Oakleaf Academy For Boys

thirty one

"You know what I miss the most in here?" Benji sighed sadly as he pushed his food around his plate.

"What?" Lucky barely looked up from his tray as he replied to his friend.

"Music." Benji said solemnly. "I haven't heard it in months."

Lucky scoffed. "You clearly haven't been in the showers at four o'clock before. There's a guy who sings nothing but High School Musical songs in there, every single day at the exact same time."

Benji cracked a smile before examining the blue haired boy carefully, gaze lingering on Lucky's fresh bruises. "When are you gonna tell me what happened?" Benji pouted.

"It's not important." Lucky shrugged.

"It is important, Felix." He argued. "You're hurt."

"You've got enough to worry about, Pup. I'm fine. If I have a problem with someone, Seb will sort it. But I don't."

"Why does this always happen when people get into relationships?" Benji complained. "They don't rely on their friends anymore. Only their boyfriends."

Lucky laughed in amusement. "Because you can't throw a punch."

"I can!" Benji shot back. "I'll probably miss, but that's not the point."

Lucky scoffed and shook his head mockingly. "What've you got after lunch?"

"Nothing. Free periods for the rest of the day." Benji grinned. "Diesel's helping me at the library. It's almost finished, I think I'm finally gonna open it tomorrow."

"Wow. I gotta say, you've surprised me. That place looks great."

"Thanks." Benji responded happily just as the bell began to ring above them. "I'll see you later."

Lucky didn't say anything. He just laughed at Benji's eagerness to see Diesel.

Elias was already at the library when Benji arrived, sitting cross legged on the table, a book open in his lap. Benji never thought he would describe the most feared boy in school as 'cute', but it was the only word that sprung to mind in that moment. Elias' brows were furrowed with concentration, his lips parted, his strikingly beautiful eyes scanning the dusty pages. He glanced up when the other boy arrived and cocked his head to the side. "Don't look at me like that."

Benji laughed and lowered his eyes to the floor, dropping his backpack on the desk. "Like what?"

"With...I don't know, endearment."

"Endearment?" Benji chuckled.

"Yes. I'm not endearing." Elias hopped off the table and approached the smaller boy, pecking him on the forehead before retreating to the nearest bookcase and shoving his book into the shelf.

"That doesn't go there!" Benji protested. "Look at the letters." He pointed out. "It's in alphabetical order."

Elias rolled his eyes jokingly, "So, where does this one go?"

"It's by Jane Austen, so you have to put it in the 'A' section." He hooked his fingers through Elias' and dragged him to the other side of the library before slipping the book into its correct place.