Orphanage AU: Lams

Chapter 38: Your Fault

Am I the only one who thinks Newt Scamander is literally an adorable puppy? I cannot be the only one.

---Evan's POV---

"You're gonna make it obvious," Jared accused me playfully, dropping an arm over my shoulders. "When was the last time you looked a teacher in the eye, huh?" He took back his arm to give me a playful punch.

Which was disappointing, well, it was sad, I guess, because then I didn't get his warmth. He gave me a soft nudge.

"S-sorry," I replied, playing nervously with the hem of my favorite blue polo shirt, "I just felt, well, I feel like maybe, you know, maybe we should feel, I mean, shouldn't we feel bad about this?"

Most people would be confused by my scattered way of expressing my scattered thoughts. Well, not Jared. He understood me just fine. I hoped.

"Nah," he flashed a grin, "you shouldn't. I'm the only one doing this. I'm starting to regret telling you. It's giving you anxiety."

I shook my head with a tiny smile. "I already, I have anxiety."

Jared laughed and I ducked my head. "Well, yeah, duh." he replied bluntly. "That's common knowledge."

With no response to this, I resumed our paused conversation, "Don't you feel guilty? Like, you should, or do you feel, uh, well, bad about this?"

Jared's carefree swagger matched his face. "Uh, no dud, it's their fault anyways. Bathbomb deprivation is a serious offense. I'm taking what's mine and saving them the guilt of my death on their hands."

"You won't- You wouldn't- Jared." I wrung my hands and my breath sped up. How could he joke about that? How could I live without him? How could he leave? My life would go dark without his light, my light. His light was my light. We all know my sun didn't rise.

"Evan." He responded. I blushed when he said my name and tugged the hem of my shirt again.

As if sensing my discomfort, Jared grinned at me. "Hey," he said, and I looked up. Through his glasses I could see his amazingly beautiful eyes, brown with the spot of green in on eye. Oh. Oh dear. I was thinking liking-Jared-thoughts again. I quickly looked away.

Jared squeezed my shoulder. "We'll be fine." He spread his hands, but I missed his hand on my shoulder. "Plus, you won't be involved so you have nothing to worry about." He gestured to the bathroom. "See ya in a minute."

I was too shy, of course, to say it to him, but once he left, I told the air, "But I'm worried, worried about you."

I, of course, would never tattle on Jared. But if I didn't would it be my fault?

---Connor's POV---

Wow, the teacher looked pissed. I knew it wasn't our class. I was him talking to Mr. Hamilton, maybe that was it. Or... yeah, that was it. All I'd done in class was sketch some accurate weed leaves on my worksheet and called it a day, but-

Mr. Curly Hair- Damn, stop it, you sound like Jared. Mr. Laur... something was too occupied by our class idiot to care.

Jared this, Jared that... uhg. And our perfect innocent kid, who was also- well, he was okay, he wasn't bad. But by association with Jared, he fell pretty low.

And all that blue hurt my eyes.

And how do you understand that scrambled language?

Jared was worse, though. Swaggering around like he owned the place and using memes in everything and even though we both exasperated the teachers, he somehow charmed them or some shit so they still liked him.