Boarding School Boyfriends

Chapter Two

"New blood," the teenager hears someone say the following morning as he follows Will into the diner, where students eat their breakfast, dinner, and tea. It's a large room with five long tables in the middle of the room and a line for food at the back.

"Ignore them," Will warns Dan in a hushed voice, "They're just idiots. They couldn't tell an apple from an elephant. They will try and fight anything that moves." 

Dan laughs at the comment as he follows Will, his guide. He chooses the same food as he is and even follows him to a table where another boy is sat, a boy that Dan doesn't recall seeing at all yesterday, even though Will said hey to many people.

"Alright, Woody?" Will smiles at the boy, who wears a blue jumper. He has shoulder length hair and a glint in his eye that screams mischief.

"Morning," he replies without a smile, lethargy in his voice. "Ever told you I hate mornings?" 

"Just the once. Anyway, Woody, this is Dan. He's new and he will be sitting with us now. Dan, this is Woody. He hates mornings." 

Dan smiles as he takes a seat next to Will. "Nice to meet you," he says, shaking his hand. "I would like to say I also hate mornings, but I don't really have a problem with them." 

"That's just weird..." Woody grunts, shaking his head at Dan, who just laughs. 

"Oi! New Blood!" Someone shouts over towards Dan, grabbing his attention. "What are you here for? Daddy issues?" There is a chorus of oooh's around the room as everyone falls into a stunned silence, wondering how the new boy will react.

Although the comment confuses Dan- is this the place people get sent to if they have 'daddy issues'?- an argument takes place in his head. Either he can be the passive person he was before, or he can argue back and let it be known that he will no longer take any shit.

"Fuck off, that's why you're here, not me." He replies, rolling his eyes. This silences the room immediately.

Woody's eyes shoot open in shock, as do most other people's, "Dan..." He says quietly, "His name is Russell... That is why he is here..." 

Russell is easily way taller than Dan and way heavier. As Russell rises from his chair, a bubble of fear rises in Dan.

"I don't care!" Dan replies, watching Russell as he stalks closer to them. Will just shakes his head.

"The fuck did you just say?" Russell has a voice deeper than anything Dan has ever heard. This causes another mental argument to take place- does he repeat what he's said or just mumble a nothing, I'm so sorry.

"You heard me." 

"Oh my God, Dan. Shut the fuck up." Will watches the scene unfold, feeling helpless as Dan seems to just dig himself a deeper grave.

"No, I refuse to sit here whilst this moron  is chatting absolute shit with no proof of anything." The teenager growls, "It's not my fault that your dad didn't love you, so don't take it out on me." 

Will just face palms and Woody looks away as Russell lifts his fist.

"Russell, man, stop." Somebody shouts from Russell's table, their voice making Russell lower his fist. "Sit down before you get into trouble, you fool." 

Will face palms and Woody looks away as Russell lifts his fist.

"Russell, stop." Somebody from Russell's table says, their voice making Russell lower his fist. "Sit down before you get into trouble, you fool."

Dan doesn't get a chance to see who said it, but for the rest of breakfast, he is reminded that he is an idiot by Will and Woody multiple times, and he receives the occasional glare from Russell. He thinks nothing of it, though. As much as he doesn't want it to happen, he will fight if he has to.

"This, my death searching friend, is our English room. Our teacher, Miss Baxter, usually turns up around four minutes late- and yes, it is that boring we do actually count."  Dan follows Woody into the classroom and finds all but two seats are taken up. "Pretty passive class if you ask me- ain't nobody in here who will cause trouble." 

Dan takes a seat on the desk between Woody and next to a boy who has his head on the desk, eyes shut and asleep.

"Oi, Barnes. Wake up before you get yelled at again." Woody tells the boy, throwing his pen at him from his desk, making it fly over Dan. The boy just grunts and turns the other way. "Didn't see you at breakfast, like usual." 

"Too early," Barnes mumbles, still not lifting his head. "Way too early. Far, far too early. Abuse and all that." 

"At least lift your head up and introduce yourself, man. This is Dan, the new kid. Dan, this is Charlie. He's always asleep." 

Charlie laughs and lifts his head from the desk, "There is no better way to describe me than that. I hate everything so much..." 

"As you can see, he's very optimistic." Woody smiles, going to retrieve his pen. 

Dan takes note of Charlie's blue jumper that matches Woody's, and the matching mischievous glint. 

"How could anybody stuck here be optimistic?" Charlie laughs as the teacher walks in.

"Oi! Fresh blood, what're you doing?" Someone yells at Dan as he walks up to his locker. "Why's your hair look like that?" 

There is no denying that Dan's hair makes him stand out from everyone else, the way it seems to just stand on its own. It's always been something he has been aware of, although he's never felt particularly self-conscious about it. 

"Fuck off," Dan says, running his hand through it to make it stand taller. He refuses to let these people get the better of him.

"Shut the fuck up, his hair is fine," he hears someone comment, their voice distinctly familiar from earlier when Russell was about to knock his lights out. When Dan looks around, though, he can't see who it's coming from.  "Stop bullying him. I like his hair."