Candyboy

Clubs and Papers. (REVISED)

        Ken and I were through the doors of Sweet Amoris by around 12 o'clock- a few hours before school let out.

Ken let go of my hand and we kept on walking for a while but at some point he departed. Well. Guess he's off to do whatever Kens do when they're alone, I thought. It was good he left me alone for a few minutes; I needed a moment to collect my thoughts. I stopped in front of the door to the student council room and stared at it. I was nervous to enter; what if he wasn't there? I would hate to just barge in and be met with judgemental stares from whoever else was lurking in the room... but a familiar glint of golden blonde hair put my nerves at ease and I pushed open the heavy wooden door. I was met with a tight, polite smile from Nathaniel.

"Hey, Theo!" He said, "Do you have your ID?"

I nodded and held up the picture. I tried my best not to look at it; the ID did not capture my good side. My smile was weird and lopsided, my hair looked frizzy, my sweatshirt hung off my bony shoulders unflatteringly... ugh. I handed him the photo. He took it and clipped it to a piece of paper, one of the many on his desk, all in neat stacks. From the shortest he pulled out a paper and handed it to me; it was a waiver for some guy named Castiel. I gave him a confused expression. What does he expect me to do with this, because I know he isn't going to ask the new kid to give this to...

"I know you just got here, but I'm busy at the moment. Could you give this to Castiel for me? Thanks."

Yes, he is going to do precisely that. Before I could whip out my whiteboard to reply, I was being ushered out the door and left to roam the vacant hallways in search of a boy I don't know the slightest clue of. Man, I must look stupid to anyone watching me, I thought, It's a good thing nobody's here...

"Hey." A deep voice cut through the silence like a blade, making me jolt. I turned on my heel only to face the redhead from before. My luck just keeps getting better, huh? A smirk crossed his face as he placed a hand on his hips. "You're the one who ran into me this morning..." He noticed the paper in my hands. "What's that for? It has my name on it."

I sigh deeply and pull out my whiteboard, scribbling down my answer. I am, sorry about that. This is a waiver. Could you please sign it?

"Sign it?" He spat. Castiel scoffed, snatched the paper from my hands and crumpled it up before throwing it at me feet with a dirty look. "No. Tell Nathaniel to come to me himself and sign it instead of sending someone else to do his dirty work for him."

'Alright' I look at his shirt one last time and recognize the band logo. Winged Skulls... I know that band. It wouldn't hurt to bring it up. Maybe it could diffuse the tension. 'I like your shirt by the way. Winged Skull is a good band'

His face cracked into a bemused grin. I successfully managed to turn a rotten interaction into a good one... my old therapist would be proud. "Cool. You like rock music?"

'Yeah, I listen to rock' I looked away awkwardly. 'I'll give this back to Nathaniel. Don't worry about it'

I departed and confidence swelled in my chest. Finally, successful interaction with someone other than Ken... but it seems like that brief streak of pride is going to be short-lived. I brushed past a perfumed shoulder that left a sickly floral scent behind it. I tried to rush past but the body attached to it whipped around and flared her nostrils, her face contorted into a scowl. It was the girl who caught the sunrise in her hair, and she looked pissed.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, loser."

"..."

"What? You're not going to say anything?"

"..."

"You should give me your lunch money. It's the least you could do after bumping into me like that."

"..."

"That's not a no." She and her friends attempted to grab my bag but I pushed past them and booked it down the hallway. I narrowly avoided knocking Ken to the ground in the process. I bolted through the door of the student council room, slamming the door behind me. Nathaniel shot me a confused glance.

"Theo? Is there something wrong?" I sighed. Assuming the she-demon is his sister, I wouldn't want to put any more weight on his shoulders. He seemed stressed... I swallowed thickly and shook my head, forcing my face to brighten. Can you lie through your teeth if you can't even speak? His concern disappeared a little too quickly for my taste and he asked, "Did you get the waiver signed?"

I handed him the crumpled-up piece of paper and pulled out my whiteboard. Look. I don't think Castiel wants to sign it

He sighed heavily. The irritation made the features of his face sour. "Then make him sign it."

I won't make him do anything

He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh. Fine, I'll do it myself. I knew I couldn't rely on you..."

I slowly left the room. Was he mad at me? Shouldn't Nathaniel have done it himself in the first place? I sigh. I couldn't stop the flow of negative thoughts making their way into my head and burrowing into my stomach. Nathaniel hates me. The girl is going to tear me to pieces once she finds me again. I deserve it, don't I? Probably. I felt someone's presence but I didn't feel like looking up to greet them.

"You need to register for a club, dear. We only have the gardening and basketball club open..." I recognized the voice as Mrs. Shermansky's.

I nod and scribble down my answer on my whiteboard. Gardening club sounds nice. Thanks

"Of course." Ken peeked out from behind her and waved, his cheeks decorated with the usual red that showed up when I was around. "Kentin will show you where the club is."

I was pulled into the boy's gravity almost as if it was second nature. He grabbed onto my arm and smiled, dragging me through the courtyard and over to a new, foreign area. It looked depressing; the plants were withered or dead. Their pots were overflowing with leaves from the trees stretching over them. Our feet fell on dried leaves that turned almost powdery when you stepped on them... this was a sad excuse for a gardening club. Off to the side were flowers, unplanted and laying within their pots. They popped against the otherwise glum, dead scenery. Ken and I locked eyes.

"It's pretty lame over here. Maybe we could fix the place up- obviously. I mean, this is the gardening club and everything... haha..."

I nod in agreement and head over to the shed, grabbing the trowels and two worn pairs of gloves. He didn't have to tell me twice; I'd rather not think about everything that just happened.

~

Once again, my reliable friend didn't let me down. Though planting all of the vegetables and bushes was time-consuming, it certainly paid off in the end. The area was lush and green, casting an earthy aroma. The leaves were swept up and it allowed us to see the ground below it. We sat down next to one another on the bench and admired our handiwork until the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Neither I nor the adorable loser next to me felt like leaving so we sat there until the sun began to set, where we grabbed our bags and walked home.

"Sooo... how was your first day?" Mom asked as I walked through the door. She turned from the stove to see my answer. I paused and reflected on the question before smiling and signing my answer.

It was great. Thanks for asking