TWELVE

The Welton's Honor issue was due in a week, so they still had several liver-eating days ahead before learning whether Charlie had been sussed or not. Not that he really cared. He was more concerned about his friend's condition and that damn unknown sword of Damocles over his head and October's. Since he couldn't do anything regarding the latter, the next morning he knocked on Knox's door at an ungodly hour without caring about waking Stick up. He basically kicked his mate out of his bed, squeezed him into his soccer uniform and dragged him out of the campus towards the pitch, while Knox kept on dozing on his shoulder all along.

"What the hell happened?" Charlie inquired, his voice distorted by the effort, still disheveled from sleep in turn.

"Please… Headache…" Knox moaned, his eyes still shut. Charlie snorted.

"Poor thing. But I'm gonna ignore your hangover, sunshine, you mind? You looked like ground meat yesterday, and I wanna know why."

"Hmm…"

"Jeez, I hate you. What about one hmm for yes and two for no?"

"Char…"

"Great. Did you wind up in a random brawl?"

Knox sighed.

"Hmm hmm."

"So someone punched you on purpose."

"Hmm."

"Lemme guess. A certain Danburry junior, by any chance?"

"Hmm…"

"Has that something to do with your ladylove?"

Knox didn't bother to answer.

"Ha! I just hope the dork caught you guys making out like hell, or it wasn't worth it."

They kept on moving forward on the grass. Everybody knew Hager was an early bird, so Charlie made sure they passed under his window to be seen.

"So? Did you kiss her?"

"Forehead."

"No way! In front of that jerk?"

"Hmm…"

"Legend. Are you a butt-head?"

"Hmm."

"Well, self-awareness is fundamental."

Around the corner, rather than reach the soccer field, he propped Knox against a wall the boy dutifully slid along, and started to flick up the ball. Knox had apparently fallen asleep again.

"You could at least pretend to help, couldn't ya?" Charlie grumbled. Knox snored in response.

Charlie rolled his eyes and kicked the ball hard against the stone, both to make some noise and awaken the heap of sleeping beauty on the grass.

"Shit, Knox!" he yelled, louder than necessary, then took out a small bottle of red paint and proceeded to smudge the other boy's face with his own hand, before heading all the way back under Hager's window – who was right there peeping –, into the hall, up the stairs and into the shared bathroom, making a din all along. He cleaned up the paint before it dried out indelibly just in time: Hager burst into the room and found the two students bent over a sink, the red water flowing along the drain and Knox's spectacular nose proudly swollen and bluish. He fixed his gaze on the two with a look of deep disdain.

"Infirmary, Mr. Overstreet" he ordered. Knox, who had just fully come to his senses and looked like he had just stepped out of a downpour, cast a glance at Charlie.

"Yes, sir" he then said, disappearing beyond the threshold. Hager didn't turn to check on him, nor went with him.

"Mr. Dalton?"

Charlie just raised his eyes to the teacher, a cheeky expression plastered on his face.

"Demerit" the teacher stated.

His signature smirk slowly made its way on the boy's lips.

"And detention" the man added upon spotting that display of mockery, then spun around on his heels and left. Charlie met his own gaze in the mirror, noticing the bitterness of that smirk. He spat in the sink as if it was the whole Welton.

Later that afternoon, the Poets were all gathered in the library, pretending to be busy with their Latin homework and listening to Knox's recap of the party and the thrashing – courtesy of old Chet – instead, when Hager came to collect his winnings. Charlie grudgingly stood up and followed the teacher in his office, shrugging in response to the questioning looks of his friends.

"What happened?" Neil asked, frowning.

Knox quietly filled them in on that morning's events, earning a collective groan from the group.

"How come it always ends up like this?" Meeks wondered.

"Because he's unable to mind his own business, that's why" Cameron preached.

"Hey, it wasn't his fault" Knox objected, hitting the red-haired boy on the shoulder.

"Okay, but you could have put this show together on your own, couldn't you?"

"Uh, shut up, Cameron" Pitts rebuked.

"What? I'm just saying he could've avoided the punishm…"

"October" Neil chipped in, getting a bunch of confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Meeks was the first to ask.

"Let's go get her" Neil suggested. "We know where she is, don't we, Knox?"

"Yeah, but…"

"What are you up to?" Pitts interjected.

"You can't really think she can bail him out, Neil" Meeks reasoned.

"No, but she can cheer him up when he's done."

"Ooh, cheer him uuup…"

"Ha-ha, cut it out, Pittsie" Knox nudged the tall boy, then focused back on the action plan. "That means we have to sneak her in, what time do you think…"

"You're all crazy" Cameron cut in. "You know how many demerits we're talking?"

Knox rolled his eyes and slightly raised his voice. "Then why don't you stay home?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Mr. McAllister admonished them, lifting his gaze from a translation. The boys cagily looked at him, then resumed their brainstorming.

"All I'm saying is that we have to be careful" Cameron pointed out, lowering his voice. "We can't get caught."

"Of course, Cameron, we're not stupid" Meeks reassured him.

Neil snapped his fingers twice. "Focus, guys."

"Do you think she'll agree?" Pitts questioned.

For the first time that evening, Todd chimed in. "I'd bet on that."

Neil beamed at him. "So let's go, shall we? Friend, scholar, Welton men?"

They stood up collecting their belongings, and filed out of the library. Mr. McAllister followed them with narrowed eyes, took a look at his watch, and got back to his grading, shaking his head when Pitts' voice was heard from the outside.

"To Nuwanda's rescue!"

A/N: For those who don't know, Stick is the cute blonde boy with glasses, played by Richard Stites. Since Knox's roommate is unknown, I chose him. I think they could get along very well ^^