If there's a fire

2.

/Tj/

Thomas led James from his- their dorm room, to the cafeteria. On the long walk, they said nothing, walking side by side in the heat.

Thomas took this time to try and figure James Madison out. Here's what he knew:

James Madison was an extremely smart kid, and a musician. He moved to Kings Academy because he wanted to join the orchestra. He used to go to Schuyler High- Thomas made a mental note to research that later- and left for better musical training.

That's all Tj knew. He couldn't tell who James was. At first glance he just looked- regular. Thomas couldn't tell if he was a scholarship kid, or if he was possibly the richest kid here.

But James was humble. Or maybe it was just that he was quiet. So if he did have money, Thomas would bet he didn't boast about it. Nothing he wore had a visible brand, which confused Thomas, in his Yeezy season 3 sweater, with his new NMD's. He wore what everyone else wore- but better.

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts to James resting a hand on his arm. Looking down, Thomas noticed James's eyes for the first time. They made him want to... blush? Tj had never blushed before.

"Uh- aren't we here?" James asked quietly. Thomas looked around, surprised to find that, in that short walk, they'd already reached the cafeteria. He must've been so wrapped in his thoughts...

"Yeah, we are-" Thomas led James inside the building. There were tons of people their age- but Tj quickly spotted John.

John was a taller guy, his hair fluffy as could be. His face was covered in freckles, it was kind of odd. Thomas walked up to him, punching him in the back.

"Thomas- what's up." John said. He didn't seem exactly... excited to see Thomas.

"Nothing much, just showing the new kid around. See you got them Yeezy's.... last season." Thomas accused. John rolled his eyes and looked past Thomas. He smiled at James.

"Hi- I'm John, John Laurens. And you are...?"

"James. James Madison." James introduced himself in the same manner as John. John just smiled.

"I hope you enjoy it here. Why are you with... him?" Thomas heard John whisper. He rolled his eyes.

"Thomas? Thomas is my roommate." James said.

Thomas bit his lips.

"No one really calls me Thomas. It's Tj." Thomas said. His voice was normally rude- he was surprised by his own, sweet tone. James just nodded.

"S-sorry."

The tour quickly began. Thomas and James walked side by side, John switching between his friends and the two every once and a while.

"So- what does your dad do?" James asked. Thomas shrugged.

"Lots. He's a lawyer, and my moms a doctor. They work a lot." Thomas said. James just nodded.

"Your parents?" Thomas asked. James just shrugged.

"My mom's never home, and, uh, my Dad works a lot." James said.

"But you don't know what they do?" Thomas asked. He was suspicious of James for this.

"My Dad's in sales. He does a lot. And my mom travels a lot with pharmaceutical stuff." James said. He was completely lying- but how would Thomas react to, ''My mom said she was going out for milk ten years ago, but they must've run out. And my Dad works three jobs but still can't afford for himself to eat, let alone me.'

He wouldn't react well, that was for sure.

The tour took them from dorm room to dorm room, before exploring the halls of the actual campus. James discovered where his teachers were, and he found that Thomas was in most of his classes. John was in three of them, and one of Johns friends, Alex, was in two with him.

Alex was a weird guy- short, he talked too fast. He and John were both on Debate, and apparently Alex was the star of the show. Thomas, it seemed, did not like Alex.

"I was thinking of joining debate this year..." Thomas said. Alex squinted.

"Again? You were on debate for years and got nowhere. You lost most of your debates, and your ideals?-" Alex ranted. Thomas glared.

"I was the best on the team during my time, Alex, so you can chill. I lost one debate. And that's because I was given a side I just couldn't agree with. Surely you can understand that." Thomas said. James was shocked- debate? He knew his school had a debate team, but only three or four people joined. Apparently it was enough, though.

Thomas and Alex ignored each other for the rest of the tour.

The tour finished up, and Tj and James returned to their shared dorm.

"Uh- I think I may hold off on seeing about switching your roommate." Thomas said. James smiled lightly.

"Uh- thanks." He said.

The day drew to a close, and James didn't want to leave. He didn't want to return to his father, to their house that reeked of booze in a neighborhood where you had to carry a gun just to feel safe in your own home.

He liked it at Kings, where the only issue was listening to the guy across the hallway blare his music, or the pretentious voices all around him. It may not have been perfect, but hell, it was so much better than anything James could've ever had at home.

Seven rolled around and James said goodbye to Thomas. He'd see him in a month and a half, and he honestly couldn't wait.

Kings Academy was so much more than James had ever dreamed it would be- and he hadn't even started school yet.

//// Note: Aaaaaaaaaa it's another chapter. This one is a little bit shorter but they'll all be around this length or longer. Feedback, Votes, and Comments are always appreciated. Bye! -Abbie ////