Somebody like you (boyxboy)

1. Strangers, Poets & Thieves

Trevor

The sun shone brightly, heating up the hallway as if it was a greenhouse. The damaged wheel on my suitcase made it difficult to get it past the throng of sweating students that was filling up the corridor but I stubbornly kept going and readjusted the bag on my shoulder.

My dad asked me to transfer to Fall Boarding School only a month into the semester. The official reason was that the school had a very good reputation, but the real reason was that I had had a falling out with his wife and could no longer live in a house with her.

So here I was, lost inside a new school, and already exhausted. The walk from the train station was much longer and hotter than it had any right to be in the beginning of October.

I finally got clear of the mass of students and thought myself free at last, when a boy came running straight into me and knocked the bag off my shoulder, making me drop my suitcase from the sudden shock. I muttered a fair number of French swearwords, but the boy didn't even turn his head to say sorry.

"Please forgive him," a calm voice called from above. "Here." I straightened, having picked up my suitcase, and took my bag from the stranger's hand.

"Thank you," I said to the chest in front of me.

The boy snapped his fingers in front of me and said, "my eyes are up here." I looked up at the tall boy's face and smiled.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. He winked back.

"You're welcome." The boy started to walk away.

"Hey, you!" I called, "I'm kind of new here and not quite sure where to go, could you -"

"Of course! Sorry, I should have known. I'm Raymond Nichols."

"Trevor Jaxon," I replied and shook his hand.

"Yes, I know - You're my brother's new roommate." As he said it, four boys clad in football gear were coming towards us, running down the corridor.

"Coming?" one of them asked, giving the boy beside me a lingering look.

"In a bit, I have to help this one first."

"So you're on the football team then?" I asked as I followed behind Raymond.

"Eh, no, I'll just be watching the practice. I'm in high hopes that the captain will be taking off his shirt due to the nice weather," he said.

"Oh..."

We turned right, and Raymond led me straight into an office without knocking on the door first.

"Good day headmaster!" he said cheerfully.

"Mr Nichols, how many times do I have to tell you to knock on my door?" the grey man behind the desk looked at Raymond sternly, but the boy didn't even flinch.

"At least one more time, sir, as always." There was a brief pause. "Here is Trevor Jaxon for you, sir. Just give him his papers and we'll be off." A muscle in the headmaster's face twitched, and it was not the one used for smiling. Even though he obviously didn't like Raymond's commanding tone, he welcomed me, handed me some papers and a key card, and ushered us out of the room.

"You're in 225, a couple of doors away from me, in 219." I nodded and followed the brisk pace of the other boy with some struggle.

Soon enough we were outside my new home, and Raymond turned to look at me with an expression that was suddenly very serious.

"My brother is a very special person..." he started. "Things have been difficult for him, and I just want to ask you to be patient with him. Most people don't like him – actually they dislike him to some extent. I'm not asking you to like him, just to not give him a hard time. He is an absolute arsehole, but maybe you can ignore him, and mind your own business. It's nothing personal from his side, it's just how he is." I didn't know what to say to that, but after an affirmative nod of the head, Raymond left me outside room 225.