The head boy

Part 28 - Peace and cold

There's a delicate smell in my room as I wake up...it's probably due to all the flowers, I'm gonna have to move them somewhere else, I can't live like Tarzan.

"Tom Edmonstone!" I call out for this freaking Head boy as soon as I get out of my room, he's gonna fix that, it's his problem after all.

"Geez, don't shout like that," Lin comes out of her room, rubbing her eyes before walking past me like a zombie.

I follow her downstairs and go to knock on Tom's door, I knock once, then twice and at some point I'm just running out of patience and decide to barge into his bedroom. "Tom Edmonstone!" I shout as I come in and am greeted with a sleepy groan.

His room is still plunged in the dark, it's freezing cold in here, I wonder how he sleeps at night... "Tom?" I walk up to his bed, is he really still sleeping?

"Leave me alone mother..." he mumbles. Mother?

"I'm not your mom Tom but I'm still about to scold you."

"Huh?" he lifts his head and when he sees me he straightens almost instantly, "I'm alright, another day of-" *cough* "-work..."

What is wrong with this living icicle today? "Are you alright?" I walk closer to his bed on which he is busy blowing his nose. And suddenly I am struck by realisation, I hadn't thought of it before because it's impossible, right? The living blizzard, the prince of ice, the conqueror of Antarctica! Could it be that... *sneeze* TOM CAUGHT A COLD???

"I'm gonna need another tissue," he says sheepishly as he rummages through his nightstand, unaware of the revolution that is happening inside my head. If Tom Edmonstone can catch colds then maybe fire can get burnt! And the wind can get its brushing undone! Maybe even that the sun wishes he could turn the light off at night...but when is the night for him? Okay okay, I digress..

Tom gave me his jacket last night, he stood there in the rain pouring his heart out to me...

"You're sick," I sit on his mattress and place my hand on his forehead, he's burning hot.

"Nonsense!" he declares before standing up, "I am not missing a day of work because of a runny nose," he disappears in the bathroom for a moment and comes out fresh as a daisy, in appearance anyway. "Good morning Ida, you look beautiful today, just like every other day actually," he takes a normal voice and leans in to kiss me but I move away.

"You're sick! You and your virus stay away from me!" I say, sternly. But then realise... "Did you just call me Ida?" he nods, "and beautiful?" he nods again, "I really wanna kiss you right now-"

"Please, do not hold back," he nods.

"But for today I'll squeeze your hand," I say and take a hold of his hand before squeezing it tightly, he eyes me with a curious gaze before frowning at me.

"If that's all, we're already late, c'mon Miss- Ida," He's still trying to learn to call me by my first name, it's adorable. Tom is really old school, he waited for us to start dating to call me that, or maybe he's just a living icicle who hates people and won't create any bound with anybody so he just calls them by their family names to sound less friendly.

umm...

"If we go now we'll be half an hour early," I check my watch.

"That's where you're wrong, Mi- Ida, if we go now we will be the first to arrive, always walk two steps ahead of everyone else, that's how you become the number one," he nods confidently and I discreetly roll my eyes, breakfast is important too...

***

As we enter the head student's study Tom goes to his desk and slumps into his chair, "have you seen the 2021 accounting report?" I notice how he winces a little as he speaks, I'm sure his head is killing him right now...