VARSITY 9 | BL

SEVENTEEN | RACING HEARTS

"Ughhhh," Toma released a heavy breath as he sunk into a chair in the lounge area on the fourth floor of Resident Building G. The six had just finished dinner and were relaxing in the comfortable lounge.

"This was one of the longest weeks of my life," Stryke commented as he leaned his head back to rest against the rim of his cushioned chair.

"I honestly can't believe it went by so quickly," Toma returned.

"Eh??" Stryke lifted his head to look at Toma with a raised brow. "In what way did it go by quickly? Maybe it's because you're further away from the sun, so you aren't as in tune with its cycles."

Toma fell silent as he tried to process what Sryke had just said while Liyam stifled a laugh. "Hey!!" Toma's eyes widened when he finally realized it was a jab at his height. Extending his leg, Toma reached for Stryke to kick him, but unfortunately, his limb was not as long as he needed it to be to hit its mark.

Stryke smirked at Toma's failed attempt to kick his shin and laid his head back down before closing his eyes. The other four had remained quiet and were thankful for the peace and quiet they finally had. The six were completely exhausted after finishing their final training session for the week. Practicing the basic stances in martial arts was harder than they had cut it out to be.

Although they were exhausted and worn from their first week at Azari, they were having the time of their lives. The instructors were understanding and patient, the food was amazing, and their classmates all got along with each other...well, except for Wen and Kean.

Tensions remained high between the two boys. They had yet to speak to each other and avoided eye contact as best they could. The other four had quickly picked up on the hostility between the two and had decided to not test the waters. So, they did not force interactions between Wen and Kean and let the two be.

Although he hated being with Kean when not in class or training, Wen could not bring himself to leave the group; this was because Lay would undoubtedly follow him, and Wen did not want to hinder Lay from making friends with others. Toma and Lay hit it off pretty well and were becoming good friends.

And wherever Toma went, Stryke went. And Kean's friendship with Stryke was much like Wen's friendship with Lay, so with Stryke came Kean. And Liyam...well, Wen was not too sure why Liyam stuck with the group. Maybe because he was Lay's roommate...?

Wen let out a breath as he leaned his head back. The momentary silence that hung over the group of students nearly lulled Wen to sleep, however, the sound of sniffles kept him from completely falling asleep. Lazily opening his eyes, Wen lifted his head and looked around. Who is crying?

Swiveling his head from left to right, Wen spotted a distraught boy slowly shuffling down the dimmed hallway. Since it was now after-hours, the lighting in all the residential buildings had automatically dimmed, so Wen could not determine who was nearing them until the figure reached the lounge.

"Brix?" Wen called out the boy's name, catching his attention.

Hearing his name, Brix slowly turned toward the one who had called him. His eyes were glimmering, and his cheeks were stained by tear streams. He had been crying for quite some time. His hair, which was usually styled up, was all disheveled and hung before his wet eyes.

"You okay, bro?" Stryke, who had also lifted his head at the sound of Brix's sniffles, inquired as he watched the disheartened boy come to a stop just before the sofas and chairs the group was lounging on.

Silence followed Stryke's question, and then sniffles sounded from Brix as he hung his head before eventually answering, "My...my girlfriend broke up with me."