ᴏᴜᴛꜱɪᴅᴇ ɪɴꜰʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇ

Chapter 6: Union

The sun had just set over the horizon, casting a golden hue across the campus of Ericson's. Your first day had been a whirlwind of new faces, rules and the overwhelming feeling of trying to fit in. But you made friends and that's all that mattered to you. The courtyard was silent besides the gravel crunching beneath your shoes paired with the distant chatter from the dining hall. Infrequent lights shone from the dormitory windows, glowing a dim yellow through the thin curtains. Rows of metal bars served as blockades for both the students and the light. As you wandered the grounds, you felt a familiar tug on your sleeve. Startled by the motion you turned, Mitch's mischievous grin filling your vision. "Hey, you up for some trouble?" He asked, eyebrows raising as he cocked his head.

"Not particularly." It was only your first day, you didn't want your name to crop up too much already.

"C'mon," Mitch drawled, his tone entwined with a whine. "you'll like it, trust me."

Glancing behind you for pupils or teachers, you hesitantly folded your arms. "It's nothing too bad, right?"

Mitch tossed his head from side to side. "No, not at all." He insisted.

Checking your shoulders once more, you clasped your lower lip in your mouth in ponderance. "Ok, fine." Much like old times, you gave in, "As long as it's nothing I'll get in trouble for."

Mitch's grin broadened at your response. He beckoned you to follow him, escorting you across the site. The walk was peaceful, blanketed by the ambience of the deep forest. Trees gently rustled against one another as the wind breezed through the canopy. The sounds of your fellow students faded into distant murmurs as you grew further away from the main area. He led you to a building shrouded in shadow at the edge of the property which you soon recognised to be the greenhouse. It was stark to its daytime appearance, its once glistening windows now shrouded by a dark gloom, no moon out to illuminate it.

Mitch pulled a key from his pocket, "Swiped it from Mr Millen after biology. He'll never suspect a thing." The door creaked open and the smell of earth and budding plants greeted you. The greenhouse was a sanctuary, filled with the comforting sounds of rustling leaves and the faint chirp of crickets outside.

"Yeah, he will." You argued, cautiously treading in.

"Nah, he drops that thing all the time. I'll just leave it outside the door." Mitch flipped on a small lantern that was tucked beneath a shelf, casting a warm glow over the room. "Here," he offered, pulling over a couple of stools. "Take a seat." You both sat down, the quiet of the greenhouse wrapping around you like a blanket. For a moment, you just sat there, absorbing the peace. "It's kinda weird, isn't it?" Mitch finally said, breaking the silence. "Being here. Together again."

"Yeah," you agreed. "It's like... everything's changed, but some things are still the same." Mitch nodded, his gaze drifting to the plants around you. Following his vision, you added, "I missed you, you know. Back home. It wasn't the same without you."

He stifled a chuckle. "No kidding. You blew up half the gym just to be here." There was a pause, comfortable and familiar. Then Mitch turned to you and smiled, a rare, genuine smile that you hadn't seen in a long time. "I'm glad you're here. I would've done the same for you, y'know."

A smile tugged at your lips, curling with sincerity. "I know." Despite knowing Mitch wasn't a tactile person, you couldn't help but lean in to wrap him in a hug. Squeezing him gently, you rested your head into the crook of his neck, the warmth of his skin permeating yours. He froze momentarily, tensing before stiffly returning the gesture. He placed his arms around your waist, his embrace loose.

Pulling away, his arms shot back to his sides, looking elsewhere as he awkwardly cleared his throat. "My friends think you're pretty rad."

"Rad?" You echoed with a laugh, "What are you, a skater?"

Mitch glared half-heartedly, "Shut up, dude, I'm tryna be nice." Your humoured smile widened at his words. It was laughable that your social circle saw Mitch as a meat-headed brute, yet he acted like this in secret.

"Nice, huh?" You echoed, leaning against one of the wooden tables covered in pots and seedlings.

Mitch rolled his eyes, but you could see the faint blush creeping up his neck. He absent-mindedly twiddled with his sleeve. "Yeah, well... I just thought you should know."

You couldn't help but smile at his attempt to be genuine. It was moments like these that made you appreciate the layers beneath Mitch's tough exterior. "I appreciate it," you softly stated. "Really, I do."

For a moment, the two of you sat in comfortable silence, the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant sounds of the school providing a serene atmosphere. The greenhouse housed a chill atmosphere, devoid of the relentless stuffiness of the daytime. A flickering orange glow scarcely illuminated Mitch's countenance with the moon's absence, the low-quality lamp your only source of light within the evening.

Turning around, you reached out and plucked a small, delicate flower from a nearby plant, holding it out to him. "Here's a token of my appreciation." You joked, a playful grin pulling at your lips.

Mitch stared at the flower, then at you, before taking it hesitantly. "Thanks," he muttered, twirling the stem between his fingers, suppressing the urge to tear it apart.

"So," you drawled, glancing around the greenhouse, "why'd you want to sneak in here anyway?"

"I don't know." Mitch shrugged. "I guess it's peaceful in here. Never thought I'd find myself hanging out in a greenhouse, though."

You gently laughed, kicking him playfully with the tip. "Maybe you'll develop a green thumb."

He snorted, shaking his head. "Don't push your luck." Mitch gave you a half-assed frown, a wave of familiarity washing over you nostalgically. Although your new environment wasn't ideal, the sensation accompanied by your reunion was something you wouldn't trade for the world.