The Problem Child

Anything you please

Though Charlie was all excited about detention the last day, he felt his nervousness pick up when the last bell rang.

He bid his friends farewell and started walking towards the detention room. Jia had whacked him in the head and Joshua had shook his head in disappointment.

Was he really getting more like his newly found... Friends?

Though a part of wanted to believe that it was fun and great, deep inside, he knew that spending time with them had had its effect on him. And he didn't know how to feel about it. Because he himself could not tell if it was a good change or a bad change that was happening to him. From what others have been telling him, he had had an impression that it was a bad change and a voice in his head keeps on yelling at him to push those two away and carry on with his life as he had done earlier.

However, he found himself focusing on the fact that, he had, indeed, become way more happier than he was before he had met the duo. And he decided to go with his instincts. It was better that way.

Trevor and Conner were nowhere to be found. He wondered if Trevor might even show up for detention. He wouldn't even show up for class, much less detention.

The thought made his heart sink. What if he did all of this for nothing?

He didn't protest when the principal gave him detention as he saw this as a chance to get to know Trevor better and.... Maybe, he might even make him grow feelings for him. That's a little too much to do in two week's time, but he could atleast try.

Charlie was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that he had already reached the detention room.

He felt so nervous and had to rub his clammy hands against his jeans before turning the door knob. He wondered if there were going to be a lots of students in there. If that is the case, he was going to kill Trevor for not showing up.

When he opened the door, he saw their P.E teacher, Mr. Wilbert, sitting inside, reading some magazine.

At the sound of the door creaking, the teacher looked up from his magazine and his face visibly settled itself into a frown when he saw Charlie standing in the doorway.  "Carlton?" He asked in confusion, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

Charlie smiled nervously. "I got into a little bit of trouble"

"Hm... Go have a seat"

Charlie turned his head to the seats and saw the room filled with empty chairs. He felt a pang of relief wash through him and he let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding. He went and sat on the chair near the window. Window sides has always been his favourite spot since that was from wherewe could get lost in the outer world when classes are too boring. He wondered when Trevor was going to show up. If  he was going to show up.

"Everything good at home?" The teacher asked.

"Yeah, yeah. All good"

Mr. Wilbert nodded and continued reading his magazine.

Charlie sat there, gazing out of the window as the cool breeze ran through his hair. It felt so damn good against his face. He sighed and kept glancing at the clock that hung on the wall, every now and then.

•••

Twenty minutes had passed and still no signs of Trevor. Charlie sighed every now and then as he checked the time. He has been tapping his foot impatiently and his expression had turned into a deep frown. He could almost feel his anxiety pick up as he was at the verge of start biting his finger nails.

His head immediately perked up as he heard the door knob turn.

Trevor stepped in with his usual poker face and Charlie's face lit up. He looked at the teacher and found him already asleep.

Charlie waved his hand to gain Trevor's attention, even though there technically weren't anyone else in the room other than a sleeping P. E teacher steal away his attention.

Trevor clicked his tongue and walked towards the empty chair beside Charlie, whose wide grin was threatening to tear his face apart.

"What took you so long?" Charlie asked in a complaining tone as soon as Trevor sat down.

Trevor huffed. "Never planned on coming. Conner insisted I come here" He shrugged and put his hands behind his head as he leaned back on the heels of his chair.

Charlie hated to admit it. But it disappointed him to know that Trevor naturally didn't want to come and spend some time with him. He genuinely wished if he had said something different. Yet, Charlie decided to mask his feelings.

"Hm-hm. So... What are we supposed to do in here?" He asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Anything you please"

"W-what?" Charlie choked out as he tried to figure out what exactly Trevor meant.

Was he messing around with him? Or was it just the way he spoke and it didn't actually mean anything but he took it wrong because--

"I said you can do anything as you please. Like study, or sleep, or whatever you fancy" Trevor felt like explaining something to a kid. Picking out word by word, emphasizing every point. He couldn't quiet put a finger into why he was talking like that to a guy who was his age.

Charlie felt so stupid for overthinking stuff. Of course, he didn't mean anything. He mentally slapped himself and kept his focus on the buildings outside the window.

The buildings were toned a faint yellow-orange by the evening Sunlight that washed them in its glory.

Charlie loved how the sky turned more and more into a shade of pink as it moved away from the horizon. The birds flying about made it look like an aesthetic photograph.

Oh, how he wished if he were one of them birds, flying freely in the sky... Somewhere with no boundaries or limits...