two weeks

partners

———LIAM———

    I do not want to go on this trip. Sure, I'd get expelled and all for skipping it, but it could be worth it. I mean, for real, who wants to go to a nature reserve to study flowers for two weeks? I don't have any friends other than Tasha, and she won't be partnered with me because partners share rooms. Even though I'm extremely gay, guys and girls can't share. Now, sitting in auditorium waiting for our partners to be announced, I'm wondering whether jumping out the window would kill me or not.

      Mr. Barnes strolls onto the stage, him and  his magnificent four foot stature. He lowers the microphone to his height and clears his presumably ancient throat. I sigh loudly, rewarding a threatening glance from the boy in front of me. My heart skips a beat. Derek.

Stop. You can't like him, he despises you. Man, if you asked him out, you'd catch the hardest punch you could ever imagine!

     "Class," murmurs Mr. Barnes. The grade collectively sighs and quiets. No one wants to go on this trip, but I guess it's better than normal classes. "I'm here to announce your partnerships and wish you goodbye. Your bags are already loaded onto the buses. The partner that you are assigned is unchanging and it is important you remember who they are. They will be your roommate, tour buddy, and friend, overall, for the next two weeks," he croaks out. Madame Horace stands behind him, prepared for his great 379 year old body to topple over into her arms. Not like she'd do much, she's got at least two feet on him.

      "Without further ado, your partnerships. Adelaide and Sally. Ramona and Terry. Lisa and Quinn. Erin and Renee. Tasha and Ollie," I cast a fake-joyous look at Tasha. Her and Ollie are good friends so of course I'm happy for her, but this just makes my already dreaded fate even worse. I'm aware that I'd never be partnered with Tasha, but I still prayed. I tune out Mr. Barnes and stare at the ceiling. A stray balloon from prom sits stuck up there, apparently the janitors are too lazy to take it down. A stain of what looks like wine marks the left wall, how it got there I'm not sure. Lazily, I listen to Barnes continue his raspy monologue.

     "Rob and Tyler. Dominick and Harry. Kevin and Nick. Derek and Tom," suddenly, Derek stiffens in front of me. His knuckles go white due to how hard he's clutching the arms of his seat. Something in me wants to reach forward and touch his shoulder to reassure him it'll be alright, but I'd get killed. Sure, Derek himself has never hurt me, but I've caught a few beatings by his friends in the halls. After all, I don't even know what's going on. Without warning, he stands up and walks to Mr. Whitaker. They discuss quietly and Derek seems to be upset. I feel a bit stressed myself, seeing him like that. He throws his hands in the air and sighs, seemingly defeated. He seems to ask one more thing and then return to his seat. I shrug and Mr. Barnes announces I'll be partners with Gus. I sigh. This is going to be a long trip.

———

As quickly as I can, I board my bus. I want to get a window seat so at least during the six hour drive I'll have some scenery. The buses are huge and absolutely awesome. From my seat, I can only see the seat next to me where my partner will sit and no one else.

Damn, so this is why they had to make budget cuts.

Two of the buses leave and ours is the last to go. I can't help but feel a bit stressed for Gus since ours is next and he's nowhere to be seen. I shrug and place my bag down on his seat. Almost exactly a millisecond later, it's shoved off.

    "Hey!" I snap, turning to the person sitting next to me. To my surprise, it's not Gus, but...

    "Derek?" I exclaim, attempting to channel all my shock into that one word. He rolls his eyes and leans over towards me, a bit too close.

    "That is my name, yes," he hisses, rolling his eyes and putting in his earbuds.

    "I thought Gus and I were partners, not you!" I say, still shocked and confused. He rips out his earbuds and rolls his eyes, again.

     "Try not to sound so dismayed, asshole, it's not like I want to be partners with a loser like you either," he growls, leaning into my face. I won't lie, his words really sting and his expression softens, he seems regretful. "I-" he begins quietly, seeming to realize he'd gone too far.

     "No, you're right," I hiss back at him, feeling tears well up in my eyes. I'm an absolute crybaby, despite the way I absolutely refuse to cry. I hold back the tears well, I've had a lot of practice. "I am a loser. Just listen to your fucking music," I whisper, leaning against the back of my chair and looking as far away from him as possible. I can feel his gaze boring into my back as the bus pulls away. Looking over my shoulder at him, I feel tears threatening to escape my eyes. He looks upset, like he's lost. He suddenly reached his hand out to touch my shoulder but drops it at the last second. I huff at him and stare back out the window. I don't know why his comment hurt so much, it's probably just cause it's true. Man, this will be one hell of a trip.

———

About an hour into the ride we're all told to take out our earbuds and get off our phones. This is a "social trip" where we should "make friends" and "be social." Social is probably my least favorite word, especially since I'd heard it ten times in the last hour. I had gotten on my own phone for a little bit but I turned it off and looked out the window when told to. I was truly terrified of breaking rules, I'm not quite the adventurous type. Derek, however, continues listening to his music and staring at the ceiling. After about half an hour of this, he abruptly rips them out and throws them in his bag.

    "Woah, no need to attack your backpack with tho-" I start to say but I'm interrupted by him.

   "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have called you a loser. You are an asshole, but I'm just as much of a loser as you." He says quickly. I realize that he actually did feel bad and that this was hanging over his head.

    "Well, if you're just as much of a loser as me, then you're just insulting me more," I tease him with a smirk. He punches my arm lightly, the first time he's ever actually touched me.

   "Shut the fuck up, Miller," he mutters, rolling his eyes. As he turns, I spot a small grin.