After Hours (boyxboy) | ✓

Bonus Chapter One

When my phone’s alarm went off, I was already awake. I lay in bed, not wanting to leave. My phone continued to buzz, an annoyingly bright sound blasting in my ear. I sat up and dismissed the alarm. But I couldn’t dismiss the distant ringing in my ear.

I shuffled down the stairs to find my mom already in the kitchen. On the stove she had a small pot of water boiling. Beside the stove was a tall box of oatmeal. Great. 

“Morning sweetie,” she said, “How’d you sleep?”

“Meh,” I shrugged, “It was fine until my phone decided to give me permanent hearing damage.”

She chuckled and poured some oats into the water. I made a face and opened the fridge to get water. My stomach growled.

“Want some oatmeal?” she asked, gesturing to the pot next to her. 

“No thanks.” I sipped my water, then ran back upstairs. School started in twenty minutes — just enough time for me to brush my teeth, get dressed, and drive there. Breakfast would have to wait until first period psychology (the only class that allowed me to eat while learning). 

The first day of school outfit never was that important to me. All my friends (mostly girls) would freak out about it for like a week in advance. But I just threw on whatever I felt like. But this year was kind of different. For starters, I was a senior. I wasn’t supposed to care at this point, but it was technically my last first day. And then, I had other reasons to look nice. My stupid boyfriend, for example, would probably show up looking like a professional model. And I wasn’t going to let him show me up like that.

I stared in the mirror, not sure what was an acceptable outfit. Most guys didn't even dress nicely on the first day (or at all). I sifted through my closet, looking for a shirt. I had four button downs — one blue, one red, one black, and one white. And they were all long-sleeved. So it was down to two options: a Hawaiian shirt from two years ago, or normal clothes. I reluctantly grabbed the Hawaiian shirt, and pulled some black shorts on. Hopefully my friends would be gentle with the teasing.

After taking some sneakers and kissing my mom goodbye, I was off to the first day of my senior year. 

***

As a senior, I now had the right to park in the senior parking lot. It may not seem that great, but trust me, it was. There were practically no teachers and no parents in sight. Just seniors parking their cars. 

Brendon's car was nowhere to be seen. I assumed I'd see him soon, though. Reuben's car was parked close to the school, but was empty. He must've already gone inside. Amy's car wasn't here (no surprise) and I didn't see Claire's or Theo's either. 

I left the car alone and walked to the entrance. Our school had around thirty different entrances. It was endlessly confusing for students, and endlessly difficult for security guards. I glanced at my phone as the guy at the door asked for my student ID card. No one had texted me.

My eyes instinctively searched for a friend. In the long hallway of the "L-wing", I found no one. They'd probably all be near our lockers. We preferred not to sit in the endless sea of students in the cafeteria. I snuck past the teachers in the hallway (who would direct me to the cafeteria no matter what), and turned into the stairwell on my right. Upstairs was never guarded.

My locker sat near the intersection between the science and math wings. It was right next to Reuben’s, which was currently being crowded by my friends.

“Emmett!” Mags cried, throwing her arms outward. I completed the hug and returned her smile. She’d been on vacation for a week, and we hadn’t seen each other since.