Charlie studied the palms of his hands, red raw from constantly rubbing them together. He glanced sideways and caught a glimpse of Knox out of the corner of his eye. He smiled and drew his attention back to his hands, refusing to make eye contact with Dean Bolander, who paced back and forth in front of the boys.

Knox kept his head high, unlike Charlie, and kept his eyes focused on the Dean. He watched as the Dean would walk back and forth, turning on his heel, his breath raspy and quick. He looked as though he had something important to address but wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Charles, Knox, all I need to know is what happened that night. Both of the injuries the two of you incurred could bring about some rather severe consequences to the school so all I need to know is exactly what happened to the two of you."

Both boys looked down at that moment. Thoughts of telling the Dean everything ran through Knox's head, while Charlie racked his brain, trying to find a way to lie his way out of this situation.
"We uh-"

"I um-"Both boys began at the same time, laughing nervously.

"You go ahead, Knox."

"No Charlie. That's okay. You can go."

"Thanks. I was just going to say that I don't remember what happened. I was out taking a walk and I found Knox in the cave and I brought him back. I don't remember much other than that."

"Thank you, Mr. Dalton. And you, Mr. Overstreet? Why were you out and about on the grounds?"

"I was…I was taking a walk. I needed a study break and decided to go to the old Indian cave to relax and get some peace and quiet. The last thing I remember was deciding to take a nap before I went back to the dorm room."

"Thank you, Mr. Overstreet. That will do." Both boys stood and turned toward the door, anxious to get out of the stifling office. "But before the two of you go, I do have one more thing to ask you." The boys sat back down, easing themselves in to the uncomfortable wooden chairs, waiting anxiously for the next bought of news.

"As the two of you both know, here at Wellton we have a very strict moral code that easily defines the relationships here at Wellton, both between teacher and student as well as between students. Now, please keep in mind that I am not accusing either of you of breaking this code, but we have had some rather disturbing reports from your fellow students that the two of you may be in clear violation of this code. If there is anything that the two of you would like to tell me, please do it now. It will only be worse for the two of you if an investigation is launched."

Knox leaned forward in his seat, opening his mouth, but Charlie beat him to it.

"There's nothing going on, Dean Bolander. I assure you. I'm not sure what the other students are talking about, but Knox and I have always been within the 'strict moral code', as you call it."

Knox leaned back, hanging his head and slumping his shoulders. He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Is that right, Mr. Overstreet?"

Knox nodded his head, letting a small sigh escape his lips. The Dean dismissed both boys, and they exited swiftly. Both boys ran down the front steps of the administration building, heading straight for the dorm rooms. They stepped in to the dorm building as a blast of warm air assaulted them.

"We need to talk," Knox said his voice low. Charlie nodded, heading toward his room, Knox following at his feet. They entered Charlie's dorm room swiftly, taking extra special care to make sure no one saw them together. As Charlie kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, Knox pulled out the desk chair and, turning it around, looked Charlie square in the face and repeated, "We need to talk," his voice sharp, his eyes filled with fire.