The Ranking System (BoyxBoy)✔

⚜Chapter 18: Two Boys, One Bottle

Peter and Clyde, the two guys who stuffed junk in my locker, were sound asleep. I opened the bottle in which Vadim and I peed in earlier in the day, kind of weirded out by the fact that it was still warm. This was bromance at a whole new level. 

When I cracked open the bottle, a foul odor hit me full in the face, and my other hand flew over my nose and mouth. I squinted my eyes, wondering where I should pour the liquid. On their shoes? Their clothes? Hm, I wonder...

I opted for the shoes, so they'd wake up with a sticky and smelly surprise, but as I approached one of their beds, I stubbed my toe against an unexpected table which we didn't have in our room. I let out a silent scream of pain. The boy on the left groaned and rolled onto his back and I quickly got on the floor, rolling under his bed to hide. I was in such a rush that I spilled some of the liquid. 

"Clyde," Peter groaned. "Did you hear something?"

Clyde—who was still asleep—started a sentence that merged into a prolonged grumble.

"Clyde," Peter insisted.

"What?" Clyde finally replied in a croaky voice.

"There was a noise," insisted Peter. 

"You were dreaming."

Yeah, Peter, you were dreaming. Go back to sleep, I silently hissed in my head.

But Peter wouldn't give up. 

"Clyde," he groaned again. "Can you get up and check?"

"Seriously? We've already talked about this, Peter. The boogieman doesn't exist."

Peter sniffed the air. "Something smells bad."

"I know. Take a shower."

"No, it smells like... pee. Did you wet the bed again?"

I was learning too many intimate things in a very short span of time.

"Are you really going to bring that up in the middle of the night?" Clyde muttered hastily, sounding more awake and annoyed. 

"I swear something smells rotten."

"Maybe it was from earlier this morning when we messed with the new kid's locker," Clyde grumbled.

"I told you karma exists."

"If it really does, then everyone in this school is doomed."

Peter wouldn't stop complaining. Clyde let out a sputtering sigh but eventually got up from his bed. I stiffened when I saw his feet walk past me. He opened the curtains of the barred windows. The shadows of the swaying cheap curtain linen danced against the floor, and a cold breeze entered the room. 

"How long do you think he'll last?"

"Dunno, maybe a day or two?" 

"I feel a little guilty for what we did," Peter murmured. 

"I'm not your priest, Peter. Go confess your sins elsewhere," Clyde growled.

"I still feel bad."

"If someone hears you talking like that—" Clyde warned him. I guess I wasn't the only one who had to fake an iron mask. 

Peter was finally quiet. This time, Clyde spoke first. "Stop sulking." His voice was softer. "We won't mess with him anymore. We already got a warning from Styx anyway."

My brows rose from the new piece of information. Why would Styx give them a warning? 

"Do you think Styx is marking his territory?"

"I highly doubt it."

"Then why?"

Yeah, why?

"Adam, why else?" Clyde said. My eyes widened. 

"You think?"

"Haven't you seen the way Adam looks at him?"

"Oh, that look."

What look were they talking about?

Peter and Clyde's conversation slowly died, but right when I thought the coast was clear, Peter's weight shifted from the bed and a loud cry shot through the air. Suddenly, I could see what was in front of me. 

"I told you to warn me before turning the lights on!" Clyde hissed. 

"I swear I smell something," Peter said, refusing to give up. "You think it's the rats?" 

"Check the rat traps under the bed." 

Under the bed?

I turned my head and stiffened. There was a rat trap just inches away from my nose. I guess I should be happy that I stubbed my toe instead of getting my nose snapped off. My heart froze when Peter got on his knees to check under the bed. My mind went spiraling in panic.

What do I do? Splash the bottle of piss in his face and make a run for it? Play fair and fight him? Sure, that was an option, but we'd risk waking up the night guards. Who knows what would happen afterward? Self-confinement? No, thanks. 

I held my breath when Peter got on his knees, but there was a knock on the door. 

"Good evening, gopniks." My eyes widened when I recognized the familiar voice.   

⚜⚜⚜

Peter and Clyde may be my new favorite duo 😂

Q/A: Do you have any fall traditions? Roasting chestnuts, raking leaves, baking Halloween cookies, etc?

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