One of the Boys

The rest of the day was spent in the library. With my satchel filled with various textbooks I thought would compliment my learning, and aid me with the two essay I had to give in a couple of days, I went up the three levels of stairs into my own little space. I set up camp at one of the tables and surrounded myself with blank sheets of lined paper, a multitude of black pens and opened textbooks, hoping inspiration would strike me. After a couple hours of mulling over my essay plan a noise snatched me away from stories of Tudors and treason. I turned around my attention fixating on that little space on the other side of the corner. Skylar walk passed the empty bookshelves, and came into view.

His stance always caught me off guard. He was tall, just under Cameron’s height. Unlike Cameron he didn’t stand tall unaffected and unaware of how he dominated over people. He had adopted a slight stoop of the neck, and a hunch of the shoulder. Though I presume he did this to appear inconspicuous, he still remained frightfully intimidating. The intimidation wasn't down to any body language I could see out right, but more like a aura he gave off. He walked around with a constant warning sign saying, 'If you don't bother me, I won’t bother you'. He was dark both in mood and features and the romantic in me thought of Heathcliff and his gypsy features. His gloominess was definitively a similarity.

Where from had he appeared like that, suddenly so present that it was hard to look anywhere else, and so recluse and detached from this world that it made me feel inferior. He looked down on everyone here, as if he was in possession of a greater truth and we were ignorant, little pest in his way. I looked past him to where he had supposedly walked from. Skylar would have walked on past me and down the stairs had I not spoken out nervously. Originally I thought he hadn’t seen me, his attention had been on his mobile and hadn’t flickered my way but when I called out to him a small greeting he scowled and sighed exasperated. As though he was hoping I wouldn’t say anything and let him walk on in peace.

“What do you want?” His sharp demand made my squeak out a high pitched version of ‘nothing’ and he hurried on down the stairs before I could gather up any courage to ask he where he came from. When I was sure he had gone all the way down and wasn’t coming back up, I made my way over to the bookcases. I had heard something this time unlike before. It sounded like he had displaced the bookshelf. The movement of the shelf scraping against the floorboards had tipped me off. There might be a door back here. Now I just had to find which of the bookshelves it was. Though most of them didn’t have any book on them, they were made of solid oak and weighed a ton. I was conscious of the noise moving them made and for fear of drawing attention to myself, I only moved three and promised myself I would come back tomorrow and continue trying the other five. My curiosity could wait for the mean time.

By then it was time for Sunday night dinner and soon it would be time for the initiation. Basing it on the student’s over complication of everything in this place, and how they like to go all intense, I guessed that the evening was going to be terrible.I would be more than lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what is too come. I would be in denial.

After packing up, putting my work back in my room, I made my way back to the dinning hall and joined Eric at our usual table, with his usual friends, without their usual chatter about the Arts. I could see from a quick look over of the dinner hall that there were emotions contrasting strongly in play. The year ones looked like they were about to disintegrate into a wet pile and the older years were buzzing on a sweet high. Anticipation gripped everyone. The teachers looked clueless and unaware of the wave of excitation that coursed through everyone’s veins.

“Eric?” I begged once more trying to replace desperation with a more threatening tone. “Tell me.”

“No effing way. You know the rules. The laws even. Freshmen don’t get told anything. Plus I am not on the initiation comity. I have no idea what’s in store tonight.” He pursed his lips in a half sorry smile and took a bigger bite out of his chicken korma.

“Come Hales. Don’t leave me in the dark. You’ve seen this happen three times already. There must be some traditional aspects they don’t change. Just give me something.” I tried to hold his gaze but he shifted his long fringe and hid his gaze and turned away from me to the front of the hall where Leo was talking with other members of the school council.

“Whatever goes down tonight. Just know the ones you are trying to impress are those seven royal pains.” Hitching his shoulders he face me once more. “And one last thing. Do everything you can to let them know your...valour.”

After that, Eric turned off and no amount of pushing got him to say anything else about the initiation. I was going in blind.

By nine o’clock I was back in my dorm, showered and bonded especially tights with the strips of bandages marking my skin deeply. It restricted my movement and made me look stiff, but I imagine I would have ended up looking like that either way. I was wound up so tight that I was afraid that if I relaxed I would come completely undone. I went to bed, trying to ignore Teddy's pointless chatter and set my alarm for midnight. Sleep wasn't something I thought would come, I was planning on lying awake and counting the swirls on the ceiling.however sleep did come, and it wasn't even my alarm that woke me up to let me know it.

Harsh and brutal hands lay upon by shoulders and awoke me by violent shaking. "Get up you Fetus!" The voice seemed to growl at me, impatient, yet excited. "Initiation has begun!" He couldn't speak loudly because everyone is supposed to be asleep and in bed as curfew is long past, so he was bent low over me. Tickling my ear his his hot breath and the side of my cheek with his prickly beard. I tried to open my eyes because I was still in enveloped in darkness. It soon became clear that they had blindfolded me and even gone as far as tie my hands behind my back. I was in full panic mode now. Disoriented, blind and defenceless, plus I didn't know who it was that was pulling and shoving me along. Tripping constantly and bumping into hard walls, or corners brought deep laughter to boy that was doing nothing at all to prevent my divergence off the path. I could hear other boys around me, some whimpering and being called "fetus", told to move faster and being laughed at when they too collided into something.

They lead us into the woods that bordered the backside of the college grounds. We weren't allowed in here because they stretched half a mile wide and on the other side lay Holderns' sister school. We were pushed deep into the woods and roughly handled if they deemed we were going too slowly. My person wasn't soft on the name calling part of the initiation. Other than the Holdern's selected nickname of fetus for the newbies, he also called me monkeyboy.

After a good five minutes in to the woods we were pulled into a brisk halt and rearranged into a line formation. I was left like this for a few minutes and I used that time to listen. There was a tree top breeze that whistled through the tall canopies above. It was a very cool night. The first in a long time and I I was glad I had worn a jumper to bed. From the cracking of twigs and light foot falls that encircled me, it was easy to guess that the boys were assembling themselves around the newbies a good ten feet away from us. An owl somewhere was eerily hooting and calling out into the night.

"Everyone, welcome!" A voice took precedence over from the night calls, and silenced the slight mummers of the upperclassmen. "Welcome to the 86th annual initiation, Holderness style." It was clearly Leo speaking. Eyes weren't necessary. The level of...texture he brought to everything he said, his confidences, the way everyone hushed; all this was characteristically Leo. How I hated him right now. With my eyes blindfolded I couldn't see him, but he could see me tied up and defenceless. "Here before us," he continued, "are the bottom of the food chain, the year ones, the fetus, the monkey boys, not yet evolved into true Holderness caliber." Cheers of approval made me jump and gasp in fright. "Tonight we'll evaluate them and initiate them into Holderns. This is the first right of passage. It is now midnight. Remove their blindfolds and untie them."

On cue I was released and blinked rapidly to try and clear up by surroundings. It was still dark, but less so. Each boy held a torch that they aimed towards us, chest level as to not blind us. Because of the direction of the light we still couldn't see any of the older years and I couldn't see Leo or Cameron and Marcus. I knew Teddy wouldn't be among them. A two thirds of the students had stayed back to keep watch and ward off any teachers that do any nightly rounds.Make it look like there were still students in the dorms.

The Seven members of the school council and four other boys stepped into the light and surveyed us with an even stare. "We are the school council and the four dorm representatives. Leo is the representative of his own dorm," explained Cameron, smiling kindly at our confused faces. "We will start the initiation by reading over your files. This is your name, your current dorm, and any worthwhile qualities that you can bring to the table. These are important and help you in your ranking. It also helps a dorm decide whether they want to keep you or chuck you and for how much. Only a few students are swapped, so don't worry. You are only swapped if you have a very good quality that another dorm wants, and they would have to buy you off your current dorm. Or the opposite is possible. If you are seen as having no good qualities and no worthwhile value, your dorm might trie to sell you."

"We will now start," The boy who spoke next was also from the school council. Seo, the boy who gave off an attitude worse than Miller's. In his arms was a clipboard that he held dramatically with a pen in his other hand, as though he held extreme power in his hands. "When I call your name out step forward but don't say anything unless asked. We only have thirty minutes to get through all of you. When you are called I will read out your data and your dorm representative, with the approval of the dorm members will decide whether they want to keep you for certain or put you on hold. If you are put on hold that means they are uncertain of your value and you will need to do more to prove to them your worth. Now,Benjamin Albertross." A small boy with a dazzled expression stepped forward and choked out a panic "Yes?"

"I said not talking you imbecile monkeyboy," Seo barked out, sending the rest off the newbies including myself into slight paralysis. "This is Ben Albertross, was at Horldeness Junior school last year and graduated top of his class in mathematics. He is of the Rose dorm. The grade on his start of the year math test was promising. 80% when the average was 50. The rest is pretty basic." Seo paused to let the others around him reflect.

"Keep," a boy that Cameron had pointed to as one of the dorm representative, said after a quick glance at the rest of the dormmates behind him. "We'll keep him." Seo nodded approvingly and did a tick on his clipboard, next to what I presumed to be the boy's name.

"Step back into the line now. You done. Harry Bradson." The boy next to me stepped forward more confidently than his predecessor. "Ah," said Seo pleased, "Bradson here is a national level squash player and proficient in all sports in general. He was capitan in his previous squash team at Holderns junior and led them to victory. He's made the A football team." Again the dorm representative of Rose said keep. "Step back now. John Browntree."

This continued for a couple more people until my name was called. I had started to tune out after a while and had instead wondered what would be said about me. What were my good qualities? Would I get a straight out Keep or an uncertain response?

"Lucas Jones."

I stepped forward trying to look as calm as possible. I caught Marcus' eyes and he sent me one of his goofy smiles. I had been trying to avoid eye contact with him, because his eyes were filled with devilish mirth and I knew he took pleasure in being the only one who knew my secret.

"This is a new student. This means he has entered straight into year four. Bizarrely his file was very sparse and little to no information in it was worthwhile to bring out here tonight about his life prior to Holderns. There were the results of his start of the year test for all his subjects however, and he score poorly across the board. This is obviously due to the fact that he wasn't used to the level of education we serve here in Holderness. I don't know if he can... keep up. Furthermore, Miller tells us he hasn't made the A or B team for Rugby, and is listed as a substitute for the B football team."

I struggled to not cry out in outrage. All those days of practicing with Cameron for nothing! Plus how did Seo know the results for our 'Start of the Year Tests'? We hadn't even gotten the results yet. The boys had started laughing at my pathetic data and one pushed my patience with "He even looks surprised to hear the news. As though a puny fetus like him could be up to scratch for our teams." I soon recognized him to be Miller.

"Yes, well it seems that other than picking fights and pretending to be something close to manly, Lucas here has little qualities. Leo, keep or hold?"

I eyes shifted from Seo to Leo's who once again seemed distant and removed. It was like I was being weighed up. But he owed me and he knew it, there was no way he'd move me to an other dorm.

"Hold." Was his clear reply. The string of swear words I threw I him were drowned out by the laughs of the other students. Even the first years joined in. I was the first hold of the night. Of course as the list of went on, I wasn't the only one. Some boys had no club activities or any academic achievements at all and they suffered. Others didn't have any great skills, but Seo mention that their father was so and so, or owned this and that, and suddenly their valour increased to a keep.

As you can imagine by the end of the data reading I was speechless. What was I going to do if I didn't stay in the same dorm as Marcus and keep him in check. I could do it from a distance I guess, find some dirt on him and use it as leverage it he ever tried to sell me out. But the problem wasn't just about staying in the dorm anymore. It went beyond that. From what I could sum up the initiation helped measure the newbies' worth. And this stayed with you through till the end of your education.

Being a loser, so to speak meant you were excluded, an outcast and the person that was used as a sand bag when the violent boy energy got to hard to contain in a few of the students. This was almost like old school fagging. The bottom of the heap meant your life at Holderness would be hell on Earth. I didn't need that. Not at all. Not with all the messed up stuff I have to deal with.

Seo took the floor once more, still composed and still emitting the disturbingly ice cold aura. Watching him as he recited names of and read of the student's file, I notice that he took up an expression that could only be described as contained pleasure. He was enjoying himself greatly. The call from the Dorm Representatives of 'hold' got him all excited, though he barely let it show. Only the slight crinkle of his lips gave him away. I hated his guts. He was the worst kind of bad news; Smart, composed, and in a position of power.

"Now the dorm representatives will rejoin their dorms and together they will make a decision about the asking price they are willing to give for the fetuses they want to buy and the ones they want to trash. Two maximum per dorm. You have eight minutes. The fetuses are to stay were they are until then. Listen to your superiors talking about you. Weighing you up, calling you worthless. They may have been you friends earlier, and they may be your friends again in the morning. But right now, you are at their mercy," He smiled and his eyes became small slits.

My dorm, Ely, congregated around Leo, and started talking immediately and wildly, mimicking all the other dorms. The atmosphere was comparable to the betting office before a horse race.

"You need to get Grests on our dorm. He's an ace student and would definitely help make us the winning dorm this year."

"Nah, Dumbo! We need Bates. Have you seen his football skill? After the year fours leave there be only the weakest players left on the team. We need someone like him."

"You all wrong. What this dorm needs is Matthew Ewirs. He's like a chess pro. The Chess club really need more members if we are ever to get to nationals and-"

This went on and own for a while, all the monkey boys perking up when they heard their names being called in good context, and looking abashed when it was the opposite.

"Are we keeping Lucas?" My head that had been hanging low, instantly lifted and I zoomed in on Eric. "We have to keep him right?" I love you Hales. I love you a million times over.

"No bloody way," was Millers decisive reply.

"B-b-but!" babbled Eric, "His worth keeping."

"Are joking, you wannabe gay popstar?" An other boy called out. "There is no way we are keeping that Justin Bieber look a like douchebag. He'll bring the Ely dorm down for sure."

"How can you say that. Lucas is great at.. at..." my love for Eric was rapidly decreasing. Eric searched wildly into the night sky for inspiration before urging Cameron to say something.

"He is a good football player." Cam anxiously. "I don't understand how you could have convince the coach not to put him on the team Miller, even though try out haven't happened yet."

"The real try outs have happened. It's called PE lessons. The dude is too small to play with us. He falls over like a pile of brick from a simple tackle. Even if we did put him on the team. He wouldn't play any games due to injuries." Miller barked back. I could tell this was personal. He hadn't enjoyed the punch I had given him last week.

"Are you just saying that because he whooped you little bum bum the other day?" inquired Marcus. "As we all know Lucas knows how to punch."

"Psh," an other boy answered before Miller could gather enough composer to talk back.He was from an other dorm and had over heard the Ely dorm's dispute, as had all the other dorms. They had all reoriented themselves towards Marcus. "The only reason the douchebag isn't a cripple yet is because of the law. No touching monkeyboys before invitation. It it wasn't for that half the school would have jumped him by now and the fighting wouldn't have been limited to self defence. Full frontal attack is coming up for this jerk."

"That's right!" came a general cry from all the dorms.

"What he did to my man Jacob is just arrogance. Spilling water onto him for not good reason. We need to tune down this guy's ego before his big head blow up because otherwise it'd be a hell of a mess to clean up," said John Leenan, representative of the Regent dorm.

"You all shut you traps." I screamed out at them, unable to contain my silence any longer. "I only ever did what I did because I needed to assert myself on to all of you. What kind of messed up school is this anyway? How do you sell out your comrades like this? What is this joke?"

"Shut up Lucas!" hissed Marcus, Eric and Cameron nodded wildly in agreement. "You are digging your grave."

"Yeah, well my fellow dormmates are getting ready to throw me in it!" Okay, let's be honest here. I suddenly found myself in way over my head, and as per usual my emotions ran away with me and made me impulsive.

"Leo, we are definitively loosing him. At whatever the cost," said Miller, much to the relief of a large portion of my dorm. "This guy will bring nothing but trouble. Plus he is too girly to be associated with Ely. He's so feminine it's disturbing."

"Makes me sick." Someone else threw in.

"Wait!" the other dorm representatives suddenly warned Castello, who until now had stayed quiet, "We won't accept him. No matter how many points you are willing to give us in exchange. He has upset a large amount of members of our dorms. We won't take him."

"Ah, well that solves that then!" says Cameron, smiling at me. "You are staying with us."

"No way," cried Miller. "He has to go. Leo, come on. Get him out of Ely. Even if it takes up all our points. We having been dorm winners for the past three years. It's not about to end now!"

My eyes moved onto Leo. He had a hard expression on his face, now that he had been called upon to make a decision. As though exhausted, he ran his hand through his sandy blond hair that looked silver in the moonlight. "All of you shut up. You are too loud and you voice carry like loudspeakers. We'll be found out if you can't be quite. Now about Lucas. See, the thing is, though I hate it, I owe him." I couldn't believe Castello was vouching for me. "The other night we went out, as you all know. And Lucas did a little business on the side for me."

"Yeah but caused a major rucks doing it. He came back all sick and bloody from some place upstairs." Nate, who until this moment, I would have considered a friend, spoke up. "We had to leave the place earlier than normal, for fear of the bouncers finding out. My girlfriend was not happy. Oh and that reminds me, the only thing Lucas can pull on a night out, are gays. Much use that is. Can't even hold a drink."

I turned red with embarrassment as I thought back to my failed attempts. Yeah, it true that I couldn't get with any girls, but it's not like I even wanted to.

"Shut up, Nate!" ordered Cameron, looking positively furious. "You continue to insult my friend, I'll... Remove your car privileges. You won't be able to drive mine anymore." Leo rolled his eyes at his best friend, while I tried to hide my loving smile. Cameron could always be trusted.

"What exactly did he do for you Castello?" asked Craig Miller. "If you don't mind sharing, that is."

"Actually I do," Leo replied curtly. "It's a private favour."

"Oooh, a private favour. Did you replace Cameron for Lucas as your new pleasure toy Leo?" jeered Miller in an obscene and nasally voice. This comment of course gave permission for everyone else to laugh in malicious mirth.

Cameron looked bizarrely uneasy and took an awkward step away from Leo.

"Maybe," said Leo, "then again, maybe not. You are the one that like to have your ass stuffed by all your little croonies. You tell me." All the laughing ceased. "I will see you in the school council office at five tomorrow. I will have decided on your punishment for being out of line by then."

Miller balked under Castello's insanely sharp stare and muttered a string of cuss words before retreating.

"Right," said Seo. "No that this section is over, and all of you have an idea of who is staying and who goes, it's time for the next section. After this,the final decisions can be made amongst you. Gale, Clark, Harrow, and Breight get the hoses." Seo ordered. Four boys responded by walking to the back off past some trees and came walking back with hoses in their hands.Each dripping with what looked like ice cold water.

"Now you fetus! Get into a straight line again. You will do the movement I say. If you can no longer continue and stop it will be noted. Along with your data file, the position you stop at will help determine your ranking. Now, Miller will step up and tell you what to do. Boys, start hosing them down." Seo stepped back and the four boys plus Miller stepped forward.

"Okay you pussies, being a Holderness boy is a matter of great honor. And not everyone deserves this honor. I see this initiation as a way of sorting the ripe form the rotten." He had forgotten his earlier public embarrassment and had now found his happy place.

The water from the hoses hit us like a slap to the face. It was deadly cold and the cool night air didn't make it forgiving. The pressure in the hose must have been enormous, for when it it us it stung bitterly. The four boys sprayed us all and sent us sputtering, blinking wildley and struggeling for air.

"Now I want to see burpees from all of you and don't stop until I tell you to do something else," barked Miller. He would make a fearsome army commander if he ever chose a milatery career path.

Soon all the boys were shivering dispite the movement and a few were struggling to keep up.

"Now push ups," said Miller. A few push ups in a boy down the far end of the line collapsed and declared that he couldn't go any further. He was heavilly overweight and alarmingly out of breath, but he was the chess champion. That'll probably come to his aid. I, unlike him, was feeling comeplely fine. Ten minutes in and still breathing regularily. This, I thought, would be my redeming factor. I has fit and healthy and my training meant things like push ups weren't so bad.

"High knee jog on the spot," said Craig Miller, then a few minutes later, " The plank."

Now I was starting to really struggle. The water and cool wind had started to numb out bodies, a few other boys collapsed, but the majority were still holding on.

"Man, this is taking to long." Moaned Miller, loosing interest in our suffering. "Now you will remove a piece of clothing every minute, jumping up and down in between. This should get you boys dropping like flies."

Oh, god no. Not this. I searched widely through the crowd and found Marcu's eyes. "Help me!" I said with my eyes, utterly panicked. He looked unresponsive and I wondered if the grouchy Marcus from earlier was back. The minute came and like all the boys I removed my shoes. I didn't have any socks on. Only my jumper, t-shirt and pj bottoms.

Through, the numbness, shivers, clacking of teeth and goosebumps I notice someone's eyes on me. Looking around I quickly found it to me Castello. He was watching me intensely, almost fixated with anticipation. What was he playing at, I wondered. A thought popped back into my head. Did he know? And if he did, was he going to do something about it, or was he just waiting for me to expose myself. Another minute went by and I had to remove my jumper. I could feel the effect of the water on my binding and on my constricted nipples,that were painfully numb. What would I do in an other minute. What could I remove that wouldn't reveal the truth.

So far only five people had collapsed out of the thirty. Everyone else's movements had become sluggish and less and less accurate. I knew I could outlast a large amount of them and win some respect. Respect in this alien planet seemed very important, I couldn't afford to loose anymore by coming so low in the competition. But what clothing could I remove?

Looking up to seek aid from Marcus again, I found him whispering in Leo's ear. I couldn't tell what he was saying because Leo's face revealed nothing. When Leo didn't respond to anything Marcus said, Marcus moved away defeated, and sent me a panicked shrug of he shoulders. Leo was a man of small words. I got that. I am fine with it. But how could he say nothing in my defence. After I had taken care of a major class A pervert for him. Where was the brotherly love? That sense of loyalty boys had for each other when the going gets tough. Or is it just that I've watched to many gang movies? He had blown me off with a mere dismissal of Marcus. How I ever found him attractive I do not know. The fact that I had seen his hard abdomen on my first day here had something to do with it, I am sure. Finding his jugular exposed and pulsating with sex as his neck was thrown back in sinful pleasure and orgasmic bliss probably contributed as well. Not to mention his powerful gaze and affect he had on the students was desirable. Basically the reason I had found him attractive could go on for hours.

This shouldn't matter however. Leo was trash. He could stop this initiation, I am sure of it. It was withing his power and right as the School Council president, aka lord of this messed out college. He could have said that as a year 4 I didn't have to take part in this bullying. Because that is what this was. Plain and simple, harassment and degradation of fifteen year olds (plus me) boys (and a girl).

Castello could have pulled something out of that enormous bag of BS he carried around when he talked to adults. He could do all these things, but chose to do nothing. This caused the attraction I held for the jerk to go way down. He only watched and waited to see what would unfold, looking calm and collected. Whilst Cameron, on the other hand, appered constricted and upset that nothing he had said in my defence was helping. Cameron's kind and supportive smile helped me on when my breath started to get laboured, and my movements more irregular. Cameron was a saint.

If my heart wasn't already beating at an alarming pace, Cam's soft and pitiful gaze on me would have sped it up. I didn't like the pity as much as I like the fact that he cared about me. Plus, pity was a touch better than indifference. Well... right now it was. The tall and dark, pillow haired athlete had helped me train every other morning for tryouts and had praised and encouraged me. After I am named the looser of the school he won't even want to associate with me anympre. And I wanted the opposite. I want to spend lots and lots of time with, honey eyed Cameron.

I tried to seek Marcus out for help once more. Didn't he say that he'd help me out if I ever got into a compromising position? Obviously he didn't live up to his word because the only advice he had to give me was "give up for bloody sake!" and try to subtly describe boobs by cupping his hands underneath his chest and raising them up and down in the grotesque gesture. Much help he was.

Giving up wasn't in my normal vocabulary. It wasn't even a phrase that existed in my language. By I wasn't speaking Lucy language any more. I was having to speak boy language and give up. Even I have limit.

This night felt like it was never ending. My eyes had adjusted a long time ago and the thick Ash trees that surrounded the clearing had become visible. The lights of college were barely in sight due to the foliage. It was a half moon, and it glowed bright in a cloudless sky. It's grace was almost soothing, as I took a moment to watch it before making my decision. Just before Miller called out the one minute again, I let myself collapse like dead weight on the ground and groaned out meekly. "Forfeit! I forfeit!" The sudden break in movement upset my heart rate and I sagged slightly, dizzy from the lack of air reaching my brain.

"Well, look who finally gave in," called out Miller. "For a moment there I thought you'd actually hold on to the end. I was hoping to see that messed up pee pee stick of yours. It can't be much more messed up than your face. Dude looks looks like a lady," he sneered, telling the crowd as the year ones around me remove their t-shirts. "He punches like one too."

"Bugger off Miller," I try to sound menacing, making my voice all low and bass like, but it seemed unsuccessful because he just laughed at my miserable state, all drenched and shivering. "Or else," I tried once more, though instinct told me to back off, "I'll show you how hard girls are capable of punching an arse like you."

"Little Lucas here wants to challenge me. Oh! I am actually frightened," he mocked. "Dudes like you shouldn't talk bollocks when you haven't got any balls to begin with. If I wasn't following the initiation law last time I would have pounded that do gooder attitude of your right out of your girly face," his jabs had the whole crowd going apart for a few individuals. Namely Erics who looked like he was about to wet himself from stress, Seo who was looking on in silent pleasure, the lips corners twitching once more, Leo calculating the situation with his sharp green eyes, Cameron who was trying to tell me to calm down by waving his hands shacking his head furiously, and lastly Marcus who had lost all interest in this event and was texting rapidly on his mobile. Great roommate I have. I wish Teddy had come instead of him. Teds would have fought for my dignity.

I was about to put a lid on my over boiling anger but then I notice someone who I hadn't been able to pick out in the shadows. Skylar was sitting on a low branch on the outskirt of the group of students looking unbelievably bored and over this whole initiation. His chin was jutting out as his head was tilted upwards. He thought he was so much better than this . Than me. He looked at his watched and sighed with exasperation. This is what got me. His audacity to be so dismissive of me. Like I wasn't worth an ounce of his time. Just a bothersome stalker. Like hell I am going to let him think that of me. And not just him. I'll show everyone what Lucy is made of.

I pounced on Miller knocking him down onto the muddy ground hitting the ground hard. I straddled him, sitting on his torso and brought back my elbow.

"Lucy! No!" I hear Marcus scream out, but it was quickly lost in the gasps of shock that followed. My fist made contact with his cheek causing him to let out a terrible groan and splatter out blood as he bit the inner lining of his mouth. A moment latter, before I could even fully catch my breath; I was thrown off him and he had knocked me dead flat on to the ground with his brute strengh. The shocking impact against the ground surprised me and knocked the wind right out of my lungs. I didn't manage to get up fast enough before Miller had reached me. With the end of his trainers he kicked me in the stomach.

I curled up into myself, withholding a loud cry of agony as my stomach felt pulverised. I hadn't even managed to evaluate the situation fully before he threw an other kick at me, hitting my lower ribs. He had accompanied the momentum of his kick with a stream of swear words aimed at my miserable self.

Next thing I knew Miller was right back on the floor lying next to me crying out in short painful gasps, and Skylar Richardson standing above both of us with lips sealed so tight they had turned white and looked beyond pissed off. I was stunned that he was standing there, breathing heavily through his nostrils. Why did he get involved? He didn't say anything and went right back to the low branch when he was sure that we wouldn't try anything again.

As we nursed our wounds shamefully avoiding everyone's incredulous eyes, Leo spoke up. "You two sort your differences out in your own time. I will not have drama queens compromising our initiation ritual. You are a disgrace to the Ely dorm. I swear if you try anything like that again I will personally see that you spend the rest of the year looking over your shoulders. Is that clear?"

It may have been Skylar that had knocked tall and bulky Miller to the ground, but it was Leo that was more terrifying. His words were like slaps across the face, because he delivered them with such promise, that I didn't even try doubting him. The two of us quickly nodded and painfully got back up and made our way to our original positions.

"Good. And Richardson." Leo called out, not even bothering to turn around to face Skylar who looked up from his watch. "If you try to assert the discipline instead of me once more I'll have to punish you for a second time."

"You had no control over the situation," was the barely audible reply . "I just hate time wasters."

"So stop wasting mine," said Leo. Skylar didn't have anything more to say after this.

What followed was the continuation of the initiation, but with a much more subdued atmosphere. The year ones all collapsed in the next following minutes, no one making it past the underwear stage, much to my comfort. Then the transfer of students was concluded. The Ely dorm gave up one student called Eddie Michaels for a boy call Neal Long. Neal was a very good tennis player and Cameron had begged to get him. I stayed with Ely in the end since the other dorms refused point blank to take me on. This was followed by Seo announcing the social ranking of all of us new boys. I was ranked second to last. Apparently I was going to be sixth to last originally, due to my close friendships with Cameron, Marcus and Teddy, but my fight brought me down quite a bit. I was happy that I was staying in Ely, yet I couldn't help but wonder what my fate would be like as the bottom of the social ladder. My impulsive behaviour had brought me trouble yet again. What was that talk of reforming? Not listening to my anger? Thinking before acting? Yeah, that hadn't really worked out.

"What a delightful evening this has been," chuckled Seo in his eerily high pitched voice. "But it's not over yet. What will happen next is quick and simple. Your dorm representative will have been deliberating this for the pass two weeks. They are suppose to have come here to night with their minds made up on the matter. All of you monkeyboys will be assigned to a mentor. This will be Year 3 student of any year 4 student that didn't get a student last year. The role of your mentor is to guide you through your first two years in Holderness. Help you out when you are in tight spots, or explain certain things to you. They are also there to make sure you succeed in you studies and activities. If you act out, they will also be held responsible for not teaching you better. Think of them as your older brothers.That's how close the two of you will be by the end to the year. This I swear."

Eric hadn't mention any of this to me. I could only try and imagine who Leo had decided would be a suitable mentor for me. Though if he thought he'd be exchanging me tonight then it is possible that he hadn't even prepared anyone. Who would it be? I didn't know any of the year 3 students form the Ely dorm. Years generally don't intermix here.

Leo called for all the members of the Ely dorm to assemble around him just as the other dorm representatives did. He went up to each year one of the Ely dorm and told them who their year three 'older brother' would be and introduced them if they didn't know each other. It didn't seem like there was any year fours that were without an assigned student, so I gave up hope being put together with Marcus, Eric or Cameron.

"Lucas?" Now Leo was on to me. "I had not expected you to still be with us two weeks in. But I always prepare for the unusual life occurrences, and difficult predicaments," I had to raise an eyebrow at this one. Where did Leo get off talking like he was some fifty year old man.

"Your mentor shall be someone you have a lot in common with, in more ways then one. Skylar Richardson. I believe you two know each other? " I think my gob hit the floor. Skylar? Skylar! How did it ever come to this? The one guy who hated me for no good reason was assigned to be my guide for the next year? You've got to be joking.

I dared check out his expression and regretted it instantly. He was furious. Absolutely fuming. A cigarette has hanging from his lips, burning away as he took long angry puffs. I didn't know Skylar smoked, but it didn't surprise me. It fit the whole image he was going for. Brooding and mysterious.

"Is this what you meant by my second punishment? This is my first? Hell of a way to thank so one who was only trying to help out," he said. Leo only cocked his head in response as if to challenge him to go any further.

"Now step forward and shake hands like everyone else has done," When it looked like Skylar was about to decline, Leo say in a lower voice, "Now."

Both of us stepped forward and tried to weigh each other up. I held out my hand shakily. Skylar took a long drag from the hand rolled cigarette, threw it onto the floor and extinguished with the ball of his foot. Slowly he exhaled the toxic cloud into my face watching as it enveloped me in a man made fog. I looked at the ground not brave enough to hold his scalding glare. He grabbed my hand and pulled me in close, chest to chest and hunched his shoulders to talk straight at me, our foreheads practically touching.

"You stay the hell away from me except if it's absolutely necessary. I already have too much rubbish to deal with to also put up with you. My life is way too complicated for you to come and mess it up some more."

I barely heard what he was saying because I was focusing solely on the strange shiver and tingle that danced up from the tip of our connecting fingers, up my arm and right to my heart. Sending it running a mile a minute. Oh shit!