Young and Foolish

Chapter 11: Better at Hiding from the Enemy than a Super Spy

Theodore's POV: 

Even though I had signed up for extracurricular activities, I couldn't find the energy to go to it. I had gotten the chance to fill my stomach, but not sleep. 

The students were less robotic in the cafeteria, and many of them seemed like they were just getting along with pals. But it was still much quieter and less friendly than any normal school cafeteria. I blame the security guards. 

Too scared to approach a random table and mix with a wrong crowd, I sat near the far corner. Normally, I'd hate to have a guard breathing down my neck while eating my lunch, but I could breathe easy sitting so close to protection. 

I successfully made it through the day without talking to anyone else, and at least, that felt a bit normal to me. I had always been a bit of an introvert, and there was no need for me to be making friends at a place like this. 

And when 5:00 p.m. rolled around, I knew I should've spent more time hiding away from my roommate, but the bunk bed in our room was telepathically begging me to come to it. 

Knowing I had to go all the way back to the West Wing dorm and climb three flights of stairs and walk all the way to the far end and then struggle with that awfully heavy door really dissuaded me from checking out any new clubs. I could always do that tomorrow. If I got any sleep tonight, that is. 

At least my roommate left me my room key. I didn't get the chance to check the clock when he showed up yesterday, but it was fairly dark out when he threw me out. Hopefully, he wouldn't get back until dark today either. 

Still, I snuck around the dorms, trying to remain as innocuous as possible. If I so much as caught a glimpse of my roommate, I'd book it. Probably try to find somewhere outside where I could sleep in a bush or something like that. 

I surprisingly made it all the way to my room door without seeing him. I pressed my ear against the door and listened in closely, but I didn't hear a sound, which either meant he wasn't there or he was freakishly quiet. I really hoped it was the former, because if not, that'd only give me another reason to be scared of him. 

I opened up the door, faintly thanking the moon goddess that my roommate hadn't switched out the key or tried changing the locks, though that would've been a bit extreme. I let out a breath of relief when he wasn't in there. 

I grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. In the cupboards were enough toiletries and towels for the both of us to share. I locked the door, just in case my roommate showed up and tossed me out again, naked this time around. 

The maximum heat setting was only just hotter than room temperature, and I couldn't stop staring at the hole in the tile wall. But the soap smelled good and the soft pitter patter of water was enough to relax some of the tension building up inside me. Or maybe it was the prospect of being able to crash in a bed. For a few hours at least, if my roommate was hopefully late again. 

I would've gotten dressed in a comfy t-shirt and some nice shorts, but I'd be cold if my roommate tossed me out wearing only that. I put on a jumper with sweats instead. 

He still hadn't arrived by the time exited the bathroom (hooray!), but then another worry nagged at my exhausted mind. 

We had a bunkbed to share, which was all fine and dandy, but what troubled me was which mattress was mine. He'd probably chop me into little pieces and toss those remains out if I slept on his bed. But I had no idea which one belonged to him. 

Both the top and bottom were perfectly identical, and both looked completely untouched. 

The bunk bed looked short. If he slept in the bottom, there'd be no way he wouldn't hit his head any time he sat up. And he was a tall guy with a hulking mass of 6 foot something. Getting up on the top would be super easy for him. He probably slept in the top bunk. Or at least, that's the argument my sleep addled brain could come up with, solely because I was too tired to climb the ladder to the top. 

Whatever. If I guessed wrong, at least I'll be well rested when he kills me. 

I crawled onto the bed, covering myself with the thin sheet. I smiled faintly at the nice scent of soap on the pillow. Had I been any more awake, I would've noticed that my roommate's scent was strongest here than anywhere else in the room. Had I been more awake, I probably would've enjoyed the scent less.