Hawthorne couldn't avoid going to his dorm room, so he walked there in a puddle of thoughts. There was only one conclusion amongst every thought he had and that was : He couldn't have felt the way Sam had described. He was not seeking for Railings attention. I mean, he couldn't be seeking for attention from that shit head! Definitely no!
"What are you standing here for?" He heard someone say and Hawthorne immediately snapped his head towards the voice.
Railings' amber eyes stared back at Hawthorne's blue.His eyes glowed like burning embers, a fiery shade of amber that seemed to dance with secrets and untold tales. Whatever those were,they were very pretty.
Hawthorne never paid much attention to the color of eyes Railings had nor has he ever seen them glow like that. But he didn't remember much of Railings, he only remembered that he always pranked the other and throw insults at him. To his defense, Railings deserved everything because he was so annoying!
"I—I wasn't standing, I was about to go in." He stuttered.
Hawthorne's heart pounded in his chest as he stood before Railings. The intensity of the other male's gaze, coupled with the sudden proximity, left him feeling off-kilter, as if the ground beneath his feet had shifted.
Railings, ever the picture of composure, arched an eyebrow, his gaze never wavering. "Really?" he drawled, his voice dripping with skepticism. "You seemed a bit lost in thought." He leaned against the doorframe, his posture nonchalant yet somehow still managing to exude an air of authority.
Hawthorne huffed, opening the door as he stumbled inside. Railings followed behind and the dorm room suddenly felt too small for Hawthorne.
"I—I wasn't doing anything!" He said with a pitch note that made Hawthorne sink in embarrassment. What was that? What exactly was that!?
Railings flitted over Hawthorne's features, studying him with a scrutiny that bordered on unnerving. He smirked, feeling superior. "You've been avoiding me," he stated, his voice even.
Him feeling superior always made him press Hawthorne's buttons. The shorter male was easy to mess around with.
Hawthorne tensed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "I have not," he protested, his words sharp and clipped. He wasn't avoiding Railings. "I just have better things to do than deal with you."
Railings chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "Of course," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "And what exactly is it that's so much better than spending time with me?" He stepped closer, the smirk on his face daring Hawthorne to deny that he's been avoiding him.
"I—" he just couldn't think of anything. "Studying! An—and eating and spending time with Sam and Jones a—" he was unfortunately interrupted.
Railings raised his eyebrow, "Really?"
Hawthorne was never a coward. In a lot of situations he was always the one step head, pranking Railings with so many unthinkable pranks that made the other want to bury him alive.
However these days, in these days, Railings seemed to have been the one who had the upper hand and Hawthorne was letting him. No, Hawthorne felt helpless.
"I'm really not avoiding you so please stop." Hawthorne plead. "Please stop appearing on my sight over and over again, it's really annoying."
What Hawthorne actually meant was; I had to get it together very soon.
There was only one solution for him to do so. Hook up with someone. So when he said those words, begging for Railings to disappear in front of him, Hawthorne rushed out again to seek for someone interested in him.
There were a lot of women who were interested in Kent Hawthorne, he was handsome, sexy and hot. As everyone usually say. As Hawthorne darted out into the corridors, leaving Railings behind, a new strategy was forming in his mind.
Railings, who was suddenly left alone in the middle of the dorm room was still stuck there. Honestly, he didn't know what to say but Hawthorne was acting so different which puzzled him.
It's not my business. He thought walking up to the bathroom to take a bath.
Railings has been relentless in his pursuit of Hawthorne, pushing and prodding and poking at the cracks in his armor. But he hadn't expected this, hadn't expected the sudden and uncharacteristic vulnerability he'd glimpsed in the other boy's expression.
With a sigh, he sank lower into the steaming water, his body relaxing as he let his mind drift.
As he emerged from the bathroom, his skin tingling from the heat of the bath, he stepped out to change his clothes. The night was very long, Railings couldn't sleep, not without Hawthorne. So he waited for him, the time passed but Railings remained awake as he passionately waited for the other male.
It was 1am when Hawthorne merged inside the dorm room, reeking of alcohol. Railings immediately stood up to help him up.
"Stop!" Hawthorne immediately snapped, his eyelid about to close. He was terribly drunk.
"You're drunk." Railings tried to say.
"I—I'm not drunk." The drunken said.
Railings chuckled as he sat beside the drunk male, helping him out of his shoes. "You stole alcohol again."
It definitely was not the first time Hawthorne stole alcohol from the dean's office. He was once caught on camera so he couldn't deny that he indeed stole alcohol.
"I didn't." He breath out, grinning. "I—I just wanted to—I just wanted to take a sip. I promise."
Railings raised an eyebrow, his expression full of amusement, he could see through his lies like a pane of glass.
"Just a sip?" he teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, if it was just a sip, then why do you look like you're about to pass out?" He placed a hand on Hawthorne's shoulder, steadying him as he swayed slightly in his seat.
Hawthorne's face scrunched up in mock indignation, but even his drunken mind knew he was no match for Railings' wit. "You're just jealous," he retorted, a lazy smirk playing across his lips. "You're jealous of my mad skills."
Railings' chuckle was dry as a desert. "You mean your mad skills at getting caught?" he quipped. "Real impressive stuff, Hawthorne."
Despite the teasing, Railings' hand remained on Hawthorne's shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort amidst their verbal sparring. "You know," he said after a moment, his voice growing serious, "maybe you should tell me what's really going on with you."
Hawthorne's laughter rang out, harsh and bitter. "Why? So you can laugh at me?"
Railings' expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. "You think I'm laughing at you?" he challenged.
Hawthorne scoffed, "you should stop being like this."
"Like what?" Railings was an ignorant fool sometimes so he didn't really understand what exactly Hawthorne meant.
"Like a—like a weather. It's—It's confusing because sometimes you're cold and sometimes you're hot. I—"He was an honest drunken. "I might get the wrong idea and think you're a good person."
Railings' jaw clenched at Hawthorne's words, his temper flaring in response to the accusation. "A good person?" he repeated, the words biting like frost. "You think I'm trying to be a good person?"
Hawthorne's gaze faltered, the truth of his words hitting him like a cold slap. "You're not," he said, his voice suddenly quiet. "You're not a good person."
Railings didn't know what to say because he was left speechless. Hawthorne's gaze dropped to the floor, his expression a study in defeat. "I'm sorry," he murmured, the apology hardly audible in the stillness.
Railings' heart pounded against his chest, his own words trapped in his throat. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, the confusion and hurt mingling with something else, something softer.
"Hawthorne," Railings started, his voicehesitant, "why did you come back here tonight?"
Hawthorne's shoulders hunched, as if trying to protect himself from the weight of the question. "I don't know," he replied, his words slurred and uncertain. "I just…I just needed to see you."
Railings' breath caught in his throat, his heart racing in his chest. He'd seen the vulnerability in Hawthorne's eyes, the truth his words, something he never saw in those eyes. He'd seen fury, anger, sadness but not that. Not vulnerability.
As Railings watched Hawthorne, he knew that he couldn't let the other boy sleep in his drunken state. He knew that he couldn't simply walk away.
Without another word, he stood, reaching for Hawthorne's arm. "Come on," he said, his voice low and insistent. "Let's get you to bed."
It was hard getting Hawthorne to bed because he actually didn't want to sleep. But he was successfully put to bed and he remained silence for a while.
When Railings moved to his bed, he heard Hawthorne crying. No, no, that was not a cry. Hawthorne was singing.
Railings took out his phone and made a video with an idea in mind. He was definitely sending the video in a group chat.
So when Hawthorne stepped out of the dorm room the following day, he first caught the sight of Rosemarie. The young lady jumped in excitement as she waved, skipping to Hawthorne's side.
"Hey!" Rosemarie smiled.
"Hello." Hawthorne mirrored her smile.
"Uhm, are you alright? I saw the video on the group chat?" A pitiful look was across her face.
Hawthorne's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, his lips forming a tight line. "The video?" he asked, his voice tight with apprehension. "What video?"
Rosemarie, oblivious to the tension, giggled. "The one Railings took of you last night, singing that love song!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "It was so cute!"
Hawthorne's mouth went dry, his stomach plummeting to his feet. He wanted to sink into the earth and disappear, to hide his shame and embarrassment. "He—"
Rosemarie continued to gush, oblivious to Hawthorne's distress. "You're actually a really good singer! I mean, I knew you had a good voice, but you're like, super good!"
Hawthorne forced a weak smile, his mind racing. That piece of shit with hundred personalities! What was going on with him!? Was he insane!?
In the midst of his panic, Hawthorne nearly missed the fact that Rosemarie was still speaking. "Maybe you should try out for the talent show this year!" she suggested, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. "You'd totally win!"
Hawthorne choked on a laugh, the absurdity of her suggestion momentarily overriding his shame. "Me? In a talent show?" he managed to say, his voice cracking with disbelief. "I don't think so."
"Hey Hawthorne."The devil decided to grace him with his presence. They were outside the campus.
Hawthorne turned to face him, "You had so much fun I assume?"
Railings has a smirk, "You have no idea." Railings' smirk widened, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, but I think I do have some idea," he teased, a knowing wink flashing across his face. "I mean, I got to witness your breathtaking serenade last night, didn't I?"
Hawthorne's expression turned stony, his embarrassment turning to anger in a flash. "You know, for a guy who spends all his time acting like the baddest badass in the school, you sure do have a sick fascination with me," he snapped.
Railings chuckled, his confidence unfazed by Hawthorne's jab. "Oh, don't flatter yourself." he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're just good entertainment, that's all. Like a one-man comedy show, if the show was about pathetic teenage angst and drunken karaoke."
Hawthorne's cheeks burned, his fists clenching at his sides. "You know what? Go screw yourself," he spat, turning away from Railings with a dramatic flourish.
"Aw, don't be like that," Railings called after him, his voice mocking and singsong. "I mean, it's not every day a guy gets to see his archnemesis crooning love songs into a bottle of whiskey. You should be flattered that I thought it was worth sharing!"
Hawthorne's steps faltered, his mouth forming a silent curse as he felt his temper flare. But he forced himself to keep walking, his back stiff and resolute.
Oh God he was so annoying. I hate him! And I had those thoughts about that piece of shit? I knew I couldn't have had them! He's so pathetic!
Hawthorne's anger could be felt from afar and no one dared to look his way.