2: HI ROOMIE.

Saint watched the principal pace from the corner of his eyes in frustration and when he paused to look at them, he averted his gaze elsewhere with his head still bent. He had a few injuries on his face.

Nicholas on the other hand couldn't care less. He was seated next to Saint, his arms spread away with his legs crossed. His nose had dry bloodstains but he seemed to be unbothered by them. A lollipop was in his mouth which he played with as they both awaited the principal's lecture.

The man who was in his early fifties appeared stressed. He adjusted his glasses and his tie in order, flung the hem of his suit jacket before taking a seat.

"Gentlemen, what was that show you put on in public?" He started. "Did you two forget that this is a school? How could you have created such a disturbance?"

Nicholas eyed him, causing dread to rush down the spine of the Principal. "I'd advise you to mind the way you speak to me if you'd like to go home with your tongue still in your mouth."

The principal gulped and then turned to Saint immediately.

"Saint, why did you involve yourself in a fight?"

The young man rolled his eyes and sighed, already knowing what the end of this conversation would be. Nicholas would still be supported against him.

"He started it." Saint answered and Nicholas's lollipop stopped moving aside in his mouth as he sat up, his face carrying a level of disbelief as if he had been lied against. He pointed at Saint while glaring at the Principal.

"I was not the one who came to find the other. I was in my usual classroom, doing my thing and he dared to come find me and began to accuse me of what I didn't do. He grabbed my friend by his throat and almost killed the poor boy because of anger issues! The boy is still receiving treatment by the way." Nicholas half-yelled.

Saint sighed again, fixing his focus back on the Principal.

"He and his brainless minions have been tormenting my life since I came into this school."

Nicholas scoffed, "Oh please, don't flatter yourself. I have no business with someone like you."

Saint proceeded with his account of the situation, "I don't know what exactly I did wrong but I never challenged back. However, I draw the line when my friends are getting affected by their madness."

"Oh by friends, you mean your girlfriend?" Nicholas mocked and Saint shot him a deadly look. Nicholas waved his hand in the air as he spoke to the Principal,

"I really advise that the next time you want to bring in poor students into this school, you should be very careful. They could end up just implicating you."

"Do you just lack manners or you weren't taught how to respect an elder?!" Saint fired at him. The Principal's eyes widened, horror graced his face because of Saint's question. His eyes dangled between both the young men as his brain worked actively to find a quick possible way to resolve this and dispense the tensed air.

Nicholas, rather than react, smiled. He chewed on his lollipop,

"A bastard has no right to ask me that."

"Okay, that's enough! I didn't call both of you here to start another war." The Principal cut in, slamming his hands against the desk...carefully. He exhaled heavily, wiping his sweat off his face.

"Saint, I don't know what you were thinking when you decided to create this mess."

As expected.

"Have you forgotten you are on a scholarship? Don't you know whatever you do can terminate that privilege?"

Nicholas chuckled mockingly after hearing that.

"You need to learn how to control your anger, young man. You could have easily brought the issue to the authorities and we would have resolved it..."

"I have brought it a hundred times already but nothing has been done." Saint answered with a blank face and the Principal paused, blinking his logic away for a second before recovering his posture.

"But still...this was very dangerous. Just pray your mate, with whom you imprinted your fingers on his neck, recovers or else you'd have those fingers of yours cut off by his father."

Then there was a slight pause. The Principal removed his glasses and sighed while rubbing the corner of his eyes simultaneously,

"We will have to find a way to resolve this and I have a perfect solution."

The two boys looked at him.

"One of you has to move in with the other." The Principal declared.

Saint was stunned, his brows pulled up, questioning what he had just heard while Nicholas on the other hand scoffed.

"Move in? What is that supposed to mean, sir? I can't move in with him." Saint shifted forward on the chair, his hands on the desk as he tried renegotiating his position.

"Then he will move in with you." The Principal pointed and Saint turned to look at Nicholas briefly.

"Sir, you don't understand me. I don't want to be in any close proximity with him..."

"Why? Because I turn you on against your will?"

Saint bit the insides of his mouth, shut his eyes while his head recited the meditated verses he could to calm himself down before continuing with his quest while blatantly ignoring Nicholas.

"Sir, please, that can not work. I promise not to challenge him anymore. We don't have to live together for us not to fight anymore. I have heard you. I won't create any scenes. I..."

"Don't waste your breath, son. My decision is final and I am very sure this will work well. So you two should decide who moves in with the other."

"What about my roommates? They just can't leave..."

"Nicholas has a whole room to himself so you should be the one doing the moving tonight...unfailingly." The Principal pushed on.

Nicholas leaned over, putting his arm on Saint's shoulder and saying out loud dramatically, "Like the holy book says, the man shall move in with the woman and they shall become one."

Saint's face reddened in anger. He removed Nicholas' arm with utmost disgust, "Get your filthy hand off me."

"Alright, that will be all. I wish you both the best in resolving your conflicts. Hopefully, you don't kill each other."

"See you soon, Roomie." Nicholas waved his hand at Saint after he stood up while wearing a smile. The latter stormed out of the office and went back to his hostel. Luckily, there was nobody inside the room so he had the entire space to vent out.

How could Mr. Hale conclude that that was a good idea? How was that a perfect solution? Saint rubbed his face, completely in a state of despair.

"If I had known, I should have just listened to Gabrielle and stay the fuck away!" He threw his fists in the air. "How am I supposed to live with him when I can barely stand his entire presence?"

He fell flat onto his bed and closed his eyes. Hours slipped by unnoticed until a knock dragged him back to consciousness, not once but thrice, insistent in a way that ruled out it could be any of his roommates otherwise. They'd have just barged in.

He dragged himself up and went to answer it. Nicholas was standing there. Saint's stomach turned before his brain even caught up. It was a particular blend of disgust and irritation that only one person on earth could summon out of him this fast.

"What are you doing here?" He said through his teeth.

The annoying being grinned. "Hi, Roomie. It's been hours already. I'm here to help you pack.”