Boarding School Boyfriends

Chapter Seven

Dan wakes up on Saturday feeling far more lethargic than usual, and wishing he just never had to get out of bed ever again. He doesn't know why he feels this way, but he does know that he can't be bothered to do anything right now. After all, it is the weekend. Why not have a lie in?

Part of him wishes that he was back home, back in his usual bed, with his warm, chevron patterned sheets. He wishes he had all the film posters hanging around his room that he didn't bother packing. Instead, he has this boring old room and boring old school. He hates it.

The other half of him, however, doesn't want to leave. He doesn't want to leave his friends he's made, and he's awfully intrigued about Kyle. He doesn't want to leave any of them.

"Oi, Smith," Will's familiar voice says from the doorway, peeling paint falling to the floor. The boy wears an oversized hoodie and a pair of navy blue tracksuit bottoms. "Letter for you, here."

The older boy leaves it on Dan's bedside table, and the lethargic teenager just reaches a hand out and hits the table in order to find it. He knows who the letter is from even before he even opens it.

Dear Daniel,
Hi baby. I hope you're having a great time at the boarding school. The leaflets we were given certainly makes it look good! Do you really have a flat screen TV in your room?

I have full faith in you that you're maintaining your good grades and attending all your classes- but don't forget to make good friends.

It's lonely here without you! But your father and I-

Dan stops reading, dropping the letter and letting it fall to the floor. He doesn't care at all about his step dad and he wishes people would stop calling him his father- he's not. He never will be.

A heavy sigh escapes from him as he wraps himself back up in his duvet, letting his eyes shut. He doesn't get why his mum just dumps him here and then decides to write to him. It's like rubbing salt in a fresh wound.

"Oi, Danny boy." He hears from his window, making him shoot up. Who the hell would be at his window?

"Guys, what the fuck?" Dan asks, confusion setting in his features. He rises out of bed and opens the window. "What happened to using doors?"

"Shh! We're hiding in a bush so none of the prefects catch us," Charlie whispers, glancing behind him.

"Yeah. We're not allowed in your dorm because we're not in your house." Woody continues, shoving the window open a little bit more. "Are you gonna invite us in or are we gonna keep looking like creeps?"

"Well, I'm half tempted to keep you out..." Dan smiles maliciously. Woody and Charlie groan in complaint. "Get in here, then. I can't believe you're lucky enough that there's a little ledge right there." Dan rolls his eyes and moves to shut the door so no one can see them.

"Get Lord Farquarson for us, please."

"Absolutely not." Will says, shaking his head. "I'm not dealing with explosives, and do you know how dangerous this is, and how much trouble you'll get in if you're caught? This is stupid! I'm not letting you do it!"

"How many pranks have we done before and not got hurt? It'll be great!" Woody grins as he thinks back to all the previous pranks the two of them have carried out.

"Yeah! And it'll get us out of going to lessons!" Charlie has a grin that matches Woody's, but Will remains unconvinced.

"Run us through the plan again," Dan doesn't quite understand what's going on as they sit in his room, sprawled out in different places.

"So you know the giant projector at the top of the hall? I was thinking that if we climb across the bar that holds it, then put a small explosive- like a firework, or a firecracker or something, then when the teachers are in there for whatever reason, we'll set it off." The plan doesn't quite make sense to Dan.

"There's no way that will work," he explains, shaking his head, "There's just no way. I wouldn't even think of doing it. The only thing it would get us out of is assemblies, if that..."

Again, the two other boys groan, but Will just nods. "Do something that doesn't risk your life." He says.

Dan sits by the football field waiting for the other three boys to come from dinner. He didn't find himself hungry enough to eat so he just went straight to the field instead.

"Hello, Smith," someone says as they walk down the steps to the football pitch.  "Nice to see you again,"

Dan looks up and watches Kyle sit down next to him, smiling broadly at him.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Dan has one of his plaid shirts on, but Kyle has a jumper on with a tribal cat.

"Waiting for my friends," the tall boy explains, still watching Dan. There's something in his eyes that Dan can't quite identify. "You look very good today."

Dan feels his cheeks heat up.  "O-oh... Thanks."

"I'm only telling the truth," the boy replies innocently. "I think it's the eyes..."

Kyle really does like Dan, but he's not entirely sure if it's platonic or not. Nonetheless, he worries that he'll never really get the chance to keep seeing Dan in order to become good friends.

That saddens him.