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[img]https://i.imgur.com/Dpjn1jV.png[/img]
[sub][b]Location[/b] — Main Courtyard
[b]Featuring[/b] — Drama Teacher, Kaleb Hale[/sub]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/tQXBjx4.png?1[/img]
[/center][color=#cccccc]Nicholas never, not once, had ever admitted the troubles he felt dwelling inside him when he failed. It could be a simple task of one-upping someone in an intelligence bout or something a little more complicated like trying to pit two friends against each other and coming out looking like the innocent party. Whenever he failed, Nicholas took it more personally than anyone he knew did and especially if the cause of said failure was his own fault.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Of course, he’d never allow himself to be seen feeling any form of guilt or that he would take ownership of it. That would imply he had to let someone else know it wasn’t their fault. Not only would he not do it, but Nicholas would die on his sword before he let his consistent friend/enemy, Griffin Pierce, ever find out that he felt the blow of coming in last the hardest. It was an unprecedented arrogance that led to their downfall. No amount of ire from Sol or a fleeting Griff would change that.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]And so as he sat under the faux lights, basking in the subtle beauty of his second favorite spot across the campus, the air not too muddy, the skies not too clear, and the company not at all crowded, it was the best place that Nicholas could have chosen to unwind before he rejoined everyone else and possibly face round two of Sol’s wrath.[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“They told me I’d find you here,”[/color][color=#cccccc] A familiar, macho tone ringed in from the left.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Nicholas turned his head and saw the sight of that old shirt he always wore and the oversized beard that always followed.[/color][color=#4682b4] “They huh?”[/color][color=#cccccc] He repeated back, smiling with amusement that, of all the instructors who would stumble into his favorite spot, it would be him. [/color][color=#4682b4]“Who might [i]they[/i] be, Kaleb? My fan club?”[/color]

[color=#cccccc][url=https://i.imgur.com/9x7Kaiz.jpg]Kaleb Hale[/url] took a seat next to Nicholas, half-grinned at the boy. [/color][color=#00ced1]“Oh, so you have jokes now, do ya?”[/color][color=#cccccc] The husky man laughed only in the way someone like him could. He was the kind of guy who, when next to Nicholas, really made him feel inadequate.[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I’ve always had them, Kaleb. You just were too fixated on flexing to ever notice.” [/color][color=#cccccc]And there it was again, his trademark humor that often was the source of a lot of trouble for Nicholas Gray. [/color][color=#4682b4]“But be forthright with me,”[/color][color=#cccccc] he requested,[/color][color=#4682b4] “you’ve always been honest with me [sub]--unlike some of these ignoramus instructors--[/sub], so maybe you could allow me the benefit of knowing why you’ve sought after me. I know I’m one of your favorites but even this is a little too much for you.”[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“One of my favorites?--” [/color][color=#cccccc]His laugh trailed off, something else being muttered as he took in a sigh disguised as a slight huff. [/color][color=#00ced1]“--yeah, I guess there’s no fooling you. Honestly?”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Nicholas nodded.[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“This scavenger hunt had two parts: yours and ours. We need your feedback.”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“Need?”[/color][color=#cccccc] Nicholas already didn’t like the sound of that. The use of that word made it seem less like him finding Nicholas had less to do with a random encounter and more of purposely seeking him out. [/color][color=#4682b4] “And what sort of feedback do you guys require of us?”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Kaleb shrugged, leaning back and letting his fingers dig into the dirt. [/color][color=#00ced1]“How you felt about the hunt, your teammates -- shit like that.” [/color]

[color=#cccccc]And just like that, the amount of attention Nicholas was going to give skyrocketed. [/color][color=#4682b4]“Very well,”[/color][color=#cccccc] he stated with a half of a laugh.[/color][color=#4682b4] “Ask away, Mr. Hale.”[/color][color=#cccccc] He emphasized it with some snark added.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Rolling his eyes, Kaleb simply would proceed without addressing that emphasis. He instead positioned himself at a better angle to get a clearer look at the boy [/color][color=#00ced1]“So, I won’t pester you about how you thought about the hunt. I doubt coming in last felt good, so instead let me ask you this--”[/color][color=#cccccc] Kaleb took in a breath and continued when he exhaled, [/color][color=#00ced1]“--you were paired with Soleil Jameson and Griffin Pierce. Did you feel you worked well with the two of them?”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Nicholas’ response was a shrug and nothing more.[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“That’s all I get? Just a shrug?” [/color][color=#cccccc]That seemed to annoy Kaleb. [/color][color=#00ced1]“Nicholas, look up at me.”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Kaleb’s tone brought Nicholas’ head up and he was immediately welcomed with a flick to the forehead.[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“What was that for?”[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“For being an idiot!”[/color][color=#cccccc] Kaleb grunted aggressively.[/color][color=#00ced1] “You came in last place and all you have to say is non-verbally shrugging? Where’s the passion, Nicholas!? Where’s the fire I’ve come to expect from you!?”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“Well, currently trying to figure why the blockhead in front of me flicked me in my forehead,”[/color][color=#cccccc] Nicholas elegantly spat back at him, rubbing his forehead.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]He let out another sigh. [/color][color=#00ced1]“Listen to me Nicholas. You came in last--”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I know. You don’t need to keep on reminding--”[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“--Then stop beating around the bush and tell me what the hell is going through your mind!”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Somewhere deep down, Nicholas hated how honest Kaleb was with him. The man was like a double-edged sword. He got the results he wanted, but it wasn’t always the stress-free experience a student might want, but maybe that’s why he always felt so drawn to the drama teacher. He embodied everything about the kind of man Nicholas wanted to be. He was energetic, enigmatic, didn’t quit for anything and always was on top of everything. He had a certain flare for dramatics that always resonated with Nicholas.[/color]

[i][color=#4682b4]Not to mention there was something...familiar about him.[/color][/i]

[color=#cccccc]He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was almost as though Nicholas felt an air of similarity flow from Kaleb, to him and then just maintain its breeze around them. It was almost as though he was staring into the eyes of the person he might become.[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I really hate it when you’re right.”[/color][color=#cccccc] Nicholas rolled his eyes. Kaleb’s tactics worked and he had to find the right way to say this. [/color][color=#4682b4]“I guess, I feel like if I didn’t clash with Griff and didn’t make it my mission to piss him off, I guess maybe we might’ve been in a higher place on the standings. Not that I think we could have been first place, but maybe top three?”[/color][color=#cccccc] Nicholas scratched his head, letting out a sigh. [/color][color=#4682b4]“I mean, TJ and her team seemed to work so flawlessly. They nearly won and where does that leave [i]me[/i]?”[/color][color=#cccccc] His frustrations were starting to come to the surface. [/color][color=#4682b4]“Like, I’m not saying she doesn’t deserve it. That girl has a fire that I haven’t been able to display on my own and she has no shame. A true gift that one has.”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Kaleb immediately started to smile. [/color][color=#00ced1]“You seem to think highly of Miss Morissey. Anything there you’d care to talk about?”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Again he shrugged but saw that same look in Kaleb’s eyes, so Nicholas sighed out slowly. [/color][color=#4682b4]“Maybe?”[/color][color=#cccccc] A bit of vulnerability shone in his steel eyes. [/color][color=#4682b4]“You know how it is with girls of the softer nature, right? There’s always a bit of tug and pull. But she’s responding well to everything I’ve thrown at her.”[/color][color=#cccccc] Immediately, Nicholas laughed. [/color][color=#4682b4]“And then some.”[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“I see, I see.”[/color][color=#cccccc] Jotting down something on a notepad, Kaleb allowed himself some time to finish what he was writing and he clicked the pen in his hand. [/color][color=#00ced1]“I think that should be it, NIcholas. I’ll let you relax some more.”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]As Kaleb stood up and was about halfway into a walk, he paused and turned around. [/color][color=#00ced1]“ALthough, one last thing.”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“Hm?”[/color][color=#cccccc] Nicholas glanced up at the tall man with a lingering curiosity look in his eyes.[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Kaleb bit his lip, almost hesitating but threw caution into the wind. [/color][color=#00ced1]“About that redhead you’re obviously sweet on--”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I didn’t say--”[/color]

[color=#00ced1]“--Sure kid. Whatever you have to tell yourself, maybe try a little honesty with her and quit all of these games. Even if she--oh how did you say it? ‘Responded well’--it’s always best to just tell her how you fucking feel. It’s not like you have anything to lose, right? At the end of the day, you like her and, if what I believe you’re saying is the truth, she might feel the same. So just take a fucking chance and stop acting like this hotshot player.”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Before he could argue, Kaleb had left Nicholas with those hard truths and you can bet everything on the fact that he was taking them to heart. Honestly, having Kaleb as a confident for all of his pent up frustrations felt like a nice release and just the kind of therapy he needed to find his center again. He hadn’t felt so relaxed and so focused on what mattered since before the scavenger hunt started. Of course, it might not seem like a lot to some people, but maybe for Nicholas it had taken more out of him than he admitted to Kaleb.[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“Yeah, maybe.”[/color]

[color=#cccccc]Nicholas enjoyed what little time he had left in his solitude. The main courtyard was a popular spot but at the least, he could savor the fact that he could think about what to do and ponder if TJ really did...yeah.[/color]
[color=#cccccc][hr][/color]
[i][color=#00ced1]Subject #26, Nicholas Salvador Grey showed immense promise and potential. Our established relationship proved to work in my favor. His trust in me allowed for surface-level information to be bypassed altogether. He seemed incredibly evasive when it came to displaying his true feelings about various subjects.[/color][/i]

[i][color=#00ced1]Upon closer inspection and, admittedly, going off-script, it was revealed to me that Nicholas Grey has a tough time being honest with himself. I found this especially intriguing given how much he values honesty in others. Maybe he doesn’t see it but that makes him a walking hypocrite.[/color][/i]

[i][color=#00ced1]Among other topics, I found that confronting him about Miss Morrissey allowed for a closer look into his psyche, and what I found out was astonishing. Under all of this bravado and college-level vocabulary, Nicholas Grey is a scared boy afraid of rejection. You think you know a guy and then he reveals something so important without even realizing it. Truly, there's more to Nicholas than meets the eye.[/color][/i]
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