Bruised

Ch. 12: To the Nines

|Owen|

Pulling into the parking lot of the school, I easily find an open space as it is two hours before registration begins. As always, arriving early has its merits. Now, if only the rest of my team shared the same sentiment. Including my longtime friend who had to be bribed with bacon to get out of bed this morning. I take the keys out of ignition and glance in the mirror above the dashboard. Noting that my tie needs to be adjusted.

"And so it begins." Sean, or Dr. Green as most tend to refer to him as, yawns as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. His hair sticks out in every which way and I have to wonder if he brushed his hair this morning. Then again, it looks the same as every other day. "On a scale of one to ten, how easy do you think this mission will be Owen?"

"Seven." I say as I adjust my tie to crisp perfection, if I am to play the role of a teacher, I must look the part as well to my very best. Professional.

"Oh, so pretty easy?" Sean says sounding surprise by my admission and I chuckle.

"No, difficult. Also, did you brush your hair this morning?"

"Gah, always you and the hair. I look fine, amazing even, if I do say so myself." Sean pouts looking into the side mirror and running his fingers through his hair, making his curls all the more pronounced. I decide to let it be. "And are you worried about those two girls the boys met?"

"I'm not just worried. I'm concerned." I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as I recall the influx of text messages in the group chat we established as an easier way to report things to everyone; be it the mundane or the important.

However, for the past few days, it's all been a pattern of Sang this, Aya that, and Luke promoting his T-shirt business much to Lee's chagrin.

"They seem to be getting too invested in these girls that they hardly even know. Even North who seemed to have kept a logical head about it seems to be falling in step with the rest of them. He's very keen on helping Sang when just two days ago he was warning the boys to not lose their wits over it." I say, letting out a sigh at the end.

"I believe he might've said it in a less flowery way," Sean chuckles leaning back in his seat, "but I suppose he did change his tune rather quick. Luke and him did report to have met her yesterday for the first time. I imagine that's when it happened."

"Exactly." I say sharply. "In such little time these girls have most of our team wrapped around their fingers whether they realize it or not. I am afraid they may prove to be a distraction. One we could do without."

It is crucial that the boys focus on the task at hand, so far they have been keeping on it, but what about later? I am not completely oblivious to the fact that my team aren't just only getting involved for the sake of being a good humanitarian. Rather they have gotten their hearts involved in it as well. And that can complicate things.

The odd thing is, this isn't their first interaction with a girl. Some have even gone so far as to date a few despite knowing the struggles they'd have to face. They've kept a level head then, yet here they are, being the exact opposite of that. So what exactly is different this time around?

Sean chuckles and I quirk an eyebrow up in question. I didn't exactly find this to be a laughing matter nor do I recall telling a joke. "They're teenage boys, Owen. Hormonal teenage boys who've been hard at work for a very long time. Give them a break hm?" He nudges me playfully and I simply stare at him, willing him to try my patience as he so loves to do. "C'mon, even we are still hormonal teenage boys at 19. Just one likes to wear suits and the other has a doctorate's degree." He teases, a silly lopsided grin on his face, and I manage to bite back a laugh.