One of the Boys

Triggered by a continuous noise that sent vibrations up and down my arm I woke up. It took me a while to navigate my mind back the obscure realm of sleep to reality and remember how to open my eyes. When I manage crack my heavy eyelids open I saw the gigantic smirk of Marcus Newton leering inches away from me. I shoved his gleaming face away from mine and curled up tightly in a ball and then stretched out, letting out a large groan.

"Mmm," whispers Marcus into my ears, "I love it when moan like that."

"Buzz off," I groan, my voice still heavy from sleep as I bring my fists to my eyes and try to rid myself of the sleep that I could feel encrusting the corners.

"Doesn't our little minx look almost like a girl when she sleeps, Pretty?" Marcus asks the kitten, that is rolling around my bed and stretching like me. The cat's purrs were the source of the vibration that had awoken me. It did so every day. This cat was different than the first one Marcus had brought in on the very first night. Pretty was ginger with a white underbelly and black tail, and worryingly thin. This is the third cat Marcus had snuck into our room. I don’t know were he found them, but each of them look obviously like strays. The other two on his shoulders, peering down at me with little interest. Pretty was the only one that seemed to find me interesting.

Marcus lay on my bed, head propped up by and elbow, and the other hand resting on the small of my back. I slapped it away and asked him for the time.

"Let's talk dirty."

"What?" I cried shocked.

"It's ten thirty," he grinned slyly, "Why? What did you think I said?"

I pretended to laugh along and then pushed him clean off my bed and got out myself. Ten thirty was really late and I probably missed breakfast. No point going to the cafeteria, I'll just have to fix myself a snack in the Ely House kitchen. I grabbed my weekend clothes and a towel and walked down the steep loft steps towards the shower. Before Marcus had the time to say anything, I turned with a accusatory finger halting him and said "Don't even think about join me."

He scowls as though disappointed, but I know it's just a game he likes to play. “Oh well, I can hold out till tonight. There will be lots of pretty ladies waiting to grind up against me. I bet your the jealous type aren’t you Minxy Lucy?”
Pretending he wants anything to do with the girl version of me was how he liked to spend his time. I was just annoyed that out of all the people that could have found out my secrete first, it was him. The other day I was eating lunch with Teddy. He was trying to avoid the fish I was trying to ram into his throat so he asked, "Has Marcus found the skeletons in your closet yet?"This question made me forget about the fish for sure. "You had been so confident that there would be nothing to find. How do you feel now?"

Seeing me stop short, Teddy had gently patted my shoulder, in a fashion I believe was suppose to be consoling. "Don't worry, Marcus likes fireworks. He won't release the information until he's sure the information carries enough spark to make a whole show. I mean what he has on you probably isn't beneficial to him yet. You just have to make sure it never is."

"And how do you know so much about Marcus’ snake like characteristics, Teddy Bear?" I retorted standing up away from the usual fountain we had taken the habit of eating on. It was made of brilliant white marble, and at the centre was a voluptuous mermaid with an eager expression, pursed lips that let out a steady stream of water. The college boys had named her Wet Merie.

"Because I am the choreographer of the show Baby Doll" he smiled innocently. Everything Theodore does is seemingly innocent, but I was slowly learning it was no such thing. He threw the fish into a bush and lay down in a soft grass patch at my feet to nap. “So you better not let me find out either.”

Since then I had been weary of him, but even more of Marcus. It was hard to imagine Teddy as someone to be weary of. Teddy who fell asleep on the grass at lunch time next to me, Teddy who has ten different stuffed animals in his bed, and Teddy who crawls into bed with me twice a week because of nightmares.

Passing by Teddy's bed I saw that it was unmade and empty. I'll have to track him down later and get him to explain to me what the envelope that was slipped under my door yesterday. Eric and him seemed the most aware of the happenings at Holderns, and with last night's events I didn't feel like conversing with Eric.

I stepped under the hot spray of the shower head and convulsed slightly as memories from my episode last night came back in flashes. I hate that uncomfortable moment where you relive it all, and in retrospect it feels even worse.

"An annoying girl I used to know," King's disgusted words still stung sharply this morning, even though they had been playing on a loop nonstop all night. Had I even slept? I could only hope Eric was right and he wouldn't remember anything on Monday when I had him first period. I had no knowledge of his employment here. My brother Kip had stopped updating me after my refusal to go to the wedding. What could my father be thinking, letting me come here disguised as a boy when someone I used to know worked here and was my dorm dean? But in actual fact he hadn't recognized me, not completely. He had recognized my annoying behaviour, not my face.

I stayed there, in that enclosed space surrounded by four walls that seemed to bar me from the rest of the college. After a good twenty minutes I pulled myself away and fixed my costume for the day to come. The show must go on. My two roommates may be after my secret but at least one of them isn't on to me yet, and I'll have to work hard to keep it that way.

I sat myself down on Teddy's bed and started playing with a maroon coloured bear that had written on it "My alarm clock is just jealous of the relationship I share with my bed" on a little white T-shirt. I laugh quietly to myself and turn to face Teddy, who had come back during my relaxing shower session and was typing away on a computer.

"Theodore?" I said asking for his attention.

"One second Luc," he said, increasing the speed of his typing. Teddy was the fastest typer I had ever seen. He can type close to a hundred words per minute and his finger move around the computer keyboard with such dexterity that it held me perplex.

A few moments later he sung his chair around and beamed at me, cheeks red and flushed with excitement. "I should have my App up and running soon. Soon everyone will be playing 'The Teacher Ate My Homework'!"

This was a game that Theodore had been developing for a year and wouldn't stop raving about it to everyone. He told me often that this would be the game that pushes Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja off the most downloaded game apps list, but other than the title he hadn't shown me anything yet. He was too worried I'd run off and sell the idea to someone other crazy sixteen year old techno geniuses. Because there were a lot of those around.

As if.

"Right," he said, "The envelope. It's your initiation envelope; every boy in here had one. However unlike you, most of them had them in theirs in their very first term at Holderns. It's basically a quick way of," he searched for the words. "Ranking everyone based on the level of asset they could pose for a house, and the school in general. It's is overall a very short event that happens in one night. One is personal talent, and the second, which you might not succeed at, is an assigned task, though challenge might be a more appropriate noun. This one has a time limit. You have to be done with it before 6 am."

"6 am!" I cried, feeling how troublesome this whole thing is going to be, "When do we start?"

"At midnight. Then by 2 am you'll be done with the first part, and ready to do your task." he yawned heavily and lay his head down on the desk and curled his legs into the seat. "You know, in the end this is just boys trying to weigh each other up. This is the opportunity to make your mark and gain a certain level of respect. You perform well on that night, and then you’ll be fine for the rest of the year. Well... most likely." He added after some reconsideration.

"This isn't normal. I've done many schools, but there has never been anything as troublesome as this initiation. What is the problem with you Holderns boys?" I asked Teddy who now had his eyes closed and was languidly tracing a patter with his finger as he sucked a boiled sweet.

"We're bored half the time."

"Pardon?" I asked incredulous. I had heard a lot of Holderns Boy's Boarding school from past classmates. In general girls had spoken of them in awe and boys had detested the idea of them. It was always a dark period when my previous co-ed schools were competing against Holderns for sport tournaments or academic competitions. Now I know why first hand. These boys lived in a little bubble of their own. I've often heard that boredom was a dangerous emotion state, it easily leads to recklessness.

"We are bored. Holderns is too small of a school. Ten student of the third and fourth year in each house, and five students of first and second year also in each house. There are only five houses and so it only makes a hundred and fifty classmates. We aren't allowed to go to town unless it's the weekend and have an enforced curfew. We have money, but limited ways in which to spend it. The only way for most boys to get that sweet high I get from sugar is to make our own rules. Hence we start off the new school year with initiation. It's a tradition that goes back to the start of the school."

"And if I don't want to participate?" I argued. As I previously mentioned, one thing I hated was being manipulated into something against my will.

Teddy yawned once more and finally bothered to crack an eye open that fixed itself on to me with an air of pity. "Then you don't get to play."