Part 6.
Charlie and Adam received more notes over the next few weeks, another two to each of them. Whoever was behind them also moved on graffiti shortly. Obscene words were painted on both their lockers and onto any exercise books that were left unattended and even onto hockey gear.
Adam came back from one class to find 'FAGGOTS' written across the front of his and Charlie's dorm room door, in bright pink letters.
When Charlie came back later from his last class of the day, he found their door open and Adam, sleeves of an old shirt rolled up, up to his elbows in pale pink water and squatted just inside the doorway. Adam turned from where he was wringing out his sponge and took in the look on Charlie's face as he stared at what was left on the door. Anger, fear and humiliation flickered across Charlie's expression in equal measure.
"I spoke to Mr. Evans and then Dean Buckley. He said to try and get as much of it off as we could and if it needs redoing to let the caretaker know."
"That's it?"
Adam stood up and continued rubbing the section of the messy pink smudge that he had been working on. He nodded and sighed.
"Hey. Move over." Charlie dropped his bag by their desk and rolled up his sleeves. He picked up the rag Adam had been using earlier and knelt next to him. They worked together in silence until most of it had come off. Weary and covered in pink over their hands and arms they emptied the bucket of water and locked the door behind them. It was late and neither one felt like doing any homework. There was nothing due the next day anyway, so both undressed quietly and climbed into Charlie's bed, the one that was furthest from the door. Adam wrapped his arms around Charlie and lay his head on his chest and feeling Charlie's sigh, echoed it.
****
"They did *WHAT*?" Portman's voice practically bounced off the walls and more than one person in the rooms down the dorm turned their head. Even Fulton who was sat on the bed opposite Dean flinched.
Charlie and Adam had come in to meet them, to walk down to the first class they all shared. Charlie sat on the floor, his back resting up against the chair and his arms wrapped around his knees. Adam was sat perched on the edge of the desk, his bag clutched to his front loosely.
"What did the Dean say?" Fulton asked, as Portman glared, the anger resonating off him in waves.
"To clean the door and let the caretaker know if it needed redoing." Charlie's voice was soft.
"What about what they wrote? About finding out who did it?"
Adam shook his head.
"You're kidding?" Portman's voice had come down a few decibels and his surprised expression was identical to the one Fulton was wearing. "How can they ignore something like that? Its unbelievable."
"We need to find out who is doing this. We really do." Fulton stared at Charlie, and Adam who was already nodding his head. "Something needs to be done and if Eden Hall won't; we will. And I don't care what you say, Charlie, this is not right." He added quickly as Charlie opened his mouth. Charlie shut it and after a moment, nodded silently.
"Come on, we're going to be late." Adam stood up and reached down to give Charlie a hand up. He kept hold of Charlie's hand as they walked out of the door, an even expression on his face. Charlie squeezed his hand back as they walked down the hallway. Fulton and Portman followed in silence.
****
There were a number of sniggers and looks that bounced around the lunch hall that day. News of their pink door had obviously spread and the two of them sat up the corner with the other Ducks, trying to ignore what was going on around them. They had tried to talk about the trouble Charlie and Adam were having, but when Riley and the rest of Varsity came past, it was thrown in their face.
"Hey 'guys'. How's our resident pink ladies?" Riley sneered as he stood behind Connie and Julie, opposite Charlie and Adam.
"Piss off, Riley." Fulton snarled.
"Oh, come on. "Riley smirked. "Just being friendly. We don't mind, not much anyway. Brings a little 'colour' to Eden Hall doesn't it. A bit of diversity and all that. Just figures that it would be the rejects that would lower the tone and turn out to be the resident queers."
"Leave them alone." Connie ground out.
"Ooh, feisty." He grinned. "Later, 'girls'. Together with the rest of them he left, still smirking widely.
Charlie had his head down, his one arm up supporting his cheek. He was wearing his cap and it all but hid his face from the rest of them. Adam was staring in front of him, a distant look on his face.
****
Riley kept up the comments and more than one Duck suspected Riley and the rest of the Varsity goons to be behind the hate campaign. It would certainly fit. But Adam had his doubts. He had of course expected the comments they had received since Varsity had found out. That was nothing surprising, but that's all they had done. There had been no tricks or pranks that had the Varsity signature and everything that the Varsity had ever done to the Ducks had been beyond any doubt, the work of the Varsity. Anything they did, you knew it was them. They wanted you to know it was them. None of the things that had been done to Charlie and himself had any clue as to who it was. If Varsity had done it he had almost no doubts that they would have owned up to it. The fact they didn't showed, to him at least, that Varsity hadn't been behind it.
Of course, that left the question of who was behind it?
****
It was to get worse.
But none of them were prepared for how much worse.
Not until they found Charlie.
Charlie and Adam received more notes over the next few weeks, another two to each of them. Whoever was behind them also moved on graffiti shortly. Obscene words were painted on both their lockers and onto any exercise books that were left unattended and even onto hockey gear.
Adam came back from one class to find 'FAGGOTS' written across the front of his and Charlie's dorm room door, in bright pink letters.
When Charlie came back later from his last class of the day, he found their door open and Adam, sleeves of an old shirt rolled up, up to his elbows in pale pink water and squatted just inside the doorway. Adam turned from where he was wringing out his sponge and took in the look on Charlie's face as he stared at what was left on the door. Anger, fear and humiliation flickered across Charlie's expression in equal measure.
"I spoke to Mr. Evans and then Dean Buckley. He said to try and get as much of it off as we could and if it needs redoing to let the caretaker know."
"That's it?"
Adam stood up and continued rubbing the section of the messy pink smudge that he had been working on. He nodded and sighed.
"Hey. Move over." Charlie dropped his bag by their desk and rolled up his sleeves. He picked up the rag Adam had been using earlier and knelt next to him. They worked together in silence until most of it had come off. Weary and covered in pink over their hands and arms they emptied the bucket of water and locked the door behind them. It was late and neither one felt like doing any homework. There was nothing due the next day anyway, so both undressed quietly and climbed into Charlie's bed, the one that was furthest from the door. Adam wrapped his arms around Charlie and lay his head on his chest and feeling Charlie's sigh, echoed it.
****
"They did *WHAT*?" Portman's voice practically bounced off the walls and more than one person in the rooms down the dorm turned their head. Even Fulton who was sat on the bed opposite Dean flinched.
Charlie and Adam had come in to meet them, to walk down to the first class they all shared. Charlie sat on the floor, his back resting up against the chair and his arms wrapped around his knees. Adam was sat perched on the edge of the desk, his bag clutched to his front loosely.
"What did the Dean say?" Fulton asked, as Portman glared, the anger resonating off him in waves.
"To clean the door and let the caretaker know if it needed redoing." Charlie's voice was soft.
"What about what they wrote? About finding out who did it?"
Adam shook his head.
"You're kidding?" Portman's voice had come down a few decibels and his surprised expression was identical to the one Fulton was wearing. "How can they ignore something like that? Its unbelievable."
"We need to find out who is doing this. We really do." Fulton stared at Charlie, and Adam who was already nodding his head. "Something needs to be done and if Eden Hall won't; we will. And I don't care what you say, Charlie, this is not right." He added quickly as Charlie opened his mouth. Charlie shut it and after a moment, nodded silently.
"Come on, we're going to be late." Adam stood up and reached down to give Charlie a hand up. He kept hold of Charlie's hand as they walked out of the door, an even expression on his face. Charlie squeezed his hand back as they walked down the hallway. Fulton and Portman followed in silence.
****
There were a number of sniggers and looks that bounced around the lunch hall that day. News of their pink door had obviously spread and the two of them sat up the corner with the other Ducks, trying to ignore what was going on around them. They had tried to talk about the trouble Charlie and Adam were having, but when Riley and the rest of Varsity came past, it was thrown in their face.
"Hey 'guys'. How's our resident pink ladies?" Riley sneered as he stood behind Connie and Julie, opposite Charlie and Adam.
"Piss off, Riley." Fulton snarled.
"Oh, come on. "Riley smirked. "Just being friendly. We don't mind, not much anyway. Brings a little 'colour' to Eden Hall doesn't it. A bit of diversity and all that. Just figures that it would be the rejects that would lower the tone and turn out to be the resident queers."
"Leave them alone." Connie ground out.
"Ooh, feisty." He grinned. "Later, 'girls'. Together with the rest of them he left, still smirking widely.
Charlie had his head down, his one arm up supporting his cheek. He was wearing his cap and it all but hid his face from the rest of them. Adam was staring in front of him, a distant look on his face.
****
Riley kept up the comments and more than one Duck suspected Riley and the rest of the Varsity goons to be behind the hate campaign. It would certainly fit. But Adam had his doubts. He had of course expected the comments they had received since Varsity had found out. That was nothing surprising, but that's all they had done. There had been no tricks or pranks that had the Varsity signature and everything that the Varsity had ever done to the Ducks had been beyond any doubt, the work of the Varsity. Anything they did, you knew it was them. They wanted you to know it was them. None of the things that had been done to Charlie and himself had any clue as to who it was. If Varsity had done it he had almost no doubts that they would have owned up to it. The fact they didn't showed, to him at least, that Varsity hadn't been behind it.
Of course, that left the question of who was behind it?
****
It was to get worse.
But none of them were prepared for how much worse.
Not until they found Charlie.