((Here is chapter 10. I can't believe how fast I was able to get it out. Usually it takes me ages to write a chapter but since things have slowed down at work, I have more time. I am just happy this got out so fast. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The beginning might be a bit slow but it picks up at the end. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX))
Chapter 10
Part 1
The Dinning Hall
'Am I really ready for this? I just… don't know...' Jesse thought as he let loose a long sigh. At the moment, his large green eyes were transfixed on the small orange fish that swam around in the garden's pond.
"Jess…. Jesse! Hey, earth to Jesse!"
Jesse snapped out of his thoughts as his green eyes flashed from the pond to the person calling his name.
"Jaden…!" Jesse hummed as his surroundings slowly came back to him.
Jesse had only finished packing his luggage for the Knight Academy an hour ago and was now taking a walk with his most treasured person before departing for the opening ceremony.
Jaden had been rambling on about a boring lesson he had yesterday and had only just noticed that Jesse had zoned out.
"You okay Jess? You just sort of zoned out there for a second," Jaden said playfully as he ruffled Jesse's messy teal hair.
"Jaden, stop," Jesse said with a small giggle as he playfully swatted at Jaden's hand. "And I am fine. I was just thinking is all," Jesse then added with a sheepish grin.
"I'm only worried about you, Jess," Jaden replied with a playful wink as he gave Jesse's hair one more good ruffle. "My little Jesse is going to be going off on his own soon," he then added with a large dramatic sigh as he pretended to act like an over doting mother.
It was true. In just a matter of a few hours Jesse would be shipped of the Knight Academy to begin his training as a knight and that was what had been concerning Jesse since the beginning of the week.
"Well, it's not like I am going to be that far away, Jaden. The academy is just on the outskirt of town… Yubel said it's only an hours walk, so if we really want to see each other, we can," Jesse explained more to himself then to Jaden.
Now that Jesse was around the age of 13, he could handle being on his own from time to time. As he grew up, he had become a little more independent, but despite his independence he still didn't like being away from the prince for more then a few days. Going off to the Knight Academy meant that he would possibly have to go months without seeing Jaden and Jesse didn't know if he was ready for that.
Jaden sent a soft smile to his dear friend. He could tell from the very start of the week that Jesse had become nervous about moving away. Jaden himself was also upset over the idea but was trying his best to stay strong.
"Don't worry Jess, I know things are going to change but change is a part of life," Jaden said as he laid a gentle hand on Jesse's skinny shoulder. Jaden had been told the exact same thing by Yubel a few nights ago when he was caught crying over Jesse soon departure.
"But Jaden… It's just that… Being apart..." Jesse began to explain as the idea of being away from the prince for such a long time frightened him.
Jaden's eyes softened even more at the troubled look in Jesse's bright green eyes. Jesse had always been a bit smaller then Jaden and despite them being around the same age, Jaden could not help but feel the need to protect the boy. Jaden understood fully well why Jesse was so upset. It took every last ounce of Jaden's will to not wrap his arms around his dear friend and keep him there forever. But he knew he could not do that. Yubel had told him that Jesse needed to be free and that it was part of Jaden's duty as Jesse's guardian to push him in the right direction.
Jesse bright green eye's filled with more uncertainty as he looked into Jaden's soft brown gaze. What if they drifted apart? Jesse could not handle a life without the prince.
"And you know what Jess?" Jaden said as his soft smile became more confident. "Not even change, or distance, or growing up, or anything will ever be able to tear us apart!" Jaden carried on as he gave a small fist pump. It was almost as if Jaden could read Jesse's thoughts. It had always been like this for the two.
"Do you really mean that, Jaden?" Jesse hummed as his concerned gem like eyes grew with a bit more confidence.
"Of course I do Jess! Nothing will every tear us apart! Nothing!" Jaden said with a sturdy nod as he wrapped an arm around Jesse's shoulders.
"What if I have to move far away?" Jesse asked with big concerned eyes.
"Then I will just have to move the capitol closer to where you are," Jaden said with another confident nod.
"What if I get taken away by a monster?" Jesse asked, this time his tone was a lot less concerned and a little more playful; he even gave a small growl when he said the word 'monster'.
"Then I will beat the monster up and take you back home with me!" Jaden said with another fist pump as he tried his best to look tough.
"What if the monster just wanted a friend and that's why he took me?" Jesse then added with a playful giggle of his own.
"Then I guess we will just have to tell the monster that kidnapping is no way to make a friend," Jaden said with a wag of his finger as he play-scolded the air.
Jesse let loose another small giggle as he watched Jaden pretend to tell off an imaginary monster.
"But being so far away is going to be… hard," Jesse sighed as his smile fell a little.
Jaden then stopped in his tracks and turned to face Jesse.
Jesse stopped as well now that his path was blocked by the prince. He cocked his head to the side as he sent the prince a confused look.
"Listen, Jess," Jaden started as a small pink blush graced his cheeks.
Jesse cocked his head to the other side as his full attention turned to Jaden.
"No matter how far apart we are… We will never truly be apart," Jaden said as he fought the sudden wave of embarrassment overtake him.
"What do you mean…?" Jesse mumbled, not really understanding that the prince was getting at.
"No matter the distance, as long as we have our memories and feelings, we will always have each other right here," Jaden said as he rested a hand on Jesse's chest.
Jesse looked down at Jaden's hand as he rested his hand atop Jaden's.
"No matter how far apart we are, we will always have each other in our hearts. So, we will never truly be apart," Jaden said as he started to feel an overwhelming wave of embarrassment. In truth, this was the exact same thing Yubel had told him only night ago.
"So, you are in my heart Jaden and I am in yours?" Jesse hummed as his concerned eyes become more inquisitive.
Jesse's bright green eye's looked into Jaden's soft brown gaze, causing Jaden to feel even more cheese.
"Well, that's what they say at least," Jaden sighed as he turned away from Jesse and rested his hands behind his head; trying with every last fiber of his being to fight the blush from his cheeks.
Jesse studied Jaden for a moment before a large smile spread across his face.
"Yeah… I guess we always will be together and nothing will change that," Jesse said with a small cheer.
"Besides, Jess, you are going to make the best knight ever! And once you become a knight, you can be with me all the time!" Jaden cheered as he turned back to look at his friend.
"Yeah! And we can fight the bad guy together!" Jesse said with a small play punch to the air.
"Yeah, Jess! We can fight together," Jaden said as he held a hand out for a high five.
A large smile spread across Jesse's lips as his hand connected with Jaden's causing a satisfying smack to echo through the garden.
XXX
Jesse fidgeted in his seat as he looked around the sea of freshman he was sitting amongst. He had to admit that he was excited to be at the academy but being around so many people he did not know was beginning to make him nervous.
Jaden and Yubel had helped Jesse move to the academy but were unable to attend the opening ceremony. The ceremony was exclusive to students only, meaning that once Jesse had arrived and dropped off his luggage, he had to part with Jaden and Yubel. Jaden had done a good job at keeping a strong front but Jesse had let loose a few tears when the goodbyes came.
The only reason Jesse had been able to control his crying was due to the fact that the prince promised to visit in a week or so, after Jesse settled in. Jesse wished that Jaden could have visited every day but knew that it was wishful thinking.
'Besides, Jaden and Yubel are right here in my heart,' Jesse thought as he held his hand to his chest. He kept repeating this to himself any time he started to miss the two.
The ceremony was due to start any moment and Jesse could not help but look around nervously yet again. He had been sat in the middle of the large crowd of freshmen. It's not that Jesse didn't like people, he just was not so used to such large crowds and was beginning to feel a little closterphobic.
Trying to settle his nerves, Jesse's eye's scanned the crowed. After two or three sweeps of the room, his eyes stopped on a familiar blue gray gaze. Jesse sat up a bit to see that the person was none other then Zane. Zane was sitting amongst the upper classmen that surrounded the freshman.
Almost immediately Zane seemed to noticed Jesse's stare and flashed a small smile and a quick nod to the teal haired boy before returning to his normal stoic demeanor.
Jesse returned the gesture with a smile of his own. Zane was one of the few people Jesse had become somewhat close to outside of Jaden and Yubel. Since their epic steak out about three years ago, Zane had become somewhat of a mentor to Jesse. They only ever really saw each other a few times a year but if it had not been for Zane, Jesse would have probably never become a knight.
"Welcome!" boomed a loud voice that echoed through the hall.
Jesse's attention shot from Zane to the stage as the whole room quieted down.
"Welcome, new students to our wonderful Knight Academy," the man on the stage began as he studied the crowd of students.
The Head Master carried on with his long winded welcome before switching places with a very prude looking woman who spent the next 40 minutes explaining the rules of the school.
"…Lights out is at ten o clock sharp, there are to be no alterations to the uniform, and the kitchen and pantry area is off limits to all students unless specified," the thin woman snapped as her keen green eyes shot to a group of guilty looking sophomores.
Jesse could not help but feel intimidated by the woman's intense aura; it was almost as if all the warnings were targeted at him. Of course Jesse was just being silly, but not having Jaden by his side always caused his imagination to run wild.
After hearing the long list of rules, the upperclassmen had been dismissed to settle into their rooms while the freshman had to stay to carry on with their orientation.
Once the upperclassmen took their leave, a tall thin man with dark flowing long hair tied in a ponytail stepped onto the stage. Jesse had recognized him right away as one of Jaden's tutors. Jesse had only ever really talked with the man a hand full of times but recognized him none the less. The man went by the name of and rambled on in a carefree voice about the planes for the rest of the evening and week.
The students were told that after orientation was over they would go to the dinning hall and dine with the upperclassmen to celebrate the beginning of the year. After that they would be led to their rooms, meet their room mates, have time to unpack and then get to bed. The next week or so would be spent going to classes and getting to know the routine.
Once the orientation was over, the group of freshmen had been lead to the dinning hall. Normally the upper classmen and lower classmen did not eat together but since today was a celebration, the school held a special banquet to celebrate the start of the year.
The freshman had arrived early to the hall and had been given assigned seating. Once they were settled, the other students would be allowed to fill in the empty spaces.
The dinning hall was full of several long tables and Jesse was one of the last to find his seat; the boy had never really been good at finding his way around.
Both seats next to Jesse and the seat across form Jesse were left empty for upperclassmen to take. Sitting kitty corner and to the right was a silver haired boy with blue eyes. The boy looked just as unsure and nervous as the rest of the freshmen in the room.
Jesse was often quite shy around new people when on his own but gathering up as much courage as he could, he looked to the silver haired boy to greet him.
"Um… Hello. I'm Jesse," Jesse said in an awkward voice.
The boy's attention turned to Jesse. His blue eyes studied the teal haired boy almost as if he was judging if Jesse was worth his time.
"Hello. I'm Aster," the boy finally said as his blue eyes sized up Jesse.
Jesse could not help but feel a little nervous by the boy's stair. He didn't want to start a fight. Is this what being a knight was going to be like?
Jesse smile kindly at the boy as he tried to think of something to say. "Um, I sure am hungry," Jesse finally settle on in hopes of lowering the boys guard.
The boy's blue eyes sized up Jesse once more before he relaxed.
"Yeah, I hope dinner starts soon," Aster replied as he tried to act aloof. He didn't want to get too friendly with this Jesse incase this boy became nothing but dead weight. Aster wanted to become the best knight and knew the circle of friends he made was very important.
"I wonder what's for dinner…" Jesse commented in hopes to keep the conversation going. Jesse fought to keep a pleasant smile on his face in hopes to cover up how nervous he really felt.
Aster's blue eyes glanced at Jesse. He could tell that the teal haired boy was probably one of the most nervous in the room. He thought for a moment as he tried to decided if indulging the boy was a good idea or not.
"Do you think we will have soup…?" Jesse carried on after not getting a reply from the silver haired boy.
Aster gave one slow blink as he carried on starting at Jesse.
"Yeah… maybe," Aster finally replied once decided that small talk could not hurt.
Jesse's nerves lessoned at the sound of the boy's reply. A small none forced smile crept onto his lips as he let loose a sigh.
"Yummm good, kuz I love soup," Jesse hummed as his smile grew. "I like pumpkin soup the most. How about you?" he then asked as he turned his head slightly to the side.
Aster looked around as he tried to figure out if the teal haired kid was joking around or not. Who talks about soup at their age?
Jesse's bright green eyes widened as he waited for the sliver haired boy to reply.
Aster fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as he studied the goofy expression on Jesse's face.
"Umm… I don't really have a favorite soup…" Aster finally replied awkwardly.
"Oh…I see," Jesse said as his smile fell slightly. Jesse never knew that making conversation could be so hard. It had always come naturally when he was with Jaden and Yubel.
Before Jesse had the chance to ask another question, the doors to the hall opened to allow the upperclassmen in.
Aster let loose an inward sigh as the room filled with older students. He was happy that he had something to distract himself from the awkward teal haired kid.
Jesse drew his attention to the napkin in front of him as the room filled with more people. It was going to take the boy time to get used to such large crowds of unfamiliar faces.
"Why such the serious face, Jesse?" came a voice that Jesse knew all too well.
Jesse's nervous gaze went from his white napkin to the person sitting in the seat across from him.
"Z-Zane!" Jesse cheered as a relived smile crept across his lips.
Zane returned Jesse's smile with a quiet nod.
"Oh my gosh! Are you the Zane!?" came a loud gasp from Zane's left.
Both Jesse and Zane turned their attention to the wide eyed Aster who looked like he was about to faint from excitement.
"Oh Zane! This is my new friend Aster," Jesse said with a bright smile as he turned his head to the side a bit.
"Oh, so you are Jesse's friend?" Zane asked in a dry tone as he looked to the silver haired boy.
"Despite being a whole year younger then everyone in your class you have been the top of your class since your freshmen year… You're my hero," Aster replied dreamily as he completely ignored Jesse and focused only on Zane.
It was true. As the years passed Zane had unintentionally made a name for himself within the school as being one of the top model students. He got the top scores in ever class, was known for having flawless technique, had never failed a mission and had even beaten some of the teachers in mock fights.
Aster's outburst had caught the attention of several other freshmen who had heard of Zane. Many of the surrounding students were now looking to the blue haired knight with excited hushed whispers.
"Wow, Zane, are you famous or something?" Jesse asked as a silly smile spread across his face. Now that someone he knew was with him, Jesse's nerves had faded.
"Shut up, Jesse," Zane grumbled as he tried to ignore both Jesse's goofy grin and Aster's admiration.
Jesse replied by sticking out his tongue and giving a playful wink.
"Wait! You two actually know each other?" Aster nearly shouted as he came back from cloud nine.
"Yeah, Zane and I are buddies," Jesse cheered as he threw an excited fist into the air.
Aster sent an unbelieving wide eyed look from Jesse to Zane.
'There is no way the top student at the school is acquainted with this teal haired moron!' Aster thought as he looked to Zane in hope that the older student would deny knowing Jesse.
Zane shot a cold look to Aster.
"So what if I know him…?" Zane replied in a very flat tone.
Aster fought to keep his jaw from falling open.
Jesse sent the two a sweet smile; he had yet to pick up on the face that Aster thought of him as a moron.
"I..." Aster began as he tried to think of a reply; his shock was still etched on his face.
"Zane scared me the first time I met him too," Jesse trilled, still not picking up that Aster was not scared but just in shock.
Zane fought the urge to reach over the table and bop Jesse on the head. He could tell that Jesse had matured since they first met but the boy still said things that made Zane's eyes twitch with annoyance.
Just then some waiters entered the room with large trays of food. The hungry boy's attention averted from each other to the plaits that were being placed in front of them.
"Wow, it looks so delicious," Jesse sang we he studied the array of food on his plait. There were various meats and vegetables tastefully placed on the plate as well as a nice large fresh roll. After the plaits came warm bowls of cream corn soup.
Zane rolled his eyes as he watched Jesse begin to dig in.
Aster tried his best to fight the shock he felt as he too started on his meal.
Jesse did not notice it, but as dinner went on many of the boys in the room would look his way and whisper in urgent hushed voices.
Dinner went by nicely. Once Jesse was over his initial shyness he spent the majority of the dinner talking with Zane and Aster; he did most of the talking. Zane spent the time nodding and replying to Jesse every now and then while Aster tried to fight back the jealousy he felt towards the teal haired boy.
Once dinner was over, the upperclassmen were excused; leaving just the freshman at the tables.
"Jesse, try to pay no mind to what others might say around here," Zane grumbled as he noticed a group of whispering lowerclassmen who were looking in Jesse's direction with freaked out expressions on their faces.
Jesse tilted his head to the side as he looked up at Zane. "Oh, okay…" Jesse replied, not quite sure what the older boy meant.
Zane then gave Jesse and silent nod goodbye before making his way out of the room.
Jesse felt a wave of shyness pass over him as he waived goodbye to Zane.
"What do you think is going to happen next?" Jesse then asked as he turned to Aster.
"Go to our rooms, I think," Aster sighed with a little bit of sassy in his tone as he half tried to give Jesse the cold shoulder for being so close to one of his idols.
Jesse cocked his head to the side as he tried to figure out why his new friend seemed so upset.
'Maybe he ate too much…' Jesse finally concluded.
Once all the upper classmen were out, the freshmen were instructed to get up and follow their head teacher to their dorms.
The second Aster could, he shot out of his seat and got as far away from Jesse as possible. Jesse tried to follow after his new friend but had lost him in the crowd of other students.
The group was then led though the crisp spring evening to a small office like building. Once they were in the building, they were to line up by last name and receive their room key and number. Unfortunately for Jesse this was easier said then done since he didn't really have a last name. He ended up joining the kids with the last names T to Z.
While in line waiting for his key, Jesse could not fight the feel of excitement of meeting his new roommate and settling into his new room. Around large crowds of people Jesse often became shy but when it was just one on one he was much more confident.
"Next!" came the flat tone of a board looking male staff member. The man had black messy hair and looked to be no older then 25. He was most likely an old graduate who had never really taken to the fighting aspect of being a knight.
Jesse stared off into space, not realizing he was next in line.
"Hey kid! You're next!" the man spat as he tried to get Jesse's attention.
Jesse shook from his daydream as the kid behind him gave a small shove. He looked around in surprise for a moment before realizing he was indeed next. A small pink blush graced his cheeks as he stepped forward.
"Name, please," the black haired man drawled as he looked at a long list.
"Um… Jesse," Jesse said awkwardly as he fidgeted a bit.
"Last name too, kid," the man huffed as he glanced from the paper to Jesse.
"It's… just Jesse," Jesse replied as he gave a sheepish smile; the pinkness of his cheeks grew a bit darker.
The man carried on looking at Jesse for a moment, almost as if he were deciding to believe the boy or not. With out a word the man turn his attention back to the list of names.
"Well look at that, I guess you really don't have a last name," the man said in a sarcastic tone once he found Jesse's name.
Jesse gave an awkward nod as he shifted his weight a bit. He didn't really know how to reply to the man's statement.
"Well, Jesse, you will be in room 408, the top floor," the man said as he dug a key out of a box and handed it to Jesse.
Jesse took the key from the man and studied it once it was in his own hand.
"Now please go wait over their till everyone is ready to head to the dorms," the man explained as he pointed to a crowd of students who already received their keys.
Jesse thanks the man before making his way over to the crowd. Many of the students in the crowd were all chatting happily while they waited for the next step. Despite wanting to start conversation with someone, everyone seemed to ignore Jesse. It was almost as if an invisible bubble surrounded him.
Jesse shifted around uncomfortably as he looked around the crowd for his new friend, Aster. To his dismay, he could not find the boy in the crowd. What Jesse didn't know was that Aster had made it appoint to avoid talking with Jesse.
After a good 40 minutes, all the students had received their room arrangements and keys. The group was then lead away from the building they were in.
It was now very dark outside and Jesse stared dreamily up at the sky as he followed the large group.
'I wonder if Jaden is looking at the stars too,' Jesse though as he held a hand to his chest. The idea made him feel less lonely.
After walking for a good 15 minutes, the students were then corralled into their four story dorm. The dorm was quite new so it had a nice crisp clean feel to it. This dorm was designated for freshmen only. It was located next to the buildings and training halls that were meant for the lowerclassmen.
"You will find all your luggage and items in your rooms, nya," Mr. Banner explained before dismissing the students to find their rooms.
Jesse spent a good 20 minutes wandering the halls before he found his room, 408. To his surprise, the door was slightly ajar and the light was already on. He could make out rummaging sounds as if someone was moving something heavy.
'My roommate is already here! I wonder who it could be?' Jesse though in excitement as he approached the door.
Ever so slowly Jesse pushed the door open and entered the room. He looked around the room to find two identical beds, one on the left side of the room and one on the right、 as well as two matching desks that were placed next to the head of each bed. Between the desks was a large window and at the foot of each bed were large armoires who backs were push against the wall.
Jesse's small amount of luggage had been pushed slightly to the right said of the room while his roommate's larger amount of luggage was spread across the left side of the room.
Jesse stepped in and shut the door behind himself. He then scuttled over to what he guessed was his side of the room. He looked across the room to find his roommates torso stuffed in a large waist deep box. The boy let loose muffled grunts every now and then; almost as if he was having trouble reaching the bottom of the box.
Jesse shifted uncomfortably as he studied the boy struggling in the box. He could not decide if he should say something or not in fear of startling the boy. After a few more moments of silence Jesse worked up the courage to say something.
"Um… Hello," Jesse squeaked in a timid tone.
The shuffling in the box stopped at the boy inside of it suddenly became alert. The boy gave a big lurch as he pulled himself out of the box.
Jesse felt his eyes widen as he watched the boy stand up and straighten himself out.
"Aster! Is that you?" Jesse asked as a relived smile spread across his lips. His posture relaxed as he waited for the other boy's reply.
The silver haired boy, whose back was still to Jesse, went stiff as he slowly turned to face Jesse.
Aster's eye twitched as he turned around to find the strange teal haired kid from dinner standing across the room. Aster tried his best to keep his facial expression natural as he tried to fight the urge to scream. Of all the people to room with him, it had to be the weird kid.
"Aster! It is you!" Jesse said with a bright smile.
"Oh… Hey," Aster said in a very unenthused tone, not trying in the least to hide his disappointment.
'Of all the people, why the weird kid?' Aster thought as he let loose a sigh and turned back to his box.
"I'm really happy to see you, Aster. You disappeared after dinner so fast. I thought maybe you were sick or something," Jesse said in a very concerned tone. He could tell that something was off about Aster but just could not put his finger on it.
"Yeah… nice to see you, too," Aster grunted with little enthusiasm as he successfully reached into his large box and pulled out his Fairy Tale book. Aster could not remember the teal haired boy's name.
Jesse shifted uncomfortably as he watched his new roommate pull the large book from the box and set it on his desk. Jesse could tell something was off about Aster but he could not tell what it was.
'Maybe he is just shy…' Jesse thought, trying to keep a positive attitude about the situation.
"Oh, is that a book? It's so big," Jesse commented as he caught sight of the book. Jesse then made his way over to Aster's side of the room.
Aster felt a wave of annoyance rush over him as he heard the boy approach him.
"Don't you have your own unpacking to do?" Aster spat as he turned to Jesse. He sent Jesse a warning glair before turning back to his own unpacking
Jesse stopped in mid-step as his friendly smile fell to a small lonely frown. He looked way from his roommate as he awkwardly shifted his feet yet again.
"Y-Yeah… I guess you're right," Jesse replied in a sad small voice as he twitted his thumbs. Jesse never knew that making friends would be so hard.
Letting loose a large sorrowful sigh, Jesse picked up his only bag and slowly made his way to his bed. Placing his bag on the bed, Jesse wished for nothing more then to be with Jaden. He once again placed a hand on his heart as he tried to feel Jaden's warm presence.
'Maybe I can't do this…' Jesse though as he tried his best to stay strong despite the loneliness he felt.
Aster could not help but feel a little bad for being so cold to his moron of a roommate. He felt like an extra big jerk when he heard the boy let loose the most sorrowful sigh he had ever heard. Maybe he had been a bit too harsh.
Letting loose a defeated sigh of his own, Aster turned to find his teal haired roommate slumped over his bag looking as if he was about to cry.
"Listen… maybe we can talk more after I'm done unpacking. I just need to concentrate right now, okay?" Aster explained as he tried his best to not sound annoyed.
Jesse straightened up as he turned his head to look at his roommate. Jesse's big watery green eyes studied the silver haired boy before a small dopy smile crept onto his lips.
"Okay, I can't wait to get to know you," Jesse said as his smile grew even bigger.
Aster felt a small rush of embarrassment overcome him as he took in his roommate's goofy smile.
"Yeah, well we are not talking until I am done," Aster then sated as he tried to look as tough as he could. He then turned back to his luggage and carried on unpacking.
Jesse sent the boy one more goofy smile before he too carried on with his unpacking.
'Maybe everything will be okay,' Jesse though with joy as he opened his bag.
XXX
It took both boys a good hour to fully unpack all their luggage. Jesse had finished before Aster and had offered to help the silver haired boy several times. Aster had refused every offer and ended up snapping at Jesse before Jesse got the hint to layoff.
"So, you live by the sea?" Jesse asked as he rolled in bed to face Aster.
Both boys were now in their sleep wear and were having the small chat Aster had promised. They still had a few minutes before lights out.
"Yeah, I am from Blue-Eyes City," Aster said with a noneschalnt shrug. It was hard for Aster to read Jesse. The boy had little lugged and no last name. Aster could not help but wonder where this awkward boy came from.
"Wow, I have never been to the sea but I really want to go. Jaden has told me all about it," Jesse said as his big green eyes shined with awe.
"Yeah, well the sea is a pretty fun place. It's a shame you have never been," Aster said in a very smug tone.
"Maybe I can visit you by the sea someday," Jesse said with a smile; he did not really pick up on Aster's smugness.
"Umm yeah… maybe," Aster said as if the idea was funny. "So, where are you from?" Aster asked in hopes to distract Jesse from the idea of visiting his home.
"Oh, I live in the capitol," Jesse said with a shrug.
Aster was a bit surprised from Jesse's answer. He had expected the boy to come from some small village up north.
"The capitol, really? Where do you live in the capitol?" Aster then asked, wondering if maybe the boy was from the slumps of the large city.
"Oh, well I guess I live in the castle," Jesse said as if it were no big deal. He had never really picked up on the fact the only royalty lived in castles.
"You what!?" Aster spat louder then he mean.
Jesse was caught of guard by his roommate's reaction.
"I… I um… live in the castle…" Jesse said; the sentence now sounding more like a question then a statement.
"No really, Janny, where do you live?" Aster asked again. He had forgotten Jesse name yet again.
"My name is Jesse and I live in the castle," Jesse repeated with a small speck of annoyance in his voice. He really did want to become friend with Aster but Aster kept forgetting his name.
"The castle?" Aster questioned; his tone full of disbelief. "You mean you live in the castle with Prince Jaden and the King?" Aster carried on as if it were a joke.
"Yes! Is their something wrong with that?" Jesse asked, his tone a little defensive.
Aster sent Jesse a teasing unbelieving smirk.
"Well, I guess it's okay if you don't want to tell me where you really come from," Aster said as he rolled onto his back and placed his hands behind his head. A sassy smirk spread across Aster's lips as he let loose a mocking chuckle.
Jesse's cheeks puffed out in annoyance as he listened to his roommate. "It's true though! I am from the castle," Jesse said as he shot a defensive glare to his roommate. Why didn't Aster believe him?
"Whatever you say, Jammy," Aster replied with a teasing chuckle.
"My name is Jesse!" Jesse hissed.
Just then a loud bang came from their door causing both boys to jump out of their skin.
"Lights out boys! This is your only warning," the voice said before walking to the next door and repeating the action.
Jesse could not help but want to convince Aster that he was telling the truth but was to afraid of getting into trouble. The last thing Jesse wanted was to be sent back home a failure on his first day.
"Night, Aster," Jesse whispered as he turned out the lamp by his head and made himself comfortable.
"Good night, Jimmy," Aster replied with a playful smirk.
"It's Jesse," Jesse replied in a low hiss.
Aster knew Jesse's name by now, he was just having too much fun teasing the teal haired boy.
XXX
The boys woke early the next morning to the sound of the school's morning bell. The sun was just barely peaking over the tree tops and a small foggy haze was still settle on the school's grounds.
It took Jesse a good 20 seconds to remember that he was not at home anymore. Jesse rolled over to face his roommate and saw that Aster was already sitting up.
"Good morning," Jesse chirped as he stretched out his arms.
"If you don't get a move on you are going to be late," Aster replied as he pulled himself out of bed and made his way to his armoire.
'Guess he is not a morning person…' Jesse shrugged as he sat up in bed.
The two boys got dressed in mostly silence. Jesse tried to start conversation but Aster only really replied to him with one or two words.
After getting dressed the boys made their way to the dinning hall where they would eat breakfast and receive the schedule for the day. Jesse made sure to stay close to Aster as they made their way to the dinning hall. Jesse was still not willing to give up on making friends with the boy. He was also not so good at finding his own way around.
Once in the hall the boys found seats at a middle table. The majority of the students had already started eating witch made Aster feel like he was behind.
"You know, if someone had not taken so long getting ready we would not be so late," Aster complained as he looked to Jesse.
"We're late?" Jesse questioned as he looked around. Jesse felt like they were right on time.
As they ate, the other boys around them made small talk. Jesse was happy because last night he felt like no one really wanted to talk to him; though at the moment most of the boys were talking more to Aster then to him.
Breakfast ended almost as quickly as it started. The students were each given a map and their class schedule once the dinning tables were cleared. They were then instructed to find their homeroom class and be their in the next 20 minutes.
To Jesse's dismay, Aster disappeared from the table before Jesse could follow after him. Though Jesse wished he could have traveled to class with Aster, he new that he and Aster probably did not have the same schedule.
It took Jesse almost the whole 20 minutes to find his way to his homeroom. He had gotten so turned around that he almost ended up in the upperclassmen's building. A kind kitchen lady had ended up pointing Jesse in the right direction.
'If Jaden were here I wouldn't have gotten so lost,' Jesse though as another wave of loneliness swept over him.
Jesse ended up being the last to arrive at his homeroom class and was about two minutes late. They had been warned that classes always start right on time and to never be late, ever.
"Sorry I'm late!" Jesse gasped as he burst through the door.
All the kids in the room, as well as the teacher, shot Jesse bewildered looks. Jesse felt his cheeks go pink as he returned all the other students stairs.
"Oh, Jesse! It's nice to see that you finally decided to come, nya. I guess I will give you a pass for today," came the familiar voice of Mr. Banner.
"I… I'm sorry… I got lost," Jesse said as he hung his head low.
"Well, please try to be on time tomorrow, nay. Now please take your seat," Mr. Banner said as he pointed Jesse to an empty seat in the very back corner.
Giving one more nervous smile, Jesse made his way to his seat. As he walked, all the other kids in the class stared at him. Jesse wanted nothing more then to fall into a hole or go invisible.
Once at his seat, Jesse sat down and looked around at all the kids in the room. He noticed almost right away a bushel of familiar silver hair near the front of the class.
'Aster is here, too,' Jesse though as a smile graced his face.
Jesse then glanced at the seat next to him to see a boy who was rather large and looked rather sleepy.
'Looks like a koala bear,' Jesse though as he turned away from the boy and focused all his attention on Mr. Banner.
Mr. Banner explained the basic rules yet again as well as informing the children that they would be taking the same classes as everyone in their homeroom. He also explained that after the first semester they would be able to choose one specialty elective class.
Jesse sat quietly as Mr. Banner explained everything the students needed to know. Jesse was not used to sitting still for so long but he was somehow able to manage it. Once he was done with his explanation Mr. Banner gave the students time to become acquainted with one another.
Jesse tried to get Asters attention but was toughly ignored. He then turned to the kid next to him to see that he was already asleep. The boy in front of Jesse had already taken off to talk with someone else. Jesse knew that he was probably just imagining it, but it felt like there was a large bubble surrounding him that no one was willing to enter.
He ended up spending the time examining the school's map so that he would not get lost going to his next class. The school was huge and Jesse knew that if he didn't set time a side to get to know the area, he would be late to every class for the rest of his life.
After homeroom he followed his classmates to their next class. As they traversed, Jesse tried to talk with Aster but somehow the silver haired boy always seemed to avoid him. Many of the other kids seemed to ignore Jesse as well. Jesse could not help but wonder what he was doing wrong. They would sometimes look at him and whisper. Whenever they did that, it made Jesse fell bad.
Jesse next class was a math class and he was seated in the same spot as his homeroom, next to the same people. The chubby boy next to him seemed to fall asleep right away. After their first period class was their writing class. After writing was their history class, that was taught by Mr. Banner.
Their fourth period class, the class before lunch, was a science class. Jesse sat in the same spot as every other class next to the same people. Their science teacher explained to them that every now and then they would have class in the lab but for regular lectures, class was to be held in the normal classroom.
Jesse tried his best to pay attention and take notes in every class. He did not care to be the best in the school but he wanted to be the best he could for Jaden. That is why it was important for him to study hard. Despite feeling this way, Jesse could not help but day dream from time to time when the teacher's talking got too longwinded.
Before he knew it, fourth period was over and it was lunch time. Jesse had not realized how hungry he was until the lunch bell chimed. Gathering up his stuff Jesse followed his classmates to the lunchroom.
The room was quite full with lowerclassmen by the time Jesse arrived and the majority of his classmates were sitting at a center table. To Jesse's joy the seat across from Aster was wide open.
"Aster," Jesse chirped happily as he approached his roommate.
Aster let loose a big sigh as he saw his roommate approach. He had tried his best all morning long to shake the boy off. He knew that Jesse meant well, but there was just something strange about the teal haired boy that made him stand out too much for Aster's taste.
"Oh, hello Jassy," Aster said as the other boys around him started whispering about Jesse.
"Um… It's Jesse," Jesse corrected as he tried his best to not seem bothered by the mistake.
Jesse stood awkwardly in front of Aster hopping that the silver haired boy would invite him to sit.
Aster, along with the other boys, just stared silently at Jesse.
"Umm… Is it okay if I sit with you here…?" Jesse asked awkwardly as he gestured to the open seat.
The boys all shot each other nervous looks before turning to Aster. The looks in their eyes told Aster to tell Jesse to go away. Aster did not know why the other boys were so freaked out by Jesse but he did not want to be pitted with the same label as the teal haired boy.
Jesse sent Aster a hopeful look as he awkwardly waited for an answer.
Aster blinked once before releasing a big sigh.
"Oh… I'm sorry, Jesse. This seat is being saved," Aster said as a rotten feeling began to spread from his heart to the rest of his body. The other boys around Aster looked to Jesse and nodded in agreement.
Jesse's hopeful look fell to a rejected frown. For some reason the boy's stairs reminded Jesse of the same judging looks the knights used to give him back at the castle.
"Oh, I see… well, I guess I will talk to you later," Jesse replied in a small voice as he timidly back away.
Once Jesse's back was turned, the boys at Aster's table immediately began whispering loudly about Jesse.
"Sorry, Jesse," Aster called after in a small voice. Aster could not help but feel like the worst person in the school for what he had just done but he tried his best to shake the feeling. He blue eyes watched with regret as Jesse sat alone at a four person table.
Jesse could not help but feel like crying as he started on his lunch. He tried his best to not look to Asters table as he fought back tears. He had felt rejection before but never like this. He though for sure he would have been able to make at least one friend by now.
Jesse let loose a small sniff as he bit into his roast beef sandwich, not noticing someone was standing across from him as he ate.
"Hey… are you okay?" came a soft concerned voice. The voice was not timid or scared, just quiet and almost a little lazy.
Surprised by the newcomer, Jesse looked up from his meal to find that the large koala like boy was now standing in front of him shooting him a very concerned look.
"Can I sit here?" the boy asked as he gestured to the seat across from Jesse.
Without a word Jesse nodded his head yes. He was still surprised that someone was actually taking to him.
The boy sent Jesse a kind smile before taking the seat.
"My name is Chumley. What's your name?" the boy asked as he made himself comfortable.
The tears that had threatened to fall from Jesse's green eyes had all but vanished. The rejected feeling still hung heavy in his heart but was slowly being replaced by curiosity.
"I'm Jesse," Jesse replied as he sent Chumley a kind smile.
"I think we sit next to each other in class, Jesse," Chumley said as he returned Jesse's smile with one of his own.
"Yeah, I thought maybe you didn't notice me kuz you were always sleeping," Jesse said with a playful giggle.
The boy sent Jesse a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head.
"I guess I am not really a morning person," Chumley replied with a chuckle.
Jesse's giggle turned into an infectious laugh that caused Chumley to laugh a little louder as well.
"My roommate is also not a morning person. He snapped at me today when I greeted him," Jesse replied as he looked to Aster's table. Jesse's smile fell a bit as Asters rejection still hung heavy in his heart.
Chumley followed Jesse's gaze to the table with Aster.
"Oh, don't worry about those jerks. They are just a bunch of kids who think they are better then the rest of us. One of them used to go to primary school with me and he was a jerk to everyone," Chumley explained as he pointed to a boy with red hair and freckles.
Jesse saw that the boy was saying something to Aster and the others that caused them to all laugh loudly.
"This is my first time at a school with others like this," Jesse explained as he turned his attention back to Chumley. "I was always home schooled up till now," Jesse then added.
"Home schooled? Your family must be rich," Chumley said with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I guess we do have some money," Jesse said as he thought of Jaden and Yubel. They were the closets thing to a family he had at the moment.
"It's hard being way from home like this but it's also a real break for me. My dad is always breathing down my neck," Chumley explained as he let loose a big sigh.
"Breathing down your neck?" Jesse questioned. He had never heard that expression before.
"Yeah… I know my father means well but he keeps on pressuring me to become a knight. The only reason I am here is because he forced me to come," Chumley said with sheepish grin.
"You mean, you don't want to be a knight?" Jesse asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, crazy, right?" Chumley replied with a nervous chuckle.
"No, it's not that crazy," Jesse said as he shook his head 'no'. "So, what is it that you really want to do?" he then asked.
"I don't really know at the moment," Chumley shyly admitted. "That's one of the reasons my dad made me come here. He said I can't just sit around and do nothing," he then said as he sent a trouble look to his sandwich.
Jesse soft green eyes filled with sympathy as he studied his new friend.
"I am sure you will find what you were meant for eventually. Never give up," Jesse cheered as he tried to get his new friend to smile again.
Chumley looked up to be greeted by one of Jesse's goofy grins.
"Yeah, I guess there is no use getting all bent out of shape over it," Chumley said with a sigh and a smile. "So, why are you here, Jesse?" he asked.
Jesse shifted timidly in his seat as he remember the way Aster did not believe him last night when he talked about coming from the castle. Aster kept calling him a liar. Maybe that was why Aster was so mad at him now.
"Do you promise you won't laugh…" Jesse finally answered in a muffled tone.
"I won't laugh," Chumley replied as he turned his head to the said.
"Well, my dream is to become a strong knight so that I can be by Jaden's side forever," Jesse admitted as his green eyes lit up with joy.
"Oh? Who is Jaden?" Chumley asked as a big smile spread across his face.
"Jaden is my best buddy. I have known him forever. He has always been there to help me out. With out him, I don't even think I would be alive," Jesse explained as a loving smile spread across his lips. Just talking abut his best friend brought a comforting warmth to his heart.
"Wow, it must be nice to have such a good best friend," Chumley sighed as a lazy smile settled on his face.
Jesse smile grew as he gave a happy nod.
With that the two boys spent the rest of the lunch period chatting about this and that.
XXX
After lunch Jesse and Chumley made their way to their next class. For the rest of the day they would be studying fighting skills and doing workouts. In other words the morning consisted of their mental classes while the afternoon was dedicated to physical training.
For the beginning of class they had to sit through a long lecture of rules and regulations. Jesse once again tried his best to pay as much attention to the lecture as he could. Chumley spent half the time snoozing.
Once the lecture was over they were all put into small groups, given wooden swords and made to practice some movies on a hay stuffed dummy. The two other boys in Jesse and Chumley's group seemed to try their best to avoid communicating with Jesse as much as they could. Jesse tried his best to ignore it but he could not figure out why they were all singling him out. Had he done something strange since getting to school? He hadn't the faintest clue.
Jesse also noticed that Aster completely ignored his existence as there class went one. Jesse didn't know it but Aster always felt a wave of shame any time he looked at Jesse. He still felt bad for the way he had treated his roommate.
"Wow, Jesse! You are really good with the sword," Chumley commented as Jesse wooden sword hit the target.
"Do you really think so?" Jesse asked happily as he gave another swing. Jesse did not know it but to the trained eye it was evident that Jesse was a natural.
The other two in their group had broken off and join another group. Chumley could tell that he and Jesse were somewhat of outcastes but he really didn't care.
"Have you trained with the sword before?" Chumley asked in awe as he carried on watching Jesse.
"A little I guess," Jesse replied as he remembered some of the lessons Zane had given him as a kid.
"Wow, well you will have to give me some tips," Chumley said as Jesse hit the target yet again.
"Sure thing!" Jesse cheered as he sent a bright smile to his new friend.
The two carried on training alone in this fashion through the rest of class.
Once class was over they had a few hours of free time before dinner was to start. Chumley and Jesse had decided to use the time to clean off and do some exploring. Jesse was so grateful to have met Chumley. If it were not for the kind boy, Jesse would have been all alone wandering the school lost.
Jesse had thought about inviting Aster to join them but the sting of lunch still hung heavy in his heart. He could not help but wonder what caused Aster to push him away like he did. Had he done something to anger his roommate?
After their shower, the two boys spent the rest of their time exploring the large school. Jesse had told Chumley about how he was not so good with direction and Chumley had offered to help Jesse become acquainted to the school. They both needed to learn about their new surrounding so why not do it together.
XXX
The dinner bell range a 6:30pm and Jesse and Chumley made it to the dining hall just as the bell went off. The room was already full of hungry students. Jesse noticed right away that Aster was sitting at the same table as last time with the same group of boys. For a second he and Aster made eye contact only to have Aster rip his eyes from Jesse and shoot his dinner a disgruntled look.
Jesse let loose a small sigh as he looked away from his roommate.
To their surprise, the table that Jesse and Chumley had eaten lunch at was empty. The two boys made their way to the table and sat down. They began eating dinner and talking about the excitement of their first day at school.
"I can't wait to learn archery," Chumley said as he pretended to shoot a fake arrow.
"Yeah, archery is going to be fun," Jesse cheered before shoving more food into his mouth.
"And thanks for letting me copy your notes, Jesse. I just can't seem to keep myself awake in class," Chumley said with a sheepish grin.
The two were practically done with their meal and were now waiting for the dinner period to end.
"Oh don't mention it. You helped me find my way around so-" Jesse said with a big grin before being cut off by a hand on his shoulder.
Jesse turned in his seat to be greeted by a tall red headed boy with freckles and a brown haired boy who was missing a tooth. Jesse recognized them as some of the boys who had been sitting with Aster.
"Hey you," said a red headed boy with freckles as he got Jesse attention.
"Yes?" Jesse questioned, surprised a bit that one of the boy was talking to him directly.
"Aster says that you claim to come from the castle," the brown haired boy spat at he stared Jesse down.
Jesse eye's widened with shock. He did not know why but he suddenly felt very nervous; like something bad was about to happen if he answered these two. Jesse shot a nervous look to Aster hoping to find that right answer in the sliver haired boy. Their eyes made contact across the room for only a second before Aster looked away in shame.
"What wrong? Was the question to hard for you to answer? Are you or are you not from the castle?" the red head spat as he got up into Jesse's face.
By this time the majority of the students in the room were watching the seen unfold. Many were whispering loudly as they focused all their attention on Jesse and the two boys.
Jesse felt his heart rate speed up as he palms went sweaty. It was almost like he was being confronted by one of the knights of the castle. He had not felt this way for at least two years. Jesse didn't like it.
"Yes…I am from the castle," Jesse finally admitted, wondering if the boys were going to believe him.
The two boys stepped back a bit and shot each other amused smirks.
"Did you hear that Buck," the brown haired boy spat as he looked to the red head, Buck. "So it is true!" The brown hair boys sneered. "You are the monster kid from the castle," he said as he got back up into Jesse face.
"What…? Monster…?" Jesse gasped as his round green eyes filled with shock. He had no clue what the boy was going on about.
"Did you hear that everyone! The roomers are true! This freak is the legend monster from the castle! You better watch out or he might bite you!" Buck, the red head announced as the whispers in the room intensified.
"What? No, I would never…" Jesse please as he felt the judging stairs of all the kids around him.
"I heard he once ate a man!"
"He was sent her after attacking the prince!"
"I hear that he has already attacked his roommate three times; sending him to the hospital!"
The whispers around Jesse began to grow louder and louder as the other students in the room seemed to shy away from Jesse even more.
"No! I would never hurt the prince. I-" Jesse gasped in a panic as he tired to understand what was going on. Why was everyone treating him this way?
"He is a freak, I tell you! A freak!" Buck jeered as he and his friend began to laugh.
Jesse's green eyes began to fill with tears as he tried his best to shut it all out. How had this happened? What had he done wrong?
"Freak! Freak!" the brown haired boy repeated over and over.
Jesse heard others in the room repeat the word in hushed whispers as well.
"Hey! Stop saying these things to Jesse! He is not-" Chumley began to say in an attempt to stand up for his teal haired friend. He knew better then anyone that Jesse was a kind person and that the two boys in front of them were just trying to get a high off of humiliating Jesse.
"Shut up fatty!" Buck spat as he shot Chumley a threatening glair.
"Freaks belong with freaks!" The brown haired boy added as he let loose a snicker.
Chumley's glair fell as he sunk back down in his seat.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Jesse snapped as he stood up out of his chair and confronted the boys. Jesse fear had been over thrown at the sight of his new friend being picked on.
"Oh no! The monster from the castle is angry! Everybody better run or he is going to kill you!" Buck shouted in a very condescending tone as he pretended to be scared.
"No! I would never-" Jesse pleaded futilely.
"Everybody stay back! We will make sure this monster does not hurt anyone" The burnet jeered as he gave Jesse a hard shove.
"H-hey!" Jesse stuttered as he stumbled back from the shove.
"He is dangerous! We must stop him!" Buck shouted with an evil laugh as he pushed Jesse to the floor.
"Ouch!" Jesse huffed as he fell hard on his back; hitting his head on the chair he had been sitting in. He held his head for a second as he tried to keep his head from spinning.
"Jesse!" Chumley gasped as he stood up from his chair.
"Stay back fatty! Someone has to teach this monster where he belongs!" Buck spat as the brown haired boy blocked Chumley's path.
Buck then picked up Jesse's chair and held it high over his head.
"Monsters like you don't belong in a school like this," Buck sneered as he held the chair high.
Jesse back up against the table's leg in an attempt to get away. He quickly glanced around the room in hopes to find help from nobody but Chumley seemed to be the only one on his side. Jesse didn't know what to do. He had always been told that attacking others was no good and would get him taken away from Jaden if he ever lashed out. If only Jaden were here this would not be happening.
"Die you useless monster!" Buck shouted as he brought the chair down on the defenseless Jesse.
'Jaden!' Jesse's mind screamed as he closed his eyes and held his arms in front on his face in hopes to softened the blow from the chair. He held his breath as he waited for the impact to come, but it never did.
"Hey! What the hell Aster!?" Buck spat.
"That's enough you two," Aster growled.
Jesse opened his green eyes to find Aster standing between him and Buck and was now holding the chair.
"A-Aster…" Jesse whispered in disbelief.
"What are you doing Aster? You are not standing up for this freak are you?" The brown haired boy scoffed.
"Stop calling him a freak, Zack!" Aster hissed as he looked to the brow haired boy.
"Aster, I thought you were cool, man," Buck said with a chuckle; he thought maybe Aster was just making a joke.
"What you guys are doing is not cruel! Now leave Jesse alone!" Aster spat as he shot both the boys a warning look.
The two boys exchanged surprise looked with one another before looking back to Aster with a glare.
"Fine then!" Buck spat. "Anyone who talks with this kid is a freak!" he sneered as he shot Jesse a death glair.
Jesse quickly looked to the side upon making eye contact with the Buck.
"And I guess that make you a freak, Aster Phoenix," Buck then hissed as he got up into Aster's face.
"I don't care about what a dumbass like you thinks, Buck," Aster sneered back.
Buck's fists tightened at his side as he and Aster exchanged death glares.
Just then a teacher entered the room after hearing all the commotion. The students all immediately turned back to their seats as if nothing had happened.
"This is your own choice, Aster Phoenix. Toss the chair on the loser and you won't be a freak," Buck sneered on last time.
"Get lost, Buck," Aster hissed as he puffed out his chest all man like.
The two boys passed by Aster, bumming into him with their shoulders, as they made their way back to their table.
Jesse was still sitting on the floor in stunned disbelief. Why had that boy said so many mean things to him? What had he done to be labeled a freak? What would Jaden think if he were to hear of this?
The idea of Jaden learning about his new title of freak made Jesse feel a little ashamed. He had wanted to impress Jaden. He thought that maybe at school he would be able to shed the image as the odd one out but it seemed to have followed him anyways.
"Are you okay?" Aster asked as he held a hand out to the dazed Jesse.
Jesse's wide green eyes studied Aster's hand in confusion. He still could not believe Aster had done what he did.
Aster opened his hand even wider in an attempt to get Jesse to take it.
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine," Jesse said after a moment as he took Aster's hand.
Aster gave a great pull as he helped Jesse off the floor. Jesse stumbled a bit as he stood up.
"Thanks for helping me," Jesse said after regaining his balance.
"Listen Jesse, you shouldn't let boys like them walk all over you like that," Aster said as he crossed his arms.
Jesse smile awkwardly at Aster's words; not quite sure how to reply.
"If you don't stand up for yourself they are just going to come back and pick on you more," Aster carried on scolding.
"Yeah… I know," Jesse said; though in reality he really didn't know. This was his first experience ever dealing with a real bully.
"Jesse! Are you okay?" Chumley huffed as he came around the table to Jesse.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jesse said, this time his composure was much more relaxed; though he was still shaken from the whole incident.
"Here, sit down and take a rest," Chumley said as he prompt Jesse to sit down.
Jesse hesitated for a moment before sitting in his old seat.
Chumley then offered the seat next to Jesse to Aster.
"You were really brave, Aster. You should take a rest as well," Chumley said as he held the seat out for Aster.
Aster hesitated for a moment before sitting down as well. He looked around the room. The boys at the table he had just been sitting at sent him judging glares. Aster sent them the sassiest sneer he could before snubbing them all together.
"Aster, Chumley, thanks for standing up for me like that," Jesse said with a kind smile as he looked to his two new friends.
"Hey, that's what friends are for," Chumley sighed happily. "Besides, you stood up for me too," he then added with a light hearted chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess you are right," Jesse said with a chuckle of his own.
"And you were great Aster! So brave. You stood up to both of them" Chumley gasped in awe as both he and Jesse looked to Aster.
"It was nothing really. Boys like them are all bark and no bite. The second you fight back, they stand down," Aster explained with a smug smile on his face.
"But you were still really cool," Jesse hummed as he sent Aster an award wining smile. Jesse's shaken feeling was still lingering in the depths of his mind but for the most part he was happy to have found two wonderful friends.
Aster looked to Jesse and was met by another dopy smile. He tried his best to keep a pink blush from spreading over his cheeks.
"I said it was nothing!" Aster grumbled as he looked away from Jesse. "Besides, it's a knights job to stand up against the unjust," Aster added.
Jesse dopy smile grew as he studied Aster a second more. He then looked to Chumley who let loose another light hearted chuckle. It pained Jesse to be so far away from Jaden but his two new wonderful friends seemed to help ease that pain.
((There you have it. Chapter 10 is done. So, what did you think? I felt very bad for Jesse as I wrote this but now he has two friends so it will all be okay. I also hope I did not make Jesse too much of a weenie. I guess I always saw him as move of a lover and not a fighter. Give Jesse some time to hone his fighting skills and he will be able to stand up to any bully.
Well, things at work are still slow so maybe I can get chapter 11 out quickly, too. I already have it planed out for the most part and have started on it so all I need to do is finish write it.
In the next chapter Jaden will be paying Jesse a visit. How will their reunion go? Will Jaden get along with Jesse's new friends? Will Jaden remember Aster? What will Jaden do when he finds out about the bullies? You will just have to read to find out!
On another note I wanted to make clear is that in the last chapter Aster was having something of a dream memory. So it was an old memory he was having in the form of a dream I guess. Sorry if there was any confusion.
I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews, follows and likes. Please keep them coming.
Well I will see you all soon. Take care.))