Apex Academy

Part 3

Octavio glanced over at his new companion that he had just met a few hours ago and felt a warmth spread across his body. He had felt listened to when he had spoken out about his addiction and female problems and didn't feel judged. He was grateful that he had bumped into the handsome teenager and was even more surprised when he realised that he had already met a few people at the table. 

"Elliot, You made it!" Renee exclaimed a small flicker of a smile gracing her features. Octane couldn't remember the last time he had seen the woman smile and noticed it right away. He kept that to himself though and wondered if Renee was crushing on the older male. He admitted that the boy was stunningly handsome with his soft brown curly locks, Chocolate brown eyes that glowed under the soft lighting of the bar, Even the scars on his face managed to look heavenly. Octavio found himself wishing that he wasn't straight because he would go gay for this man. 

"You know each other?" Octane questioned as he pushed himself onto a shared booth earning a few groans from the other members. Renee nodded her expression changing back to her normal emotionless stoic look. He used to be scared of her until he realised that she was just as broken as he was. The two had shared a few stories and had a close bond that went unnoticed by the rest of the group. "Yeah, He is my new dorm mate." She stated softly her blue orbs boring into his bright green ones. He held her eye contact for a moment before looking towards Natalie and Tae. His expression turned to a slightly pained one. Renee questioned the sudden shift but didn't have the time to ask because Elliot swooped in like a guardian angel. 

"Want to order a few rounds?" He heard the gentle but gruff voice of the engineering student mumble into his ear and nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah!" He exclaimed and scrambled from out of the booth and swung himself into Elliot who stumbled and let out a charming laugh. A real laugh that hadn't been heard in a long time. "Hey, Evan. How are you today?" Octane questioned as he neared the bar. 

Evan looked up from cleaning a glass, His face was unreadable but his eyes held a slightly hostile shimmer as the eccentric male appeared in his line of sight. "What do you want Silva, I don't want you causing any more trouble. I should have barred you for the uproar you caused that semester." Octavio didn't seem fazed by the harsh words that were thrown in his direction and instead took a seat on a barstool and ushered Elliot over with a small smile. 

Elliot glared daggers at his older brother and wished nothing more than to knock some politeness into him. He had never gotten along with Evan and preferred Elon. Elon was the twin brother of Evan who had been sent to war and never returned. He was missing and presumed dead. Evan was unaffected but Elliot was the most affected by the event and went weeks without eating or taking care of himself. "Can't you be nice just for once in your pathetic little life?" Elliot spoke before realising what he had said. 

Octavio's head snapped up nearly causing him to get whiplash as Elliot defended his honour. It was well known that Evan had a dislike for the group and resented Octavio. "Everything alright over here Silva?" A Jamaican accent broke him out of his shocked thoughts as his best friend took a seat beside him and pulled him into a side hug. He simply nodded and looked between Evan and Elliot as an intense staredown had begun. 

"Well well well, If it isn't my puny younger brother, You finally found a friend who matches your weirdness then? I trusted that you had better picks but you failed like you always do." Evan responded and began pouring Octavio's usual drink and slammed it down in front of the jumpy male. 

A.Jay had spent most of the night wondering where her best friend was. She had texted him a few times to make sure that he wasn't dead but never expected a reply since he had the attention span of a puppy. She had felt relieved when he had entered the bar and even more relieved when she realised that he had found someone to keep him company whilst she was busy. She hadn't expected anyone to stand up for Silva, She was always the one defending him from bullies and dragging him away from pointless fights. She wondered who the new guy was and thought back to the conversation Renee and she had, had a few moments before the two males walked into the bar. She had mentioned having a new roommate who seemed to have issues with certain types of contact and had a panic attack. Renee had told her because A.Jay was the popular teenage medic on the campus grounds and was well known for helping out anyone in need. She had promised to keep a lookout on him when she figured out who he was. She had noticed at first glance that he was putting on an act, A confident act that would soon crumble under the pressure. She hoped that he would be able to become her friend or join the crew. 

"Just give me a drink Evan, Nobody wants to hear you talk," Elliot responded and broke the intense eye contact that he was having with his brother. He saw his brother's face break into a smug smirk as he poured another shot and shoved it over to him. "You will always be the failure that ruined our Mom's life," Evan mumbled before turning away to speak to someone else. 

Octavio and A. Jay had just managed to pick up a few of the hurtful words that Evan had thrown in Elliot's direction. A.Jay could feel Octavio growing irritated at the bartender and decided that it would be best to separate him from the bar. She quickly grabbed her friends drink and leaned over and grabbed his and Elliot's arms and dragged them back over to her group of friends and shoved them into a booth and shot them a stern glare. "Do not be causing any drama, You 'ere me!" 

Elliot watched with a glum expression as A.Jay wondered off back towards the bar and began speaking to a shocked looking Evan. When she returned he could feel the glare coming from his brother and knew that his life at the college was going to be a living hell. His brother had anger issues and tended to take after his father and lash out at Elliot and some of his other siblings. "I think I might just head home." He mumbled towards Octane who glanced up from staring at the booth's soft leather and nodded and placed a gentle hand on his newly found friend. "Ask Renee for my phone number and message me if you need anything." 

Octavio watched as the memorising male walked out of the bar and let out a sigh, He broke out of his thoughts when Renee slid into the booth opposite him and stared at him until he finally cracked. "What is it, Renee?" He muttered and rubbed his tired eyes and shifted in his seat as the phantom pain began to etch up his prosthetic legs. He watched as her eyes shifted white for a split second. He had known that she was on some sort of quest to figure out who her real parents were and figure out why she could hear voices in her head that helped her out, So far nothing had shown up. 

Renee slouched down into the seat and looked at her fingernails. "You are in pain, Have you taken any stims today?" She question in a flat tone and flickered her bright orbs to meet his own. He shook his head and raised a shaky hand. "Nah, Trying to cut down."  He stated and leaned closer to her. "Doc's orders." 

Renee nodded in understanding. She had once been an addict to a certain medication before it was cancelled and she went into withdrawal, Not many people had known about it until it was shared across campus and now everyone avoided her and Octane, They had become to be called the 'Addict club'. "Everything alright with Elliot, He seemed off when he left here." She questioned her tone fiercely and was protective. 

Octane raised his head to look at her and smiled. "You care about him, Don't you? You see something in him that nobody else does and you want to help him." He chuckled as Renee grabbed a napkin and balled it up into a ball and lobbed it off of his head. "His brother and he had a disagreement and A.Jay went back over to Evan and told him off and I think that Elliot is worried that it will come back to bite him in the ass." He shrugged and lazily moved from the booth and stretched. "I am heading out. Seeya in class. Bright and early." He smirked knowing full well that they would turn up at the class at the same time, Half an hour late because they couldn't be asked to move out of the comfort of the bed. 

Renee gave him a knowing smile and watched as he moved towards the door. 'Pain, Terrible Pain. Help.'  She sighed as the voice began to shoot off in her head as her eyes followed his retreating form. She shot a look towards A.Jay and nodded towards the door. She got the drift and excused herself for the night and tore after her best friend.