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Richard Winters was excited and terrified at what his senior year at Toccoa Boarding School was going to bring. This year he had all his friends in his dorm, and just like the seniors before him, he was going to be rooming in the top floor.
Herbert Sobel had graduated and the role of Resident Assistant had fallen to WInters as well as the student council duties had been thrust into Easy Hall’s care.
Looking at the black lettering across the top of the house door he knew he was home in front of Easy Hall.
It was one of the two last dorm houses on the wide curving concrete path of block 506. There were six dorm halls on this side of the 506th pathway; the same path continued on the other side of the main road with the other seven, much in the same curving pattern. The other five blocks were made up in the same fashion, yet block 506 was well known and no one knew why.
The Hall looked like more of a large house full of two person bedrooms standing three stories tall. The brick was a deep rusty red and the accents were a forest green, but the place was home to many, and for four years running it was home to one Richard Winters.
When he entered his assigned dorm hall for the first time of that year, carrying a duffle bag, a backpack, a satchel, a pillow, and his wallet in his back pocket, he dropped most of them in order to receive a bear hug from his best friend and boyfriend, Lewis Nixon; right in the middle of the lounge area.
“Holy shit, how’ve you been Dick?” Nixon greeted, lifting the taller man into the air and spun him in a circle, a grin set upon his stubbly face.
Winters chuckled, landing lightly on his sneakered feet. "Well it's nice to see you too Lew." A grin set its roots upon Winters' lips, a red eyebrow arched. "I've been good for the twenty days of summer I haven't see you."
Nixon chuckled, going to pick up the forgotten luggage Winters had dropped. “So what room are you in this year?” he joked, hefting the duffle bag onto his shoulder.
Winters shook his head, a small smirk in place. “According to my email I’m with some black haired twit who has been eager to see me, as if we haven’t seen each other for my entire high school life.”
Nixon chuckled, his eyes taking complete interest in the slim man beside him. “Ah, so is it the same lazy bastard you’ve been going out with for the past three years?” The two men reached the steps of the dorm hall. “After you, were on the third floor this year.”
“Finally! The higher ups of the school now?” WInters teased, taking the marble steps to the second floor.
Nixon hummed in agreement. “Took the board long enough. Were in room 304 this year round so just above our old room and also above one pair of Liebgott and Webster.”
“The two that Mal had described as a yelling, old married couple?” Winters leaned against the wooden banister, looking at the next set of steps to the top floor. Teasing his friends past and present was a good way to relax into the oncoming year.
“Yeah the same old Liebling Web had met while he need math help in study hall in middle school. Poor Webbed feet was held back a year because his parents couldn’t figure out what to do with him next while he was back with them. And of course you know the story of when Joe and his mom offered for Webster to stay with the Liebgotts around the middle of January. So he had to go back to finish grade seven while Joe was with us for his grade ten year. Besides, a lot of the old guys are here this year too along with some nice young fresh faces. On the bright side Sobel is graduated.” Nixon half cheered half huffed, breathing heavily after the first set of stairs, happy to be rehashing stories of the boys again.
A loud yelp came from the top floor followed by an exasperated yell causing both Winters and Nixon to snap their heads in the direction of the top landing. “ Harry got here an hour ago and I guess our Dog Company transfer is here. I hope Ron doesn’t kill elfie, they’re both good friends.”
WInters chuckled, reaching for the banister of the second set of stairs, looking back at Nixon’s amused smile, his semi-curling hair in his face, wrapping around his ears. “Coming to see the damage Lew?”
Nixon nodded, shaking his head as he followed after the fiery redhead up to see the other two.
Well before Ronald Speirs had arrived Harry Welsh was on the property of Toccoa Boarding School, he had been in their room setting up his things no more than twenty minutes when he actually saw that familiar navy blue Tahoe pull up into the student parking lot behind Easy Hall. When the gap toothed man checked the Hall roster he laughed hysterically at his roommate for the next year.
The tall black haired man stepped out of the SUV and onto the hot pavement in the Georgia heat, crisp khaki cargo pants and a grey tank top clinging to his well worn body.
Welsh glared out the window at his good looking roomie and smiled to himself, remembering that Ronald Speirs was in fact gay, and in a relationship with one Carwood Lipton already. There was no need for him to be jealous when Kitty came on their free days.
When Welsh looked out the window again he could see Speirs pulling two duffle bags behind his toned form along with a backpack strapped over his defined shoulders. He sauntered down the paved path towards block 506. Once Speirs had gotten close enough to the back entrance of Easy Hall Welsh opened the window, sticking his blond curls out and sucking in a breath.
“Hey Ronald! Guess who you’re rooming with!” Welsh’s gap toothed grin shone in the sunlight, waggling eyebrows visible from the pathway.
Looking up to the third floor, just above where the crawling ivy plants reached, Ron chuckled to himself and shook his head at Welsh, allowing a small smile up at his friend. "You've got to be joking Harry! Didn't we end up in detention almost all of last year?"
Welsh stuck his hand out the window, dismissing the play fights with a flourish of his wrist. "I know right? We pretty much fucked with the teachers’ minds for the half of the year you were with us. How in the hell would they not put us in separate Halls, hell separate blocks." Welsh stuck his outstretched arm on the windowsill with a dramatic sigh, leaning on his hand. “Now get up here wise guy, I’ve already claimed the lower bunk.”
Speirs mock gasped, eyebrows playfully knitting together, dropping the handle of a duffle to place his hand over his chest. “How dare you Harry Welsh, I shall battle it back into my kingdom.” Eyes scrunching and a low giggle that was private to Easy Members, Speirs picked up his bag and made for the back door to the Hall’s common room. Walking in through the open back entrance Speirs spotted a redhead already pulling cords and controllers out from a cardboard box. “Hey Donald, what did you bring this year?”
The shorter boy craned his neck around from his spot kneeling on the floor, his leather wallet in his mouth. Holding up a controller Speris could see it was a Gamecube, and then after placing it down Malarkey held up four fingers.
With a curt nod and soft edged eyes Speirs was saying, “Nice job Donald, I’ll see you and the rest later, Harry has stolen my bunk.” Speirs unloaded his two duffels onto the carpeted floor before he took off to the stairs with a wave from Malarkey, who was still unloading the box.
Welsh was only warned with the loud thumps or sneakers up the marble steps, being silenced by the grey carpeting lining both the hallway and the rooms. However Welsh was waiting patiently by the door, ready to pounce on his roommate. When Speirs entered the small room a confused look took over his face before he realized he had walked consciously into a trap, that’s when Welsh struck his first move by jumping on his friend’s back.
“Did you miss me Ron?” Welsh chimed with a swift tug to an ivy like lock of hair.
Speirs turned and marched backwards to the bed, sitting down than rolling on top of the blond boy. “Sure did Harry. And how about you, did you miss me this summer?”
Welsh chuckled, wrapping his legs tighter around the taller’s hips. “Well not miss exactly, more like I didn’t know how to function without my buddy the entire summer.” Welsh wiggled out from beneath Speris and dropped to the floor, crawling haggardly to the middle of the carpeted room. Speirs pounced down from on top of the bed, laying atop of Welsh yet again, coaxing a yelp from between the boy’s lips.
With a quick elbow, Speirs yelled and went reeling back, clutching his ribs before landing on his back to catch his breath. The two on the floor heard a pair of thumping footsteps that belonged to none other than Winters and Nixon.
“Not an hour into dorm set up and you two are already at eachothers throats.” Winters chided, shaking his head at the two sweat tacky kids on the floor.
With a shaky breath Speirs unabashedly grinned up at the redhead. “Hi Dick.” He said breathlessly. “How was your summer?”
Malarkey had arrived shortly after Nixon, who was the first into the dorm hall, and has been roaming around the familiar place and surrounding yard since nine in the morning. It’s been enough time for him to search the room roster for his bunk and roommate, who seemed to be the medic of the dorm, Eugene Roe, claim his bed, which was the top bunk, watch a couple more of the boys walk into the common room and finally start unpacking and hooking up the Gameboy from the box he left down stairs.
Crowds of students would be waltzing in through the doors of their dorm halls throughout the day, claiming beds, catching up or stammering out their first words to their newest roomies. Malarkey knew how that felt, he had been Luz’s roommate that first year and his first words to him were So, do you like x-men?
Buck of course was Malarkey’s second year partner, that was the year they figured out they liked each other far more than just good buddies. That was the year Liebgott made them brownies in the school’s kitchen and Nixon scored them the keys to the roof of the dorm, letting the two have a bit of a date to figure things out even more.
Snapping out of it Malarkey walked around the leather sofa and found the box of freedom rights where he had left it.
When Malarkey cut the tape off using last year’s student ID he stuck the card back into his wallet and stuffed the brown leather case in his mouth, prying open the flaps of the cardboard box to peer inside at the magnificent console, controllers and two piles of games from home. He smirked to himself knowing that him and the boys would get good use out of it this year.
Pulling out a controller he heard the tell tale sign of a boy entering the dorm, the sound of old shoes echoed in Malarkey’s ear over the muffled noises upstairs and down the hall opposite the common room. Ivy like hair fell in his eyes, he was well toned through the grey wife beater he was wearing. Stepping into the common room Malarkey could see him clearly, the guarded smile and all, hauling a couple of duffels around.
“Hey Donald, what did you bring this year?” Came the rough voice.
Craning his neck around from his spot kneeling on the floor, his leather wallet still in his mouth he held up a controller for Speris to see that the console this year was a Gamecube, and after placing the plastic controller down Malarkey held up four fingers.
“Nice job Donald, I’ll see you and the rest later, Harry has stolen my bunk.” Speirs smirked, unloading his two duffels onto the carpeted floor before he took off to the stairs with a wave from Malarkey who went back to unloading the box.
Not even two minutes after Speirs had vaulted up the stairs did Winters enter through the main doors, receiving a hug before chatting away, that same look in their eyes when they went home for summer with each other. Words of camping pouring out of their mouths as well as other past summer plans.
Malarkey huffed with amusement, realizing he still had his wallet shoved shoddily into his now spit slick mouth. Removing it from his jowls meant watching as threads of spit trailed from lips to leather in an unappetizing way.
Watching as Winters and Nixon ascended the same steps up to the rooms Malarkey sighed in content knowing that this year would be a great one. He had after all, gotten himself, Buck and a couple other returnees to sign up for the student council positions that fell to Easy, along with Winters and Nixon. Who knows the havoc they could do this year. Pulling out a second controller, Malarkey smiled to himself with anticipation filling his entire being at the year to come.
Babe Heffron, Bill Guarnere and John Julian had all grown up together, living only a few blocks apart in the beauty that was Philadelphia Pennsylvania. They went through elementary and middle school together, goofing off and trying to get their work done without making each other laugh. Julian though, was a year younger than the two yet he had been bumped up a grade, surpassing his grade two year so he could be challenged more in the on coming years.
This year however, they were all handed pamphlets to Tocoa Boarding School; the high school that has a wide community of teachers and smaller classrooms in order to aid with the careers that the students want rather than a broad spectrum of everything.
It was known as the school that had kids brought in from around the country and a couple from Canada every year. A school that not only taught you school logic but how to live on your own with doing the laundry, taxes and each couple of weeks a kid from the dorm you were living in had to mow the lawn.
Well you can bet their mothers jumped on this chance, especially since the boarding school was just under twenty-two grand a year. Very cheap for a boarding school but it had been rated in the top ten schools in America and never asked for more than necessary out of their wallets.
Julian had been packed since the thirty-first of August, one week before anyone is allowed to be in the dorms with everyone else, giddy as ever to be leaving home for more than a measly week at camp.
Babe had packed and repacked two days before they left in Mrs. Guarnere’s car.
And Bill had throw all his shit into a duffle and small suitcase the day before they jammed everything into the minivan and left on the ten hour trip down to Toccoa.
Bill had joked that with the way his Ma drove they’d be there in eight hours flat. That was before he got a slap on the back of his head with words of warning from his Mother.
Arriving at the administration office by the parent/teacher parking lot, Julian looked terrified at the prospect of living away from home so early, even if he was with his two best friends. He was still only twelve after all, and as fresh faced as ever in a new and large world that wasn’t encased in cement and glass and brick with cars rolling through the overly busy streets.
Babe had noticed and had taken Julian’s hand to lead him to the dorm they had been placed in once they had their maps and day planners with their schedules and Bill’s mom had said goodbye to them. Easy Hall was their housing unit for the remainder of the year. They were to live in a dorm with grade nines like them all the way into the grade twelves. Bill wasn’t sure if he could be able to keep his trap shut if the higher grades started to bully him or his buddies but when he saw a tall redheaded guy with a shorter stockier fella, Bill knew he’d be okay.
Looking up at the redhead now, Bill chuckled to himself, thinking that he was scared of boarding school when he saw who would be their Resident Assistant. “Hi, welcome to easy hall.” He had greeted. “I’m Richard Winters, I’m your RA for this year, and this is my good friend Lewis Nixon.” A staticy sound came from the high grade walkie talkie clipped to Winters’ belt.
The stubble faced guy looked at the three new kids before going on his little spiel about the school for the third time that morning. “There are rules to this dorm posted inside each room door, the common room is open to all in this dorm and invited guests only. There are two people to a room so if you get stuck with someone who is mean to you come tell Dick, myself or our other two higher ups that will help solve the problem.
Your room will have your name on it on the whiteboard on the door. We have clean sheets on each bed and a pillow, if you brought your own pillow thats great. There is a bunk bed in each room so if you are scared of heights or roll a lot and are stuck with the top bunk there are guard rails in the closet.
This dorm room does not tolerate disrespect and homophobic or racist slurs. Do I make myself clear?” Nixon raised a bushy eyebrow and waited for their replies.
Each boy nodded in turn looking at each other.
“Great, I will need your names and any allergies you may have. Our house medic in training is one Eugene Roe. If it’s serious we’ll contact the nursing unit.” Nixon looked to Bill first for his name.
“Bill Guarnere, no allergies that I know of.” Bill spouted off.
Nixon scribbled down that Bill was here and had zero allergies to be worried of. “A Philly boy. And I’m going to guess that these two here are John Julian and Edward Heffron?”
Babe grumbled and muttered, “It’s Babe, no allergies as well.”
“How’d you know Lewis?” Bill quizzed.
Holding up a hand Nixon looked towards Julian, “John Julian, allergic to dogs and sunflower seeds.” Writing it down and checking off the names Nixon finally looked up.
With an eyeroll Nixon smiled. “Please call me Nix, it says here you’re all from the same middle school so I kinda knew. Anyway, Bill you’re going to be rooming with an Alex Penkala in room 101 and Babe is with John in room 102. Alex hasn’t showed up yet but I’m sure he’s nice.
With a quick nod Babe lead Julian into the dorm unit followed by Bill who halted again. “What do you mean by no homophobic slurs?”
A small hum came from Winters’s mouth before he spoke up. “Some of us are gay Bill, any problems and we can go to the headmaster.”
Bill nodded in approval. “Good, Babe and myself will be okay then?”
Nixon and Winters both nodded with Winters talking again. “Everyone should be safe here, besides me and Lew here have been okay for the past three years. You and your boyfriend should be fine.”
Bill snorted with a short laugh. “Me and Babe are gay, not together.”
Nixon shrugged, “Then good luck and have fun here. Go find your room and set up, dinner is at five thirty.”
The first time in a year Winters spotted Luz was when Speirs came down from setting up his own room. This small patch of duck fluff hair was peaking out from where the boy was nuzzled behind Speirs’ neck, pale arms had wound around Speirs' shoulders and short legs were being held up by Speirs’ arms.
“Uh, Ron, who are you piggybacking?” Winters chuckled, stopping in the middle of the entrance to look at his friend.
A small giggle came from Speirs’ back before the fluffy hair popped up to reveal George Luz the joker. “Hi Dick, I tripped up the stairs.” Speirs cracked a small smile and Winters laughed at Luz's antics.
“Not even over with the first day and you manage to injure yourself George?” Winters mused.
Luz grinned, curling his arms and legs tighter around Speirs as he hiked Luz higher up his back. “I snagged my suitcase on the stairs and went flying, I’m not sure if I sprained my ankle or what but it hurts like a bitch.”
"Any worse then when you went head first into the common room wall from wrestling last year?" Speirs asked, worry lacing his even tone.
A quick shake of Luz's head was the answer.
Winters nodded with an affirming hum. “At least it’s not too bad. Do you know if Gene is here yet? He might be able to take a look at it. Get you patched up.”
Speirs’ expression was blank save for the slightly cocked eyebrows on his head. “I don’t think I saw Eugene pass through here. I know I saw Denver Randleman and Chuck Grant pass through but not Eugene. Although I may be wrong I’ve been helping the younger ones set up shop most of the day. Roe is rooming with Malarkey this year, saw it on the mini whiteboard. Go check out his room, I'll put Luz on the couch until we can find out if Roe is here."
Winters' lips tugged again at the sides, body already turning towards the marble steps. "Good plan Ron, I'll be back down in a minute." His lithe body walked fluidly to the staircase, gripping the banister and hauling himself up the first couple steps for the momentum to kick in.
Watching as the redhead disappeared up the steps Speirs returned his attention to one George Luz. “So how was your summer Georgie boy?” Speirs asked, moving past the empty box Malarkey left on the floor to stand in front of the couch, letting Luz slip from his grip and onto the burgundy coloured leather.
“Same old same old Ronnie, a few bruises here and there. Nearly took my head off when I took archery classes.” Luz giggled, his eyes trained on Speirs’s body gracefully sitting next to his on the couch.
Speirs’ mouth upturned in the corner, with the excitement worn down and his comfort level at ease, that was the best anyone else might get Speirs to show emotion without a threatening vibe but it was small to the Easy boys. “And why would your mother allow you to do so?”
A shrug answered the words. “Beats me. And your summer?” Luz’s eyebrows raised slightly, searching Speirs’ face for a nervous tick. Luz already knew what had happened that summer with Lipton and Speirs.
The room was quiet save for the boys of Toccoa School meandering outside and some laughs and shouts from upstairs. Luz heard Speirs swallow, take a deep breath and let his body relax back into the cushions. “I take it you heard then?”
Luz nodded, voice cracking slightly. “Yeah, Lip called me after he alerted Dick and Nix.”
Speirs fiddled with the lanyard he brought to attach to the room keys that were in his pocket. “We’re okay Luz, I’m going to be seeing the therapist on campus every week. The falling out wasn’t a fight persay. It was mainly me with my words and- and fear of losing him.” Speirs struggled through a breath, hands visibly shaking in his lap.
“Ron,” Luz hummed, “You and Lip are fine, you’re here. We found a pretty nice lake out of it. All in all, it’s going to be okay. Okay?” Speirs nodded, eyes closed, holding his emotions behind beige eyelids with tiny blue lines etched into them.
The sound of creaky footsteps on the floorboards under the carpeted floor alerted the two that Winters had come back, a second and third set said that Nixon and Roe should be with them.
Luz looked over his shoulder to see Winters’ soft smile, eyes half lidded to watch his two friends interact. “Gene’s here, he can take a look at your ankle Luz, just don’t squirm.”
Luz let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and let a slow grin set on his face. “As long as he’s careful. Last year he nearly broke my sprained wrist.”
“Now that’s because you wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to look at it.” Roe drawled in that freshened cajun accent.
With the moment passed Roe moved to the front of the couch, kneeling in front of Luz. Winters leaned against the leather behind Speirs while Nixon took his spot behind Luz.
“How ya been Luz?” Nixon chortled, smoothing a hand through the soft black hair before messing it up again.
“Good, and you?” Luz winced slightly with each poke and prod from Roe’s hands.
“Pretty damn well. I’m getting dear old mom and dad to help out with getting the papers to that lake property. Ron here and Web are gladly joining in to get it. It’s not all that much considering but that man who owns the deed has a set low bar that is going to be easy to afford with the three of us combined.” Nixon laid out the information like clock work.
“And how much is it?” Luz questioned, huffing out when Roe started to roll on the tensor bandage.
“Nothing you and the other little ducklings should worry about dear Luz. It’s all taken care of with us rich jerks” Nixon laughed at the joke Luz had said when he heard who he was housed with his first year.
“Oh piss off.” Luz laughed.
“Hey, Richard, about the forms we had on our beds.” Roe drawled, clipping the bandage into place at Luz’s ankle. Getting Winters’ attention Roe continued. “It says that we have the student council duties, do we sign up or do you place us in a position?”
With a hum from Winters he smiled, leaning over the back of the couch behind Speirs. “Well if enough of you sign up then we don’t have to place anyone that doesn’t want to be. Yet on the other hand, I’m pretty sure most of the house will fill it up in the meeting tomorrow. With all things considered we’ll have more people wanting to join then not; consider it a dorm house project.”
Roe nodded, checking the bonds before groaning breathily while getting up off the floor. Luz and Nixon laughed at the old age behaviour Roe was showing, earning a soft smile from the Cajun.
“Anything else boys?” Roe asked, a small tilt of his head accompanying it.
With the answer being a shake of the head from all of them Roe was of to finish unpacking.
“So do you think it’s going to be a good year?” Luz asked innocently, moving so his legs rested over Speirs’ lap.
Speirs rested his hands naturally over Luz’s legs, stroking the shins absentmindedly. “I’m not too sure, but I think we should all try to make it the best, some of us are leaving this year. And all the new ones are so terrified of being away, we also have a twelve year old in our house so watch it for a little while on the swearing okay?” Speirs paused to look at Nixon and Luz’s affirmation. “But I do have a feeling it’s going to be better than all the years I’ve been here.”
Nixon purred, bending fully over the back of the couch, head now resting on Luz’s shoulder, arms flopped on either side of the short, raven haired kid. At the sound of the dinner bell being pumped in through the PA system he was ramrod straight, eager to go for dinner on their first night back.
Faintly you could hear Winters shout to get out of the rooms and over to the dining hall, snorting when a loud bang was heard and a thick southern accent yelled for Muck to get up and quit bum scooting down the marble steps. Giggles from Grant, Skinny and Penkala. Perconte could be heard from outside with the way he was fighting with Johnny. The young guns were ushered by Welsh out into the foyer, the three in the common room watching as the fresh faces came into view. Lipton was walking slowly down the stairs, eyes on the next step before he looked up when he hit the bottom, smiling at the three already down stairs.
Luz smirked at the new meet, Ron pushed Luz’s legs off of him to stand and piggy back him again, and Nixon just leaned against the couch, watching them fondly from his position.