Welcome To The School

22

The day had passed in a whirlwind of quick-fire questions, theory tests, harsh training and pure chaos (the last was mostly in the cafeteria at lunch, where it basically turned into a fight to get the best spots, and the best food). Eijeh was fully prepared to collapse in his dorm and play Monopoly or Uno with Ellowyn and Blair, but just as he reached out to open the door, someone tutted behind him. He spun. "Forgetting something?" Eijeh hesitated.
"No." It wasn't exactly a lie. He knew exactly where he was supposed to be. He just didn't particularly want to be there.
"Well, you're going to the detention whether you like it or not, Eijeh. Otherwise she'll go absolutely ballistic. I know from personal experience."
He frowned at Adira. "How do you even know I have detention?"
"Professor Syzak put me in charge of making sure you go to your detention. She thought you probably wouldn't show up unless someone else dragged you there."
He shrugged. "Fair. But I'm still not going." Adira sighed and looked at him like a hurt puppy. He wondered how Vesper ever won arguments if her girlfriend had that face on her side. Maybe she didn't. "Fineeeee."

"For detention, the two of you will be clearing out the cupboard in the corner. Gloves are over there." Not looking at each other, Hayden and Eijeh grabbed a pair each and moved towards the cupboard in question. When they got within three feet of it, Hayden wrinkled their nose. "Sheesh, it smells like there's a dead body in there."
"Maybe there is." Eijeh deadpanned. Hayden snorted, and Eijeh did too. For a minute, it seemed as though the fight had never happened. All too soon, the moment ended, and they began their task in frosty and awkward silence.

"Look," Eijeh began awkwardly, "I don't get why you overreacted so much, but I think it's dumb. We see each other every damn day, Hayden, our dorms are across the hall from each other for God's sake! Can we stop this nonsense, or not?"
Hayden gave him an incredulous look. "What the actual hell, Eijeh?! You've been ignoring me and acting like I'm the worst person in the world because I didn't want to see you hurt, and you know what? It hurts, Eijeh. You may think I was overreacting, but all I was doing is looking out for you!" They made a sort of choking sound, tears tracing their pale skin. "And you have no idea how much I miss you. It's been a month, Eijeh. And I...I just can't act like I hate you anymore."
Eijeh faltered. Maybe he'd misunderstood all of this...Maybe he'd been wrong.
"Please, Ei." Hayden hung their head.
At that moment, Eijeh let go of the anger he'd been keeping bottled up. He put his hand on Hayden's arm and nodded. Just once. But it was enough.
"GET ON WITH YOUR WORK!!!" Syzak hollered. Eijeh and Hayden burst out laughing, why exactly they couldn't say. But at that moment, it seemed all was right in the world.