Chapter Text
Carlos straightens his bag on his back, checking the straps are equally measured for about the twelfth time. He pulls his suitcase closer to his leg, hearing the words spoken near him but not paying much attention. His mother had been sent down with him to get everything sorted. His father had been busy with work and had sent Carlos a goodbye email rather than bidding him adieu in person. Carlos doesn't mind, much, it's not like he sees either of them that often anyway.
“And that should be everything sorted. Now, ah, Carlos, if you'd like to come with me I'll show you the way to your dorm. You're welcome to come as well, of course, Mrs Rivera.”
“No, no.” Carlos watches his mother stand in one fluid, graceful movement, smoothing down the front of her skirt. “Thank you so much for your time, Miss Hart, but I really must be on my way. Carlos, come here, give mummy a hug. You be a good boy now and make sure to keep in touch.”
Carlos grudgingly gives in to his mother's affection, knowing it's mostly for show. She sighs in irritation when she pulls back, smoothing down a strand of unruly hair that has been doing it's best to curl up from the rest all day. Carlos holds for five seconds before pulling away. Together, he and the secretary watch his mother walk briskly out of the front office, door swinging shut behind her. It is only when it clicks shut that Miss Hart clears her throat and moves from behind her desk.
“Alright, this way, please.” She is overly bright and perky, to an extent Carlos finds annoying. He says nothing, not wanting to encourage more giddy speech, gathering his suitcase and following her. As they walk she points out things. The dining hall, the football field, the sports centre. Carlos has already toured the grounds. He already knows these places. The only thing he doesn't know is which dorm he will be staying in.
He'd been dragged away on one of his father's business meetings during the last few weeks of Summer, arriving back a week after the school term had started. He would have just stayed behind except the area in Japan where his father's was meeting with colleagues had a science week programme on during their stay, of which many young and influential speakers in the field were doing talks. It was worth sacrificing the first week of school for, Carlos had thought, and might help with his intended research. While it wasn't as exciting as he had hoped, it had been interesting.
“Here we are!” Miss Hart swings the door open with a little flourish, revealing a dorm room with four beds laid out parallel to each other. Three of the beds have already been claimed, the two closest to the door and the one beside the window. “Goodness only knows where the boys are off to. Dinner is at five. You'll get to meet some of your classmates there. You have your schedule for Monday, yes? Good. If you need anything, you know where I'm at.”
Carlos thanks her quietly and is glad to see her go. He looks at the room for a moment before taking his things down to the free bed. As he does so, he examines the other beds. The first two are relatively neat, only a few articles of clothing tossed here and there. The bed by the window, however, is buried beneath sheets of paper. Some of them have scribbles of writing, other have splotches of paint and mixed colours. There's a jar of dirty water on the nightstand and a pot overflowing with paintbrushes, pencils and pens. Carlos frowns, silently disapproving of the mess.
It doesn't take him long to unpack and, once he's discovered which set of drawers are his, pack everything properly away. When he's done, he feels at a bit of a loss for what to do. Walking to the window, Carlos looks out across the grounds. There are boys moving to and fro, little herds of them, some of them pushing and shoving at each other. There's football practice going on down on the field, and along the edges boys sit on the grass, watching. He stands there for a good few moments himself before pushing off the wall and heading back to his bed. Experimentally, he drops onto it and bounces a few times. Sturdy but soft. Good. Carlos glances around the empty dorm again before lifting one of his many books (though he couldn't bring half the ones he wanted to) and sitting back against the headboard to read for a while.
He doesn't even hear the boy enter.