Lonely Boy

Reese knew that he wasn't supposed to be in a classroom with no professors around or without their permission. But there he was anyways, breaking rules that he knew he shouldn't. Instead he should be in his common room or dorm doing his homework like a good little boy. It wasn't too late so it wasn't after curfew or anything so if he were caught then he wouldn't get in trouble for that. Reese was an anxious little boy and the thought of getting busted made him terrified. Yet, he didn't try to leave. With Anthony and Garnet leaving soon, he had two less people to talk to. He hardly had any friends and he was feeling quite alone lately. The two older kids were preparing to graduate and soon Reese would be left behind.

He tried not to let it bother him too much and tried to occupy his time with homework and other things. He even asked for extra credit to take his mind off of how alone he felt. But once professors ran out of things for him to do, he stopped having things preoccupy his brain. So, he decided to explore the castle that he called his school and his temporary home until it was time for him to actually go home. He was always drawn back to his favorite classroom, Melodic Studies. He loved to sing but the songs they sang were just boring and weren't anything the young boy was into.

He liked pop music and indie music. Nothing like the music they had to learn at school. And while he was alone, he could practice and sing whatever he wanted without anyone stopping him (unless he got caught of course). He wasn't very good at any instruments but that didn't stop him from picking up a drum stick and giving the drum a small whack. Almost immediately after, he heard a noise outside the hall. He could have sworn this room was sound proof and that he had shut the door all the way. He carefully walked over to the door and noticed that it was open just a crack and that he hadn't shut it all the way like he had thought he had. He swung the door open and held out the drum stick as if it were a weapon. "What do you want?" he asked as if he was doing nothing wrong and that he should be there.

Andrea was really beginning to hate school more than she'd ever thought possible. It was getting harder each year. Not to mention looming exams and last minute papers being thrown at her. Her coming final two years were like giants threatening to swallow her whole. And of course to top it all off there was the badge the Headmistress had thought was a good idea for Andrea to wear. All this brooding was going on in her head and she hadn't even realised she was walking down the ninth floor corridor instead of continuing down to her dorm on the fifth floor.

She stopped outside the Melodic Studies classroom and frowned. There was something wrong with the door. It didn't look quite shut. Andrea moved closer, heard what she thought was the tap of a drum, and gasped when the door opened to reveal a much younger boy from her house. "I'd like to know why you are in here at this time?" the prefect replied with a little irritation in her voice. She shifted the library books in her arms and wished her preoccupation had not brought her down this path at all. "You do know don't you that you're not supposed to be in here without permission?" Personally she was surprised Professor Pettersson hadn't locked the door what with the expensive musical instruments in the room.

Jakob had always said in order to not get into too much trouble you had to act like you were supposed to be doing whatever you were doing wrong. You had to be confident when questioned and act like you knew what you were doing. This was the opposite of Reese. He was a good boy who followed the rules and hardly ever got in trouble. Yet that's where he found himself at this moment. It wasn't like he was destroying anything, he was just being curious. That's all. He knew he shouldn't be in here but he was going to act like he belonged there. Come on, Jakob, don't get me in trouble.

"At this time?" he repeated as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "It isn't past curfew if that's what you're talking about." He was almost positive that he wasn't the only student to ever wonder up here without a professor in sight. That's probably why the classroom was unlocked, maybe Professor Pettersson wanted students to explore music when she wasn't around. "Who says I don't have permission? Maybe I do and maybe the professor left her door unlocked for me." This wasn't the case at all. His heart was beating fast and it took a lot out of him to remain cool.

So the boy was going to be difficult. Charming. This was one of the numerous reasons why she had not wanted to be a prefect. Underclassmen trying to worm their way out of whatever trouble they were in. "I know it's not past curfew. That was not what I was referring to. It is after classes though." Did he really think he could confuse her? Andrea was in an irritated mood. He was just making it worse for himself.

"Maybe?" she asked. "It sounds like you aren't too sure whether you have permission or not. Now tell me straight. Do you or do you not have permission? Don't forget I could always get confirmation from Professor Pettersson whether or not this is the case." The boy was really getting on her nerves but Andrea had no wish to report him. Too much work and it required her putting down her books. All of it extra work. Thus she added, "if you answer me straight I may let you off with a warning."

There was no use trying to argue, Jakob would be so disappointed in him. But he didn't want to mess with a prefect. He was never going to take advice from Jakob ever again, that was just asking for trouble in all honesty. Why did he even listen to him in the first place? He should have just been completely honest to begin with. He was just so lonely and music seemed to be the only thing that stayed with him and would never leave. But he doubted this girl would understand his troubles and woes, she probably only cared about doing her job. That's what older people cared about, their jobs and themselves. No one cared about little Reese and his troubles. As long as he was doing his homework and getting good grades, it didn't matter.

"I don't have permission to be here," he admitted. He felt a little bad but not too much. And if he got in trouble so be it. He was just trying to get his mind off of things and he didn't think anyone would understand what he was going through. "Report me if you must, I was just trying to occupy my time. All I do is homework," he admitted with a small shrug. He didn't say any of this to make her feel bad for him, he just wanted her to know why he was here in the first place. "I have no friends so I can't hang out with friends that don't exist." He left out the part about his brothers since that wasn't the point, but he was honest about being lonely.

Andrea felt like the boy was trying to manipulate her into feeling sorry for him. It was working too. Partly because she could remember her school in Switzerland where her only friend was also her cousin. She huffed as the pile of books she held felt heavier than before. "Look. What you need to do is talk to Professor Pettersson if you wish to play music in here. I'm sure she'll be reasonable if she knows your serious. You are serious about music playing aren't you?" Assumptions could be dangerous but Andrea had to find some way of letting the boy go without leaving herself feel guilty.

"For the record I am not going to report you for feeling lonely but if you don't leave now I may report you for being in here without permission." And if he didn't take her up on the offer she was going to be one really annoyed prefect. The lack of friends part she could not help him with. If Andrea were able to do that she would not have spent years at her old school silently cursing the awful English girl who made her life a misery.