Work Text
Chapter 1
“This is crazy, absolutely crazy.” Buttons muttered, smoothing his shirt for the fourth time that morning. Crutchie frowned. “Well, it’s happening, Benjamin. Whether we like it or not.” Buttons huffed and ran a hand through his gelled brown hair. “Don’t call me that.” “This is ridiculous.” Mush said haughtily. “Dude.” Race frowned. “Their school literally burned down. Have some goddamn sympathy.” “Plus they’re orphans.” Les piped up. Davey frowned, staring at his little brother. “Les, why are you even here? The rest of us have a release period right now but if I remember correctly, you should be in Math class.” Les’s big eyes widened. The Jacobs brothers had a thirty second stare-off before Les grabbed his backpack and bolted out of the room. “That’s what I thought,” Davey huffed and watched his curly hair disappear out of the doorway, satisfied that the eleven year old was going to class. “Guys! That’s beside the point, why are these random kids coming to our school? Mush asked. “Yeah, why us? We’re a boarding school. Why can’t the other public schools take them in?” Davey added. “Spoken like true prep school assholes.” Specs muttered under his breath. Davey and Mush shot him mean looks. “We’ve been over this.” Katherine glared first at Mush and then at Davey. “They’re orphans with nowhere to go. The orphanage is currently overflowing and it needed to get rid of a couple of kids. No big deal, right?” "I’m sure they’ll fit in just fine here.” Crutchie added. Katherine sent him a relieved look. Race, knowing Kath was stressed about the whole situation, put a hand on her shoulder. “That’s a laugh,” Mush snickered. Katherine scowled, punching him in the arm. “What? I’m serious! No hate, I swear! There’s just no way they’re gonna fit in here.” “Like Specs said, stop being a prep school asshole. The least we can do for these boys is give them lodging and an education.” She paused and they all listened to muffled voices coming from the doorway. “That must be them now.” She stood up. “...get over here, Albo. C’mon, Birdy, don’t be scared. Henry, I swear if you give me that look one more time...Okay, okay. I’m gonna knock so you all shut up-” Before the boy got a chance to knock, the door flew open. “Well hello, hello.” A short boy with glossy dark hair, an old backpack, and smouldering eyes strutted in. His already big smile widened when he laid eyes on Specs. He swaggered over to his victim who nervously pushed his glasses up his nose. “Whoa there, Romeo. Slow down.” The owner of the first voice called out, a tall boy with brown hair and a smirk. He entered the room with six other boys trailing behind him. Romeo whined but obediently rushed over to the newcomer’s side. He then noticed Katherine and his eyes lit up again. He waggled his eyebrows at her. Race snorted. Flirt. Katherine raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, but moved to greet the boys. “You must be the Hayside High boys, welcome to Roosevelt Prep.” “Thanks princess, it’s an honor to be here.” The tall brunette said absentmindedly. “Name’s Jack, Jack Kelly.” Race studied the eight boys. They all had shaggy hair, ill-fitting clothing, and carried ragged backpacks. His eyes drifted from one to another until they landed on a boy lingering in the background. He had thick auburn hair and pink lips and Race could not stop staring. “I don’t like it here,” a muscular boy with dirty blonde hair and thick eyebrows muttered, cracking his knuckles. Race could hear Buttons give a little whimper. “Ease up, Tommy Boy.We’ve been here all of five minutes.” Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “Did someone bring you here?” Katherine asked, looking toward the doorway expectedly. “What, like an adult? Hell no.” Jack snorted, rolling his eyes. “We walked here.” A taller boy with brown hair and a sweet face put in helpfully. Kath’s smile drooped ever so slightly. “That’s a pretty long walk.” Crutchie commented. The boys shrugged, kicking their feet on the rug. “Well don’t be rude, boys, introduce yerselves.” Jack said, flashing everyone his white teeth. “‘Lo, I’m Finch.” A tall boy with curly light brown hair and a delicate face nodded. “Henry.” A shorter boy with tan skin and cropped curly brown hair said with a taut smile. “Elmer.” A brawny boy with thick black hair and a big grin saluted. “I’m Jorgelino Josephino. Call me JoJo.” The sweet-faced boy smiled. “Romeo.” Romeo winked and blew the room a kiss. “Thomas.” Tommy Boy crossed his arms. “And you?” Race blurted out, staring intently at the redhead. “Albert.” The boy said, a look of surprise on his face. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trucker jacket. “You?” “Anthony.” “Call him Race. Everybody does.” Davey butted in, flashing Race a strange look. “Race?” Albert asked, his brows furrowing. Race shrugged. “Short for Racetrack. I like to run.” “He’s being modest. Fastest kid on our track team in 30 years.” Davey said, slapping him on the back. “I’m David but my friends call me Davey.” “Katherine Plumber. Nice to meet you all.” Kath smiled tightly at the newcomers. “This is Specs, Crutchie, Buttons and Mush.” “You’ve got nicknames?” Jack looked surprised. “Doesn’t everybody?” Jack nodded. “I suppose so.” He winked at her. Katherine’s fake smile remained in place as she pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and opened it. “Jack Kelly and Albert Dasilva, you two will be in dorm E53. Patrick Cortes and Jorgelino Josephino De La Guerra are in E124. Hendrick Devauld and Vincent Kasprzak will be in E59. Thomas Ferdino and Leonardo Benjamin are in E198.” Race almost laughed as each individual (minus Jack and Albert) winced at their names. “Lead the way, Mademoiselle.” Jack grabbed Romeo by his collar and dragged him away from Specs. He then sidled up next to Katherine, nudging her elbow. “Hey, why don’t you and I meet up later tonight?” “I’m busy tonight, actually. But I’ll let my girlfriend know that you offered.” Katherine hid a smirk. She swung her book bag over her shoulder and handed the paper to Davey. “I promised Sarah we’d meet up after her French test. It’s been a pleasure, boys. I’ll see you later.” The boys watched her go, half of them dumbfounded and half of them shaking their heads in fondness. “That was kinda hot.” Jack commented. Davey snorted. “I’ll tell my sister you said that.” “Her girlfriend?” “Yup.” Jack tilted his head back, eyeing Davey in a new light. He smiled. Race rolled his eyes, knowing Jack was going after all the wrong people. “Well Kath’s not allowed in the boy’s wing so Race, Crutchie and I will be bringing you there.” Davey and Race stood up, leading the newcomers out the door. Crutchie grabbed his crutches and joined them. “Will we be able meet Mister Pulitzer?” JoJo burst out, trotting to keep up pace with Davey. Race, who was trailing behind, snorted. “And why would you want to do that?” “To thank him for letting us come to this school! We were told that he was the one who enrolled us. Snyder was ready to kick our asses onto the streets anyway.” “Who’s Snyder?” Race asked. Everyone immediately made retching noises. “The worst man you’ll ever meet. He runs the orphanage.” Jack said, elbowing everyone to shut up. Davey cleared his throat awkwardly and smiled. “Well it was no problem at all. It was really Headmaster Roosevelt who enrolled all of you, Pulitzer is his second in command and is kind of an asshole. You’ll meet the two of them eventually.” They dropped Finch, JoJo, Tommy Boy and Romeo off in their dorm hallway with Crutchie before moving on to the next one. Jack, who seemingly had forgotten Katherine, picked up his pace and trotted to Davey’s side. “So where’s your room located?” He winked. Davey raised an eyebrow and chose to ignore the previous statement. “Is he always like that?” Race asked, eyeing Jack. Elmer snorted as Albert and Henry nodded. “Him and Romeo are flirting machines, I swear.” Elmer said, making kissy faces behind Jack’s back. “Gets pretty annoying.” Henry added. The four of them watched Jack make a fool of himself for awhile until Race cleared his throat. “So, uh, you guys all were in the same foster home, right?” “Orphanage.” Henry and Elmer chorused, frowning. “Oh, sorry.” Race rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Albert noticed his discomfort and glared at the other two. “It’s an easy mistake. We’re all from The Refuge Orphanage, a couple blocks away from Hayside High. The foster system doesn’t want older kids so we’re able to live at the orphanage until we’re 18.” “Nasty place the Refuge is,” Henry wrinkled his nose. "Glad we’re out of there for good, they wanted us gone anyway.” “They were gonna kick Jack out soon,” Elmer piped up. “He’ll be 18 in a couple months.” Davey, looking very done with Jack, finally stopped at a room and whisked Henry and Elmer inside, giving Race a look before closing the door. Race stifled his laughter and steered Albert and a disappointed Jack down the hall and into a different room. “Here we are.” Race said, opening his arms wide. He suddenly felt worried that they wouldn’t like it as they studied the small room critically. “It’s pretty small but I think-” “It’s wonderful,” Albert burst out. “Thank you.” Race’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, uh, yes, of course.” He hid a smile as he watched Jack and Albert excitedly explore their new room. “Look at all this space,” Albert murmured to Jack, dropping his bag onto one of the beds. “And no bunk beds, either!” “Will they be sending your suitcases over?” The two boys turned to him, confused. “What?” Race nervously twiddled his fingers. “Is the orphanage gonna send over the rest of your stuff?” Jack coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. He swung his backpack next to Albert’s sheepishly. “This is all we have.” He gestured to the bags. Race flushed and began to stutter. Albert held up a hand. “It’s totally fine, seriously. We don’t need much anyway.” He patted the bag. “Everything in here has kept me alive and entertained my whole life.” Race, curious about the contents of the backpack, remembered something. He turned and picked up a box sitting near the door and double checked the contents of it. “There should be some uniforms in here. I have no idea what sizes they are so you might want to trade with your friends.” Jack held up a pair of pants and a blazer. “These are tiny! They’re basically Henry or Romeo sized.” “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Henry called as he walked into the room wearing an oversized blazer. “Ever heard of knocking?” Albert teased. “It means you’re short.” Jack said bluntly, pinching his arm. He pulled off Henry’s blazer and shoved the smaller clothing into his arms. “That’s better.” Elmer came in behind Henry, shirt unbuttoned and fumbling with his necktie. “How do you tie this thing?” His friends shrugged. Race walked over to him and began to tie it for him. “Don’t forget to tuck your shirt in, you could get a detention for that.” Elmer’s eyes widened. “Really?” Race tightened the tie and gave a half smile. “Welcome to Roosevelt Prep.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So that’s them?” Sarah pointed her fork at the newcomers who had just entered the dining hall. “Which one of them is the flirty idiot you were telling me about? I wanna kick his ass.”
Race snorted. Katherine rolled her eyes and rubbed her girlfriend’s arm. “I told you, it’s fine. He’s harmless.”
Sarah grunted and continued slurping her noodles. Davey gave his sister a look of disgust. She stuck her tongue out and he grimaced.
“They look out of place.” Sniper noted from her place next to Smalls.
Specs shrugged. “They’ll fit in eventually.”
Race waved to the group. Jack and Romeo trotted right over and the rest trailed behind hesitantly. They rearranged, squeezing everyone around the lunch table.
“You must be the new kids,” Smalls said, lacing her fingers together. “Sarah, Sniper and I didn’t get to meet you this morning, I’m Smalls.” The other girls nodded at them.
The corner of Jack’s mouth twitched. “You preps sure have a knack for nicknames, I’m impressed.”
They went through names again and Race admired Albert in his crisp blazer from across the table. The navy complemented his red hair. He bit his tongue when he noticed that Albert had his left ear pierced.
“Did you get situated in your rooms?” Davey asked politely.
“Yeah, they’re huge.” JoJo said with wide eyes. The rest of them nodded.
“I don’t like these uniforms,” Romeo added, tugging on the collar of his shirt. “I feel prissy.”
“You look prissy.” Henry said with a small smile. Romeo glared at him.
“Your tie is crooked.” Sarah butted in, looking at Jack.
Jack raised an eyebrow and attempted to straighten it, only making it worse. Davey’s brow furrowed. He reached out and hurriedly fixed it. Jack looked pleased and smirked at Sarah.
“Did you guys get your schedules?” Race quickly asked before Sarah could rip Jack’s head off.
Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah. They’ve loaded us up with classes.”
Schedules were compared and passed around the table. Albert, Finch and Jack were in Race’s next class along with Davey and Crutchie. He looked at his dark haired friend and raised his eyebrows. Davey sighed.
As soon as lunch had ended, the group dispersed. Soon it was just Race, Crutchie, Davey, Finch, Albert and Jack left at the table. The six of them began walking to class.
“What’s Hearst like?” Albert asked, reading off of his schedule. Finch and Jack looked to Race for an answer.
Race rolled his eyes. “He’s an old fart.”
“He’s okay.” Davey said, giving Race a gentle shove.
“He gives me a detention nearly every week, no he’s not.”
Albert snorted, punching Jack’s arm and pointing at him. “Well this one has gotten in trouble with almost every single teacher at Hayside, I doubt Roosevelt Prep will be any different.”
Race could practically feel the worry radiating off of Davey as they entered the room and made their way to their usual spots. With no other open places, Jack, Finch and Albert took seats across the room in the front right corner.
Hearst, a short old man with graying hair, began the class. “It looks like we have some new students today. Please welcome Albert, Patrick and Jack.” He gestured to them. Jack jumped up and smiled, Albert gave a small wave, Finch blushed and fiddled with the buttons on his blazer. The class burst into whispers. Though the school year had only started a week ago, new students were fairly rare at Roosevelt Prep.
Race snuck a glance at Albert as Hearst began his lecture. The sun glinted off of his earring, making Race’s heart beat faster.
“You’re staring.” A voice muttered in his ear.
Race swatted a smirking Davey away. “We’ll talk later,” he mumbled.
“Please take out your notebooks and take notes on page 24 of the textbook.” Hearst said as he began to pass out textbooks.
Race opened the textbook he had received and started doing the work. Eventually he became distracted and started tapping his pencil on his desk until Davey kicked him. After flipping Davey off, Race picked up his pencil and continued with the notes.
“Mister Kelly, that doesn’t look like the notes you’re supposed to be copying.” Race’s head shot up, along with many others, when he heard Hearst’s voice. He craned his neck to see that Jack had been sketching in his notebook.
“I finished them,” came the lazy response.
Hearst snatched the notebook off the desk and flipped through it frowning. “Mister Kelly, this notebook is full of Spanish. You are required to have one notebook per class, this doesn’t look like a notebook specifically for English Literature and Composition.”
Race could see Albert and Finch slumping in their desks. Hearst noticed too because he held up Finch’s Language Arts notebook and Albert’s Biology one. “Detention, you three, for coming to class unprepared. I’ll see you here on Friday at 4.”
Race shot Crutchie and Davey worried looks.
“Hold up now.” Jack was frowning. “That’s really not fair seeing as we-”
“That’s enough, Mister Kelly.
“But we don’t have-”
“Enough. Class is dismissed.”
“That’s completely unfair!” Jack shouted as soon as they had regrouped in the hall. “What right does he have to give us detention for such a stupid thing?”
Crutchie shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry that happened. Hearst is kind of the worst.”
“He’s an old fart.” Race repeated. Finch, Albert and Jack all nodded in agreement.
“It’s not our fault that these are the only notebooks we have.” Albert frowned at the ground. “We took different classes at our old school and we don’t have any money to buy new ones.”
“Most of the other teachers are pretty lenient with rules like that, Hearst is an exception.” Davey put in helpfully. “You’ll get used to the rules eventually.”
Jack grumbled under his breath about going to art class. He stalked down the hall.
Albert bit his lip and shrugged. “I’m supposed to go find Elmer for biology. I’ll see you guys later.”
Race watched him walk down the hall until he realized that Finch and Crutchie were staring at him. He cleared his throat. “Finch, what class do you have next?”
“Oh! Um…” Finch dug through his pockets, looking for his schedule. He pulled it out and uncrumpled it. “I have…French! My next class is French.”
“Which level?”
“Four.”
Race gave him a smile. “Me too, want to walk there together?”
Finch let out a sigh of relief. “That would be great, I would’ve gotten lost.”
They met up with Henry and Specs and the four of them made their way to the French classroom. All the while Race couldn’t get the redhead out of his thoughts.
“So Albert, huh?” Davey asked when Race entered their dorm room at six.
Race moaned and collapsed onto the floor. Classes had ended for the day and he was exhausted. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yup.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, I’ve never felt like this.”
Davey got up and sat on the floor in front of him. “It’s been a long time since you were last single. You and Spot only just broke up this summer. It makes sense that you’ve found someone new.”
“He’s got an earring, Dave.” Race looked him dead in the eye. “A fucking earring.” He buried his head in his arms.
Davey smirked and patted his blonde curls. “You’re head over heels, Higgins.”
“Yeah, that’s what scares me.” Race muttered into the carpet.
“C’mon, it’s almost dinnertime.” Davey stood up, offering a hand to Race. “Let’s go get the new kids.”
They left their dorm and walked a flight down the stairs until they found Jack and Albert’s room. The door was slightly ajar and there were voices coming from inside. Davey looked at Race who shrugged. He pushed open the door.
“...isn’t this a bit much?” JoJo was asking. The eight of them were all sprawled out on the floor in a circle. A big pile of paper sat in the center and there were scissors everywhere.
“We’ve already got a detention because of it, so no.” Jack said, ripping the paper covered in Spanish out of his notebook and throwing it on the pile. He looked up and noticed Davey and Race lingering in the doorway. “Hey, do either of you have duct tape by any chance?” He held up the book and pointed at the cover where
Spanish 5
was written in sharpie. “I need to cover this up.”
Race frowned. “Look guys, I’m really sorry that happened-”
“It’s fine.” Finch waved his hand. He nodded at Davey. “It’s like you said, we’ll have to get used to the rules.”
Davey sighed. “C’mon, let’s go to dinner.”
Jack was the first to jump up and move across the room towards Davey. The rest followed and started walking down the hall. Albert, being the last one out of the room, closed the door. He caught up to Race and tugged on his sleeve. “Hey, thanks for being such a big help to us. I know it must suck babysitting the orphans but we really appreciate it.”
Race blushed, “no problem. Seriously, you guys are awesome.”
Albert gave him a small grin before rushing to catch up to Elmer and Henry. Race was left to his thoughts once again. He was scared. He had just blushed when Albert had thanked him. And Racetrack Higgins never blushed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been a week since Albert and his friends had come to Roosevelt Prep. They were adjusting fairly well, with some minor inconveniences, most of which involved Jack. Pulitzer had enlisted his daughter to keep track of the new kids so every infliction Jack had was reported to Katherine. Race could easily see how stressed out she was and the snarky boy wasn’t helping.
Sixth period had just ended and Race left his biology class with Mush. On their way through the halls they found their friends. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Race asked Davey, who was pacing nervously outside of the admin office with Katherine standing nearby.
Katherine rolled her eyes. “Jack got in trouble in our history class. He’s currently talking with Pulitzer.” Race didn’t miss the way she nervously said her father’s name.
“What’d he do?” Race asked with a small frown. He grabbed Davey’s shoulders to prevent him from pacing anymore.
“He mouthed off to our teacher. He already got a warning two days ago so this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Katherine crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
“Nunzio?” Mush asked.
“Yup.”
“Yikes.” Race and Mush both winced as they thought about the history teacher.
“Him and Jack are officially enemies.” Katherine said.
Mush checked his watch. “Davey, you and I have calculus in a couple of minutes. You know how far away that is.”
Race could see Davey having an internalized debate with himself. He knew how much school meant to Davey so he said, “go ahead, Dave. I’ll wait with Katherine.”
Davey let out a long, relieved sigh. “Okay, thanks Race. Meet back in the dorm later?”
“Yeah, sure.” Race said and Davey shot him a grateful smile. He nudged Mush and the two of them walked off.
“Guess it’s you and me now, Kittycat.” Race said, spreading his arms and looking at the cleared out hallway.
Katherine punched him in the gut. “I told you to never call me that, Higgins. What class are you missing right now?”
Race thought for a second and made a face. “Business management.”
Katherine laughed again. “Oof. Did your Dad make you sign up for that?”
“Yeah.”
“Gotta love our Dads.” Katherine sighed. Mr. Higgins and Pulitzer were childhood friends, which was the main reason Race ended up at Roosevelt Prep. Him and Katherine met when they were four and bonded quickly because both held strong resentment for their dads, even at a young age. They stayed good friends ever since.
The office door swung open suddenly and Jack and Pulitzer walked out. Jack looked unconcerned and Pulitzer was practically fuming.
“...Never in my twenty years of working here have I ever had to deal with such a difficult student.” The vice headmaster shouted.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “That’s because you’ve spent the last twenty years sheltered in this little boarding school. Go out into the real world and you’ll find people twice as bad as me at every street corner.”
Pulitzer’s face was steadily growing redder by the second. “I could have you kicked out of this school in a heartbeat, Mister Kelly.”
“Yeah, try keeping your school’s reputation when the presses come banging on your door wondering why you kicked out a helpless orphan.” Jack retorted, standing tall.
They stared at each other in several tense seconds of silence until Pulitzer turned to his daughter. “Katherine, please make sure Mister Kelly stays out of trouble. I’ll switch around his schedule to match yours if I have to. Kelly, you’ve got detention for a month. Every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Don’t make me extend it.” He tossed a small pad of paper at his daughter, spun around and walked back into the office.
“Yes, Dad.” Katherine muttered as the door slammed shut. She turned on Jack with a look of pure anger. She stood on her tiptoes and got in his face. “If I have to babysit you for the rest of the school year, I’ll never forgive you. You’d better learn to behave yourself or I’m going to make you regret every decision you’ve ever made.” She turned to Race, motioning for him to add on.
Race awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh, you’d better watch yourself, Kelly.”
“Understand?” Katherine asked tautly.
Jack looked between the two of them, mouth ajar. He blinked and then nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Katherine closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. When her eyes reopened, the raging anger was gone. “Good. Now, what classes do you two have next?” She held up the pad that Pulitzer had given her and Race recognized it as a book of hall passes.
“You know, I’m not really feeling class right now, anybody want to go look for leftovers in the mess hall?” Jack asked, stretching.
“Me.” Race said on impulse. He averted his eyes when Katherine turned to glare at him.
“Hell no. There is no way I’m gonna be responsible for you skipping class. Now, what are your next classes? I’ll walk you there.”
“No need to do that.” Jack said hastily.
“You’re right. I’ll walk
you
to class, Race can find his way on his own.” Katherine said, taking Jack by the elbow. She quickly scribbled Race a hallpass and handed it to him.
Race gave her a nod. “Thanks, Kath. See you around, Jack.” He took the pass and walked away from the pair.
“Where did my lovely Davey go?” Race could hear Jack ask. He snorted.
“He isn’t your lovely anything, dickhead.” Was Katherine’s response.
Contrary to Katherine’s orders, Race slipped up the big staircase and made his way to the east dorm wing. He peeked down the hall to check for any hall monitors. When he saw none, he slipped into his dorm room and jumped onto his bed. Curling up in his blanket, he dozed off for a couple of hours. He missed his last class and nearly slept through dinner before Davey came storming into the room. Groaning, Race rubbed his eyes and propped himself up to listen to fifteen minutes of his roommate's complaining. By the time Davey was done, Race was fast asleep once again and snoring.
“We missed you in seventh period yesterday,” Specs said to Race, elbowing him. They were in release period, studying for a French test.
“Shh!” Race hissed, looking around to make sure Katherine wasn’t listening. She wasn’t, luckily. He looked back to Specs. “Dude, not so loud! Katherine was supposed to make sure I went to seventh period yesterday and I didn’t.”
“What’d you do insead?” Albert leaned over his textbook to join in on the conversation.
Race willed himself to not pay attention to how Albert’s top couple of shirt buttons were unfastened and how one of his milky collarbones was displayed. “I took a three hour nap.” Specs and Albert laughed and he flushed.
“How are you guys liking it here, Albert?” Specs asked, turning to the redhead.
Albert shrugged and smiled. “We love it. You all have seriously been so kind to us, thank you. Jack still needs to learn his place but even he’s warming up. This is paradise compared to our old home.”
“Glad to hear it!” Specs smiled and Race nodded enthusiastically.
“So what do you guys do for fun here?” Albert asked, closing his book.
Specs sat up straighter and smiled. “There’s tons of clubs and sports to join here. Show choir, debate, soccer, theater, football…”
Albert’s head shot up. “Football? Have they held tryouts yet?”
Specs smiled. “Tomorrow.”
“Are you on the team?” The redhead’s eyes were wide and shining. “Do you know if there’s a quarterback position open?”
Race listened to the two of them talk about football with a small smile on his face. Though he didn’t understand what was going on in the conversation, Albert was cute when he got excited. Race couldn’t help but picture how handsome he would look in a football uniform.
“I’ve never been on a team before,” Albert admitted to Specs. “Hayside never got much funding from the school district so they cut most of the sports teams when I was a freshman. Jack stole me a football for my thirteenth birthday and Elmer, Romeo and I have practiced with it for years.” He looked down embarrassedly. “I’ve always wanted to be a football player.”
Specs smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure you’re great. We’ll go to tryouts together, okay?”
Albert nodded eagerly. He turned to Race. “Are you going to tryout for the team?”
Race pointed to himself. “Me?” He laughed. “No way. I run track in the spring but football’s not really my thing.” Albert nodded in understanding and Race added, “I’ll come watch tryouts and cheer for you guys, though.”
He didn’t miss the way Albert’s eyes lit up and how his lips curled into a smile. Specs clapped his arm good-naturedly.
“You mentioned that Romeo used to practice with you.” Specs addressed Albert. “Is he going to tryout as well?”
Albert laughed and shook his head. “No way. Romeo was always a good sport and helped me practice but he’s much more of a theater type. He kinda sucks at sports. Elmer will probably want to tryout too, though.”
Specs nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head and smiled. “Let’s meet by the field tomorrow at 3:30, okay?”
“So, uh, why are you here again, Racer?” Mush asked as he and Race walked down to the football field the next day.
Race huffed. “Can’t a guy support his friend?”
“All the support I need is right there.” Mush pointed to the stands in the distance where his boyfriend Blink was sitting with Davey and Jack. Race gave him a hurt look and he laughed. “Kidding, Racer. Glad you’re coming to watch tryouts.”
“That’s more like it.” Race muttered, thrusting Mush’s football helmet and gloves towards him. “Here, traitor. Can’t believe I helped carry your shit over here for nothing.”
Mush shoved him playfully. “Watch it. I know you came so you could gaze at your crush.”
Race choked on air. He stopped walking and burst into a coughing fit. When it ended, he looked up at Mush, hands on knees and panting. “Excuse me?”
“Knew it.” Mush smiled smugly. “I knew you had a crush, I just don’t know who. Who’s the lucky boy?”
“Not telling you.” Race mumbled, not meeting his gaze. Mush grabbed him and dragged him into a headlock. He squealed. “Aah! Stop it!”
Mush laughed and released the skinny blonde. “Only joking, I won’t bother you about it….very much.”
“Much appreciated.” Race huffed, fluffing up his hair.
They had finally reached the field and Race could see Albert, Elmer and Specs all chatting near the sideline. They waved and Mush punched Race lightly in the chest. “That’s my cue, see ya later Race!” He gathered up his equipment and ran towards the small group.
Race walked up the bleacher steps and plopped down next to Davey.
“Hey, Higgins.” Blink smiled, nodding at Race.
“What’s up, Blink? Ready to watch Mush dominate tryouts?” Race joked.
“Hell yeah.” Kid Blink snorted. “He’s been talking about it for weeks. Kinda relieved it’s finally happening so I won’t have to listen to him talk about tryouts while we’re doing dirty things if you know what I-”
“Blink!” Davey yelped. “Please stop!” Race snickered and Jack gave Blink a look of pure respect.
The blow of a whistle interrupted their conversation, much to Davey’s relief, and the four of them turned towards the field where the players were lining up. Race noticed how out-of-place Albert and Elmer looked in their borrowed equipment compared to everybody else’s clean and new stuff. He could tell that Jack noticed too because the brunette had a melancholy look on his face.
The boys on the field ran through several drills and exercises. Davey and Race lost interest almost immediately and began chatting about sci fi movies. Blink and Jack watched with intense focus. The drills ended and the coaches began passing footballs to the players. Race paused his conversation to watch the scene on the field. Though he didn’t know much about football, he could tell that Albert was doing really well. They moved onto the 10 meter dash and Race’s previous conversation with Davey was completely forgotten as he watched Albert like a hawk. Albert’s hair danced in the breeze as he ran and the way he received his time with excitement sent shivers down Race’s arms.
“You did amazing!” Blink screamed as he raced down the bleachers towards Mush when tryouts had finally ended. The two of them kissed enthusiastically.
“My boys!” Jack ran down the steps after Blink and beelined towards Elmer and Albert. He wrapped them in a hug. “You were great!” The three of them laughed.
Specs took off his helmet and opened his arms expectantly. “Well? Aren’t you going to come shower me in love and affection?” He called teasingly towards Davey and Race. They grinned and dove at him, tackling him to the ground and peppering his face with kisses. “Aahhh! I take it back, get off of me you little shits!”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Race laughed as he and Davey pulled their friend to his feet.
Specs rubbed his back thoughtfully. “That was a wicked tackle! You two sure you don’t want to join football?”
“Positive.” They chorused.
Specs sighed. “Worth a shot. Let’s head back, I want a shower and food.” They helped him collect his gear and the three of them started back to school. Jack, Albert and Elmer walked ahead and Blink and Mush trailed behind them.
“When do you find out whether you made the team?” Davey asked.
“As if Specs wouldn’t make varsity.” Race snorted.
Specs, having been on the varsity team since he was a freshman, still flushed and gave Race a shove. “We’ll find out on Friday.”
Blink and Mush caught up to them. “Hey, guys.”
“Hey.”
Davey, Specs and Kid Blink immediately launched into a discussion about something that had happened in debate team the day before. Race took that as an excuse to stare at the back of Albert’s head. His hair was shining in the sunlight and the borrowed uniform clung to his body very nicely. Race was so focused that he didn’t notice Mush trying to get his attention until he was waving a hand in his face.
“...Race? Race!” Mush said, snapping his fingers.
Race snapped to attention. “Huh?”
Mush followed his gaze and his eyes landed on Albert. He grinned. “No way. No fucking way.” Race shot him a pleading look and he held up his hands. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”
Race nodded feebly, he had to learn how to be more subtle. Mush was the second person to point out his obvious crush on Albert in the past two weeks. He shook his head to clear it and threw an arm around Mush’s shoulders. “Thanks, dude.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The night air was cool and inviting. It blew gently on Race’s face, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine. He cupped his hands and lit a single cigarette from his pocket. He inhaled, feeling instantly calmer.
“Didn’t know preps were the smoking type.” A voice said from behind Race. He turned around, cigarette still dangling from his mouth, to find Albert.
“Everybody has their coping mechanisms.” Race retorted, cradling it protectively.
“And that’s yours?” Albert nodded at the cigarette.
Race self consciously pulled it from his mouth. “I guess so. How’d you get up here?”
Albert approached him until he was standing directly in front of him. “I like to explore and happened to stumble upon the ladder that led up here. Mind if I join you?”
Race shrugged, turning back to the view off the roof. “It’s past curfew, you know.”
“Then I guess we’ll both get in trouble. Can I have a turn?”
Race hesitated, then handed him the cigarette. He bit his lip hard as he watched Albert slip it between his lips and take a long drag.
“Thanks. Rough day?”
Race thought about it. Since football tryouts yesterday, Mush had been slipping him knowing looks all day. Davey was still complaining about Jack and Katherine’s stress was beginning to affect Race. “I guess you could say that.”
“How so?” Albert handed the cigarette back to him.
“I don’t know, really.” Race said, quickly dismissing his last statement.
“So what’re you doing up on the roof?” Albert asked, wrapping his flannel tighter around himself.
“It’s my hiding place. I come here when I want to be alone and reflect on stuff. Sounds cheesy but this has been my safe space for several years now. I love Davey but having a roommate you live with doesn’t give you a ton of privacy.”
Albert looked embarrassed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to invade on your private time.”
Race mentally face palmed. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. I’d like it if you stayed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Race’s mouth was dry.
“Thanks.” Albert smiled slightly and leaned back on the railing. “The orphanage had a rooftop like this. I used to sit up there and look at the stars. If Jack wasn’t already up there, that is. He’s pretty territorial.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“He’s a good person, I promise he is.” Albert looked at the ground. “I’m sorry you and Katherine have had to deal with him getting into trouble and stuff. It’s kind of his nature to do stuff like that, he can’t really help it.”
“No need to apologize, you did nothing wrong. Besides, I like Jack. He’s funny.”
“In that case, I take it all back. He’s a piece of shit.”
The two of them laughed and fell into silence. Race cleared his throat. “So, you mentioned stargazing at the orphanage. Do you like outer space?”
Albert’s face split into a wide grin, eyes sparkling. “I love it! Elmer and I used to check out astronomy books at the local library and read them with a flashlight past our bedtime. Space is so wide and vast and amazing. The fact that there are millions of galaxies out there only shows how small and insignificant Earth really is.” He suddenly looked embarrassed and hunched over. “Sorry, didn’t mean to geek out like that. How about you? Do you like outer space?”
Race thought about it for a second. “It’s pretty cool. I’m more of an ocean dude myself.”
“Ah.” Albert nodded. “Did you know that humans have only explored-”
“-less than ten percent of the oceans? Yeah! Isn’t that neat?” They made eye contact, both with smiles on their faces. Race looked away, blushing.
“Science is pretty awesome.” He said lamely.
“You’re right, it is.” Albert sighed happily. He straightened up suddenly and pointed at something in the sky. “See that? That’s the Ursa Minor.”
Race squinted to look at where Albert was pointing. “I think I see it. Looks like the Little Dipper.”
Albert smiled. “It is. The Little Dipper is a part of the Ursa Minor.”
“So where’s the Big Dipper, then?”
Albert gently turned Race by the shoulder and pointed out another cluster of stars. “Right there, the Ursa Major.”
“Awesome.” Race squeaked. Albert’s hand was soft and firm on his shoulder. He listened to the redhead blab about stars for what felt like ages. He nodded along, not wanting him to stop.
After awhile Albert let his hand fall to his side. “It’s getting pretty late, I’m gonna head to bed. And you should too.”
Race nodded, missing the presence of Albert’s hand. “I’ll leave in a little while, don’t worry about me.”
"Sounds good. Night, Racer.” Albert said turning to leave. Race muttered a goodbye, eyes fixated on the spot Albert had stood previously. He couldn’t get the way Albert’s entire face lit up out of his head when he talked about outer space. He wanted to be the reason Albert smiled like that. Groaning at his hopelessness, Race stuck the cigarette back into his mouth and leaned on the railing.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Slow down, Specs!” Race had to grab his backpack strap to prevent it from slipping off of his shoulder. Specs was dragging him down the hallway at full speed. “There’s no time to slow down, Race!” His bespectacled friend retorted, weaving through the crowd of students. “There’s no point in running, we all know that you made varsity anyway.” Race huffed, nearly running face first into a person. “Don’t jinx it! Go find some wood to knock on.” Specs scolded. “I would, but you’re currently holding my arm captive.” Race said, his voice laced with fake anger. Elmer and Albert were already at the bulletin board, antsily trying to catch a glimpse at the tryouts sheet. Henry and Tommy Boy calmly waited alongside them. Specs pushed through the small crowd, making his way towards Albert and Elmer. He put his elbows on their shoulders, leaning in between them. “Hey, seen the list yet?” “Not yet.” Albert said impatiently, craning his neck. “There’s too many people to get to the list.” “Are you guys here as support too?” Race asked, sidling up next to Henry and Tommy Boy. Henry laughed. “Yeah, we got dragged along after seventh period to come view the list.” “It’s all they’ve been talking about for the past two days.” Tommy Boy muttered, rolling his eyes. “Almost there...yes!” Specs used his height advantage to look over the heads of people. He turned to Race triumphantly, arms spread. “Varsity and captain. Mush made it, too.” “Hey, way to go, dude!” Race said, giving him a hug. It was what Specs deserved, he was one of the most hardworking and caring people Race knew. The crowd in front of the list cleared out and Albert and Elmer eagerly stepped forward. “We did it, Elmer.” Albert breathed, standing directly in front of the list. He clutched Elmer’s arm. “We made it.” “Congrats!” Henry threw his arms around their shoulders, bringing them into a three-way hug. “You did good.” Tommy Boy muttered, but his eyes were shining. “It’s gonna be a great season, captain.” Elmer saluted Specs, bouncing in place. “I’m excited to play with you guys!” Specs smiled. “Hey Higgins, move. The real athletes are trying get a look.” Race felt himself being pushed to the side and he stumbled into Albert. His expression turned sour when he realized who it was. The Delancey brothers moved past the group and strutted up to the list. “Looks like another year on varsity, Morris.” “Right you are, Oscar.” “Congrats you two. I look forward to another year on the team with you guys.” Said Specs cordially. The brothers turned around, giving Specs the once-over. “Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Oscar rolled his eyes. Morris squinted at Albert and his friends. “And who are you? I remember you two from tryouts.” He pointed at Albert and Elmer. “We’re new here, I’m Albert.” Albert said politely, holding out his hand. Oscar looked at the outstretched hand with disgust. “Roosevelt Prep doesn’t just get new students.” “We used to go to Hayside High.” Henry spoke up. Morris wrinkled his nose. “That crappy public school that burnt down?” “Uh, yeah.” Henry replied unsurely. “I mean, I wouldn’t exactly call it crappy but-” “We’re from the Refuge Orphanage.” Albert interrupted, subtly scooting Henry behind him. “Been here a couple of weeks now.” “Orphans?” Oscar’s eyebrows shot up. “That explains the old uniforms.” “And how they stick out like sore thumbs. So what are people like you doing at our fine school?” Morris folded his arms over his chest. Race frowned as he watched Elmer and Henry shift uncomfortably. Albert and Tommy Boy were glowering at the Delanceys at that point. “The school was kind enough to give us scholarships to come here.” Albert said through gritted teeth. “Scholarships, huh? Well isn’t that thoughtful .” Morris simpered. “That’s enough.” Specs said, quickly stepping into the conversation. “Morris and Oscar are on the football team with us, I’m sure they’re very excited to welcome new team members. Right, boys ?” “Sure thing, captain.” Morris rolled his eyes. “See ya around, orphans.” He tipped a fake hat and he and Oscar walked off, laughing. “I don’t like them.” Elmer muttered. “The Delanceys are slimeballs.” Race glared at their retreating figures. “Probably the worst people you’re gonna meet here.” "They're difficult people to deal with." Specs sighed, fidgeting with his glasses. "You'll learn to eventually deal with them." "Sure. But next time they try to test me, I'm making it physical." Tommy Boy cracked his knuckles. Albert put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Leave it, Tommy Boy. C'mon, let's go. Race, Specs, we'll see you later." Albert turned to go. Tommy Boy, Elmer and Henry quickly followed him, shouting goodbyes to Race and Specs. Specs noticed Race's uneasy expression. "Hey, it'll be fine, Racer. I'll make sure the Delanceys don't cause trouble at practice, okay? Please don't worry about it." Race nodded, giving his friend a small smile. “....and they actually had to audacity to tell me that they were the real athletes. As if they don’t know that I’ve broken like half of the school records in track!” Race cried the next day, pacing through the library. The librarian shot him a pointed look and he sat back down at the table, muttering an apology. “Remember when we thought that the Delanceys were just going through a phase?” Crutchie sighed, running a hand through his hair. “And we thought that they were going to get nicer?” “Yeah that never happened.” Buttons rolled his eyes. Sarah laughed. “Hey, remember when I punched Morris in the face?” “That was awesome.” Crutchie said, a wistful look in his eyes. “That was hot.” Katherine kissed her girlfriend’s cheek. “Yeah?” Sarah sat up straighter, pleased with the compliments. “I’d do it again, gladly.” “There won’t be any need for that.” Davey said quickly before Crutchie and Race could nod. “We’re going to continue ignoring them like we’ve always done, okay?” “They’ve bullied half the school, Dave.” Crutchie sighed. “Don’t you think it’s finally time that someone taught them a lesson?” “Exactly!” Sarah threw up her hands. “I’d love to throw hands with the Delanceys.” Smalls raised her hand. She had her head in Sniper’s lap, the latter braiding her hair. “Nobody is getting in a fight with the Delanceys anytime soon.” Davey said stubbornly. “Listen, we’ve got to leave them alone.” “Davey’s right.” Katherine sighed. “If we ignore them then they’ll ignore us.” Race found himself nodding along with the rest of his friends. However, he remembered the discomfort that the Delanceys brought to Albert and his friends and his fists clenched.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“What’s your story, Racetrack Higgins?”
“What’s my story?” Race repeated, somewhat baffled by the question. It was the third or fourth time Albert had joined him on the roof after curfew. He had stopped being nervous and began to grow more comfortable with the redhead’s company.
“I mean, what do you do? Who’re your family? What’re you doing at a private school?”
“Oh.
That
story.” Race made a face.
“You don’t have to tell me.” Albert said quickly. “Forget I said anything.”
“I don’t mind at all, it’s just not very interesting.” Race shrugged as he thought about his life.
“I’m pretty interested.” Albert hinted.
“Okay, then. I grew up in Shelburne, my family had a house in the countryside. My dad and Pulitzer are friends so Katherine and I met at a young age. My parents got a divorce when I was seven. Neither of my parents really wanted to take care of me so my dad got custody and sent me to Roosevelt Prep. I’ve been here for ten years, only ever visiting my family during holidays and the summer break.”
“Do you like your family?”
“No, not really.” Realizing that Albert didn’t even have a family, Race tried to backtrack. “I mean, I’m really grateful for them and all, but I don’t-”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to sugarcoat it for my sake.” Albert gently nudged his shoulder. “You don’t have to pretend to like them.”
Race swallowed. “They’re a pretty crappy family, but they’re still my crappy family.”
Albert nodded, fiddling with his shirt sleeve.
“What about you and your friends? Am I allowed to ask for your backstories?” Race asked hesitantly.
Albert shrugged. “Why not? Doesn’t matter anymore.” He shook a finger. “No pitying us, though. Got it?” Race nodded. “Jack’s parents both died from cancer when he was pretty young. He’s been at the Refuge the longest out of all of us. Romeo was born in a brothel and lived there until he was seven. His mom died from an STI. He stayed there a while longer until the social workers found him and took him out of the ‘unsafe environment.’” Albert put the last phrase in air quotes. “Finch ran away from home when he was seven and somehow wound up here. Nobody could track down his parents so he was sent to Snyder.”
“Wow. What about the others?”
“Tommy Boy lived with his abusive father until the social workers got ahold of him. He was in the foster system for a long time until his dad died. He got too old for foster homes so they put him in the Refuge a couple years ago. JoJo was raised by nuns in a church when he was a baby. Snyder took him away when the church closed down. Elmer came from a big family. His parents didn’t have enough money to raise him and all of his siblings so they left him at an amusement park when he was eight. He was taken to Snyder, who didn’t even try locating his parents.”
Race frowned. “That must be illegal.”
“You bet it is. Snyder’s a foul man, all he cares about is money.”
“What about you and Henry?”
“Henry’s dad went missing when he was four. His mom got really sick and was hospitalized so Henry was put into the foster system but he still got to visit his her sometimes. She passed away when he was nine and he was taken out of foster care and put in the Refuge.”
“That’s terrible.” Race shook his head. He paused, then asked: “And what’s your story?”
Albert shrugged. “Family died in an apartment fire. I was eight.”
Race’s eyes drooped. He tentatively put a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Albert shrugged again. “It’s fine, not as much of a sob story as Elmer or Henry. Plus I got a new family”
“You guys must be pretty close,” Race noted.
Albert gave him a small smile. “Yeah, we are. I love them all.”
“That’s kind of like me and my friends. We’ve lived together at this school for so long that we’re almost like a family.”
“Families of friends are sometimes better than real families, right?” Albert grinned.
“Right.” Race returned the smile.
Albert looked at Race’s wristwatch. “It’s 12:30, we should go back to our dorm rooms now.”
Race made a noise of protest but peeled himself off of the railing. “Fine, let’s go.” He dropped his cigarette, stepping on it and twisting his foot. The two of them walked to the hatch and opened it. Albert climbed down the ladder and Race followed behind him.
“Which floor is your dorm on?” Albert asked when Race dismounted from the ladder.
“This floor, so the sixth.”
“Cool, mine’s on the fifth, I’ll walk you to your room.”
Race blushed. “You don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind if you don’t.” Albert shrugged.
“O-okay.” He pointed down the hallway. “It’s this way. Quiet, though. Don’t want anybody reporting us to the hall monitor.” He started walking and Albert followed, trotting to keep up with him.
“You’ve gone up on the rooftop every week since eighth grade, right?” Albert whispered
“Right.”
“How have you never been caught?”
“I have my ways.” Race laughed quietly and Albert joined him. “This one’s me.” He said shyly, nodding at his dorm door.
“Okay, thanks for letting me join you tonight. We had some good conversations.”
“We did, didn’t we?” Race smiled tentatively, unlocking the door. “Goodnight.”
“Night.” Albert bobbed his head, slipping down the hall. Race quietly closed the door, fell onto his bed and screamed into his pillow.
“Go to sleep, motherfucker. Some of us actually enjoy sleeping.” Davey moaned. Race only screamed louder. “Fine!” Davey turned on his bedside lamp. His dark hair was mussed up in every direction and he had a scowl on his face. “What is it, screaming asshole?”
“You’re not very pleasant when you’re tired.” Race muttered.
“Because I’m a tired bitch who just wants to sleep.”
“Did you just call yourself a tired bitch?” Race forgot his screaming and sat up, snickering.
“See? You’re fine. We’ll talk in the morning.” Davey rolled his eyes and turned off the light.
“Fine.”
“And no more screaming, got it?”
“Got it.”