The Halls of Westwood [BxB]

Chapter 2

Now, Beau's roommate was violently scribbling away at a piece of paper before throwing his head against the wall with a loud groan. Markos hadn't bothered unpacking more than he needed. But he had insisted on putting up a beautifully hand-sewn tapestry because 'If I spend any longer staring at these bland walls I might just throw myself against it until it's painted red'.

"Are you alright?" Beau asked, trying to disguise any pain or loss in his voice. Although he originally planned to arrive being out and open about his sexuality, he had decided that it was best to figure out how his roommate felt about lgbtq+ people first... He wouldn't exactly feel comfortable in a place where his roommate hated him over his sexuality. He was sure Markos wouldn't even care, but he decided it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

"No. No, I am not alright" Markos huffed before relaxing into the fluffy pillows on his bed. "That being said, would you rather a love interest be ruggedly handsome or exceptionally beautiful?"

"I-" Beau felt a blush creep to his face and he stared at his roommate completely baffled for a moment. "What?"

"I have an English short-story due in a few weeks and I have to go above and beyond so that my teacher will see I am a valuable student and stop throwing a hissy fit over my clothing" Markos, for the first time in a week, finally gave Beau half an explanation as to why he said the things he did. "You're a gay man so I thought I'd get your opinion"

"How'd you know...?" Beau knew he must be more flustered than a teenager talking to his crush but he had to know if he was that obvious. And if he was how had he managed to stay in the closet as long as he did.

"I do now" Markos smirked down at his paper before setting it aside. "You walk back with that boy from Ohio every day and he is not a straight man. The only thing that had me thinking otherwise is your lack of creativity in your style... You really couldn't have been bothered to cuff your jeans? Or maybe even put a logo on a t-shirt?"

"I didn't even think you knew I existed" Beau scoffed. "And I walk back with Aiden because he lives across the hall and I met him at a mental hospital a few days ago"

"Interesting" Markos hummed before standing up. "How tall are you?"

"I'm five foot eleven" Beau stared at the slender boy feeling puzzled. Markos stared at him for a few moments, mumbling something under his breath about how much he hated the imperial system before digging through his bags. He pulled out a simple hoodie. Half black, half a pale pink, and tossed it in Beau's direction.

"Sadly, I do not have time to lecture you about clothing but what I do have is a hoodie that I don't plan on ever touching, much less wearing again" Markos scoffed. "I'm taking you shopping the moment they let us into the city though"

Beau froze as he stared down at the soft cotton material. Not because it was a nice and unexpected gesture, but because he was terrified to even touch it. He knew Markos was very well off and he had once heard him say 'If it isn't a name brand it doesn't touch my skin' meaning the hoodie must have been worth more than Beau's bank account.

"Thank you? But you really don't have to-" But it was already too late because Markos had already left the dorm.

A boy with white fluffy hair laid out across Jayce's bed as he watched the simple boy pace between his bag and his desk, perfectly aligning each book he had brought with him. Austin's pale eyes were beginning to droop from exhaustion as he wondered where Markos was. Somebody had to save him from his boredom and it certainly wasn't going to be someone as common as Jayce.

The three boys were supposed to be working on a group project. The moment their economics teacher announced that they'd be working with their deskmate, Austin was elated. Markos was clever and seemed to do well in school. And as socially smart as Austin was, he couldn't tell you the first thing about academics. He was a C-average student and that was only because he couldn't fail a class without getting kicked out of dance. But then the teacher realized they had an odd number of students and Jayce was added to their group.