JACKSON LIED! THEY DO PANTS KIDS AT HPA

PHOENIX’S POV

On the first day of class, everyone seemed to love me, even the so-called academics who claimed that people in the sports community and those associated with them should be treated with disdain. We – as in the artsy guys – had our first lesson with the guys from the top floor – the academics AKA The Caffeine Council like the sports guys liked to call them – and they even let me sit in their midst which was actually a big deal! I met this cute guy named Roger who only spoke in quadratic equations. At least that’s what it sounded like when I asked what he was having for lunch and if he wanted to eat with me.

They may have been divided by their main area of study, but they were all united in their declaration that I looked like Jackson, but a lot more like Felix from Stray Kids which was a little weird because Jackson looked nothing like Felix and we both had almost the same face.

Sweet, beautiful Miles was still a little upset about my wanting to leave, but he was determined to make sure that I didn’t leave so he went all out trying to win the Best Roommate Award of the century. He woke up early just so he could get me a golf cart which I was told was what we used to move around the school since it was so damn huge and everything was almost a mile apart. He also got me breakfast and offered to carry my bag around which was kinda romantic and was giving me ideas I didn’t want to have.

The second day was almost as great as the first. I caught a glimpse of the basketball team when they came out to the main building to attend a class on Economics and Business. Justice was frowning, which was weird to see because all the times I saw him through Jackson’s screen when he FaceTimed me, he was always smiling. I met a new guy, Trevor during Philosophy and it’s safe to say that he was the most disgusting and vulgar piece of shit on the planet. Unfortunately, he was blessed with the looks that made him believe he could get away with anything.

By the third day, people were beginning to talk about me, and it wasn’t as great as it was the first few days. You see, I had not showered ever since I came here and it was beginning to show. I mean, smell.

Thursday had everyone covering up their noses when they walked past me and staying as far away from me as possible. No amount of sandalwood or agarwood could cover up the revolting odor that was emanating from my body. But I still did not shower. My wipes were still available and I was determined to use them until I was deboarded and sent home for stinking up the whole school.

“Dude, I like you and everything, but I have to ask.”

It was Miles that spoke up. He and his friends were the only people who accepted me in their circle. Zeke had a nasal malfunction so he couldn’t smell shit even if it was mixed with his food. He couldn’t also taste it, but that’s by the way. Marlow was just too tired or lazy to even make a comment about it so he just let me be. I pitied my roommate the most because he had to deal with my stench 24/7. But he had been such a darling for so long, not making any comment about it and even defending me when people talked behind my back about my dangerous BO.

“Did you make a deal with the devil to never step in a bathroom again in your life?” Zeke sputtered the teriyaki salmon he was consuming all over the table. A little bit of it landed on Marlow but he didn’t even make a move to wipe it off even though he could see it right in front of his nose and hands.

“Do I stink that bad?” I asked innocently. Part of being the amazing roommate that he was was that he never said anything to offend me and in the case that he did, he felt bad about it and started to apologize immediately. The way I asked it, all innocent and scared that people hated me, made his face soften and he began to gently convince me that it wasn’t that bad.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. I don’t think it’s that bad, but you haven’t showered since you came and that’s not healthy.”

“How do you know I haven’t showered?” His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been showering but you still smell like…” He caught himself before he completed that sentence. I sighed and bent my head. Lying was so easy now, it was like second nature.

“The truth is, I’m allergic to water.”

Even the great nonchalant and I-don’t-care Marlow looked up at me with such force and intensity I almost worried that he might have whiplash.

“Come again,” Zeke said.

“Aquagenic urticaria.” I was so grateful for all the medical journals Maddison had scattered about in the house. Who knew that her obsession with becoming the best in her field would lead me to having this great lie available to cover up my fear of being naked again? “It’s a very rare but serious condition that happens to a handful of individuals when they come in contact with water. It’s why whenever I feel hot, I turn up the AC because sweat is not good for me.” Marlow and Zeke both looked at the glass of water in front of me.

“Oh, I can drink water, it just can’t come in contact with my skin.”

“You don’t shower at all?” Miles sounded aghast. He looked so adorable, I wanted to pinch his cheeks and calm his nerves.

“I used to take really quick showers back home. And I had this cream that I used, but I left that at home and Jackson was supposed to bring it for me but then he had that accident…”

I had told the guys about my not being around when Jackson had the accident which was why we didn’t come together and why, thanks to this new allergic reaction that I have, I could not shower like a normal person.

“Oh my,” he breathed. Miles was too good for his own good. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“It must be really hard for you to do certain things because of that, right?” Zeke said. I nodded. “You can’t swim, you can’t go to the beach in case some jackass tries to douse you in water – and believe me, that shit happens more often that you’d think.”

I thought back to the swimming pool we had back at home and how often Jackson and I competed to see who could swim the fastest. It was only during this last holiday that I didn’t get in the pool. I also remembered when he pushed me from that cliff and I landed deep inside freezing water. If Zeke ever found out that I was a semi-professional swimmer, he’d lose his shit.

The final class for the day was Philosophy which meant that I had to meet up with that jackass Trevor. Even though all his mates treated me like a plague, he still managed to draw his desk closer to mine and disturb me the entire period. I almost got extra hours because of him when he gave me a wet willy and I screamed out in class while Prof. Fischer was in the middle of telling us about free will and determinism. He was so immature.

“Hey, PJ,” he called out to me after class. I hated that he called me that. Only Francis could call me that, but I reckoned it was better than calling me Jackson Junior which was he called me the first time we met.

“Wait up!” I ignored him and continued moving fast towards the elevator. I had to go back to my dorm and all the buggies were being claimed with the speed of light. He managed to catch up with me and I cursed my shorter legs for betraying me.

“Wanna hang out with me?” He was grinning cheekily and it irked me. I wanted to smack his face until his brain reset.

“What part of our encounter led you to believe I would want to hang out with you?”

He shrugged his shoulder, still grinning, and pressed the elevator button.

“The part where I teased you and made you mad and I decided that I liked getting under your skin. You are very approachable, and you don’t seem as stuck up as Jackson. Those guys on the athletic team think their so great just because they wear shorts and girls wanna jump them.”

I looked at him, a bonafide member of The Caffeine Council and I couldn’t help but smile at his jibe at the sports team. He mistook my cynic smile as a warm-up to his comment and proceeded to give me a time and place for our ‘date.’

“Over my dead body will I ever go where you ask me to, Trevor. Now get lost before I set Justice on you.” I realized all too soon that mentioning Justice was the quickest and most effective way of wiping his grin off his face and making him disappear.

“Be there on time, PJ. I don’t like waiting.” And then he was gone.

***

“Miles, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Of all the times my roommate thought it was best to go to the studio, 11pm was most suitable for him and I just happened to be his accomplice because Zeke was busy skyping his girlfriend from our sister school across the lake, Avalon Heights, while Marlow was fast asleep.

“Phoenix, it will only take a second, I promise. I need to get those canvases before Ms. Strauss gives them all away. And those paint brushes are rare as shit! It’s a lucky find. I can’t afford them so I need to get them before anyone else does and claims them for the semester.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes as I watched him jog off in the direction of the studio, but still remained where I was, right in front of library 1 which was two blocks away from the art studio. He wanted me to keep watch because ARCHIE usually sent his minions to spy on the field and if the robot were to go inside, he wouldn’t be able to detect it due to all the sensors being jammed at night. Very smart security for those who wanted to break into school after hours, kinda like what Miles was doing.

“I knew you’d come here.”

I jumped at the sound of his voice. For a second I was having trouble understanding the comment he just made, but then my brain clicked. Library 1, 11pm. The time and place he gave me before running away at the mention of Justice. I sighed and cursed Miles out under my breath, making a mental note to make sure to guilt trip him into giving me his breakfast tomorrow morning.

Two other guys emerged from behind him and my frown deepened. I recognized one from the philosophy class, but the other one with the buzz cut was new to me.

“For your information, I didn’t come here to meet you. It just so happened that I had other business to take care of here.”

He snickered “Yeah, very conducive and purely coincidental.” His sarcasm irked me.

“Well, it doesn’t matter why you’re here. What matters is that you are. Get him.” In the blink of an eye, his two minions surrounded me and grabbed my arms. They were surprising stronger than I thought.

“What the hell are you doing, Trevor?” My voice quaked with worry and how scared I was but I didn’t let my face show it. I was starting to pray that ARCHIE came on patrol a lot sooner than Miles would like.

“I like you, a lot. I like teasing you and making you uncomfortable. But it is so goddamn hard to do that when I can’t be around you if you stink so much.”

My face fell and my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. I had a feeling he was about to do something that I would not like one bit.

“Phoenix Jameson, you need a shower. It’s a good thing library 1 has a private bathroom right behind it, isn’t it?” I struggled to set myself free from the grasps of his two friends, but it was useless. They were built like bulls, those bastards!

My heart was beating wildly. There was no one around to save me. Miles was in the studio two blocks away and we both knew that was a long distance even if he started running now. I was all by myself. Oh shit, my eyes started to water.

“Let go of me!” I cried. Trevor’s smile widened and he moved closer to me, looking like a mafia lord about to kill his unfaithful servant.

“In a second. But before then, you need a shower. Strip him.”