"Would you like to join us, newbie?" the black-haired guy asked, his voice low and his eyes gleaming with a strange, seductive intent that made Olive's skin crawl. She didn't reply, choosing instead to bolt from the bathroom, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't stop running until she reached the dorm, slamming the door shut behind her and pressing her back against it, trying to catch her breath.
"What the heck?" Olive exclaimed in frustration, running her fingers through her hair. "Bullying, and now this? What kind of school is this?"
She flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief. "I'll just have to find a time when the bathroom's completely empty to take a bath," she muttered to herself, trying to calm her nerves.
Outside, the steady hum of students moving through the hallway filled the air. Footsteps echoed against the floors, mingled with idle chatter. After what felt like an eternity, a voice came over the speaker system, crackling to life.
"Time for breakfast, everyone. Please get dressed and proceed to the school cafeteria immediately."
Olive's eyes lit up. "Perfect timing," she thought, sitting up quickly. "Everyone will be at breakfast, so I'll finally get the bathroom to myself." She opened her door just a crack and peeked out, waiting for the last few students to leave the bathroom. Once the coast was clear, she grabbed her things and hurried back toward the showers.
There were still a few lingering students, but Olive ignored them, heading straight for an empty shower stall. "They'll be gone by the time I'm finished," she reassured herself as she undressed and turned on the water.
Just as she began to relax under the warm spray, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
Olive froze, her whole body tensing. 'Seriously?' She cleared her throat, struggling to find her voice. "Uh… someone's in here!" she called, her voice cracking slightly. "Please use another bathroom."
There was a pause before the sound of retreating footsteps. Olive let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. 'I should have just said that right away.' She gave herself a light tap on the forehead. 'Why was I so freaked out?'
Shaking off the nerves, she quickly finished her bath. When she stepped out, she was relieved to find the bathroom empty at last. Wrapping the towel securely around herself, Olive hurried back to her dorm room.
Once inside, she wasted no time getting dressed, slipping into her school uniform, green trousers, a crisp white shirt, and a matching green jacket. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, tugging at the collar of the shirt. 'Not bad,' she thought, before grabbing the school map and heading out toward the cafeteria.
The walk to the cafeteria was short, and as Olive approached the door, she could hear the dull roar of students inside, the clatter of trays and silverware, and the mingling scents of pizza, eggs, and fruit. She pushed the door open and was greeted by a scene of controlled chaos, students talking loudly, chairs scraping across the floor, and the lunch ladies rushing back and forth behind the counter.
Olive approached one of the lunch ladies, who was fair-skinned with sharp features, her cap perched atop her tightly bound hair. "Good morning," Olive said politely, smiling. "Can I have my breakfast, please?"
The lunch lady looked up from her station, her stern expression unchanging as she glanced at Olive. "Did you check the time?" she asked, her deep voice sounding oddly androgynous.
Olive's smile faltered. "Sorry, I had… something to deal with. That's why I'm late."
The lunch lady raised an eyebrow, rolling her eyes with a sigh. "Well, you're too late. Breakfast time is over, kid. No breakfast for you today."
"But.." Olive began, only to be cut off by a familiar voice from behind her.
"Hey, it's the newbie!" Austin called out, laughing as he sat with his friend, the brown-haired guy from the bathroom.
Olive turned to face them, her stomach dropping. 'Not them again.'
"Did you sneak out of the bathroom to… you know," the brown-haired boy said, making a rude gesture with his hand as the other students around him erupted into laughter.
Olive's face burned, and she quickly averted her gaze. She'd had more than enough of their behavior earlier and wasn't about to engage with them again. Before she could respond, the speaker overhead blared to life.
"Students, please proceed to the assembly hall immediately."
'Thank God,' Olive thought, taking the opportunity to make a swift exit. The other students began to file out of the cafeteria, and Olive blended in with the crowd, relieved to be leaving the tension behind.
The hallways were busy with the rush of students heading toward the assembly hall, their footsteps loud against the floor. As Olive walked, her eyes landed on a set of lockers, and she spotted her own, with a bold "6" painted on it. Curious, she stopped to open it, wondering if it contained any textbooks she might need for class.
'Might as well check,' she thought. 'I'll need to catch up on the school syllabus anyway.' But just as she was about to open it, a voice interrupted her.
"Hey there!" It was Mark, strolling toward her with his usual casual grin. "How's it going?"
Olive smirked to herself. 'And here comes the school guidance counselor.'
"Awful, terrible, disgusting," Olive replied without hesitation, her voice tinged with frustration. "I thought the bullying here was bad, but now there's… well, there's more."
Mark raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "More? What do you mean?"
Olive hesitated before blurting out, "I mean, this school's full of bullies and gay too? Like, seriously?"
Mark stared at her for a second before bursting into laughter. "Is that what's got you so worked up?"
Olive frowned, feeling slightly offended. "Isn't that enough of a reason?"
"You're gonna have a tough time if that's your line for a 'bad day,'" Mark said with a smirk.
Olive's eyebrows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Mark crossed his arms, leaning against the lockers. "Bullying and… well, guys getting with other guys, that's just part of life here. It's not gonna change just because you're here. You better get used to it, or you're gonna have a bad day every day until you graduate."
Olive stared at him, shocked at how casually he brushed off the situation. "It's not funny," she said, her voice growing more serious.
Mark shrugged, his grin never fading. "Look, we don't have a lot of options here, okay? Guys are guys. They've got… urges, and sometimes, well, things happen."
Olive's eyes widened. "Are you saying.."
"I'm not gay, if that's what you're thinking," Mark clarified, raising his hands in defense. "But even I know how it feels. You think it's easy dealing with all this tension and not having any outlets? It's rough. You're just gonna have to deal with it."
Olive shook her head, trying to process what he was saying. But before she could respond, something slipped out of her locker. A red card written '3RM' She bent down and picked it up, showing it to Mark. His grin disappeared immediately.
"You got a red card from the 3RM?" Mark's voice dropped, his expression turning grim. "Oh man… you're in serious trouble now."