Chapter Text
“Emmett.” His father said from his desk, not bothering to look up from his work.
He reluctantly stepped forward, making sure to close the door to the study. “Yes?”
“You’re leaving today, correct?” The boy nodded at his words. “Good. I believe that some reform is appropriate, don't you agree?"
A tightness grew in his throat, but he persisted nonetheless. “O-of course, father.”
“Speak properly.” He clicked his tongue. “You know what is expected of you, and the consequences if you don’t meet them. You’re dismissed, and remember,” Emmett bit his lip. “Don’t you dare disappoint me.”
…
He hated buses.
Everyone says that ‘hate’ is a strong word, but for Emmett it seemed to suit this situation perfectly. Anyone would share the same sentiment after being in a bus filled exclusively with boys- specifically ones that refuse to invest in some deodorant and for the few that did… their gross overuse of body spray would be enough to knock out a person.
“Okay, we’re about to arrive at our destination.” The bus driver spoke through the intercom. “If you look to your right, then what you should be seeing is your future school and where many of you will be spending the next three years of your lives.”
Emmett was on the left side of the bus and didn’t bother to look out the other side. There’d be loads of time for him to admire that later, and besides, he’d already seen the pictures. It was a little difficult for him to be excited anyway. It’s not everyday your parents send you to a boarding school, and a religious one at that.
And what really took the cake was that it was an all-boys academy… how exciting.
A person may wonder, Emmett- how exactly did you find yourself in this situation?
…That’s a story for another time.
The moment the bus opened its doors, he was quick to retrieve his luggage from the overhead storage and stepped out into the warmth of late summer, but more importantly- fresh air. “Move it.” A person pushed past him, causing him to lose balance and trip onto the dirt.
Rude.
He sighed, getting up and dusting himself off. “Sorry... I should’ve been faster.”
“Yeah, you were blocking my way." They spent no time with formalities or niceties as they left to explore the immediate area off the bus.
Well, that could’ve gone worse? For his first interaction at this school, it certainly was… an interaction.
Emmett stretched, taking his time to take in the view of the academy. From what he’d learned, the campus had a historical exterior, but with modern technologies inside which made total sense when he first saw the tuition fees on the website.
There were so many zeros...
“Foresters Academy." Emmett read. "Oh, they have a motto? Let’s see… veritas ad deum ducit. ” He recited. “Huh, who knew those tutors would actually help me.” Emmett grimaced at the memories. “Truth leads to god.” He rolled his eyes at the cliche latin motto that they probably had printed on all their stationary.
Without much to do while he waited outside for the gates to be opened, he searched his pockets for…
“Oh, there it is.” The boy pulled out a compact mirror with a hair-brush built in. He had exactly no faith in the humidity of the bus to not completely mess with his appearance. And after seeing his reflection, his assumption proved a million times true.
His jet black hair was reduced to a mess of wavy curls that more or less resembled a mop dipped in something incredibly unsavoury, while his glasses reflected the mid-afternoon sunlight and thus revealed the horrifying smudged lenses.
He blew away a tuft that fell close to his eye as he went to work on brushing away the imperfections. “Ugh… genetics.” A pout formed on his face. Emmett’s parents were notorious for their terribly-long stints in the bathroom to fix their easily messied hair, and of course he too had to share the same fate.
“Attention! The orientation will start in about five minutes. Retrieve your luggage if you haven’t already and meet at the entrance when the lovely teacher conducting the orientation arrives. You’re the first batch of first years of which there are many, so don’t be surprised if it starts getting crowded in a bit.” The bus driver fanned himself with his cap and stared up at the sky. “Jeez, it’s hot.”
Emmett shared a glance with the man, who smiled and offered a wave before helping the stragglers get their bags from the storage compartments.
It was boring to wait a whole five minutes without his phone, but he’d grow used to it.
“Apologies, everyone! You’re an entire ten minutes early.” A person stepped out into view, dressed in such a way that you’d expect a teacher to: square-framed glasses, black pants, and a dress shirt with a tie to complete the full ensemble. “Your driver over there didn’t bother mentioning it to me.” His comment made the blond roll his eyes. “...Regardless, I’d like to welcome you to our school. If you’ll follow me, I will take you around and give you a quick tour of the campus.”
…
After the tour, they ended up in the school auditorium which had been built like a theatre. Their footsteps echoed, as did the door when Emmett carefully closed it. He lingered in the back of everyone, not daring to sit or even look in another’s direction, but he still listened to the teacher- Mr. Albright’s words.
“And that covers everything for today! I’ve spoken with your grade’s director and he said the dorms will open in about an hour since they’re still going through some finishing touches so they’ll perfect for all of you to move into.” He paused. “Your room keys will be given to you at the dorms, and room assignments are random so don’t be too surprised if you find yourself with a roommate.”
Roommates.
His chest felt heavy.
You’re fine. You’ll get used to it.
Emmett shook off the uneasiness.
“Until then, feel free to familiarise yourselves more with the campus and walk around. The cafeteria is open if you’re hungry and-” His phone buzzed. “You’re free to go.” Mr. Albright took a breath as he exited stage-left, disappearing into a side door. The moment he left, chaos erupted in the theatre. Everyone was quick to leave whilst Emmett remained seated to not risk bumping into anyone. And so he was awkwardly stuck watching people leave as he hugged his bag for comfort.
He maintained steady breaths, attempting to tune out the overwhelming number of voices.
As the numbers inside the auditorium dwindled, Emmett took it as his chance to leave without the incredibly real possibility of tripping and thus getting trampled in the lively crowd. “Okay…” He walked over to a directory as the last of the students left, making the last in the room. “Huh, how come we didn’t tour this entire section of the school?"
Without anyone to answer that question, the boy yawned and headed through a door that exited into the outside rather than the hallway where everyone else had fled to.
Eventually, he did manage to find a part of the campus he was interested in visiting, so he thought he should at least attempt to enjoy the experience. After a while of searching, he found what he was searching for: the school gardens.
“Oh.” He simply stared in disbelief. “I… I guess this is why we didn’t go here.”
The place was rather run-down, and despite the academy having that rich, nit-picky vibe, there seemed to be a fine layer of dirt and grime covering every surface he looked at. Had it been a few years prior, maybe it would’ve looked nicer. After all, the fountain he saw in the middle seemed beautiful in theory.
“Doesn’t make it any less dirty.” Emmett frowned.
What caught his attention though were the straight-up plain patches of dirt that surrounded the area.
It was completely devoid of life and colour. Not even a single blade of grass was growing there. The benches were worse-for-wear and were in serious need of replacement with how rotted the wood appeared. “How long has it been since anyone’s been here?” He mumbled. “And here I thought this would’ve been a decent place to spend time in. I was imagining more flowers… and maybe a water feature? Couldn’t the school be bothered to make the entire campus pretty?”
He sighed, taking his belongings and leaving to wait outside the dormitories.
…
Even when he was minding his own business, Emmett still somehow found himself the centre of attention.
Look, Emmett was quietly sitting on the brick railings of the dormitories’ entrance when out of nowhere a football zipped past him. He hadn’t been paying attention, so when it happened he was justifiably scared and unceremoniously fell backward and onto the grass.
Thankfully he hadn’t been that high up, so there were no serious injuries other than the bruise where he hit his head, but despite his many attempts to assure the boys rushing to see the commotion- they still insisted on getting help.
Emmett watched as several of them ran over to where the main office was, but one strayed behind and sat with him as he awkwardly fidgeted with his fingers.
“Well, I threw that ball way too hard.” He chuckled. “You know, I think I’m going to try out for the football team. You have to admit that was a good throw.” The boy nudged him gently. “The name’s Alex, by the way.”
He stopped leaning on the railing and tried a smile. “Emmett.”
There was a long pause.
“Sorry.” Emmett's voice came out in a slight whisper.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "...For what, me nearly hitting you?” He snorted. “Dude, what?”
“I should have been paying more attention.” He bit his lip. “And also for interrupting your game.”
A few more stifled laughs came from Alex before he burst out laughing entirely. The brunet placed his hand on Emmett’s shoulder as he recovered. “That...” He took a deep breath. “You don’t need to apologise for that. Hey, want to toss around the ball or something? I’m getting bored waiting for those guys and you’re not like seriously hurt or anything so-”
“Unless you want me to break a window, I uh- don’t think I should.” He schooched away. “Sorry.”
The other boy was unimpressed. “You apologise a lot.”
“O-oh, I’m sorry.” He realised his words. “Huh… yeah, I guess I do.”
He eyed Emmett up and down. “Well, don’t. I was the one that nearly hit you with my record-breaking throw, after all.” Alex smirked, flexing as if to prove a point. “Hey, the door’s open! I didn’t even realise.”
“Um.” He glanced over to where the other people had run off to. “Do you think we should wait for them, or is it okay if I head over to my room now? Like you said, I'm not really injured, so it's not that big a deal. I'm sorry for wasting your time." He got up to leave.
Alex scoffed as he picked up his bag from the ground. “I thought I said you didn’t need to apologise? Dude, you honestly need way more confidence, because I don’t think you’ll ever get a girlfriend with that attitude.”
What a weird thing to say to someone you don't know.
“Yeah…” Emmett nodded slowly, adjusting the strap of his bag tighter and messing with it for a moment. He stepped into the air-conditioned building and was greeted by an uninterested looking boy with dark circles under his eyes. “H-hi.” He bit his tongue at the slight stutter.
The person glared at him. “Name.”
“Emmett.” His hand clutched his sleeve like a lifeline. “Flores.” He finished, relieved that he spoke clearly.
They stared down at a box with labelled keys and various stacks of papers, picking through them for his name.
“Hey, are you good? You seem- uh, what’s the word...” Alex whispered into his ear. “Anxious?”
He stared off to the side and took in a sharp inhale. “I-I’m okay.”
“Ah, there you are.” The person at the desk squinted. “You could’ve said your entire name, you know? That would’ve made it easier to find, but whatever.” He handed him several papers and a keychain.
Emmett ignored the passive-aggression. “Thank you.” He said quietly.
“There you’ll find all the details about living on campus, as well as your roommate.” They explained. “I’m Sebastian, the senior that somehow got stuck doing this annoying job. I’ll be helping the teacher who's in charge of managing all this fun stuff, but he’s off doing who-knows-what, so I'm doing this by myself.” He groaned. “Next.”
Alex went over to the desk as Emmett walked off and looked through the stapled sheets of paper. He scanned through the different sections until he finally saw his room assignment.
xxx
Student: Emmett Oliver Flores
Unit - 206
<Double Dorm>
Assigned Roommate
<Alexander Mullner>
Welcome to Foresters Academy.
- Principal Lewis Miller
xxx
“Weird coincidence.” He yelped as an arm wrapped around him. “Looks like we’re rooming together.”
He laughed, helpless. “Yeah…” Emmett tensed at the taller boy’s closeness. “We are.”