Love, On Read (MxM)

Chapter 8: Yellow Flag

A/N: And it's here, sorry for posting infrequently, lmao. As per usual, I didn't fully edit but meh. Still set during their junior year, we'll be back to our usual Haruto and Ollie banter next chapter.

Ollie's POV

It was the week before Homecoming, and the football boys were far crankier than all the girls during their menstrual cycle put together. Not only were they practicing like crazy so they could win the game on our turf, a few top-tier scouts were rumored to show up at our game. It's believed they were coming to check out our opposing team's star player, but if our team won, it would likely put a lot of our varsity team in their list of candidates.

With that said, I spent most of my week with the GSA club, student council committees, and occasionally helping the theatre department with the decorations for spirit week and setting up the banners for the big game. The football team was lost in their own world, mindlessly going on and on about plays, and strategies, so I found myself sitting with the other cliques I belonged to, if you will. Besides, Benji was still playing his weird cold shoulder game with me, and I accepted that Mason was more or less my new chauffeur.

Of course, it wasn't just the football team and pms-ing ladies that were cranky; I was, in fact, feeling my crankiest given that the student council wanted us to decorate all of Monday afternoon to ensure that school spirit was everywhere on campus. Was it totally excessive and basically child labor? Oh, a hundred percent. How sweet of them to provide us some delicious Famous Amos cookies to hold us over during a practical four hour shift with no breaks at all.

All in the name for school spirit and pride, I guess. The only bright side was that this whole week was football practice, and Mason still insisted on driving me, so I didn't have to wait for their practice to be over at the town square sitting at a coffee shop by myself for hours. But who am I kidding, I enjoyed sitting at those high stools there, regardless if I looked like an utter loser by myself. At least it was air-conditioned, and I had access to actual food and beverages instead of stale cookies and warm Capri-Suns.

After painstakingly decorating over twenty banners and hanging paper garland in the main halls, the GSA and theatre club were spent, taking an unwarranted break with our stale cookies and warm juice. We were in charge of hanging the posters throughout campus and being the stereotypical dramatic people we were; we weren't looking forward to being out in the hot sun to post these around.

"I'll take Eva and Maya and post these near the main office," I announced, wanting to remain in the building. A few of the others groaned, but our short dark-haired secretary of the GSA club, Harvey, gripped my arm.

"Actually, I could use some help if that's alright?" Harvey looked up, a paint smear just above his eyebrow. "I think they wanted this one down by the field, but it's one of the longer ones."

Without much thought behind it, I nodded, grabbing the rope and tape. "By the locker rooms? Or on the field?"

"The locker rooms. It's the first thing you see when the other team pulls up."

"Got it." I followed Harvey to the lower campus, grabbing the other end of the folded poster as Harvey's shorter stature struggled to keep it from dragging on the ground. "So Little Shop, yeah?"

He nearly tripped on his own feet as he turned toward me. "Yeah, Mrs. Stroud said she knew a guy with the giant plant puppet from another school. I'm surprised we aren't doing an easier musical, one with more females and less set design."

"Well, it's better than doing one everyone else is doing; I think three of the schools nearby are all doing Into the Woods."

Harvey pouted. "I'd rather do that one, but that has more male leads anyways."