The Glow of the Rainbow

Chapter 3

Matthew laughed when I told him about who Charles told me to pass the ball onto. He didn't talk much on the way to the assembly. He was shy, which is understandable. He pulled his backpack closer to his back and walked like he was trying to make himself take up less space.

"Nice bag."

"Thanks. I like astronomy."

He wore a long-sleeved shirt over a faded video game top. His grey jeans were skinny, and his converse were well-loved.

"Me too. It's incredible."

His dark hair was messy, and he ran his fingers through it as he smiled at me.

We reached the hall with plenty of time to spare, even after we did take a few wrong turns. This place is like a maze.

We sat at the back and talked about our old schools. I told him I didn't go anywhere around here. I told him that I had to move because of my parent's job.

He smiled when I told him I chose to redo the first year, I expected some snarky remark, but instead, he said to me that was probably the right choice, it would give me time to settle into the area.

The head came out and stood at the front. The hall was now full. She spoke about what was and wasn't acceptable in college. She told us that there was no uniform, but we still have to be aware of what we wore, swear words or offensive tops weren't allowed.

It was short, a lot quicker than I was expecting.

Now it was break.

I walked out with Matthew, and we headed towards the canteen.

"There's a room down there that we can sit and eat." He pointed towards a set of double doors. "I mean, if you want to."

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice." I replied, I didn't exactly have any other option, and Matthew seemed like a nice guy.

The noise coming from the room was so loud. We walked in, and every table was already full. I looked around and saw the scene ahead. Groups of people, already separated. First years were meeting with second-year friends or were being invited over to tables. But there was a clear pattern. The alternative kids sat together at one end, and at the other, sat the sporty loud kids.

In the middle, I spotted people playing instruments, and others were playing handheld games consoles. Every table had their own activity, their own friendship group that had formed over the last year. I never felt more out of place.

People pushed past us to get to their tables.

"Shall we sit outside?"

I jumped at the offer. It's crowded in here as it is.

The feel of fresh air on my face felt so good. But out here wasn't much better. There were groups of teens smoking, groups playing pop music, groups playing metal music. This was a place people already had an idea of where they belonged.

I looked at Matthew and me. I had no idea where we belonged.

He didn't seem bothered. He started walking, and I followed.

"What's your next lesson?" He asked.

"Graphics."

His face lit up. "Me too. We should probably try and pass on the ball. Who did Charles say to give it to?"

"Sophie."

"Isn't that her?" He pointed towards a girl sitting with another girl from our form.

"Yep."

"Pass it here. You go round the front."

I passed him the ball and watched him as he sneaked up behind her. I jogged towards her. She spotted me.

"Nooooo." She laughed.

The other girl started laughing as she watched Matthew place the ball into Sophie's bag and run away.

Sophie turned around, looked in her bag and burst into laughter. She took it out, and before I knew it, a flash of green was heading straight for me. I caught it and threw it towards the girls who screamed.

We sprinted away from them, leaving them to plot their next move.

"This is war, boys!"

Matthew met up with me when we were around the corner. He high fived me, and we walked away, laughing together. A huge smile spread across my face.

The rest of the day went surprisingly well.

I met the rest of my tutors, found out Matthew was in three of my classes and made it to the end of the day without finding a small closed in area to hide in until my next lesson.

"Good afternoon. I hope everyone had a good day." Charles said as he welcomed us into the classroom. "How did everything go?"

Everyone muttered their replies.

It took me a moment to realise that more faces were joining us—the second years. I had forgotten entirely about meeting them too.

Most of them sat towards the sides, away from the rest of us. Like we were infected with something. They glanced at us and talked amongst themselves.

"What got up their nose?" Matthew whispered in my ear.

"No idea."

"So who has the green ball?"

A boy put up his hand, gripping the ball.

"Ah, Zak. You get to pick two sweets from this tub." Charles pulled out a huge tube and rattled it. Zak tried hard not to look impressed, but I knew he was, there were full-size chocolate bars in there. When he had picked what he wanted, Charles passed the pot around.

"First years can pick one sweet each. Hey, Marcus, I said first years only. I saw you."

I felt a nudge as Matthew passed me a piece of paper. I unfolded it and smiled.

"I mean, you don't have to keep it. But I thought maybe you'd want to text, I mean about lessons, or if you get lost."

"Thank you, Matthew."

"Please call me Matt."

"Thank you, Matt." I corrected.