Purple, grey, black and white [✔️]

sixth

"Good morning Teachers and students. Today is Monday the twelfth of June and we only have a few announcements this morning. All year eleven modern history students to go straight to the bus bay after homeroom, Zoey de Wilde is the runner today, please come to the front office after homeroom. Tomorrow there will be a sausage sizzle at lunch time in front of the Language building to raise money for next year's trip to France, sausage sandwiches will be three dollars and cans of drink will be two dollars. At lunch time there will be the start of auditions for our school play, Romeo and Juliet; a modern retelling. If you are interested, go to the E block foyer at the start of lunch. Lastly, Elliot Ritchie and Michael Evans to go to the detention room at lunch and recess today. Thank you everyone, and have a great day."

Leo has his head resting on the desk and his fingers trace the graffiti carved into the wood. Leo was not a morning person, 8:30 is way to early to start school in his opinion. He pulls his school diary out of his bag on the ground beside him to look at his diary.

ENGLISH
MATH
LUNCH
HISTORY
HISTORY
RECESS
COMMERCE
PDHPE (theory)

It's a pretty average day, nothing too horrible, nothing he couldn't bear. He's looking forward to auditions at lunch though, he loves the stage and wants to be an actor when he's older.

* * *

Leo has his eyes glued to the clock, he is meant to be labelling the sides of triangles but he grew anxious and bored. There are two minutes till the bell rings and Leo is excited to go to E block, food of course. The second-hand ticks menacingly slowly, each stroke seemingly taking longer than the last.

After an eternity the bells sounds and the teenagers rush out of the room to freedom. Leo grabs his things and shoves them in his bag outside and races toward E block.

"Quiet, quiet my young thespians," Ms White calls through a microphone on the stage. "We shall begin auditions promptly, year 9, 10 drama students shall go first, and maybe inspire some of you newbies."

Leo and Mark stand and head to the side of the stage with the rest of their year and the few year tens that showed up.

"Wouldn't you think the year tens would have jumped at the opportunity to show off fo the leads," Mark scoffs, provoking Leo's laughter as well. 

"Oh Romeo, oh Romeo, where art thou Romeo," The pair's heads turn to where Matthew Beckett was gliding toward them, arms thrown out wide as he approaches them. 

"My fellas, you both looking to be some hot chic's dear Romeo?" Matt stands in between them with his arms around his classmates' shoulders. 

"Obviously," Mark rolls his eyes. "I'm betting either Ellie or Chelsea will get Juliet, or maybe some year ten. the ones that are here are all pretty hot." His eyes scan the room, nodding to himself. 

 "And what about you Leo the lion?" Matt asks. Leo ignores the ridiculous nickname. 

"Chelsea is a bit of a bitch but Ellie is nice," Leo states.

"It doesn't matter if she's a bitch, she's still hot," Mark sighs. 

"Umm, sure," Leo says awkwardly, looking at his feet. He pushes Matt's arm off him and takes a step forward to face the boys instead.

"Wait, you don't like chicks?" Matt turns his head on an angle.

"Uh, kind of. I mean, if they have a nice personality and like to read-"

"Wait, now you're straight?" Mark asks confused. 

"No," Leo looks at Mark in the eyes and takes a breath. "I'm, I'm Asexual," 

"Isn't that a plant thing?" Matt asks. 

"Same word, different meaning," Leo explains. "I'm just not sexually attracted to anyone." To Leo's disapointment, both boys start laughing as though he had told the funniest joke ever. 

"You're just a late bloomer Leo, you'll grow into it. Sex is the most important part of life, second to well, breathing," Mark pats him on the shoulder like a child.

"I think you are just scared of sex. It's not scary, it's normal," Matt shakes his head. Before Leo can argue they are called up on stage for the auditions. 

* * * 

The bell rings for the end of Lunch and Leo heads out with Mark toward their history room for a double period. 

"Hey Lee," Mark opens up a conversation as they wait for Mr Hall outside F2. "If you're asexual, how often do you masterbate?" Leo looks at his friend, terribly confused. 

"That's not really something you ask people Mark," he scowls. 

"Yeah but, like I'm straight and you think you're not so I am curious. Do you masterbate?"

"No, but it doesn't even matter," Leo sighs, getting fed up.

"Wait, have you ever tried?" Mark says suspiciously.

"Fine, I haven't which doesn't mean I don't know that I want to. The thought of it is just, gross" Leo shudders with the last word for dramatic effect. 

"Dude, you are really missing out," Mark shakes his head as ifhe pitied his friend. "I feel sorry for you,"

"Sir's here," Leo says through his teeth, trying not to yell at Mark. How could he not understaand it? if anything, experiencing sexual attraction felt weird and fake to Leo, like people just over exagerate and only really make love to make a baby. 

History is Leo's third favourite subject so adouble period of it wasn't so bad. He writes two-thirds of a page on the changing rolesof women in during world war one and completes a worksheet on how the war affected those who were on the home front. The two periods slip by as the bell tolls for recess, Leo takes his time packing up his stuff, trying to not get caught by Mark as he felt he might go off at him. 

As he leaves the classroom, a cold gust of wind hits him, making him wish he had brought his school jumper. 

* * * 

The recess converation was small as usual, Nicola leaving to site with her new boyfriend and Tamsyn fuming silently over it.

"I'm going to canteen, hopefully the line is short," Mark announces, getting up from the bench. Leo nods and watches his friend leave down the pathway beforr turning to Tamsyn. 

"Hey, uh, Tim Tam?" He starts, she looks up from where she had been glaring at the wooden table up at her friend. 

"Yes?" 

"I think I'm Asexual, have you heard of it?" he asks tentitively. 

"Isn't that just celibacy?" She raises an eyebrow. 

"No, that's a choice. I didn't chose to be Asexual, like Hannah didn't choose to be gay,"

"Yeah but, being sexually attracted to people is a part of our DNA, Hannah is sexually attracted to girls which is just as normal as if she was sexually attracted to guys. By claiming you're Asexual you are going against a fundamental part of yourelf," she sighs. Leo furrows his eyebrows.

"No, there is a whole bunch of people out there, a community, they all feel the same way," he protests. 

"Look," she leans forward. "Everyone experiences sexual attration on some level, maybe you are just one of the people who don't have much. Everyone need a partner. Life would be so lonely without a husband or a wife."

"Wait, there's this whole thing called the romantic spectrum. You can fall in love with someone and not want sex with them-"

"You can't have a relationship without sex, it just won't work," Tamsyn intterupts.