Oakleaf Academy For Boys

two

Benji gulped as he stared into the crooked mirror hanging on his bedroom wall, his baby blue eyes staring right back. He tried to flatten down his unruly hair in an attempt to look more presentable. But then he remembered where he was going and quickly messed it up again. He wanted to fade into the shadows and sink into the crowd. He couldn't look like a target.

It was hard not to when you wore huge glasses and scuffed up converse. Benji blinked a couple of times before taking his glasses off, squinting to try and readjust his vision. He reached for his contacts and carefully put them in, glancing back at the mirror once his sight was clear. He looked better - less vulnerable - but not by much.

Realising this was as much progress he was going to make, he sighed heavily, running his fingers through his tousled copper hair, before leaving his bedroom for the last time.

The two hour car journey seemed to last a lifetime, tense and nerve wracking. Benji felt like the oxygen sitting in the car was heavier than it should be, tightening his throat as he took deep shaky breaths. His knee bobbed up and down incessantly, his heart pounding against his rib cage, his mind spinning.

He wondered how he was going to die. Would he be pushed down the stairs and snap his neck? Beaten to death? Would he trip over a bar of soap in the shower and crack his head open? He wasn't sure. But what he did know was that this school would be the death of him. There was no escaping that.

He gulped as the building loomed into view. It looks like a prison, Benji thought.

The first thing he saw was the tall wall bordering the perimeter, making sure nothing got in. Or out. Coils of barbed wire spun into loops above the fence, sharp spikes sticking out in all directions. The gate was assembled by thick bars, allowing small gaps for Benji to peer through. From here, he could see the school.

He zoned out as his Mum said something into the little speaker by the gate, a crackly voice replying before the gates parted, allowing them access. As their car rolled up the gravel slope, Benji had his face pressed up against the cool glass, his eyes darting around in horror.

There were three different building blocks and he could spot a courtyard through the gaps, where students milled about in tattered uniforms, passing around cigarettes. The buildings were like white boxes all of the same height, with small windows piercing the outer walls, all hosting thick bars to ensure kids remained locked in.

He craned his neck a little and caught sight of a pitch just behind the main campus area. There was a small row of benches and faint white lines that had been sprayed onto the grass. But besides that, it looked overgrown and neglected.

He knew the school only accepted kids who were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, so it wasn't very big. There were about five hundred students at Oakleaf - a lot smaller than his old school. His normal school.

Once he'd been through a metal detector, got patted down and had his bag searched, he was forced to say goodbye to his parents. He gave them firm hugs and promised to see them during half term. And then they left. And he was on his own.

The next thing he knew, he was sat in front of the head teacher, Mr Welding, who stared down at him with a bored expression. "The rules are simple, Mr Cooper," He begun. "No weapons, drugs or alcohol. Smoking is not permitted and if caught, there will be consequences." He drawled. Mr Welding's tone told him otherwise. The bundle of kids smoking outside told him otherwise. Benji assumed it was just one of those things where teachers turned a blind eye. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good." He nodded emotionlessly before continuing, "No mobile phones or any other electronic devices. No fighting with students or teachers. If you're caught out of bed after lights out, you will be punished. If you skip class without permission, you will be punished. If you leave school properly without permission, you will be punished." He drawled. "You must wear your school uniform during school hours from Monday to Friday, on weekends you may wear your own clothes. When you go to your new dorm room, there will be two shirts, two pairs of trousers, a tie, and a blazer waiting for you."