It had been one of the best weeks of Monty's life. He had finally found someone who showed interest in him, someone who seemed like they cared. Winston was someone worth holding onto.
It was Friday, which meant he had all periods today according to the block schedule. As such, he would be seeing Winston.
As the afternoon approached, Monty started to frett. The same perplexing and unanswered questions from the previous night had resurfaced, leaving him on edge. He couldn't help but remember the incident in the bathroom. However embarrassing it was at the time, Winston was nonjudgmental and didn't seem to mind. He could count on one hand the amount of times he'd express his emotions in front of others before, let alone how many times people took action or voiced their concerns.
While they waited for class to begin, Monty fidgeted with his pencil. All his focus was on the door waiting for a certain brunette to walk in with a camera around his neck and a smile that made his heart soar. Monty began losing hope as the seconds ticked by, the teacher stood up from her desk in anticipation. Right before the bell rang, Winston came staggering in. His face was red and he was panting slightly. It seemed as if he had run to class. Monty was relieved although curious as to what kept the normally punctual student behind.
"Mr. Williams, it's preferable that you don't come to my classes a second before the bell rings." the droning voice of the teacher called out as everyone turned towards Winston.
He mumbled what Monty inferred was an apology before he started making his way over to their table. He smiled, feeling his mood lift at just the sight of the other boy.
"I'd prefer it if she didn't talk about her divorce while I'm trying to get my work done but you can't have everything I guess." Winston whispered snarkily, just loud enough for only Monty to hear.
Monty grinned and Winston did the same, obviously proud of his comment. They both laughed quietly at the back of the classroom but apparently not quiet enough for it to go unnoticed.
"Is there anything funny you boys will like to share with the class?" the teacher chided.
"No miss, sorry." they responded.
Winston had to bite his tongue to refrain from laughing. Once more, the teacher took notice of this.
"Well are you sure? If it's truly that funny and then the class should know, don't you think?" she hissed.
Monty felt his palms sweat, sending Winston a nervous glance. He wasn't overly fond of bringing attention to himself, especially negative attention from the art teacher. Winston, however, didn't seem to back down.
He winked at Monty before replying, "No miss, but I'll make sure to put my hand up if we feel like sharing it later on."
Smartass. Winston's voice was so sickly sweet one could practically taste the sarcasm that dripped from his lips like honey. The teacher's face hardened as she glared at him before turning back to the white board. Monty was astonished by the boldness of his actions. At first glance, Winston appeared to just be one of the quiet kids but upon further investigation, it was clear that he had a similar grudge against authority.
"Two years tops before she's a full time alcoholic." Monty snarked to Winston as she turned around.
"Hey, be nice." the boy teased.
Winston hit him on the arm lightly but there was no sign of malice in his actions. Instead, there was a smile dancing on his lips.
"And, just for the record, I'm gonna say one and a half." he cheekily added before grabbing his bag to get his supplies.
