Oakleaf Academy For Boys

thirty three

Lucky was wrapped up in a blanket, only his weary eyes and a tousle of blue hair visible. He was curled into a ball in the corner of the library, shielded by the tall front desk, making him invisible. Benji and Diesel were on the other side of the room, talking in hushed whispers. Occasionally, Lucky would hear Benji giggle at something Diesel said, followed by the silence of a kiss.

Lucky had slept in Benji's bed with him last night, squashed into the small space, their bodies pressed up together almost sexually. Lucky had asked Benji to promise him that Diesel wouldn't mind, but Benji just brushed him off and insisted. He wouldn't let his friend go back to his own dorm in that state. Kit had also been jolted awake from the commotion and asked Lucky if he wanted to sleep in his bed, offering to stay in Lucky's dorm with Sebastian instead. Lucky refused of course, and now he was drained of energy and seconds away from falling asleep right there and then.

"You just look exhausted is all." Elias felt Benji's forehead with the back of his hand, but Benji just brushed him away.

"Lucky fidgets in his sleep." Benji yawned.

"How about tonight you sleep in with me and let Lucky take your bed?" Elias offered.

Just the thought made Benji blush and turn away, "No thanks."

Elias laughed and took Benji's hand in his, kissing his knuckles gently. "Don't you trust me to be a gentleman?"

Benji pulled his hand away and stuffed it into his pocket. "Of course I do. It's just...you know..."

"I don't know."

Benji laughed and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it. You ready to finally open this place?"

Lucky napped behind the counter for half the day, occasionally opening his eyes to eat the food Benji brought him and attempt to read an old book of Renaissance poetry. They got a few visitors. Just enough to put a smile on Benji's face, not too many to stress him out. They had never intended for a grand opening with posters and music and an energised atmosphere. A few people had heard of it through rumours and that was all.

Lucky stiffened when he glanced up to see Sebastian wandering into the library, bags weighting down his eyes. Diesel shifted in his place behind the counter, trying to shield the smaller boy's body. "Hey." Diesel greeted flatly.

Sebastian rose his brows in surprise, "What're you doing here?"

Diesel just shrugged, "Helping out."

"I didn't know you and the Pup were friends." He pondered before mentally dismissing the issue. "Do you know if Lucky's here? I can't find him anywhere."

Lucky shuffled closer to Diesel's feet, making sure he was completely hidden. "Lucky?" Diesel asked in mock confusion, his brows furrowed together. "The smurf?"

"My roommate."

"Haven't seen him."

"You sure?" Sebastian pressed desperately. "Isn't he always with that Pup?"

"Not today. What d'you need him for anyway?"

Sebastian sighed deeply. "Don't worry." He said heavily. "If he comes up here, tell him I'm looking for him."

"Sure." Diesel said nonchalantly. He waited until Sebastian had exited the library before glancing down, "He's gone."

Lucky let out a relieved breath, his shoulders relaxing, "Thanks, mate."

"What's up with him?"

"Nothing." Lucky shook his head. "He's just...he's a dick."

"Aren't they all?" Diesel winked, sparing one last sympathetic look at the boy before heading back onto the floor to join Benji.

"Hey." Benji smiled warmly. He was sat at the long table, scribbling on little rectangular cards with felt tips. He was writing out genres to display around the library and handed Elias a stack when he sat beside him. "Eli?"

"Hm?" Elias mumbled, grabbing a blue marker and filling out some of the little cards. The library was empty aside from a couple of kids flicking through an old magazine they had found.

"I'm sorry for making you angry the other day." He apologised quietly. "I just couldn't understand how you could end up here without doing anything wrong."

"It was my brother." He sighed. "Timothy. He did it."

"D-Did what?" Benji questioned in a whisper, his hands frozen, the word 'Thrillers' only half finished on his piece of card.

"He used to mug people." Elias continued calmly, barely looking up from the table. "One time, some guy didn't give him their money, and he doused them in diesel."

Benji's eyes widened as he dropped his pen to the floor. "W-What?"

Elias just shrugged. "He lit a match and threatened to burn him if he didn't hand over his wallet. The guy finally did, but called the police straight after."

"And what happened?" Benji asked eagerly.

"We kinda look alike, me and Timothy." Diesel said sadly. "He blamed me and I guess no one bothered to question it. When the guy saw my picture, he identified me as the culprit."

"Shit, Eli... I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." He sighed. "I've got used to it by now. This place isn't all bad." He finally pulled his eyes off the paper and soaked up Benji's pretty face, smiling softly. "By the time I arrived, people had already heard about what I'd allegedly done. They nicknamed me Diesel and I just went with it."

"B-But you're innocent. You shouldn't be here."

Elias scoffed. "Who cares? You shouldn't be here either, but here we are."

Benji shook his head defiantly. "That's not true. I deserve to be here. I hurt someone really badly and I need to pay for that. You didn't hurt anyone."

"Pup, when will you realise that you did nothing wrong? That bastard got what he deserved. In fact, he's lucky you didn't kill him."

"Don't say that." Benji murmured under his breath. "I couldn't live with myself if I had."

Elias rested a warm hand on Benji's knee under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just try not to feel too guilty." He instructed softly as Benji hesitantly rested his cool hand over Elias'.

"I'll try."

Benji was still in shock.

He couldn't believe that Oakleaf's most feared boy was the only innocent one.