[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GNAi4zd.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/1EpjIta.png[/img]

[color=FDF5E6][Sub][i]A [@GhostMami] & [@smarty0114] Collaboration
[b]Featuring [color=98817b]Wesley Slater[/color] & [color=66cc66]Bradley Barron[/color][/b][/i][/sub][/color]
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[indent][color=FDF5E6]While Headmaster Wayman droned on about the virtues of building connections with your peers, Bradley found himself wondering what their benevolent dictator had been like as a teenager. Had people been friends with this strange man? He found that hard to believe. Had someone harbored a secret crush on him, completely unaware of the boring, grey figure he would later cut through life? Would Bradley one day find himself a colorless shape amidst a crowd that couldn’t care less about him? He really fucking hoped not.

That didn’t change the fact though, that this man, boring them all to death, had been a teenager himself once. He might’ve had big dreams, like… well honestly he couldn’t even begin to imagine what interested someone like Headmaster Wayman, but he couldn’t have dreamed of announcing a scavenger hunt to a bunch of bored kids, right?

Bradley’s existential crisis was cut short by the end of Headmaster Wayman’s announcements, and the shuffling that accompanied his peers exiting the auditorium. He glanced over at Wes, who’d slipped off into dreamland at some point during the assembly, and gently nudged him awake. [color=66cc66][b]“You missed a riveting performance,”[/b][/color] he said with his usual dosage of sarcasm.

[color=98817b][b]“Ss-herm?”[/b][/color] Wesley startled awake with a strange combination of a hiss and moan. His nap-laden, blurry vision focused on Bradley’s face as he blinked with a sleepy smile. Wes brought a hand to his eyes to rub away the tiredness. [color=98817b][b]“Quite contrary… I was eating fantastic barbeque in an award winning pit restaurant in Texas, which was probably waaaayy more riveting.”[/b][/color] The students around them were starting to chatter and leave their seats, but Wesley stayed seated and leisurely stretched out in his auditorium chair. [color=98817b][b]“But… what [i]did[/i] I miss?”[/b][/color]

[color=66cc66][b]“Oh, well, thanks for the invite,”[/b][/color] Bradley said. Whatever traces of melancholy that had plagued him since this morning vanished as he watched Wes slowly but surely rejoin the real world. It was a routine he’d grown accustomed to over the last two months. [color=66cc66][b]“No class on Wednesday. We’re all getting into teams to do a scavenger hunt instead,”[/b][/color] Bradley said, delivering the news with some half-hearted jazz hands, as if to say, “Can you fucking believe this place?”

[color=98817b][b]“What, really?”[/b][/color] Wesley’s eyebrows shot up with excitement. Wes loved games and competition, and a scavenger hunt sounded way more fun than going to class. Clearly his best friend was not as amused as he was. [color=98817b][b]“Get hyped, B-rad. We’re totally gonna win! You, me, and Griffin —er— once we go pick him up, at least. Dream team, dude!”[/b][/color]

Bradley grinned, made happy simply by seeing Wes’ excitement. He relished it for a moment, a part of him impressed by the way he took things in stride. [color=66cc66][b]“As fun as that sounds, Wayman said that teams are assigned, and I’m pretty confident the universe hates me too much to put that God-tier team together,”[/b][/color] Bradley said.

[color=98817b][b]“Oh…”[/b][/color] Wes replied sadly, his shoulders sinking slightly. For a moment he looked like a deflating balloon a few days after the birthday party. But it wasn’t too long before he perked back up. [color=98817b][b]“Well, if we aren’t on the same team, I guess I’ll have to kick your ass then, Barron.”[/b][/color] Wes said with a grin and stood up quickly. [color=98817b][b]“Either way, we gotta go fetch our dude.”[/b][/color]

[color=66cc66][b]“That we do,”[/b][/color] Bradley said, clapping his hands against his legs before standing up. The two boys had promised their third Musketeer, Griffin Pierce, that they’d be there when they finally discharged him from the medical building. For a week or two, all anyone could talk about was how he got wheeled out on some stretcher, but by now, most of the talk had subsided. Bradley, stoic as he was, could admit that it would be nice to have their friend back. It had been kinda weird without him, and maybe he could use a buffer between him and Wes. Someone to keep him from completely fucking everything up. [color=66cc66][b]“C’mon. We can check our teams on the way,”[/b][/color] Bradley said, leading them into the back of the herd that was exiting the auditorium.

Wesley took a look at the teams announcement that all of the students were crowding around. It didn’t take long to find his own name, and consequently have his hopes of the dream team totally dashed. That said, this was an opportunity to make new friends, and he was competitive as hell — so they still had a shot at winning regardless of who these mystery teammates were. [color=98817b][b]“Talya… that’s the stunner whose dorm is across from yours, isn’t it? Dope. Not sure who Savannah is, though.”[/b][/color] He looked now for Bradley’s name. [color=98817b][b]“Awe, man, you got Teddy and TJ, you lucky fuck!”[/b][/color]

Bradley laughed at Wes’ description of Talya, though internally his stomach was wrapping itself into knots. [color=66cc66][b]“Tal’s cool. Savannah’s the one with the pink hair, kind of always looks like she’s about to run for the nearest exit? She’s chill too,”[/b][/color] Bradley said, trying his best to ignore the pangs of jealousy. He focused his attention on the list, confirming what Wes had said about his team. Not bad, not bad. [color=66cc66][b]“Hate to break it to you, but I think my team’s gonna crush your team,”[/b][/color] Bradley said, smirking.

[color=98817b][b]“Oh [I]now[/I] you're feeling big?”[/b][/color] Wes teased and punched at his friends shoulder. [color=98817b][b]“Where was that font of confidence and excitement a few minutes ago?”[/b][/color] Having gathered all of the information they needed from the assembly, Wes headed for the doors. Once outside and en route to the medical center, Wes spun around on his heels to face Bradley. It was hard to believe that this ball of energy was just passed out cold, but that was Wesley's life — cycles of extreme on and extreme off, rinse and repeat. [color=98817b][b]“OH! Have you heard about this weekend, dude?”[/b][/color]

[color=66cc66][b]“Well, that was before I found out that I’d have a six foot four, man of muscle on my team,”[/b][/color] Bradley shot back. As they stepped out into the evening, Bradley inhaled deeply, glancing over to where the last bits of sunlight were slipping away past the horizon. It was a nice night, the afternoon heat having dissipated, leaving a pleasant coolness in its place. Maybe he’d be able to convince Wes and Griffin to go out later. [color=66cc66][b]“What’s going on this weekend?”[/b][/color] He asked, looking back at Wes.

[color=98817b][b]“A party, that's what!”[/b][/color] Wesley replied excitedly, flashing a stunning smile. [color=98817b][b]“Like a proper high school party, not some school-sanctioned shit. San Agustin would [i]certainly[/i] not approve.”[/b][/color] He punctuated the sentence with a mischievous eyebrow wiggle and a pep in his step. [color=98817b][b]“Pretty sure Erica and TJ are hosting, so you can probably get better deets, being teammates and all. Whadya say?”[/b][/color] Wes looked at his friend expectantly, [color=98817b][b]“Feeling like causing some trouble as my party date?”[/b][/color]

[color=66cc66][b]“Yes!”[/b][/color] Bradley said, quickly and with much more enthusiasm than usual. He hadn’t even had time to think about it before the agreement came tumbling out of his mouth. It only took a split second for him to piece together that Wes had meant date in a metaphorical sense, and not in the sense that the night could end with them making out. Because that was impossible. [color=66cc66][b]“I mean, yeah, yeah, it sounds fun. Maybe I can find out where they’re getting the booze from? Maybe there’s other kinds of contraband we can smuggle in,”[/b][/color] he added, hoping to move quickly past his slip up.

Thankfully for Bradley, Wes was completely oblivious to the misunderstanding. He was just pumped for the party and the fact that his bestie was equally excited to go. Brad’s mention of further contraband also piqued his interest. [color=98817b][b]“And [i]that[/i], my friend, is why we get along so well.”[/b][/color] Wes said as he swung his arm over Bradley’s shoulders in a friendly gesture as they walked. [color=98817b][b]“I like the way you think. Any ideas on what? And how?”[/b][/color] The pair approached the threshold of the medical center and Wes thought twice about their conversation. [color=98817b][b]“On second thought, let’s put this discussion on pause until after we get Griffin.”[/b][/color] He leaned in closer and whispered the next part, eyeing the security camera at the entrance, [color=98817b][b]“[i]Big brother’s always watching.[/i]”[/b][/color] Wes parted from Bradley’s side after that with what would be a stoner giggle, except he’d never smoked a day in his life. At least, not yet.

Bradley looked up at the security camera, fixing his gaze on the lens for a few moments, Wes’ words running in a loop through his head. [color=66cc66][b]“Good call,”[/b][/color] he said, returning his eyes to the entrance. There’d be time for plotting the vandalism of their school later.[/color][/indent]