Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:28:35 +0100
From: jerryfell@hushmail.com
Subject: Boy at the wedding - part 9

Sebastian walked back down the dorm from the washrooms swinging his
wash-kit, his towel wrapped around his waist.  Outside a drab
British morning was shrouding the school in drizzle.  Another
tousled boy, bleary eyed, half-naked, waved at him as he hurried
towards the bathrooms.

"Hi Seb."

"Hi Skunk."

Sebastian rattled back the curtain of the chamber.

"Come on sleepy heads!  You'll miss breakfast."

Geek rolled out of his bunk, planting his feet on the floorboards,
his toes feeling for his slippers.  He was wearing pyjama trousers
but was shirtless.  His skin looked pale.  As he bent down his ribs
rippled under his skin.  He fished his heavy black spectacles out
of the locker beside the bed and wiggled them over his ears,
smiling weakly at Sebastian.

A foot stuck out of the jumble of sheets on the top bunk.  Seb
grabbed the big toe.  "Come on Hoss."

"Gerroff!"

"And you need to say hi to our new chamber-mate."

Hoss sat up in bed.  Geek gave up the hunt for his slippers and
stood beside Sebastian.

The top bunk, by the window, stirred.  Sebastian chucked his wash-
kit into his locker.  "Morning Van!"

"Good morning."  A small voice wrapped up in sheets.

Geek skipped over.  "Hi!  I'm Geek.  That's Seb and he's Hoff."

"Nice to meet you all.  I am Niels."

"Niels, sit up for a moment...." ordered the Hoff.  "Fuck me!  Your
hair is longer than mine by miles!"
Niels smiled, a bright flash across his face.  Seb had to look away
and turned his back on Niels as he struggled into his boxers under
the towel.  He kept his back turned, stepping into his trousers as
the Geek and Hoff went into detail about the demon barber who
visited the school every other friday.  Finally the towel could
come off.  He turned back to face the boy as he pulled his shirt on
and set about the buttons.

"Niels.  If you get washed quickly I'll show you where the dining
room is."

"The Trough!  Teach him the right names Seb!"

"Okay, well I can take you to the Trough.  But get a move on."

The sheets flashed white as the blue blanket gave way, and all 5
foot four inches of naked dutch boy slid down to stand on the
floorboards.  A thin arm raised to push the hair out of his pale
eyes.  "Thanksh.  I'll hurry.  Where's the washroom?"

"I'll show you!  That one is your towel."  Geek led him out.
Slender.  Towel-wrapped.  Big feet.  Sebastian turned away.

Hoff dragged his covers back over himself.  "Fuck me, that's all we
need."

"Aren't you coming to breakfast?"

"No I'll see you in Chapel.  Can you sneak out some toast?"

"Okay, okay."

-----

Niels and Sebastian collected their trays by the door and made
their way down the cafeteria.  Niels took Rice Krispies with a
ladle of milk.  A plastic mug of tea.  Sebastian copied his
choices.  A prefect pushed past them.

"What are you?  A fucking girl?  Get your hair cut."

"He's going to." Sebastian growled and then, under his breath
"Ignore him he's a jerk."

Sebastian led him to one end of one of the long benches.  They slid
into place.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Niels.  We didn't know when you were
arriving."

Niels flashed another smile at him.  Seb concluded that he had grey
eyes, but he couldn't be sure.  They seemed to change colour across
a pale spectrum.

"You'll like it here.  Most people are friendly."

"Do you like being here?"

Sebastian snorted.  "Ah....  Well....  Fuck no.  But I am just like
that."  He loaded some sugar from a bowl onto the cereal.

Niels smiled weakly.

They sat in silence, lifting spoons of soggy Rice Krispies to their
lips.  Milk dripped back into the bowls.

Niels' eyes were fixed on the trembling spoonfuls.  He was taking
care.

Sebastian seemed to be trapped in a slow motion movie.  His own arm
was frozen as he watched Niels intently.  The boy's full lips
opened.  Then disappeared behind the spoon as the contents were
sucked in.

Some milk ran down Niels' chin.

Sebastian looked up from Niels' spoon.  The grey eyes were looking
at his.  Blinking.

"Er... after this it's chapel."

"I don't believe in god."

"Doesn't matter.  We all have to go.  You don't have to take
communion though."

Niels didn't look too impressed.  He wrinkled his nose.

"Don't you believe in god because of what happened?"

Niels turned white.  His eyes widened.  In slow motion moisture
welled at the corners, collected and spilled over.

The spoon clattered into the bowl.  Milk splattered.

"Oh sorry, sorry sorry!"

Niels had buried his face in his hands.  Sebastian was mortified.
He blushed deeply.

"Oh look I'm sorry, I just..."

Niels was making a frightening rasping noise, trying to choke back
his tears.  Sebastian hurried around the table and slid in beside
him.  He put his hand on the heaving slender shoulders.  Boys on
other tables were looking over and pointing.  He gave the closest
group the bird and silently mouthed `Fuck off' but he didn't dare
touch Niels again.  He leaned in as close as he could.  He couldn't
think of anything to say.  It was a nightmare.  "Here, drink some
tea."  Niels looked up, red-eyed, but forcing a smile.

"Shorry.  Shorry...."

"No, no, I shouldn't..."  Sebastian passed him the hot mug of tea
which he sipped gratefully.

"Who's this?"  Another prefect had stopped beside them.

"He's new.  Van Der Graaf."

"Well cheer up Van Der Graaf.  No one likes a cry-baby."  Sebastian
stood up and whispered urgently into the ear of the prefect.

"I see.  Well Van Der Graaf, see the chaplain."  Then he was gone.

Sebastian took his place again, across the table from Niels.  "`See
the Chaplain'!  What the fuck!"

"Yeah that will help!"

They looked at each other and Niels, rubbing away the tears, broke
into a broad, pathetic grin.  Sebastin, tentatively, started to
smile too.  He rolled his eyes.

The boys started laughing.  Laughing until their sides hurt.

---------

Sebastian swung into the dormitory mid afternoon.  He was banking
on it being deserted and it was.  He hurried to the chamber.

He had hidden his mobile phone by taping it under his bed.  He
retrieved it, turned it on and listened anxiously in case anyone
should follow him into the dormitory as the screen flickered to
life.

He had 21 texts.

There was one from an unknown number.

`Hi Sebastian.  Have you settled down back at school?  I really
enjoyed meeting you.  Would you like me to take you out for a
weekend break?  We could go fishing again perhaps.  I will be
guided by you on everything.  You understand?  It will just be nice
to see you again.  Alexander.'

He spun the phone around in his fingers, thinking what to do.  He
added then number as a new contact under the name of `Pervo' then
thought better of it and put `XXX'.

The school bell rang.  Afternoon lessons.

He hit `reply'.

`Hey!  Yeah why not?  What weekend?  Can I bring a friend?'

He paused with his finger over send.  Swallowed and hit it.  The
text was sent.  He turned the phone off and crawled under the bed
to fix it back into place.

He had to hide an erection for most of the first class of the
afternoon.

-----

Please email me.  I really appreciate your comments.  Thanks for
the Dutch reader from Holland in the Netherlands who corrected my
spelling of Van Der Graaf!  jerryfell@hushmail.com