Under the Same Sky [BOYXBOY]

CHAPTER 19

It was a month after the whole food fight and paintball fiasco. The weather was chilly as the boys trudged through the grounds as they followed the head janitor to begin their punishment.

The head janitor was a stout fellow and he spoke to them in his gruff voice as he led them to the hangars.

'There are eight hangars in the school, six of which are used to house the flight machinery and equipment. You know the helicopters, gliders, and stuff. The aviation club mostly uses it to train their members though you have your occasional official class coming in now and then.'

The wind whipped up their collars as they summited a low hill. Below, the hangars and tarmac stretched out beneath them. They climbed down the hill as the head janitor continued to speak.

'The other four is used as a warehouse. They contain broken machines, spare parts, and other thingamabobs. That's where you'll be going.'

They arrived in front of the first hangar and he pulled the wide doors open a crack to allow them to walk through.

The hangar was dim and dusty. He flipped a switch on the wall, bathing the room in white light. As he had said, the hangar was filled with all sorts of machinery and equipment. They lay about haphazardly all over the place. They were stacked high up to the roof in some and strewn about the floor in others.

The janitor dusted off his hands and turned to them. 'This is it. The other three all look something like this. According to the headmistress's orders, you are to arrange the place neatly and categorize the items you find. Seems an awful lot of punishment for causing a bit of a mess but I'm sure she has her reasons. After all, the madam knows best.'

He clapped his hands together. 'Very well. Better get started. This is Hangar One and when you're done you'll move on to the next. Don't worry about finishing it all today, it's gonna take you a week at least. Would get your hands dirty but nothing wrong with a bit of hard work. I'll leave you to it.'

He turned to leave but stopped when a visitor entered. He was followed by two boys who were looking a bit sheepish.

'Now what's this Bob?' the head janitor asked.

'Prof asked me to bring them to you for punishment.'

'Couldn't this have waited in my office for my return?' the head janitor inquired, a bit annoyed.

'No, sorry.' Bob replied apologetically. 'He requested that you attended to this right away.'

The head janitor rubbed his chin contemplatively. 'Well, as long as they're here they might as well join the others.'

Bob nodded and turned to his charges. 'You heard the boss, get to work.'

'I'll be here at six to pick you up,' the head said before leaving with Bob.

The boys stared at one another in the damp hangar. The others regarded the newcomers with curiosity. Jayden was the only one who seemed completely uninterested in them.

Samuel stepped forward. 'Samuel Asamoah. What are you in for?'

'Dude, we know who you are,' one of the boys said. 'You are like one of the most popular boys in our year.'

'Oh,' Samuel passed his hands through his hair and gave them an embarrassed grin. 'I'm afraid I don't know who you are.'

'You are in the school band, right?' Noel asked, stepping forward. 'I recognize you from the band room.'

'Yep,' the boy said brightly. 'I'm Leonardo and this is Cameron.'

Cameron nodded at them.

'Nice to meet you,' Samuel replied, beaming. 'You already know me and I'm sure you know Paul.' He gestured to Paul who nodded at them.