Cover Your Eyes

Chapter Three

Monday morning is awful. When Riley wakes up he is still wearing the clothes from the day before. Vince apologizes for that, but found it too awkward to take his clothes off or wake him up. Riley doesn’t mind at all, he really needed his sleep and he would have found it awkward as well.

First period is English and they have to hand in their essay. Riley had it almost forgotten, because it was still on his desk, buried under a couple of books, including the old Myth book the mysterious sixth form student had recommended him. He had to run upstairs again to go get it and wasn’t in class when the bell rung. Now he’s got to write an extra essay.

After English he has math. The test isn’t all that bad, but it could be better if had actually studied. Mr Carter keeps looking at his students from the corner of his eye, looking out if they aren’t cheating. It freaks Riley out, even though he isn’t cheating, and he can’t properly concentrate on his test.

Geography and history are two of his least favourite courses ever and he can’t help but fall asleep, even though his teachers are two lovely women who aren’t boring at all. They are two of the nicest he had so far. They don’t catch him, though. Even if they did they don’t say anything about it, which he is them thankful for.

He is glad when lunch strolls by and half of the day is over. He notices the sixth form student sitting alone again. Riley is debating whether he should go to him and ask him if he said anything wrong the other day in the library or if he should just ignore him and go sit with Vince, Nolan and Eben.

Before he can decide what to do, he hears someone calling his name. Nolan is waving his arms in the air to get his attention and points at the seat next to him, Eben sitting on the other side with Vince next to him. Riley shrugs the thoughts of the sixth form student off and takes a seat next to Nolan.

“Is that all you’re going to eat?” he asks with his eyes wide. Riley looks at Nolan’s plate, which is twice as full as his. He still wonders where the food goes in that small boy next to him.

“Some people eat normal amounts of food and not an amount that is twice as big as themselves,” Riley replies. He hears Vince and Eben slightly chuckle and Nolan shoves a bit away from him, shooting Riley a dirty glance.

When Riley and Nolan walk toward their Spanish class after lunch, Nolan pokes him in the ribs. Riley looks annoyed at him, but Nolan points at something. “Look.” Riley looks as well. He is pointing at the noticeboard with an announcement pinned on it. Mrs Fransisco, their Spanish teacher, is ill and theygot a period off. Unfortunately they can’t do whatever they want, they have to go to the Study Hall and study instead.

Riley and Nolan turn around and start heading for the Study Hall. It is only their class and a class of sixth form student. Riley could have expected it, there was the guy from the library. He sits with his back against the wall. He has a book in his hands, but he is not paying any attention to it. He is talking to the girl he eats lunch with.

“Hey, Fitch! Is the little leprechaun your friend?” Nolan, who’s standing next to him, groans. One of the sixth form students, the one who Riley bumped into the other day, smirks at them. Riley doesn’t say anything. He walks further into the Study Hall with Nolan hot on his heels. They take a seat somewhere in the middle.

“They call you a leprechaun?” Riley asks Nolan. Nolan’s cheeks flush a bit. Riley feels embarrassed for him.

“Just because I’m not really tall and I’m from Ireland.” Riley rolls his eyes. That is ridiculous. Being small is the most stupid reason the make fun of someone and it’s actually not funny at all.

“Just ignore them,” Riley says. Nolan nods his head, but Riley is sure that he won’t be able to do that.

“Fitch, seriously I thought you could do better than that,” the sixth form student comes closer to Riley and Nolan with his two friends hot on his heels. He smirks at them. The other two guys seem bubble heads, but they also seem extremely strong. Riley doesn’t really want to get punched and judging by his face, neither does Nolan.

“Kenneth, leave them alone,” a voice from the back says. Riley, Nolan, the sixth form student named Kenneth and his two friends turn their heads to the boy leaning against the wall. His book is hanging loosely in his hand and both him and the girl he was talking two look at the little group in the middle. “They haven’t done anything wrong.”

The guy’s words haven’t wiped the smirk off of Kenneth’s face. Instead it grows wider. “Have a little fun, Louis.” Riley has seen them together, talking. They looked like they were friends, but now it doesn’t like their friends at all. He doesn’t get it. It’s like the mysterious guy – Louis – can change with a snap.

Louis shakes his head. “I know better ways to have fun than bullying some kids from Year 11.” He looks away again, talking to the girl once again. Riley keeps staring at his back, even after the teacher responsible for the two classes has said that they had to grab their books, study and make no sound.

After a while Louis turns around to look Riley directly in the eye. He feels a blush creeping up his face and turns away from him. Instead he turns to Nolan, who is writing down a lot with his tongue stick between his teeth.

“Nolan,” Riley whispers. Nolan looks up. “Do you know anything about him.” Riley nods his head in Louis’ direction. Nolan looks for a moment at the older boy before he opens his mouth.

“He’s a sixth form student,” he whispers. Riley rolls his eyes.

“Stuff I didn’t know yet.”

“I don’t know a lot about him. No one knows a lot about him. He hangs out with Kenneth Duncan and his gang, but he’s also a lot with that girl, which is weird because Mona hates Duncan and his gang. He’s always reading or some stuff, a lot in the library. Apparently he’s really smart, ‘cause he has Latin and about eight hours of math.”

Riley nods his head. Eight hours of math? That is insane! Who wants that? He is already sick of the six hours he’s got. And Latin on top of it? Riley hates Latin. He had it in Year 8 and immediately dropped it the year after. And then a lot of reading on top of it. He really doesn’t look like one, but Louis is absolutely a geek.

Riley looks at him again. He is reading again, too concentrated to notice Riley staring. There is something about him. He doesn’t know what yet, but there is something. He just doesn’t understand why he is so determined to find out what. He has nothing to do with the guy and he is not bothering him.

Riley grabs his hair with both of his hands and slams his head on his desk. He. Bang. Wants. Bang. The. Bang. Thoughts. Bang. To. Bang. Go. Bang.Bang. Away. Bang. He shouldn’t care.

“Mr Fitch, I have no idea what you are doing, but you could you please stop it?” Riley looks up. The teacher and big amount of the students in the Hall are looking at him. Riley’s cheeks flush a bit and he sheepishly nods his head.

He catches Louis looking at him as well. Is he grinning at him? Is he really making fun of him? Is he –

“Riley?” Nolan whispers from behind him. “Are you okay?”

Riley doesn’t turn around to answer, but only nods his head. He lays his head down on his desk. Coolness of the desk calm his thoughts and he closes his eyes, slowly drifting off, even though he is still in the Study Hall and the teacher will probably say something about it.

Which doesn’t happen and he is awoken by Nolan when the bell rings. “You sure everything is okay?” Nolan asks while they collect their belongings and head out for the break.

“This school just so much more exhausting than a normal school,” Riley replies.
Nolan chuckles a bit. “I know.”

“You’ve been on a normal school?” Riley asks, wondering if he’s not the only one who didn’t start here from zero.

“Yes, I went to a school in Ireland for two years,” he says as Riley raises his eyebrows. Riley is never been in Ireland before, so he doesn’t know a whole lot about it.

“Why did you come to a boarding school then?” Riley asks. He wouldn’t know why someone would want go to a boarding school just for fun if they are already in a good school. This boarding school is horrible and exhausting. Seriously, Riley doesn’t get as much sleep as he did as when he attended his old school.

“My mum thought they weren’t strict enough for me. My cousin went here and my aunt told her that it’s a really good school, so she decided to put me here. I complained a lot about it in the beginning, but it really isn’t as bad as I first thought,” Nolan says. He frowns a little. “Though, I prefer my old school.”

Me too, Riley thinks. Who wouldn’t? A bit sunken in his thoughts he follows Nolan toward the canteen. Nolan wants to grab a snack for they go looking for Vince and Eben. Nolan eats literally during every single break. It surprises Riley that Nolan isn’t fat yet. He so tiny and small.

Vince and Eben are sitting outside with Vince’s girlfriend and her two friends. Also the girl Riley sat next to the first math course he had. She is not laughing along with the others and she seems a bit out of place. It seems like she doesn’t want to be there at all and she seems pretty annoyed with the others.

“Riley!” one of the girls he remembers to be April says. “Have you met Avalon yet?” She nods her head at the girl with the dirty blond hair. Avalon seems to snap out of her trance when her name is called.

“We sat together in math,” Riley says, looking at the girl. “I haven’t caught her name though.” Avalon averts her empty grey eyes from April to look at Riley. A cold shiver goes down his spine as he looks into those lifeless eyes. He wonders what is up with her.

Avalon doesn’t open her mouth during the whole break. The rest of the group are laughing and joking around, but she doesn’t participate in their conversation. Riley wonders if she’s even able to talk. He finds her a bit scary.

Riley walks towards his chemistry class together with Eben after the break when he realizes that his books are still in his room. He tells Eben that he’ll catch up with him later and that he has to tell Wilson that he’ll be later.

When he walks back into the Great Hall he sees the guy that has left him wondering for days. Louis walks in the direction Riley just came from and doesn’t seem to notice the younger boy until he almost bumps into him. Louis stares at him and Riley feels kind of awkward. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t even know if actually should say something.

But Louis doesn’t seem to have the intention to walk away from him, so Riley kind of feels like has to say something. “Um, I used the book,” he says awkwardly. “You know, the one you recommended me. Thanks for that.” He nervously half smiles at Louis.

Louis doesn’t return the smile. He simply asks “Why?”

Riley fumbles with the hem of his shirt. He feels like a boy who is nervous to talk to his crush. Which is ridiculous, because Louis isn’t a girl and Riley is not crushing on him at all. But Louis is kind of intimidating by being so distant. He might not even try or intend to, but Riley becomes nervous when he is around him.

“It was the only option left, I guess. You seemed to like the book,” Riley says, hoping that it will do for Louis. There isn’t a single emotion crossing the older boy’s face and Riley doesn’t know what to think.

Louis shrugs. “I had a good grade on that essay and I used the book.” Riley nods his head. Hopefully he will get a good grade on that essay as well. Probably not as good as Louis, since he seems to be extremely smart.

“I have to go now,” Louis says, starting for the corridor, heading towards his class. Riley stares at his back when he walks away from him before running up the stairs to get his books for chemistry and his next period, French.