No, Orsen didn’t work that way.
Nodding, Santino finished his shower, then grabbed a spare towel and dried off. Throwing it in the hamper, he strode intothe bedroom, slowing when he saw a naked Orsen in the middle of his bed with a soda, a beer, and two bowls of macaroni and cheese. “I made it earlier and heated it up while you finished in the shower.”
Sitting next to him on the bed, Santino stroked his cheek. “Thank you for thinking about me.”
Blushing, Orsen leaned into Santino’s touch. “I like taking care of you.”
“Good, because I like taking care of you too, and when we’ve finished eating, I’m going to take care of you again.”
Orsen stared wide-eyed, then grinned. “We should eat up then because your tongue has an appointment with my butt.”
Santino burst out laughing, pulling Orsen close and kissing his cheek. “I like that type of appointment.”
Chapter Seventeen
Standing outside the high school, Orsen bit his lip and avoided eye contact with anyone who looked his way until he saw Dale, Matty, and Devon. They came over to him and Dale gave him a shoulder hug. He’d seen some of the boys do it, so figured it was how they greeted each other. Matty and Devon did the same, and he followed them inside. The hallway was bustling, and he hid behind Dale, who smiled and winked at him.
“You’re in all our classes, so don’t worry.”
“Did you get assigned a locker?” Matty asked.
“I think so.” He held up a piece of paper. “One five six.”
“That’s near me.” Devon pointed down the hallway. “I need to grab some books, so I can show you where it is.” Orsen followed him, then found his locker. Checking the note, he used the code to open it, then stared inside. Empty, like he’d expected. “Don’t worry. By the end of the day, it’ll be full.” Devon nodded his head down the hallway. “First class is English.”
“Oh. Great.” Sure, he’d improved with Santino’s help, but he was still way behind everyone else.
“What’s the problem?” Devon frowned at him, then his mouth opened. “You’re behind.”
Orsen winced. “A little.”
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll have a program in place for you. Johnson is behind as well. His family moved here from the city because the school he was in was shit. He’s doing good now.”
“You’re being nice to me.”
Devon grinned. “I told my mom about you. She said to be nice to you because you had a rough time. We know about Ambrose. I think you’re brave. I don’t know if I could have done what you did.”
“You don’t think you can until you have no choice.”
“Ready?” Dale asked as he and Matty stood next to him.
“As I’ll ever be.” Orsen cleared his throat, then straightened. “Let’s do this.”
“That’s it, and fuck anyone who messes with you.” Matty grinned.
Devon slapped him on the back and steered him toward the classroom. As he walked in, the noise dimmed, and he slowed. “This is Orsen. Be nice.” Dale tugged him over to a table and pointed to a chair. “You sit there, and Matty and Devon will sit behind us. We got your back.”
“Quiet, everyone! Yes, we have someone new. Get over it and get your books out. Page eighty.”
Inhaling, Orsen opened the book the teacher—Miss Garson—gave him and stared at it. “Don’t worry. Anything you don’t know I’ll help you with.” Dale nudged his shoulder. “You can do this.”
By the end of the day, Orsen was exhausted, and his brain hurt. Dale dragged him out, chuckling at the look on his face. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“You’re used to it,” Orsen groused.
“Hey dumb bitch!” Orsen turned, saw some greasy-haired kid grinning at him. “Yeah, you. You should have seen him in history. Didn’t have a fucking clue.” A few kids around him laughed. Orsen knew it would happen, but he’d hoped to have a day or two to settle before it started.
Straightening, he shouted, “Who are you calling dumb? You looked in the mirror?”
