Under the Same Sky [BOYXBOY]

CHAPTER 58

The auditorium rang with the excited voices of the students of Lumiere International High School as the seats slowly filled up. It was the first day back and as usual, they had gathered for the Headmistress's welcome address.

Noel sat beside Cam and Leo at the front with the other third years as he saved a space for his best friend. He craned his neck trying to catch sight of Jayden as Paul walked over, his prefect's sash lying proudly across his chest.

Leo caught sight of the royal blue sash and crossed his arms coldly.

'Sup, bro,' Paul greeted as he took a seat at his side only for Leo to huff and turn away from him.

Cam eyed his best friend curiously. 'What's going on with you?'

'Ask him,' Leo responded moodily, jutting his chin angrily in Paul's direction.

Cam turned to Paul who just shrugged in amusement. 'I don't know what his deal is. He just keeps calling me a traitor. I don't know what I did.'

'Don't you?' Leo rounded on him. 'After everything we've been through, how could you?'

'How could I what?'

'How could you wear that!' Leo exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at his sash. 'It's a symbol of everything I've fought against.' Leo choked, clutching his chest as he closed his eyes in pain. 'You've betrayed me in the worst way a person can be betrayed.'

Cam rolled his eyes at him. 'You are just mad that he can't break the rules with you anymore.'

'We had a plan. We were supposed to go out with a bang this year. Now, it's all ruined, gone, poof.' He sniffed and turned a dejected face to Paul. 'And I thought you were my soulmate.'

Paul opened his mouth to speak but Leo cut him off with a raised hand. 'No excuses, you are with them now. I can't even look at you anymore, you are officially dead to me.'

Paul nodded sombrely, hiding his laughter with a cough. Cam just shook his head at them and turned in time to see Jayden take his seat beside Noel.

'Where is Samuel? I thought he was coming with you.'

'He's bringing the first years in.' he replied just as Leo broke into another round of grief-stricken moans. 'What's wrong with him?'

'The same thing that has been wrong with him since he was born,' Cam answered. 'He's an idiot.'

Jayden watched with mild amusement as Paul patted Leo's hand comfortingly as he nodded along gravely to his laments.

Their attention turned to the double doors as they swung open to reveal a nervous group of first years. They watched as the first years walked in, looking around them in awe.

'It's hard to believe we were once like them, isn't it?' Noel asked wistfully.

Jayden nodded as he watched Samuel usher them into their seats. Samuel looked up and catching his boyfriend's eye, gave him a small smile. It took a while to get all the first years seated. He made sure they were all settled before leaving to sit with his friends and the other third years.

A hush fell upon the room as the headmistress mounted the dais. She glanced down at her students as her half-moon spectacles glinted in the light of the chandeliers.

'I can tell you are all eager to regale one another with the tales of your exploits during your summer so I will strive to keep my speech short. First, I would like to welcome our continuing students back to school. It is always a comfort to see familiar faces. To our first years, welcome to Lumière. It is always frightening to begin a new adventure, however, keep in mind that the important thing is not your beginnings or your destinations but the journey. The trials and tribulations, the failures and success, and all the joys with its attendant sorrows are what makes life worth living so live it to the fullest.'

The faces of the first years shone with anticipation as they drank in her every word and in most of them, a fierce determination lit up in their eyes.

The headmistress's lips pulled up slightly with pride before moving on. 'Beginnings and endings are two sides of the same coin, separate yet indivisible. As our first years are beginning their journey, our third years are ending theirs. The onus is on us to support and encourage them as they embark on the final leg of their journey. I'm not going to impress on you the stakes involved with your final examinations, I leave that for your teachers to terrorize you with.'

Her eyes danced with mirth as the auditorium rang with laughter. She raised her hand for silence before continuing.

'That said, I do hope you put in your maximum effort to make not only the school proud but yourself as well. I am already so proud of how far you've come. Your time at Lumière has been one of the most exciting I've seen in all my years. As thrilling as it was I hope I wouldn't have to deal with any more spontaneous food fights in the cafeteria,' her gaze landed on Samuel, who had the grace to look sheepish. 'Midnight home invaders,' her eyes moved to Leo, who blushed and looked down at his feet. 'And impromptu excursions into the Wild Forest.'

This time the entire group grinned in embarrassment as the rest of their year giggled at the memory. Jayden looked up to meet the headmistress's eyes and she gave him a discreet wink before she went on.

'Even amidst these delights, you've suffered more than your fair share of pain, heartbreaks, and disappointments.'

Jayden squeezed Noel's hand as the memories flashed through. Francesca's gaze turned solemn as she glanced down at her students. The faces that stared back at her were older, wiser, and tested by time.

'As I look down at you all now, I'm confronted with faces that seem so familiar but yet so strange. In these past years, I've watched you grow and learn, and I consider it a singular honour to have been a part of your stories. Therefore let me end by saying two words, thank you.'

A wave of applause broke out and a few wolf-whistles and catcalls could be heard from the audience. The headmistress inclined her head gratefully and waited patiently until silence returned before wrapping up.

'A few quick announcements before I let you go; first, as you are all no doubt aware, the election of our head prefect is coming up. I hope you all, as the electorate, be discerning about whom you give your mandate, and to the candidates, I hope you will conduct yourselves and your campaigns with the dignity that befits your future office.'

An excited chatter broke out among the students. Samuel gripped Jayden's arm as anxiety and excitement filled his features.

'Lastly, I would like you all to join me in welcoming our newest member of staff. Most of you know him already, he is a past student and none other than our former head prefect, Azrael Rutherford.'

A polite applause broke out as a tall handsome teenager stepped onto the dais. He shook the headmistress's hand and turned to face the school, bowing in gratitude.

Samuel suddenly jolted and glanced surprisingly down his arm where Jayden had locked him in a death grip. He looked up worriedly and was thrown off by the coldness radiating off his boyfriend. Jayden's entire walls had shot up out of the blue and his face was expressionless except for his eyes which burned passionately with icy disdain as he stared straight at the smiling boy on the stage.

Up on the stage, Rutherford beamed as he waved at the students below. He looked around purposely searching for someone and his smile widened even further when he locked eyes with him.

Oh, how I've missed you.