Boy Oh Boys! (Season 1)

Chapter 3-1

Charlie nearly screamed, pulling her arm back and slipping dangerously on the rung of the ladder. Regaining her balance, she looked down at Pace. His eyes were still closed!

"What a lazy jerk!" she grimaced as she quickly retreated to her own bunk. "He didn't even bother to open his eyes to yell at me!"

Charlie sat on her bed and crossed her arms.

"He just had to wake up! And I was so careful to be quiet, too!" she huffed, sweating with embarrassment. Well, at least she was no longer cold.

~~~

Charlie arose once again before Pace the following morning. He continued to snooze, as she removed her uniform from the wardrobe. Pausing to shoot him an evil glare, she headed to the bathroom to get ready for first period.

"Mrnng, Chrlie," Rib mumbled when she entered the common room. He was already stuffing his face with another bowl of Scary O's.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Max with a smile, setting a place for her at the table.

"Sort of," Charlie sat down, thinking back to Pace The Blanket Thief. "It was a little cold."

"Don't worry, babe," smiled Apollo, sitting next to her. "If he doesn't give back your blanket, you're always welcome to share the one in my room."

"Apollo! How dare you say that?!" yelled Demeter, taking the seat on her other side. "I was going to offer her my blanket! What do you say, angel?"

Ignoring them both, Charlie turned her attention to the giant stack of pancakes Maxsim was now serving up.

"Wow, do you make breakfast every day?" drooled Charlie, excitedly grabbing the syrup.

"Yes. It is my hobby," answered Max. "I am even a member of the Chefs Club here at the academy."

"Really?" Charlie had an idea. "Do you think I could join, too? Mr. Campbell said I have to have an extra curricular activity and I really don't want to be the mascot anymore..."

"Oh, we heard about that!" Rib laughed, nearly choking on his red milk. "And here I thought Pace was the only one allowed to wear that bear suit!"

"But did not you have to wear it last week when you forgot your homework?" Maxsim frowned in confusion.

"Well, yeah," Rib turned almost as red as his milk. "But what I'm saying is, nobody has to wear it as much as Pace."

"You had to wear it last week?!" Charlie giggled.

"Yep, and he snuck across the stadium and terrorized the ladies at the girls academy," frowned Demeter, crossing his arms. "You shouldn't have gone over there- without us!"

"Yeah! How could you?" Apollo threw a hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"Anyways," said Rib. "The truth is, everyone has had to wear it at one point or another. Well, everyone except Max. But Pace wears it the most because he gets in trouble the most."

"At least these days," said Demeter, causing a strange silence to stretch across the room.

Charlie looked at him questioningly, but he did not go on.

"Well," Charlie spoke at last. "Do you think I could come to Chefs Club with you, Max?"

"Of course!" he grinned. "We are meeting today after school. It is cookie day!"

"That sounds fun!" Charlie exclaimed, tossing her plate into the sink and heading for the door.

"Hey," whispered Rib, tugging her arm. "Be careful. I heard they grind up new students to make their flour."

"No, no, no. You're wrong!" Apollo shook his head. "They'd use Charlie for sugar, because she's so SWEET! Am I right?" he wiggled his eyebrows and Demeter gave him a nod of approval.

Charlie threw a hand to her forehead and left the dorm.

Once in the hallway, Charlie glanced around hopefully. A door opposite the Athens Dorm was labeled "Sparta".

"I wonder which dorm Printz is from," she thought, just as the Sparta door burst open.

Charlie inhaled with excitement, but was disappointed when the two guys who had hit her with the soccer ball emerged. Today, however, they were joined by a third student- an enormous, muscular dude with a purple buzz cut.

"Wait up, Nix!" the shaggy blue-haired boy shouted as the spiky pink-haired guy zoomed past Charlie, nearly knocking her down with his rapid gust.

"Last one to class cleans the dorm!"Nix called back laughingly. "That's probably you, Zenith!"

"Wanna bet?" the blue-haired boy roared, then turning to his giant friend, gave him a nod. "You know what to do, Madsen."

Madsen nodded back and sprinted down the hall, his every stride twice as long as one of Nix's. Catching up to his spunky dormmate, Madsen stretched out a massive hand and effortlessly picked up Nix, allowing Zenith to speed by.

"Not fair!" Nix cried.

Madsen shrugged innocently and raced off too, leaving Nix in the dust. Nix groaned, then hurried after them.

"Well, that's who lives in that dorm," Charlie frowned, quite unenthused by the discovery of her neighbors.

Slumping her shoulders with a sigh, she gazed down the now empty hall.

"Looking for someone?" a smooth voice broke out behind her.

Charlie turned around almost as fast as the Sparta boys had disappeared. Printz was stepping out from a nook in the wall where the drinking fountain sat.

"Have you been standing there this whole time?" she asked in surprise.

"Someone's got to keep their eye on those guys," he smiled. "I promised I wouldn't let them hurt you."

Charlie blushed.

"So, would you like an escort to class again this morning?" he offered.

"That would be-" Charlie began, but the door behind her flung open, making her jump out of the way. "Oh. Hi, Pace," she greeted her roommate smally. "We were just going to first period, if you wanted to walk with us."

"Do I look like I'm going to first period?" Pace looked down at her impatiently. He was wearing a black tee and jeans.

"Don't worry about taking her," Printz spoke up at once. "There are plenty of actual gentlemen in this school to do that," he added, stepping extremely close to Charlie. Her heart fluttered as though a million butterflies were locked inside.

For a long moment, Pace simply stared at Printz scrutinizingly and Charlie could feel the hateful tension in the air.

"Whatever," he said at last, spinning on his heel and slinking boredly out of the corridor.

~~~

---AUTHOR NOTE---

Welcome to Chapter 3!

I hope everyone is having fun. I know I am! I have been greatly enjoying all of the awesome feedback BoB! has been getting- many kind words, tons of support and even very lovely fan art!

Now that we have entered the new chapter, I have been thinking about what I would like to do for this chapter's bonus.

I have decided a future Chapter 3 update will feature a 'Fan Art Corner' where I will be sharing all of the Boy Oh Boys! artwork I have been so blessed to receive. I can't wait to show off everyone's beautiful work! It will likely be appearing near the end of the chapter, so there's still time to send in yours! 

Finally, for those of you that are on facebook, I just opened a page, so come on over for all your BoB! updates!

www.facebook.com/rayromcom  

xox Ray