The loud ringing of a bell pulled Trey out of his thoughts and he looked at his watch. He had exactly five minutes to get to the dining hall for dinner before guards closed the steel doors forbidding the students from getting in or out.

Trey was aware of this strange doing because he had taken the time to read the school rules. He sighed deeply before getting up. He had been unpacking his belongings for almost an hour not daring to lay them on the bottom bunk, and his roommate still hadn't come back.

Trey cautiously locked his dorm up before heading towards the stairs making sure he was walking behind the mass of students. They were all heading towards the first floor lazily dragging their feet and the last thing Trey wanted to happen was being forced to confront one of them.

He followed the other students silently down the stairs that creaked under their weight as they all headed straight to what he judged being the worst place off all the school: The dining hall.

Trey disliked it because it was the perfect place for a fight to start even if there where four guards making sure the doors where kept shut no matter what.

But what could four guards armed with tasers do against two hundred fierce and angry male students ?

Trey slightly jumped and turned around when he heard the sound of the two massive doors clashing together.
The guards stood two by two next to the closed entrance looking fierce and unaffected.
Trey felt as if he had just been trapped in a small cage with dangerous predators.

The small boy told himself a small peek at the imposing students gathered around the set of tables wouldn't do to much harm so he let his eyes roam over the mass of loud males.

They where slumped on their chairs by groups as they talked loudly, some eating some talking and others barring their teeth at each other to look more imposing.

Luckily the dinning hall was big enough for everyone to fit in with a decent personal space so Trey felt himself relax a little; especially when he noticed an empty table at the far end of the room.

He took a grey plastic tray and slid it on the metal racks towards the plates of food.
Well, the goo in his plate didn't really look like food and Trey told himself that he would skip dinner this time.

He sat at the empty table taking caution to not trip on his way and to lower his head.

Avoiding eye contact was the only way he had to go unnoticed by the other males trapped with him.

Trey stared at his plate with disgust and pushed it away as he scrunched his nose at the smell. He had to patiently wait for one hour before the guards opened the doors and finally let the students out.

Suddenly, he sensed a presence and slowly lifted his gaze until his eyes met two deep-blue ones. Trey shivered slightly when he acknowledged the other boy's presence.

He wasn't bulky like the others and stood out less, but he was still taller than him. The boy smiled at Trey revealing a row of even white teeth.

Luke had spotted the small boy sitting alone at his table and had decided to go talk to him and maybe make a new friend.

He was kind hearted and had a calm nature so he easily bonded with others.
The small boy sitting in front of him had delicate features and the softest brown eyes he had ever seen.
Just like Ash, Luke asked himself what on earth had this boy done to get himself in this school.

Luke smiled at the quiet boy and asked:
"Hey, what's your name?"
"M-My name is Trey and you?" He stuttered.

Luke chuckled softly and smiled.
"Don't panic, I'm not going to eat you, I'm a vegetarian."
Trey felt a small smile draw itself on his pale lips as he continued staring at the boy in front of him.

"My Name's Luke by the way.
Are you not going to eat at all?"
Trey shook his head vigorously.
"No- I doubt it's even edible."
"You have a point."
Replied Luke with a smile,
"It's okay if you don't eat it."

Trey and Luke were making small talk, observing random things together; not loudly like the other students who where almost shouting at each other, but in a calm way like two normal people would and Trey appreciated that.

Suddenly, the whole mass of students grew quiet as the metal doors screeched open.
Trey was confused, he looked at his watch and noticed that dinner time wasn't over.

Why would the guards open the doors now?

Trey immediately got his answer when he saw a very tall boy enter the dining hall, the hood of his sweatshirt on his head.

His silhouette looked familiar to Trey and he realized who he was when he removed the hood revealing a pair of dark forest-green eyes.
That was none other than his scary roommate, the boy who probably hated him because of what had happened an hour ago.

Ash walked towards the metal racks in silence not bothering to look at the others who were slowly beginning to talk again.

Trey had dropped his head low the moment he had recognized him.
He didn't want the other boy to get mad by making him remember the recent events.

Luke had grown silent too as a sign of respect but was actually discreetly starting at his own roommate who sat a few tables away.
He sighed deeply as he caught a glimpse of the other male's flashing smile.
Aaron always smiled.

Luke was shaken out off his thoughts when he felt someone observing him. He turned his head towards Trey who seemed petrified and was sitting as still as a statue in his plastic chair.
He then looked up and his heart skipped a beat.

Trey couldn't breath, he felt a gaze drill the side of his head as he slowly turned around. The whole dining hall had grown silent again and some boys were elbowing one another while whispering and looking at Ash.

Ash was angry.
He didn't show it and put on a bored expression instead as he felt his stomach churn in disgust.

Sitting at the only vacant table where the two people he probably hated the most.

Luke Deans and the kid who had dared to touch his stuff.
He didn't utter a word as he decided the best choice was to sit next to his new roommate.

He didn't want to risk touching Luke. Just thinking about it made his skin crawl. He let his eyes roam over Trey as he silently sat down pushing the chair away as far as it would go.

This boy sitting next to him wasn't like the others who where now definitely back to their shouting. In fact he was the complete opposite, very small, very slim with pale skin littered with those strange imperfections. Ash was still very angry, he didn't have to look at his plate to know that he wasn't eating this evening.

Trey couldn't relax, he was frozen in his chair not daring to continue his conversation with Luke. He held his back straight and both of his palms rested on the table. His head was lowered as he waited in silence for the doors to open.

The other students had started emptying their plates in the trash as they waited for the end of dinner. Then, one of them, probably a new one, brushed passed Ash on his way back from the trash making him lash out almost immediately at full force.

Trey fell from his chair as he felt Ash's knee bump harshly against his.
If the other boy was dead meat for having touched Ash, so was he. He looked up with fear at Ash who's eyes now formed two dark slits.

Ash was holding the other boy by the throat as he made him rise in the air. He glared at him and his lips formed a snarl while he tried to forget the fact that he was touching bare skin.
The boy was struggling to breath as he tried to pry Ash's hands away from his neck.

The whole dining hall had frozen. They were used to his behavior by now, but it always was a frightening sight.

Ash felt like he could explode any second now so he punched the other student right in the face.
His powerful fist went crashing down, connecting with the other male's jaw. It made a horrible cracking sound and he sent flying to the ground.

Ash pushed him away with his foot and started shouting in order to vent his anger out:
"Nobody touches me! Or you'll end up like him!"

He then looked down at Trey with disgust and shouted even louder:
"Same goes for you, don't push your luck around me.
Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you get special treatment!"

Trey was petrified and a small part of him was confused. He held his knees tightly as he lowered his head on the brink of tears. He knew it would make him lol weak, but he just couldn't help it. He had done nothing wrong and he had already gotten yelled at twice by the same person. Despite his efforts to stay away from trouble and keep his emotions in check, Trey wasn't fooling anyone.

He just didn't belong here.

Ash stopped, unsure. A flash of guilt crossed his features but it quickly turned into a disgusted snarl when he saw the small boy's tears.
Trey's soft cries secretly made the guilt nibble at Ash's heart but he wouldn't risk showing that in front of all the others.

He silently observed Trey who seemed to calm down while the other students held their breaths. Was he going to beat the life out of the small boy too?

Right then, the bell rang and the guards quickly opened the doors allowing Ash to step out.
He walked away without looking back and headed straight to his dorm to take a shower and disinfect his bruised hands.

Trey was still sobbing quietly but oddly enough, it was as if Ash's sudden mood swing had reassured him. He looked up at Luke who still seemed amazed and finally got up brushing the dust off his pants.

As the students left the dining hall and headed to their dorms, they all had one question on their mind.

Why hadn't Ash punched the new kid?

Hey everyone 👋🏻 sorry , I know I update very slowly but that's because school is starting again and that I'm still working on this story...
Hope you enjoyed chapter 2 and see you at chapter 3 (hopefully) 😁🌙