Trophy Eyes.

“Where’s Jack?” Joe asks, handing May a bagel fresh from the toaster.

“I told him he didn’t have to go to school today. He doesn’t feel too good.” May responds, cramming far too much of the bagel into her mouth.

This is a complete lie, of course. Jack told May everything on Saturday, and hasn’t left his room since. May said he didn’t have to go to school because she knew Alex would be there, and Alex would upset him just by existing.

“Whatever.” Joe sighed, picking up his car keys and heading out. May tails him slowly, shouting a goodbye to Jack as she locks the door.

Joe drops May off at her school and then continues on to his. He makes a plan to quiz Alex on whether he knew what happened on Saturday.

His plans are scuppered, however, when he reaches the Foreign Languages corridor, and sees Aled and Andrew advancing on the senior too.

“Alright, whore.” Aled says, a small smirk on his lips as Alex turns to them.

“What?” He asks quietly, looking from Aled to Andrew. He doesn’t even know that Daniel’s across the corridor filming the whole thing on Aled’s phone.

“We know you slept with Jack.” Andrew states, his voice harsher than usual. Alex stares at him like a deer in the headlights.

“And you just might have broken him. Well fucking done.” Aled’s voice is just as bitter and angry as Andrew’s.

There’s not another word between any of them as a sickening crack of Aled’s shoe hitting Alex square in the nose echoes around the corridor. Alex recoils and presses his hand over his nose.

“Psycho!” He screams. Aled just laughs.

“And this is so you don’t go sticking your dick in anything else for a while.” Andrew says, kneeing Alex right where it hurts. He squeaks in pain and falls to the floor, dignity the last thing on his mind right now.

Aled and Andrew laugh at him and high-five in victory as they cross the corridor. Daniel hands Aled his phone and they watch the video back.

“Funnier the second time.” Andrew splutters, turning back to his locker and fumbles around for his History books.

“This has to cheer Jack up.” Aled says, quickly typing a text and sending the video to Jack.

The boy is half asleep when he receives the text. After making a mental note to kill Aled for rousing him, he watches the video.

When Aled receives a one-word reply, he thinks Jack just might pull through.

Epic.

*

Andrew and Aled have barely taken their seats in History class when there’s an announcement over the loudspeaker.

“Andrew Goldstein and Aled Phillips to the principal’s office, now!”

The teacher shoos them away and they giggle their way across the school to the office. They pass Daniel - who’s been sent out of Art class again - who heckles them.

“Bad boys! Have fun at the principal’s!”

Andrew flips him the bird as they walk past.

They take seats outside the principal’s office and sit for all of two minutes before they’re called in by the secretary.

Alex is already inside.

Both boys glare at him as they sit down in the two free seats nearby.

“Any reason why you boys found it necessary to break Alexander’s nose and knee him in his private area?” The principal asks sternly. Aled and Andrew exchange a brief glance before nodding simultaneously. The principal purses his lips.

“And what exactly would that reason be?”

Aled and Andrew look at each other again, and then their eyes fall on Alex. He has a huge bandage affixed to his face, so he’s clearly been to hospital and then been dragged back to sort out this mess.

“It’s not really our place to say. Alex does know why and I guess it’s his call whether we say or not.” Andrew replies quietly. They both look back at him.

Alex meets their stare and nods gently.

“Just say it.” His voice is weirdly croaky, and if Aled didn’t know better he’d say that Alex had been crying. Andrew nods back at him before turning to face the glare of the principal sitting before him.

“Alex slept with my best friend and then left him. My best friend is currently lying at home crying. No one upsets my best friend and gets away with it.” Andrew says. Aled nods in agreement.

“And when did this happen, Alexander?” The principal asks, flicking his gaze over to the senior.

“Saturday.” Alex replies, voice barely there.

“So this was all revenge?” The principal asks, looking back at the two juniors.

“I guess so.” Aled says. He feels pretty stupid right now.

“And may I ask, Andrew, who your best friend is?”

Andrew hesitates, glancing across at Alex, who nods again.

“Jack Barakat.”

The principal nods, standing and summoning the three boys to do so.

“I’m afraid there’s not much I can do about typical teenage fights.” He shakes his head “However, Alexander, you can take a week or so off to fix yourself up.”

Alex nods, picking his bag up from the floor and throwing it onto his shoulders.

“And you two are going to go home for today to think about what you’ve done. I expect you to have a written apology to Alexander on my desk by next Monday.”

The three boys pile out of the office and onto the Technology corridor. Alex folds his arms and glares at them.

“Look, we genuinely are sorry.” Aled says quietly “I didn’t mean to break your nose.”

“Yeah. I didn’t mean to, y’know, remove you from the gene pool.” Andrew continues, playing with his hair awkwardly.

“It’s cool.” Alex says, and both juniors are taken back by his calm response.

“I was a dick to him.” Alex says, and Aled picks up on a hint of sadness in his tone.

“Then tell him you’re sorry. He’s pretty forgiving.” Andrew suggests. Alex nods.

“I’ll try that. See you around?”

Aled and Andrew nod as they return to History class. They pick up their things whilst ignoring the swarms of questions directed at them from every angle.

As soon as they hit the courtyard and Aled goes to head for his hotel, Andrew grabs his arm.

“Do you know what I think we should do?”

“No. I’m not psychic, moron.”

“Don’t get snappy. I think we should go pay Jack a visit.”