More Than Friends (boyxboy)

Chapter 4: The pizza

"I like pizza too!"

☆

Bay feels a sudden pull of his blazer as a hand emerges from the slightly opened doorway as he gets pulled into the darkness. He has no time to protest as the door quickly closes behind him and he is momentarily plunged into darkness with the stranger, before a light switch is flicked and the small room is lit up.

"M...Mark!" Bay says with surprise as the other student towers over him a little.

"Bayley." The other male states as he subconsciously looks Bay up and down. Bay swallows hard, wondering if he should confirm or deny his name, considering the location he had found himself in, with someone he knew only by name, rather than by nature. Mark, feeling impatient, folds his arms. " You're name is Bayley right?"

"I am." Bay finds his lips move before he can stop them.

"Ah good." Mark instantly takes a step back, his demeanour suddenly changing from mildly threatening to rather friendly. "Sorry about the secrecy, people don't know." He says, as he runs a hand through his dark blonde hair.

"Know what?" Bay looks at the boy a little confused.

"That I'm getting tutored by someone like you. They think I'm good at maths."

"Oh, right." Bay looks at Mark, not sure whether to feel offended by being implied to as an inferior species or feel intrigued that the male was supposedly good already. "So... are you good at maths or not?"

"I'm good. Really good." Mark grins with that air of smugness Bay had often witnessed from afar, usually in the canteen where he had done something or other to impress the many friends and admirers he seemed to have.

"Then why am I here?" He again questions.

"I'm good, but I'm not the best. I need to be the best. Mr Thompson says you are the best in the school."

Bay tried to suppress the smile which was dying to spread across his face. "He said that?"

Mark nods. "That's why I need to know your secret. I have to be the best at everything."

Bay nods at first, his mind instantly going to what he was planning to go through, with this new student. Would it now be too easy? But then he looks at Mark once again. "Why? Why do you have to be the best?"

"I have my reasons." He looks away from Bay's gaze as his stare gravitates towards nothingness over Bay's shoulder before he returns his stare. "So are you gonna help me or not?"

"I guess." Bay shrugs, he knew he didn't care for comparisons. If Mark needed to be the best, he was welcome to it. Instead, he felt quite excited. He had never met a like minded student with an interest in maths before. Archie and he had shared many interests, but mathematics wasn't one of them.

"Great!" Mark says with a smile as he places a hand on Bay's shoulder, making him wobble. "The lessons don't leave this room...."

***

Archie stands in line for food at the canteen, keeping a watchful eye on the pizza slices, which seemed to be going down faster than he had liked, considering how far back in line he was. He didn't mind Bay doing his tutoring over lunch but still missed his company when he wasn't around. Archie kept on finding he had to stop himself every time he wanted to speak, whether it be about the threat of no pizza or whatever amusement caught his eye as there was no one around to share it with.

"Nooo! There had better be pizza!" Archie hears the voice of another echo his sentiment. He turns to see none other than Lena behind him.

He quickly turns back to face the front. Not wanting to stare too much, but something inside of him knows that he has been given this opportunity. A casual chat about pizza. Nothing too presumptuous, this was like a test. He silently blows out a shot of air before turning around one again to face the girl. "I was thinking the same. I like pizza too. I like pepperoni. What's your favourite?" He feels the words leave him as if he was having an outer body experience. Why was he rambling so much?

Lena looks up at Archie with amusement. "I like pepperoni too."

"Nice." Archie grins. "We have something in common ... I'm Archie, by the way."

"I'm Lena." She replies.

"I know, I mean.... Everyone knows you, but I didn't know your name, not until this morning, but I do now."

"You like to talk a lot." She says laughing.

"Bay says that too." Archie says, joining in with the laughter.

"Bay?" She wonders. "Who's that?"

"My friend Bayley." Archie replies. "He's not here right now.... well obviously." He finds himself laughing once again at his ridiculous situation he had found himself in.

"Oh ok." Lena says as she points in front of him. "The line..."

Archie turns to see the line had moved along without him even noticing. Then spots the only pepperoni slice left behind the glass screen. "Ah, would you look at that?" He sighs.

"That's me out then." Lena says, sounding deflated.

"You can have it. I mean if it's still there, you can have it instead of me." Archie says without thought. "I'll buy it for you."

"Really? That's so sweet." Lena smiles as she again gazes up at him and at that moment, he knew he had made the right decision.