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A/N: For maximum experience, you can play the song when you reach the part it begins playing in the chapter. Trust me, it would definitely be worth it ;).
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The days went by and soon, the cold month of January gave way to the even colder month of February and with it, the hush excited atmosphere of romance as the students of Lumière got ready to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day.
Excited squeals filled the hallways as girls were asked out in grand gestures and boys sought to outdo one another in the expression of their affections. All in all, love was in the air and it made Leo absolutely sick to his stomach.
He rolled his eyes in disgust as another girl squealed in happy surprise as a boy presented her with a bouquet of roses. ‘What a bunch of lovesick idiots,’ he grumbled as he slammed his locker shut.
‘You’re just upset because you don’t have anyone to go out with,’ Paul said in amusement, following him as he made his way to class.
Leo scoffed. ‘As if you’ve got a date, you’re as single as I am.’
‘The difference between us is, I am single and happy.’ Paul pointed out. ‘You are just single and depressed.’
Leo couldn’t argue with that. ‘Why are you even single anyway?’ he asked grumpily. ‘There are so many hot girls who would die to be with you.’
As if to prove his point, a group of girls suddenly walked past them and giggled when they set eyes on Paul, playing flirtatiously with their hair. Paul smiled politely at them and waited until they had moved on before shrugging.
‘I prefer being single. Life is much simpler that way.’
‘He also has this twisted sense of duty,’ Samuel added, coming up from behind to place his arms around their shoulders. ‘And therefore, would only date someone for the sake of the crown.’
‘Where did you come from?’ Leo asked startled.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Samuel answered flippantly. ‘The important question here is, will our dear friend, His Royal Highness, find a date for the fourteenth?’
Paul sighed. ‘Just let it go, will ya?’
‘No,’ Samuel stated solemnly. ‘As your best friend, I am honour-bound to make sure you are not single on Valentine’s Day. Just leave it to me buddy.’
Paul sighed and decided not to push the matter further. Leo however, glanced indignantly at Samuel. ‘What about me?’ he demanded.
‘Oh, your situation is absolutely hopeless,’ Samuel said brightly.
‘Hey!’
Paul patted his back sympathetically. ‘At least, you can be single with Adam.’
Adam was their classmate who was infamous for his insistence on living the life of a eunuch, staunchly turning down proposals no matter who they came from. Yet when they entered the classroom, they were confronted with the sight of Adam offering a bouquet of roses to a shy brunette who nodded bashfully as she said yes, accepting the bouquet from a beaming Adam.
‘I’m going to die alone,’ Leo announced, slumping unceremoniously into his seat.
‘Now that was surprising,’ Samuel commented in amusement as he took a seat beside him.
The surprises, however, were just beginning. The bell rung and the teacher soon swept into the class with a bright smile, his bald head glinting under the fluorescent lighting.
‘Alright class settle down,’ he clapped his hands enthusiastically. ‘Before we get started, I want to introduce you to someone. He is a new student from our exchange program and I hope you will make him feel right at home.’
The class broke out into excited whispers as they wondered who their new classmate would be.
The teacher gestured to the doorway. ‘Don’t be shy, come on in and introduce yourself to your new classmates.’
The students craned their necks toward the doorway, eager to get a glimpse of the new student. The door slowly opened further as he stepped into the room, cutting a dashing figure in a royal blue Lumière blazer.
The blood drained on Leo’s face before sharply rushing back up to his cheeks as his fists clenched in barely concealed hatred.
‘You,’ he spat.
Kyle’s eyes crinkled in mirth as he smirked at him. ‘Looks like we’re mates now Ferrars.’
************************************************************************
Leo waited in front of the classroom after the lunch bell had gone off and as soon as Kyle stepped out, he grabbed him and slammed him roughly against the wall.
‘What the hell are you playing at Griffin?’ he hissed.
‘You’re the one trying to make out with me in the middle of the hallway,’ Kyle pointed out, the amusement audible in his voice.
Leo immediately backed away as if he was scorched. ‘Like hell!’
Kyle straightened his clothes and winked at him before walking away. Samuel and Paul walked up and stared after him as Leo half-whispered to himself, ‘What is his game?’
‘Whatever it is, it is a stupidly dangerous one,’ Paul stated. ‘They may fancy themselves as lions, but he is a lion alone in a den of dragons, scorpions, eagles and hares. He is going to be torn to pieces.’
Sure enough, as he walked down the hall, though the girls swooned in excitement, the male population of Lumière sent him such baleful looks, the faint scent of blood could almost be detected in the air.
Paul and Leo made their way to the cafeteria with Samuel and as they got in line to for their food, Jayden came over with Cam and Noel in tow.
‘What took you guys so long?’ Leo demanded as they grabbed their food and made their way over to their usual table.
‘Our class went on longer than expected,’ Cam explained as he took a seat by him. ‘What’s got you in a grumpy mood?’
Paul lifted his fork and pointed directly across them to where Kyle sat alone as he munched thoughtfully on his food.
Cam was dumbstruck. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘We can answer that easily enough,’ Paul said, bringing his fork back down to stab a piece of lettuce before placing it into his mouth.
‘Apparently, he’s on the school exchange program,’ Samuel explained.
‘The real question is why he’s doing it here of all places,’ Paul finished.
‘I’ll bet you a hundred that he came here to spy on us for the game in March,’ Leo muttered darkly.
The conversation went off on that tangent as Cam stared at Kyle who seemed oblivious to all the fuss he was creating with his presence.
The second day passed much like the first, then the third, then the fourth. It was on the fifth day when Kyle was seated at his usual table during lunch that a tray slammed down before him.
He looked up curiously to see Cam pull up a chair and sit before him. ‘Here,’ he said, picking up the cup on his tray and thrusting it towards him. ‘I owe you lunch remember?’
Kyle beamed and took the cup from him, sipping slowly from the straw as Cam stared at him. ‘I thought you had forgotten,’ Kyle said.
Cam made a noncommittal sound before peering curiously at him. ‘Why are you here?’
Kyle took another sip. ‘For this actually.’
Cam stared at him as if he had suddenly gone crazy. ‘What?’
‘Mhm, they were asking for volunteers to go on the exchange program and I remembered you owed me, so I decided to come and collect,’ he explained as if it were a perfectly simple and reasonable thing to do.
Cam gave him a dumbfounded look. ‘Are you insane?’ he hissed.
‘Perhaps,’ Kyle replied.
Cam shook his head and nudged the tray forward. ‘Well, here’s your lunch. Take it and get out of here.’
‘Can’t, the program lasts for a month.’
‘Then make up an excuse, any excuse.’
Kyle looked up at him. ‘You seem quite keen to get rid of me. I’m almost hurt.’
‘I don’t want to get rid of you, you idiot. I’m doing it for your own good.’
Kyle beamed. ‘So, you’re worried about me.’
‘I’m not… I won’t even ask why that makes you happy, but if you don’t want to get your ass handed to you on a platter, I suggest you leave as soon as possible.’
Kyle chuckled before reaching out to grab his arm as he gazed directly into his eyes. ‘Don’t worry about me,’ he said in a gentle voice. ‘I know how to take care of myself.’
Cam blushed as he found himself getting lost in Kyle’s emerald eyes. He snatched his hand away. ‘Who’s worried about you,’ he said irritably. ‘Just eat your food.’
Kyle grinned and proceeded to eat his lunch as Cam rolled his eyes at him.
Valentine’s Day soon arrived and at lunch, Cam was walking with his friends towards their usual table when he caught a glimpse of Kyle from the corner of his eye. He was seated at his usual spot and eating as normally as ever but below his left eye, there was a faint discoloured patch of skin.
He changed his course without a word and when Kyle looked up, he was standing right before him.
‘What happened?’ he demanded immediately, dispensing with all pleasantries.
Kyle shrugged. ‘Nothing much, you should see the other guy.’
Cam frowned at this but before he could comment Kyle reached out and pulled him into the chair before him.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ he insisted. ‘Here, I got you something.’ He reached into his backpack and pulled out a purple Juicebox.
‘How… how did you know it was my favourite?’ Cam asked suspiciously as he took it hesitantly.
‘You drink it a lot when you come to the games. It’s rather obvious and a little weird.’
Cam snorted. ‘That’s rich coming from you. I’m not the one whose face looks like Frankenstein’s bride.’
Kyle’s hands flew up to his face. ‘It’s not obvious, is it?’
Cam nodded solemnly, causing Kyle’s eyes to widen in horror. Cam couldn’t take it anymore and burst out laughing.
‘I’m just kidding, it’s not that obvious you narcissist.’
Kyle’s shoulders sagged in relief. ‘It’s not funny. My face is the only thing I have going for me.’
‘It is a nice face, I guess,’ Cam admitted absent-mindedly. He soon realized what he said and his cheeks flared red. ‘It’s not that nice though, just pretty average.’
Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You think I’m pretty?’
‘What? No, I don’t.’
‘But you just said I was pretty,’ Kyle pointed out in bemusedly. ‘I heard it as clear as day, “It’s not that nice, just pretty”.’
‘Pretty average! I said pretty average. Why are you conveniently ignoring that part?’
‘All I’m hearing is pretty,’ Kyle said in a singsong voice. ‘Admit it else I would scream it out.’
‘You wouldn’t dare.’
Kyle’s eyes glinted. ‘CAMERON CASTELLO THINKS I’M-‘
His voice was suddenly cut off as Cam reached across the table and placed his hand over his mouth. Cam glanced awkwardly around the now silent cafeteria as everyone’s gaze fixed curiously on them.
‘Sorry, sorry,’ he mouthed in embarrassment until everyone’s attention had left them and the regular flow of chatter resumed.
He turned to look exasperatedly at Kyle whom he could feel grinning over the palm of his hand. ‘Fine,’ he hissed. ‘I think you’re pretty, happy?’
Kyle nodded and he slowly removed his hand from his mouth, sitting back with an eyeroll as Kyle grinned teasingly at him.
A few tables down, Leo was watching this whole interaction with clenched fists and a dangerous fire in his eyes. He stood up but Paul grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Paul asked wearily.
‘Let go of me.’ Leo forced his arm away from Paul’s grasp and attempted to make his way over again but Paul just pulled him back down even more firmly.
‘And what are you going to do?’ Paul demanded. ‘Walk up to them and tell Cam to stop talking to him? Or are you going to drag him back with you? Better still, are you going to beat Griffin up right in the middle of the whole cafeteria?’
Leo looked as if he fully intended to do all those things and more and was about to say as much when Paul cut him off. ‘Just forget about them, he’s not worth it.’
Leo sat back with a dark glower as he watched Cam and Kyle across the table. Paul was half-worried he would leap up again but luckily a first year walked shyly up to them and handed Paul a note, drawing his attention from the pair.
‘What does it say?’ Leo asked curiously, peering closer to get a better look.
‘Samuel wants us to meet him at the auditorium,’ Paul said, folding the note. ‘Come on,’ he gestured to Leo as he stood up. ‘It might help you keep your mind off them.’
Leo stood and with a final backward glance at Cam who was laughing at something Kyle said, he walked out of the cafeteria with Paul.
As they made their way over to the auditorium, they slowly realized that they were not the only ones heading in that direction. It later struck them that the majority of the people walking there were females and when they arrived at the auditorium, they were confronted by a large crowd of girls, whispering as they giggled in nervous excitement.
‘What the hell is going on here?’ Leo whispered in amazement. He had never seen this many girls gathered in one place and he was beginning to think that he was dreaming.
‘Paul, pinch me,’ he prodded. ‘I must be asleep, go on pinch me.’ Paul acquiesced and he yelped in pain. He rubbed his arm in wonder. ‘So, I am not dreaming. This must be what heaven looks like.’
Paul rolled his eyes at him and stepped forward to speak to one of the giggling girls in the crowd. ‘Excuse me, can you tell me what’s going on?’
The girl looked at him in surprise. ‘Why, we’re here for the audition of course.’
Paul grew even more puzzled. ‘What audition?’
Before she could answer however, Jayden stepped out of the auditorium with a clipboard and spoke out in a bored voice. ‘Alright everyone, get in line. We are beginning with the auditions.’
The girls hurriedly complied and after some pushing and shoving, arranged themselves in a somewhat orderly line. Jayden looked up from his clipboard as Paul and Leo approached him.
‘You’re late,’ he deadpanned.
‘Late for what exactly?’
‘And what is Samuel’s Cupids?’ Leo inquired, looking pointedly at the white T-shirt Jayden was wearing, which had a heart with an arrow through it at the top left corner and the words, ‘Samuel’s Cupids’ written in red underneath it.
‘Why don’t you ask him?’ Jayden answered irritably, gesturing to the open doorway behind him.
Paul and Leo walked into the auditorium to see Samuel up on stage with Noel as he directed a group of girls. He turned as they walked in and jumped down to meet them with a bright smile.
‘There you are, I thought you would never make it. We can get started now.’
‘Get started with what?’ Paul pressed as Samuel herded he and Leo towards the table set up in front of the stage and forced them into the seats.
‘Why, with finding you a date for Valentines Day of course,’ Samuel answered brightly as he took a seat by him.
Paul’s expression pivoted between bemused and frustrated. ‘I don’t…’
‘Don’t bother arguing with him, just accept it so it can be over quickly for everyone,’ Jayden advised, cutting him off as he came up to sit beside Samuel.
Paul turned to him. ‘You’re also in on this?’
Jayden shrugged. ‘He’s my boyfriend so I don’t really have much of a choice now, do I?’ he commented wryly, looking as if he would rather be anyway else in the world right now.
‘Enough chitchat,’ Samuel waved dismissively. ‘Let’s get started shall we?’ He gestured up the stage to Noel. ‘You can let those outside in now.’
Noel nodded and run off. The first girl stepped closer to the edge of the stage and looked shyly down on them.
‘What’s your name?’ Samuel prompted.
‘Anna,’ she answered quietly.
‘Well then, Anna tell us about yourself and why you think you would be the perfect date for my best friend.’
This went on for quite some time, with each girl coming up the stage and talking about themselves and why they would be the best match for Paul. It was until an hour or so later that Samuel finally called for a break.
‘So,’ Samuel began, eagerly turning to Paul. ‘What do you think?’
‘No,’ Paul deadpanned.
‘Oh, come on,’ Samuel whined. ‘At least one of them must have caught your interest. I thought the last one was perfect.’
‘If you think so, why don’t you date her yourself,’ Paul suggested exasperatedly. ‘She seemed more taken with you than me.’
‘No thanks, I would leave that to Leo.’
They turned to watch in amusement as Leo, who had already wandered up the stage and had each of his arms around a girl as he whispered comforting words to them. He guided them off the stage and away from sight.
Paul shook his head as he said in sardonic amusement, ‘At least he has finally gotten the Valentine date he wanted. Two of them in fact.’
Samuel nodded absently as his attention moved to Jayden, who was sitting with his head on the table and his eyes closed.
He placed his head on the table and stared at Jayden’s face until his eyelids slowly rose open to reveal his dark orbs.
‘Hey there, stranger,’ Samuel said with a small smile. ‘Sorry for all this mess.’
Jayden gazed back into Samuel’s hazel eyes with a small frown on his face. ‘Why are you apologizing?’
‘Well, I feel as if I’m neglecting you on Valentine’s Day.’
Jayden scoffed. ‘I never cared much for it and I’m hardly going to start caring for it now just because I’m in a relationship.’
‘I’m going to make you care for it then,’ Samuel promised. ‘I have a whole thing planned which just the two of us. Just you wait.’
Jayden’s eyes crinkled fondly and he reached out to rub Samuel’s head. ‘Don’t worry too much about it, just continue doing what you want to do here. It’s enough for me to just be with you.’
Samuel smiled at that as Jayden continued to rub his head. They were interrupted when Leo’s voice cut in sharply before them.
‘Ugh, you two are so in love it makes me sick. Aren’t you supposed to keep it on the downlow? I could feel it all the way from the other side of the room.’
They raised their heads from the table as Cam walked in and said offhandedly, ‘Shut up, Leo.’
‘You don’t even know what I was talking about!’ Leo protested.
‘I can guess,’ Cam retorted. ‘Anyway, where is Paul?’
‘Right here,’ Paul said, coming up from the side. ‘What’s up?’
‘I’m worried about Kyle; it looks as if someone is targeting him. Do you think it could be anyone from your team?’
Leo snorted. ‘Shitty fucker deserves it anyway. What?’ he asked when he realized his friends were all staring pointedly at him. ‘Oh, come on! You can’t possibly think I’m behind it.’
‘I mean, you almost rushed at him in the cafeteria today,’ Paul pointed out.
‘You always talk about how you can’t wait to beat him up,’ Samuel added.
‘And you’re possibly the person who hates him the most in the school,’ Cam finished.
Leo rolled his eyes at him. ‘Fine, I have the most motives to do it, but you forget that when you are not with that asshole you are almost always with me.’
Paul nodded. ‘He’s actually right, if he was the one you would notice. It’s not like he’s great at keeping secrets.’
‘Hey!’
Paul ignored him and went on. ‘Besides, I have already spoken to the guys on my team and asked them to ignore him. They understand what would happen if they don’t so I’m certain it’s not one of them.’
Cam didn’t look convinced and Paul patted his arm comfortingly. ‘Don’t worry, if it helps, I’ll talk to them again and find out what they know.’
‘Wait, why are we even worrying over that shit-stain ?’ Leo demanded. ‘Why do you think he’s here in the first place? To spy on us that’s what. I heard from a friend that our exchange student at Leonare overheard their team bragging about how their captain has gone undercover to discover our plans. If you ask me, we should be commending that brave hero instead of trying to stop him.’
‘That’s why no one asked you,’ Cam snapped.
‘Why the hell do you trust him?’ Leo demanded furiously. ‘He’s clearly just using you to get to me.’
‘That’s enough Leo,’ Paul came in. He placed a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder and steered him away. ‘Come on, you’ve said your piece now let it go.’
Leo sputtered but he allowed himself to be guided away by Paul. Cam watched them go before sighing and turning to Samuel and Jayden.
‘I know you guys probably don’t like him but could you… could you look out for him?’
‘Yeah sure, we’ll keep an eye out and make sure he’s safe,’ Samuel promised.
Cam gave them a weak smile. ‘Thank you,’ he said. He paused and blinked as he looked around as if finally realizing his surroundings. ‘What the…’
‘Don’t ask,’ Jayden muttered.
Cam nodded unsurely and gave them a half-hearted wave before walking off. Samuel stared after him and mumbled to himself, ‘I do hope he’s alright.’
‘Mhm,’ Jayden hummed non-committedly as he leaned against the table. ‘The good news is your plan seems to be working.’
‘Huh?’
Jayden gestured with his chin to the corner where Paul was talking with a girl and there seemed to be a genuine sense of attraction between them.
Samuel’s eyes lit up and he immediately bounded up to them just as Paul was laughing softly at something she said.
‘Hello,’ Samuel said brightly. ‘Would you like to introduce me to your friend?’
Paul nodded and gestured with his hand. ‘This is Mia, she’s an old close friend of mine, we went to grade school together before she moved out of the country. Mia this is Samuel.’
‘I know who he is, the both of you are really popular. I never imagined that little Paulie who had such a huge crush on me back then would have a line of girls auditioning to be his date,’ Mia teased as she nudged him playfully.
Paul blushed as he run his hand through his hair. ‘I didn’t know you were in Lumière; I would have looked you up.’
‘I just moved back and transferred this year.’
‘So, Mia,’ Samuel began surreptitiously. ‘Are you here to audition as well?’
Mia shook her head. ‘I am just here to support my friend. She dragged me into this.’
‘Trust me, I know the feeling,’ Paul muttered.
Mia laughed. ‘This didn’t seem like something you would do. Looks like I was right that someone roped you into doing this.’
‘Help me, please,’ Paul groaned.
‘What’s in it for me?’ Mia asked interestedly.
Paul pouted. ‘You are as mean as ever. Do it as a favour for abandoning me for so long.’
‘Hmm, fine. You can always tell them that you are going on a date with me, so there is no longer any need for them to audition.’
Samuel beamed. ‘Marvellous! I’ll go make the announcement right now.’
‘Hold on a minute,’ Paul said, holding Samuel back before he rushed off. ‘Don’t get all excited. We are not actually going on a date. It’s just to get rid of them.’
‘Who said I’m just doing it to help you? In case, if it wasn’t clear I’m asking you out.’ Mia winked at him as Paul went speechless with surprise.
‘It’s settled then,’ Samuel stated. He was giddy with excitement as he went up the stage to announce that the auditions were over. He thanked them for coming as a low groan filled the auditorium.
The crowd of disappointed girls slowly filed out as Samuel leaped from the stage and motioned for Mia and Paul to follow him.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I have already set up a reservation for you.’
They followed him out of the auditorium with Jayden trailing behind them as they walked into the school gardens were umbrellaed tables were arranged tastefully across the rows of sweet-smelling flowers. Samuel led them up to the centre were an empty table stood beside a gently bubbling fountain.
‘We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Have fun!’ He waved and pulled Jayden away, leaving Mia and Paul staring awkwardly at each other.
They sat down as a waiter came to take their order. ‘So,’ Paul began after the waiter had left after delivering their drinks. ‘Why did you ask me out?’
‘Huh?’ Mia looked confused. ‘Because I’m into you, wasn’t that obvious?’
Paul shook his head. ‘No, you aren’t.’
‘What makes you think you know what I’m feeling?’
Paul sighed and stood up. Mia looked at him warily as he came closer to her until their faces were only inches apart. He studied her for a moment then reached out to grab her hand, closing his fingers around her wrist.
‘When we are in the presence of someone we like, our heart rate increases but yours is normal. I believe that you actually do think you like me and indeed, you might have once but it’s obvious I’m no longer the object of your affections.’
Paul returned to his seat. ‘So,’ he said, crossing his arms with a smile. ‘Who is he?’
Mia rubbed her arm where Paul’s fingers had been and whispered softly. ‘I think it’s a she?’
‘Oh,’ Paul’s eyebrows raised slightly in interest. ‘The friend who you dragged you to the auditions?’
Mia nodded slowly and Paul went on. ‘Well, I hope everything works out for you but since we are here we might as well order something to eat and catch up. I’m curious to what your weird ass has been up to all these years.’
Mia smiled and they proceeded to chat away like old times. The sky was already growing dark when Samuel came over to check on them and his face fell with disappointment when he saw Paul sitting thoughtfully alone at the table.
‘What happened? Where is Mia?’
Paul looked up at him and shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Hopefully she is taking my advice and spending Valentine’s with the person she cares about.’
He stood up and placed his arm cheerily around Samuel as he pulled him away. ‘Chin up, it wasn’t all bad and besides, who needs a date when I got you.’
Samuel turned his face away as Paul teasingly tried to place a kiss on his cheek. ‘I had a whole event planned for you both though,’ he stated disconsolately. ‘A picnic under the stars with candles, slow music and everything.’
Paul pouted. ‘Aww, have you already given up on us?’
‘Be serious,’ Samuel muttered.
Paul laughed and ruffled his hair. ‘Don’t worry about me buddy. What I could use however, is a good night’s sleep. See ya.’
He waved at him before placing his hands into his pockets and walking off in the direction of their dormitory. Samuel scuffed the ground dejectedly with the tip of his shoe before walking to where Jayden was almost done arranging the place for the picnic.
Jayden looked up as he approached and noticing the absence of Paul and the disappointed look on Samuel’s face said, ‘I’m guessing things didn’t go as planned.’
Samuel nodded and sighed. ‘We might as well pack all this up. It’s all useless now.’
Jayden patted his back comfortingly and Samuel suddenly noticed the half-empty bottle of wine on the ground beside him. Jayden noticed his look and picked the bottle up, clutching it possessively to his chest. ‘What? You weren’t seriously expecting me to go through this fully sober, were you? How else did you think I was managing to hold back my eyerolls for this long?’
Samuel gave him a look and Jayden sighed before giving him the bottle. ‘Fine, but if my eyeballs get stuck inside my head it’s on you.’
It took them a few short minutes to take everything down and pack them into the boxes. After they were done they picked the boxes up and carried them to the storage room, locking up after they packed the last box in.
They were turning to leave when the saw Kyle dart quickly past. His eyes darted cautiously as he looked around him but he didn’t see the two hidden in the shadows. Samuel and Jayden glanced curiously at each other and followed him, keeping a safe distance behind.
Kyle walked quickly through the hallways, his whole figure on alert as he kept glancing behind him but Jayden’s subtle skills kept them hidden from his sight. He soon came before the door to the gym, looking around him before slipping quickly in.
The space of the gym seemed cavernous in the faint lighting and Kyle’s footsteps echoed silently in the empty space. He was half-way across when a voice from the stands stopped him in his tracks.
‘You didn’t really think you could hide from us did you, Griffin?’
Kyle looked up in the direction of the voice to see six burly teens make their way down towards him. His voice was calm as he fixed them with a mocking sneer. ‘Who said anything about hiding? I just wanted to be sure no one would hear your bones breaking.’
The teens broke out into laughter and the ringleader stepped closer to Kyle until they were mere inches apart.
‘Tough words for someone who is about to be dead meat,’ he stated before throwing his right fist at Kyle’s face.
Kyle dodged the attack and responded with a punch of his own, hitting him cleanly in the gut.
‘You were saying?’ Kyle mocked.
The others quickly moved and grabbed his arms, pinning him down after some struggle. Their leader stood up and spat a mouthful of blood on the floor. ‘Oh, you’re in for it now,’ he said menacingly before hitting him across the face.
Kyle’s lip busted open at the attack but he stared defiantly back. ‘Do your worst,’ he spat. ‘I’m not afraid of you.’
The leader smirked before pulling his arm back for another punch when Samuel’s voice came through.
‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’
Everyone’s head turned at this sudden intrusion. The leader frowned and stepped back. ‘Why are you defending him? He is our enemy and he just came here to spy on us.’
‘Be that as it may,’ Samuel acceded. ‘He is nevertheless our guest and that’s not how we treat our guests, is it? Honestly I expected much better from you Jackson.’
‘I don’t need your help,’ Kyle sneered with difficulty, the cut on his lip deepening further.
‘Shut up, Griffin,’ Samuel ordered calmly. ‘I don’t like you very much either.’
The leader looked at Samuel. ‘I don’t care what you think. You are a traitor for trying to defend him and if you don’t get out of our way, we’ll just have to beat you up as well.’
‘I’m afraid you won’t be beating anyone up tonight,’ Samuel replied.
‘Oh, and only the two of you are going to stop us?’
His gang burst out into raucous laughter but Samuel was unfazed. ‘No, not two of us,’ he answered cheerfully. ‘Just him.’
The laughter died down as Jayden, who had remained silent all this time, stepped up and regarded them with a bored expression.
‘Six against one? That hardly seems like a fair fight.’
The teens cracked their burly knuckles threateningly as they faced up to him. The leader kicked Kyle away and turned his attention to him. ‘Very well, this would be quick.’
Samuel rushed to Kyle’s side as the fight broke out behind him. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked as he helped him to sit up. ‘Is anything broken?’
Kyle spat out a mouthful of blood before shaking his head. ‘Everything is fine I think. Shouldn’t we be helping him?’
‘Trust me, he is not the one you need to be worrying about.’
He was right. It turned out that the leader’s words had been true and in a short amount of time, the fight was over. The six teens groaned as they lay on the ground, a few of them had even passed out.
Jayden walked over to the leader and crouched beside him, rolling him over to stare disappointedly at his badly bruised face. ‘I warned you it wasn’t a fair fight.’
He shook his head at him before standing and making his way over to where Samuel had propped Kyle up against the wall.
‘How is he?’ he asked.
‘He would live, luckily nothing is broken.’ Samuel turned to Kyle. ‘Can you stand?’
Kyle nodded and with Samuel’s help got unsteadily to his feet. Samuel placed an arm around him to support him as they walked out of the gym.
‘Why are you helping me?’ Kyle asked Samuel as they made their way towards the dormitories.
‘We didn’t do it for you. We made a promise to a friend. He’s the one you need to thank.’
Kyle grew quiet at that and they hobbled along silently. The silence was soon broken when they heard two figures arguing from up ahead. The voices became louder as they got closer then it suddenly stopped.
They turned the corner just in time to see Noel run into the Scorpius building with Charles staring after him with a conflicted look on his face before slowly turning to make his way into Aquila.
Jayden closed his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh as if he was already completely sick of all the drama today. He turned apologetically to Samuel but he didn’t need to say anything. Samuel gave him a small smile and nodded. ‘It’s okay, I’ll see you later.’
Jayden nodded gratefully before turning and making his way into his dormitory. Samuel waited before he had disappeared into the building before continuing towards Draco with Kyle still on his arm.
They walked in silence before Samuel suddenly asked aloud. ‘Why are you here Griffin?’
His tone had a displeased edge to it as he went on. ‘It seems as if you are just here to cause trouble for everyone and I already had to go against my teammates from the basketball team for you.’
Kyle considered avoiding to answer but considering all that he had done for him he finally sighed and whispered, ‘I really didn’t mean for all that to happen. I just wanted to be closer to him.’
He didn’t mention any names but Samuel had a good guess who he was talking about. He thought carefully before replying. ‘Cam is already in love with someone else.’
Kyle nodded dejectedly. ‘I know that.’ He scoffed at the surprised look on Samuel’s face. ‘It wasn’t that difficult to figure out from the way he stares at Leo like a lovestruck puppy. But of course, that idiot was too oblivious to notice what was right in front of him.’ He paused and whispered softly. ‘Or maybe that’s just because I was so focused on him that I was able to see it.’
Samuel stared contemplatively at the ground as they walked. ‘It’s definitely not going to be easy, not only are our schools bitter enemies but the raging homophobia is also going to be against you.’ He paused and a small smile came to his face. ‘But if he’s truly the one, it would all work out and you’ll find out it was all worth it in the end so I wouldn’t lose hope just yet.’
Kyle nodded gratefully. ‘Thanks, I appreciate it. So who’s the one who’s got you all lovestruck?’
Samuel glanced curiously at him. ‘Isn’t it obvious? It’s Jayden.’
Kyle let out a surprised breath. ‘Wow, I did not see that one coming.’
They had reached the doors to Draco by now and entered the close to empty lounge. Cam was sitting in the corner with a heavy tome in his hands and he looked up with surprise as they entered. He slammed the book shut as he rushed up to them.
‘What the hell happened?’
‘Nothing much, just needed to take out the trash,’ Kyle said cheerily, wincing slightly as Samuel set him down on a chaise lounge.
Cam rolled his eyes at him and prodded Kyle’s side with his book. ‘That doesn’t look like nothing,’ he commented sarcastically as Kyle winced sharply.
Kyle chuckled with some difficulty. ‘Trust me, the other guys look much worse than I do. I almost feel sorry for them.’ He placed his hands into his jacket and pulled out a small box of chocolates. ‘I got this for you, they’re your favourite aren’t they?’
Cam nodded in surprise and took the box from him. He opened it and sniffed eagerly before picking a piece to nibble happily on.
Kyle laughed and pointed to the corner of his cheek. ‘You have a bit of chocolate over there.’
Cam glared at him. ‘Instead of cackling like some mad hyena why can’t you be more helpful and clean it off?’
Kyle grinned at that. ‘Sure thing,’ he said before moving his lips closer to lick it off but Cam shoved his head back with another eyeroll.
‘Idiot,’ he muttered though there was no aggression in his voice. He continued to munch quite happily on the box as Kyle watched him with a soft look in his eyes.
Samuel stood aside and watched the two for a while before turning to walk out of the building to make his way to the observatory.
It was a few hours before Jayden climbed up the rooftop. He was still wearing his Samuel’s cupids T-shirt and he looked more than a little worn out. He sat down beside Samuel as he glanced at him.
‘How is Noel?’ Samuel asked worriedly.
‘He would be alright, just the usual stuff with Charles.’ Jayden’s tone became one of disgust as he mentioned Charles’ name. He turned to Samuel. ‘What about you, how is Griffin?’
‘Fine, I left him with Cam. Did you know that-‘
‘Let me guess, Griffin has a thing for Cam? It’s been obvious for months.’
Samuel stared at his boyfriend in amazement. He shook his head at himself. ‘I don’t even know why I get surprised by this anymore. It’s like you know everything.’
‘Mhm, not everything, I’m just pretty observant.’ Jayden bopped Samuel on the nose as he brought his face closer to his to smirk at him. ‘You would be too if you weren’t so distracted with staring at me all the time.’
Samuel cocked his head and smiled back at him. ‘I can’t help it. My boyfriend is so adorably cute.’
Jayden’s smirk disappeared into a glower. ‘I’m not cute.’
‘See, you’re just proving my point.’ He sighed and placed his head on Jayden’s shoulder. ‘Today has been so stressful. Noel is still strung up on Charles, then there’s the thing with Kyle. And Paul?’ He shook his head. ‘Only he knows what goes on in his head. I don’t know why I bother with Valentine’s Day anymore, I didn’t even get to do anything with you.’
Jayden hummed thoughtfully. ‘Well, it’s still not midnight so Valentine’s Day is not over yet.’
Samuel raised his head to look up at him. ‘What could we possibly do with just ten minutes?’
Jayden smiled softly and pulled his phone from his pocket. His nose crinkled in distaste as he glanced through the songs Samuel had downloaded on it. ‘Have I ever mentioned that you have shitty music taste?’
‘Oldies are goldies and you can never convince me otherwise,’ Samuel stated firmly. ‘Besides, are you just going to use the time to question my taste in music again?’
‘No, I’m going to do this.’
It’s been a long long time by Kitty Kallen started playing through the phone’s speakers and Jayden stood up and offered his arm to Samuel.
‘May I have this dance?’
Samuel was surprised for a moment then he smiled and took Jayden’s hand. ‘It would be an honour.’
Jayden smiled and pulled him up, placing his arm around Samuel’s waist and leading him in a slow dance on the roof.
‘I thought you hated my music.’
Jayden hummed. ‘I do, but I like you more.’
Samuel suddenly dipped him, causing him to laugh as he pulled him up again. He then twirled Samuel before bringing him sharply back. They moved away then towards each other, placing their palms gently against each others.
Jayden stared into Samuel’s eyes as they slowly moved closer to bring their lips together in a slow kiss, pulling back to place their foreheads together. The two laughed as they continued to dance together far past midnight as the stars twinkled merrily above them.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I don’t even know which one is the longest chapter anymore, I keep breaking my own record. Anyway, tons of fluff in the last part, am I right? I was listening to the song as I wrote the dance scene and I had to keep myself from dying from all the overload.
What do you think about the Kyle and Cam ship? Sailing or no? Or is the Leo and Cam ship still possible? Let me know in the comments.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, and if you enjoyed this one, please don’t forget to light up that merry little star below.
Till next time peeps!
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