Heroic Acts

Four

Darien's alarm clock screamed for him to wake. Seth's alarm clock did the exact same thing. The two screeched in harmony while the boys groaned awake to stop the noise. Darien's back hurt from sleeping on the floor, but it wasn't going to stop his enthusiasm for his first day. He neatly folded his lovely blanket and put it in his little corner. He happily got up and took out his outfit for the day.

He looked over at Seth and shyly asked, "can you take me to the shower room?"

Seth let out a tired sigh and nodded. He crawled out of bed and grabbed towels for the both of them. He tossed one to Darien, who let out a quiet "thank you" and got ready to follow him. Seth opened the door and led the way.

Darien quietly followed him down the hallway. He didn't really have a need, nor want to talk to Seth. He didn't know why Seth was so mean, he just wanted to get along. He was really confusing with his short bursts of kindness. He watched the tall boy walk in front of him, leading the way.

They turned the corner, and at the end of the hallway was a big door labeled "BATHROOM AND SHOWERS" in big, bold letters. Darien walked a little faster, now knowing where he was going. He was right beside Seth, now.

"The showers here are kinda cool," said Seth. "You can't see through the glass door, but we have a light system. I'll show you how to use it."

Darien looked up at Seth with a confused expression, but he nodded and continued walking into the locker room. Seth went in, and he followed quietly.

He was right. There were twenty showers. Ten were lined up on one wall, and ten were lined up on the other. The doors were made of black tinted glass; it was impossible to see through them except for a very faint silhouette, which was hard to see all on its own. Above the doors were little lights. Some were red, and some were green.

"Red light means occupied," Seth said. "Green means it's clear to go in. It's still always nice to give a little knock on the door, though. Some students are forgetful. Usually, you can tell if the shower is running, but it's still polite."

Darien listened to Seth silently. He seemed so nice sometimes. Seth found two showers next to each other with a green light. Knocking on both doors and finding them both empty, Seth pointed out the red and green buttons in the shower.

"Hit the red one after you close the door. Hit the green when you're ready to get out. They also have a little cabinet in there that you can keep your towel in. It won't get wet, I promise. You can also keep your underwear in there if you're self conscious," Seth explained.

A little blush went across Darien's face. He was a little self conscious. He thanked Seth for his help and tore his shirt off, folding it and putting it on the bench beside the showers. He did the same with his pants.

"Will my stuff be safe?" Darien asked.

"Of course. Everyone here is nice and polite, except a few," Seth said, and he rolled his eyes. "Even this academy has its bullies. I seriously doubt anyone will steal your clothes, though."

Seth pulled off his shirt and pants and laid them not so neatly with Darien's. Darien put his towel and fresh pair of underwear in the small cabinet. He suddenly turned around and blushed.

"What do I do with the ones I'm wearing?" he asked quietly. Seth suddenly realized how insecure he was.

"Close the door and just toss 'em over," Seth said.

"Are you serious? I'm not letting you touch my underwear, Seth."

"Then, deal with it and take them off now."

Darien froze up and sighed.

"I'll toss them to you."

He closed the door and hit the red button, pulling his underwear off and gently tossing them over. Seth picked them up and made the effort to fold them the way Darien liked and put them with his things. He didn't say a word and went into the stall next to Darien's.

The shower didn't take nearly as long as preparing for the shower did. Darien washed his fluffy, cinnamon hair with shampoo and then softening conditioner. He scrubbed his entire body right after. Everything was complete in under five minutes. He shut the water off, took his towel out of the cabinet and dried everything off.

When he stepped out, Seth was already out and fully dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. Darien put on a pair of black skinny jeans, black socks, and a white, short sleeved button up shirt. He fixed the collar so it was folded neatly, and he pulled his converse onto his feet.

Seth led the way out while Darien looked around at all the cute boys without making any eye contact with them. He followed Seth back out the door and to the room where he began to brush and blow dry his hair into the lovely quiff that it was always in.

"I really like your hair," Seth said while styling his bangs.

"Thank you," Darien said quietly.

"Where's your first class?"

"It's an English course to help with scripting and story lines.. I have a teacher named Mrs. Raine."

"I have that same class. I could walk you there, if you'd like. Mrs. Raine is amazing and incredibly nice. We also don't have assigned seats, so you could sit next to me. Then everyone will think you're awesome because I'm awesome."

Suddenly, Seth looked like a jackass again.

"Um, thanks," Darien said.

Seth led Darien out the door once again. Their class was located in the building next to the dorms. It wasn't a far walk whatsoever, and Darien was grateful of that fact. He went inside, looking at the hallways.

"We need to take the elevator," Seth said. Darien nodded and found one, pressing the button going up. Seth advised him to press floor three once they were inside. The first door to the right was his classroom.

When they stepped inside, Mrs. Raine was very happy.

"Oh goodness, the new student!" she cried happily. "Welcome to my class!"

"Thanks," Darien said softly with a shy smile and a rose pink blush. He followed Seth over to two empty desks and sat down at one.

"Please, tell us your name!" she exclaimed.

"My name is Darien. Darien Malloy," he said sweetly.

"What a lovely name! I hope you feel welcome in my class, Darien!" she said happily.

Seth was right. She was super nice, a sweetheart, even. Darien looked over at Seth and grinned a little. Seth just rolled his eyes. What was his deal?

"I hope everyone is ready for today's lesson," Mrs. Raine said.

It was only five minutes into his first class and Darien loved this place. He absolutely adored it. Could anything change his mind? He doubted it. Highly.