Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Robin was panting, chest heaving as he ran from the bus stop towards the school building he could spot in the near distance. His rucksack bounced heavily with each stride he took, his shoes thudding down on the pavement beneath him as he sprinted.

It was a hot day in early September. The terrace houses flew past him as he ate up the pavement, the windows glinting in the rays of the morning light. He felt his t-shirt beginning to stick to his chest as he tried to pick up his pace, allowing his legs to lead him to his destination. He tried to ignore the slight twinge of pain he felt in his ankle with the not-so-running-appropriate shoes. The breeze whipped through his hair as his shoes skidded on the pavement turning the corner. He stopped in his tracks, allowing himself to attempt to catch his breath. Knee's slightly bent, letting his hands rest on top of them, his face cast down at the pavement as a small bead of sweat dropped from his forehead and plopped onto the concrete below while he attempted to regain his breath.

Why do I, today of all days, have to be running late?!

He raised his hand to his forehead, wiping away the sweat from his brow as he lifted his head and allowed his back to straighten. His eyes met a large building at the end of the street he was standing at. The expansive orange brick structure loomed ahead, the statues perched on each corner of the building jutting out from the peaks. Robin spied the faint silhouettes of bodies peeking through the large white framed windows, fellow students shuffling through the halls. The entire building was encased with a tall black fence, with a large gate where the last few students were making their way inside as a bell rang to signal the start of the day. At the front of the gate was a sign that read 'Muller Secondary School and Sixth Form College'.

This was his first day at a new school, in his final year before university. To say he was nervous was an understatement.

Robin and his family had moved to Bristol two weeks ago during the summer break due to his dad receiving a job transfer. When his parents first told him about it, he was pissed. He had to upheave his entire life away from his friends, a school he loved and a place he was familiar with... Yes, Coventry was a shit hole, but it was his shit hole. He had lived there his entire life, it was familiar and comforting.

He was pretty popular, had a great group of mates and was doing well in school, expecting to get mostly A*'s for his A-level studies. Kate, his younger sister, was ecstatic about moving to Bristol - probably because she was obsessed with the show Skins and thought she could live out her Effy fantasy. Robin had already given her a lecture about how that show was not a healthy portrayal of teen relationships which only encouraged her to speak about it more and tease him for how serious he was.

He quickened his pace, no longer running to save himself from embarrassment, as he slipped through the gate and made his way to what he assumed was the entrance for the students, where the majority of the late stragglers like himself were heading.

He pushed his way through the double door being the last of the individuals appearing to enter the building. His body was sweaty and hot as he turned to a window to catch his reflection. His mousy brown hair was usually styled and fluffy on top of his head, now lay flat, wet and stuck to his forehead. His cheeks were flushed making his freckles appear more prominent which scattered sporadically across his face. Deep green eyes that stared back at him in the reflection were bloodshot and puffy, probably due to the lack of sleep from the night before due to nerves. He grimaced at his appearance.

I look like a fucking mess.

His hands moved to his head, attempting to ruffle and push his hair back into place. He knew he wasn't bad-looking, especially because of the amount of girls who had propositioned him at his last school. But he graciously turned them all down, which is when he started questioning his sexuality. Because, why was he turning down some of the-- objectively, prettiest girls at his school? Until it clicked one day when he was getting changed after PE and he found himself getting aroused just looking at the cluster of hot, sweaty male torsos, scattered around the changing room. He found his eyes glued to the sight of boys smacking each other with t-shirts playfully, their bodies sweaty from the exercise and ogled at their lack of clothing. His eyes hungry, observing the buffet of half-naked boys laid out in front of him...

He was gay.

He knew this for definite now. Confirmed by the amount of gay porn that filled his internet history until he discovered he could use incognito mode. But when rumours started spreading around his old school stating this, and he heard the unsavoury comments and jokes made at his expense, he decided to keep this fact to himself. He mitigated the rumours by dating a couple of girls, which he treated as if he was working an office job. Ticking off a list of things that "boyfriends and girlfriends" were supposed to do, until the relationship fizzled out one way or another. And eventually, the rumours stopped, and he felt his life feel at ease once more.

It's not that he was ashamed of being gay... it was just an inconvenience. The whole 'coming out' idea made Robin's stomach do backflips and his head hurt in a specific spot by his right temple. He had one goal and one goal only, finish his A-levels with top marks and get into one of the top universities in the country. Coming out as gay wasn't going to help him do that, and fantasising and daydreaming about boys, or even having a relationship with one was only going to be an unwarranted distraction. He was adamant that he was going to keep it a secret at this school as well, just focus on his school work and make sure no cute guys distract him from...

Robin felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle upwards when he heard the front door of the school swing open behind him. Startled by the sound he turned around to see who it was...

Jesus, he is... gorgeous...

The boy that walked past him was tall and slender with thick black curls that fell lightly over his face. Robin was tall, but this guy was even taller. Brown eyes stared forwards that were framed by long black eyelashes that curved upwards giving his face a slightly feminine appearance. A metal ring curved around one side of his plump bottom lip as he could see glints of earrings that appeared to wrap around his ears, through his shoulder-length hair. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his black ripped skinny jeans, with a loose band t-shirt that Robin didn't recognise, draped over his torso. Although slender, he could see that his arms were toned and shoulders were wide... built like a Greek god.

The boy seemed to notice Robin staring, his mouth hanging open slightly and gave him a quick glance as he walked past, before he strode down the corridor to the left, his big, black boots stomping on the soft carpet as he lost sight of him.

If Robin had been red in the face before, he dreaded to think how red he must be now! He shook his head and took a deep breath.

Don't let a stupid, handsome, bad boy, Greek god let you get distracted, you pathetic gay.

He pulled out his class schedule from the pocket of his jeans to figure out where he was going... "Class 4A for form room..." he muttered to himself, looking around for the classrooms' signs and starting to head down the same corridor the handsome boy went.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

Robin quickly made his way down the now-empty corridor as he approached the classroom. All students were already in their respective rooms as the bell had long stopped ringing. The idea of walking into a classroom full of new faces, late, made Robin want to throw up. He was never late to anything. But this morning he hadn't accounted for the bus that was supposed to get to his stop at 7:15 am, rocking up at 7:10 am instead, not bothering waiting for Robin as it wooshed past him before he'd even reached his bus stop. He then had to wait for the next bus which turned up ten minutes later than scheduled. He made a mental note to be at the bus stop at 7 am tomorrow, just in case.

His hand hovered over the door handle of the class marked '4A' with metal lettering on the centre of the frame. He inhaled a steadying breath through his nostrils and expelled it out his parted lips, grabbing the handle of the door and stepping inside.

He was met by an eruption of chatter and noise as he walked through the door. There must have been at least 30 students in the room. It was very normal looking, with tables that seated two students slotted into neat rows and columns across the floor. There was a large window at the far end of the room that looked out to a grassy field and trees, and the morning light appeared to dance on people's faces as it shone through the glass. Luckily the teacher had not arrived yet, explaining the chaotic state the room was currently in. Students sitting on tables, groups huddled together talking loudly about their summer holidays and catching up with friends. A few people noticed the brown-haired boy walking through the door and turned their attention from the conversations they were in to look at him. A look of unfamiliarity crossed their faces which he had expected but made him feel completely exposed. Making him hyper-aware that he was... the new kid.

He tried to ignore the looks coming his way as he scanned the classroom for a spare seat. The few that he spotted that were empty, clearly, were not, with bags leaning up against the leg of the table or books placed on top. As he looked, he noticed a group of girls giggling to each other, as they pointed at him.

It will be fine, it will be fine, it will be fine.

His eyes then met a familiar-looking figure, sitting in the back corner of the classroom. His long legs and big boots rested on the table, as he leaned back in his chair. He rocked slightly back and forth as he seemed deeply engrossed in his phone, not paying attention to anyone.

It was the boy from earlier.

Robin nervously swallowed the dry lump in his throat, spotting the only free seat appeared to be the empty chair next to him. It was still tucked in neatly under the table, untouched.

Fuck...

He began to meekly make his way over to the far corner of the room. He felt the presence of eyes looking at him as he walked past the different students. When he reached the table, he let out a fake cough, trying to get the boy's attention.

The boy looked up at him.

Fuck me those eyes are stunning.

Robin took a deep breath, trying to not get flustered by the boy's gaze and awkwardly asked "Can I sit here?".

The boy continued to stare at him, blinking his long eyelashes up at Robin. For a moment, Robin thought perhaps the boy hadn't heard him, so opened his mouth to speak again when a gruff voice said "Sure, whatever". The boy shrugged his shoulders and turned back down to his phone.

Robin removed his rucksack from his back and placed it carefully next to the table. He untucked the chair from its place and sat down. He felt his heart racing in his chest and was certain the warm feeling he now felt in his face was because he was turning a stark red yet again. Before he could allow himself to spiral into a further gay panic about sitting next to such a hottie, the door swung open and a middle-aged woman strutted into the room.

She had her dark grey hair clipped back into a large pink flower clip and wore a brightly coloured dress that grazed her ankles and swooshed lightly as she walked. A large orange shawl was draped over her shoulder as a pair of stark red, cat-eye glasses were propped on the end of her nose.

"Right everyone, settle down," She said loudly, trying to catch the class's attention. "Yohan! What have I told you about leaning back in your chair, a student died once from falling off and cracking his head open yanno?!" She barked.

The boy next to Robin groaned and slowly removed his boots from the table, one at a time, and allowed the two front legs of the chair to rest on the floor once more as he sat forward in his seat.

Yohan... so that was his name.

The teacher's presence at the front of the room as she tapped her foot impatiently on the floor made the class settle down until it became quiet.

"Right," She spoke, her voice sounding authoritarian and stern, addressing the whole class. "Now, I hope you all had a nice summer break, but this year is serious, it's your last year at this school and have important A-level exams coming up, so I expect you to all work hard and not slack off."

Her piercing blue eyes darted around the room peering above her glasses, clearly trying to look for someone, until her gaze landed on Robin.

"Ah, you must be the new student, Robin, right?" The woman said, her stern look shifting to a warm smile. Robin nodded his head, as the whole class turned to face him sitting at the back of the class. The flushed feeling that had only just left his face, returned quickly with a vengeance.

Yohan also turned to look at him. Robin dared not look back, but in his peripheral vision could see his loose locks slightly covering his eyes, his face appeared to be curious as to who this mousey brown-haired guy was who dared sit next to the tall, intimidating punk. Yup, he was definitely bright red yet again...

"I'm Mrs Wheatly, head of the Drama department, but also your Form room teacher, why don't you stand up, introduce yourself to everyone and tell us a little about yourself - like what subjects are you taking?" She smiled warmly towards Robin.

Robin stood up from his seat, his legs feeling weak and shaky. "My name is Robin Coy" he spoke as confidently as he could, but the eyes staring at him made him feel exposed and anxious. He felt a bead of anxious sweat running down the back of his neck... "I moved here during the summer because my dad got a new job, and I'll be taking Psychology, Sociology and Engish Literature... it's nice to meet you all!"

He sat back down in his seat quickly, looking down at his feet to avoid the gaze of the other students. He still felt Yohan's eyes looking at him... no... staring at him?

What's this guy's deal?

"Thank you, Robin," Mrs Wheatly smiled "Now I hope you horrible bunch are on your best behaviour and give him a warm welcome, don't go scaring him off!"

Some people in the class chuckled at her remark, as she settled down in her seat at the front of the class and started to call out names to take the register.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

The bell went off again to signal the end of Form Room, as chairs scraped on the floor and the chatter started up again as students started leaving the room for their first lesson of the day. Robin reached into his pocket to look at his schedule again... Psychology first period. Robin smiled to himself– it was his favourite and best subject, and he was hoping to study it at university.

A warm breath near his neck interrupted his train of thought, Yohan was leaning over him, peering at his class schedule over his shoulder.

"We're in the same English class," he said, his voice was deep and gruff. His voice made Robin jump in his seat, sending deep shivers up his spine as he felt the warm breath move away from his neck. It smelt like cigarettes.

Yohan had got up from his chair, peering down at the boy who once again, was bright red and sweaty in the face. The tall boy allowed the corner of his lip to cock up in a slight half-smile as he stared down at him.

"See you after lunch then," He spoke, picking up his rucksack from the floor and slinging it casually over one shoulder. As he started making his way towards the door to leave. Robin attempted to say something, but all he could muster was a slight squeak that escaped his mouth due to the lump that had formed in his throat. Luckily, Yohan was too far away at this point to hear him as he left the classroom.

Jesus christ... you really are pathetic.

As Robin gathered his things ready to leave, muttering to himself about how he had already royally embarrassed himself so much within the first hour of his first day, he spotted a girl wandering over to his table.

She was short and petite, with dark caramel skin and black curly hair she wore in two space buns, pink ribbons wrapped around the base. She dressed in a way that was unfamiliar to Robin, thinking people only dressed like that online... She wore a short, black velvet dress which poofed out a little at her legs and was decorated with little pink ribbons at the hem and sleeves. Her legs were in a pair of fishnet tights which had several holes in them, and wore chunky black shoes, which made her short stature only slightly less so. Around her eyes, she sported thick black eyeliner which came to perfect points at the side of her face, and had several chunky metal necklaces wrapped around her neck.

What was it with me catching all the punk's attention today?

"Hey Robin, I'm Jemma," She said, stretching out an arm to shake his hand.

He quickly rubbed his palm on the thigh of his jeans, aware that they were currently very sweaty and took her hand in his to shake. Although the way she dressed was intimidating, she had a warm aura which seemed to surround her and a big grin plastered on her face.

"Do you have psychology now, perchance?" She said, letting go of his hand and leaning forward towards him, her hands placed on the table in front of him, head slightly cocked as she continued to grin in his direction.

"Um yeah, I think so..."

"Nice! That means we're in the same class!" Her grin seemed to get winder, which Robin wasn't sure how it was possible, showing off her white teeth. "Want to go together?"

Robin nodded in her direction, as he finished collecting his things from the table and standing up. He wasn't stupidly tall like Yohan, just about reaching six feet on a good day. However, next to Jemma, he felt like a giant.

"Yeah, thanks, that would be great." Robin stammered as he followed Jemma coyly out of the classroom.