've never been comfier.

The first thing I brought up was what had happened in the bathroom during math.

"I haven't even spoken to her since..." he scrunches his face up, "I can't even remember when I last talked to her."

"Honestly, that's not why I told you. I know you wouldn't do something like that." I smile up at him, his fingers continuing to run through my hair. "I just thought it was kinda funny how she thought you would want her after being ignored for months."

"Yeah, and I hardly even talked to her when we were hooking up."

The thought of them... together twists something in the pit of my stomach, and the feeling of bile comes up and into my throat. I swallow.

"Okay, can we not talk about her... or that right now, she's already annoyed me enough for one day." He nods, humming in agreement.

"But, I'm just gonna say one more thing," he curls his arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to his body. "I'm really fucking happy where I am right now... with you and just... just all of it."

"Me, too."

"I think I..." He trails off, I lift my head, leaning my chin so it rests on his chest.

"You think you what?" I furrow my eyebrows while Vaughn shifts his eyes away from mine. "Hey. What's wrong?"

He shakes his head, "Nothing. Just wanted to say that I really like spending time with you." This makes me grin.

"Well, I would hope so. Considering I'm your girlfriend." This makes him let out a little chuckle, throwing his head back so it hits the pillow.

"True." He nods.

"So..."

"So?"

"I was thinking about when we're telling our parents about us," I say, tracing what seems to him to be random lines on his chest, but it's actually hearts.

"Hm?" He urges me to go on.

"I think we should tell your Mom first."

"Really?" Vaughn smiles, raising an eyebrow in question.

I nod, "I think she'll react the best to the news."

He looks up to the ceiling, turning his head in contemplation.

"Are you sure? Don't want your Dad to be the first to know?"

"Nah. I'd rather wait to have that conversation with him. Don't really like getting shouted at, if I'm being honest."

"Neither do I. Another thing we have in common," he jokes, to which I playfully hit his chest. Making us both laugh.

Resting my head in the crook of his neck, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, placing my leg in between his. Vaughn's fingers run up and down my back, making my eyes close from how soothing it feels.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop doing that," I gesture to his hand, which is still moving against my back. "Do you want me to fall asleep?"

"Yes, actually. I love it when you fall asleep with me."

"I love falling asleep with you, too. But, I have to get back to the boarding house before dinner, otherwise, we'll have a serious problem on our hands."

"I think you forget who we are, Adina."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Who our parents are."

I shoot my head up, my eyes meeting with an amused-looking Vaughn. My eyes narrow.

"Don't joke about paying off our teachers, or our house families."

"Hey! I said nothing about paying anyone off. But, I will do what I have to do to keep you in my room." This makes me roll my eyes before I lay back down on Vaughn's chest.

And that's how we spend most of our day. Well, until I have to leave for dinner. In Vaughn's room in Apollo House, laying on his bed with our arms curled around each other until we fall asleep.

And it's when we go to sleep that the world around us seems to crash down.