[b]DECLAN [color=c1a259]TUREI[/color][/b]
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Homecoming hadn’t been kind to Declan. He’d spent the entire next day huddled under a pile of blankets with the curtains drawn, alternating between a fitful doze and staring blankly at the ceiling with narrow eyes. Come Monday morning, he was feeling marginally better- although hungry and rather bored. Bored enough to finally tug the duvet from over him and mount an expedition to the fridge downstairs.

It had been a while since he’d stayed long enough at home to actually eat breakfast in the mornings, and it was a nice feeling to be able to put his feet up with a glass of orange juice and a fat stack of toaster waffles. Unfortunately, the cruisy morning only lasted as long as until he started hearing movement from his father’s upstairs bedroom. While he was feeling better than yesterday, he was hardly in the mood for a lecture on how he was ‘throwing away his life’ or whatever grumbles his father had with him today. It was time to bail.

Checking his watch, he found with surprise that he was actually on track to be on time for school. It was a rare occasion that he drifted in through the entrance doors before ten thirty and to be honest, he could barely recall the name or face of his homeroom teacher.

His van took several turns of the key to get started and released a cloud of fumes potent enough to melt a small iceberg when it finally did. Palm Beach was small enough that anywhere was within a ten minute drive, which was a blessing today when Declan barely had the mental energy to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead. 

The car park was about as packed as an early Monday morning deserved, with only the teacher’s spaces looking any kind of full. However lame it sounded, it gave Declan a small sense of satisfaction to pull into the closest park to the entrance. His homeroom was on the second floor, a repurposed geography room that he hadn’t visited since before the summer holidays. Normally he would just go straight to the music room when he got to school, proper attendance be damned. 

As he pushed open the door, the teacher gave a mock open mouthed face of shock and lowered her glasses from her nose. 
[b]“Ah, [i]Mr. Turei[/i]. So you [i]are[/i] in my class this year. I thought there was some kind of mistake on my roll, seeing as I haven’t seen you in two months.” [/b]
Declan at least had the grace to look slightly apologetic. 
[color=c1a259][b]“Yeah, I’ve been uh… sick. Had a nasty cough. You know how it is- July’s a real killer on the lungs,”[/b][/color] he said, with wide, innocent eyes and a gentle cough into a bunched fist.
[b]“Ah yes, the famous two month cough.”[/b] She was looking decidedly unconvinced. [b]“Anyways, feel free to explain it all to Mrs. Chamberlain after the assembly. Run off to the hall now, they want to lecture you lot on that disaster of a Homecoming.”[/b] Declan turned to the door to leave.
[b]“And Declan?”[/b] she called. He turned and looked over his shoulder back at her. [b]“I [i]will[/i] see you in homeroom tomorrow morning.”[/b] Declan slumped his shoulders and gave a mock salute. [color=c1a259][b]“Yes miss, I’ll be there.”[/b][/color]
[b]“Good.”[/b]



The hall was set up for an assembly, with rows of chairs echoing out from the curved stage like a wifi signal. The rows were only sparsely populated at the moment, and Declan scanned the room for familiar faces before his gaze alighted on Guy Lowell. They’d met in the theatre, when the two had found spots in the main cast for their freshman play- a musical. Declan was long out of that scene, but the two were still close. 

[color=c1a259][b]“Sup,”[/b][/color] Declan nodded to Guy and pulled out a chair. The two chatted for a few minutes, mainly about music, theatre, and the homecoming before Mrs Chamberlain’s blunt voice cut through the haze of conversation. 

The cancellation of the prom wasn’t a big deal for Declan- he hadn’t been planning on going at all, and unless the school pulled the same crap they had done for Homecoming he didn’t think there was anyone likely wanting to go with him anyways. But for the rest of the year, the thought seemed atrocious. Shocked whispers, and in some cases outcries were heard throughout the student body. Declan was mildly impressed, although sceptic about the faculty actually carrying through with the threat. You didn’t get to go to a school like this without some serious money in your family and in his experience money didn’t like being told what it couldn’t do. 

After the initial speech, Declan simply plugged into his headphones and drowned out the noise with some soothing tunes. The hours passed slowly however, and he was thankful when the bell finally wrang, although raising an eyebrow at the little gift bag he’d received. 

Pulling the headphones from his ears and cracking his back with a languid stretch, Declan yawned loudly. [color=c1a259][b]“Glad that’s over. Want to hit the arts block?”[/b][/color] he asked Guy. [color=c1a259][b]“I’m keen for a quick piano sesh.”[/b][/color]