Oakleaf Academy For Boys

five

It was taken in an abandoned warehouse. It had been derelict for years, sitting on the outskirts of their sketchy town. Where they lived, almost everyone was considered a chav with a rude mouth and a dead future. The neighbourhoods were dangerous and rough and despite how perfectly innocent Alex appeared, he was tougher than anyone could have anticipated.

The warehouse had been empty when they arrived to smash windows with rocks and throw bricks at the walls for the pure thrill of it. Sebastian found a rusty Polaroid camera in an old storage cupboard and took a photo of Alex straight after a round of rough, unplanned sex on the concrete floor. He didn't even expect the thing to work, let alone actually print the photo.

But it was Sebastian's favourite picture of him. He looked so innocent, yet so mischievous, like he was planning something truly evil. But he also looked happy, and that's what Sebastian loved most about it.

They didn't know that a week later Alex would be diagnosed with stage three cancer.

The second he heard the door handle twist, Sebastian stuffed the photo back under his bed and twisted into a sitting position.

"Okay, I didn't knock, I know, but..." Lucky stopped in his tracks, watching his roommate stare at the floor dully. "What's...what's happening? Why aren't you pissed?"

Lucky had been here almost two weeks now. He still hadn't knocked once. Sebastian scolded him every time. The brunette didn't answer Lucky's question, he was so deep in his own memories, he'd barely processed the fact that Lucky had even entered.

"Uh...mate?" Lucky waved a hand in front of his face. "Have you been crying?"

Steel finally snapped his gaze up to meet his roommate's silver eyes. Steel's cheeks were wet and his eyes were tinged red. "Fuck off." Sebastian murmured with little assertion.

Lucky snorted, leaning back against the wall, "I'm not exactly dying to go to my room. Sorry, I meant, bathroom. I live in a bathroom, Steel."

"What d'you want?" He spat.

He glanced down at his nails nonchalantly, "Oh, I'm just trying to take advantage of you. You know, kick you while you're down. Use your weakness against you." He grinned smugly.

"Fuck off." Steel repeated sternly.

"It's my room too. I thought I made that pretty clear by my defiance towards knocking."

Steel wanted to get up and punch him, then drag his sleeping body to his bed in the bathroom and slam the door. But he didn't have it in him. He was too emotionally drained. All he could do was sit there and stare at nothingness.

"Seriously?" Lucky asked in exasperation. "You're not even going to reply?"

"Please..." Steel whispered, "Please just leave me alone."

Lucky's brows creased into a curious frown as Steel leant back against the wall, his legs sprawled out on the bed in front of him. His face was covered by the shadow of the top bunk, but he could tell his expression was one of misery. It's not that Lucky loathed Steel, he just resented him. Lucky had done nothing wrong and was being treated like shit for merely entering his own room without knocking. But it was clear that Steel needed help, and he wouldn't deny that to someone who desperately needed it - whether they saw it that way or not.

With a heavy sigh, he crossed the small room and collapsed onto the bed beside Steel, shuffling until his back was pressed up against the cold wall too. "There was a kid in my class who said that to his friend. The friend was stupid enough to listen." Lucky said quietly, staring at his dirty shoes hanging off the side of the bed. "He ODed that night."