Roads. They all just connect to each other to lead to a863Please respect copyright.PENANAlTTUc9rdxL
specific destination. It’s like you need to memorize a specific combination—or863Please respect copyright.PENANAifq9ycrEuu
two—just to end up with an even more specific outcome. But how do we remember863Please respect copyright.PENANA7kLIjvjGky
the longest of combinations, like the one Ms. Sara Leslie had to memorize to863Please respect copyright.PENANADTHnLV4oWf
get to the Airbnb she rented. The same Airbnb she was driving Caspian Grenfield863Please respect copyright.PENANAmeLN2iek91
and all the other seven chosen boys were headed to.
“How did they even get there?” you may ask. Well, you see…
“Will Caspian Grenfield, Isaac Blueburn, Jax Jackson,863Please respect copyright.PENANAnGxxNSIRVn
Robinson Wyatt, Lee Emmet, Caleb and William Otto, and Mason Emalia please863Please respect copyright.PENANAnkwWDOdSrd
report to the principal’s office right now?”
Caspian flinched upon hearing his name come out of their863Please respect copyright.PENANA6cGJYLHasB
school’s intercom. It was especially shocking to hear it along with those other863Please respect copyright.PENANAPhKe6f6Hed
names. He was a bit terrified of the thought that he might’ve become a863Please respect copyright.PENANALtL22kWIZL
delinquent. I mean, yes, he is over exaggerating, but could you really863Please respect copyright.PENANAHgjLkAJoFs
blame him? He was one of those kids who always passed their homework on time863Please respect copyright.PENANAr9hcPrj3lQ
and has never had a grade lower than above average. He was always avoiding863Please respect copyright.PENANA43T4rW9eRl
trouble wherever he went, and it just wasn’t normal to hear his name being used863Please respect copyright.PENANAjpwZFu8Ru0
along with all those others. Or at all.
He knew it must’ve been a mistake, so he ignored it and calmed863Please respect copyright.PENANARFcyW1G9h9
himself down. Until the intercom called again.
Now this time, he knew it was real. His palms were damp, and863Please respect copyright.PENANAZE2l4E7maF
his legs shook. He looked and acted as if he was actually gonna face an863Please respect copyright.PENANAz4tIlPoXEb
executioner than a principal. Little did he know that it was absolutely nothing863Please respect copyright.PENANAIN2f9G5oP9
like that at all.
…
“You called to see me, Ma’am…?”
When Caspian peeped into the principal’s office, his stomach863Please respect copyright.PENANATfuSNGIBmK
dropped. William Otto, Mason Emalia, and Jax Jackson stared at him, sitting on863Please respect copyright.PENANAE5bL1lU5uY
the three single armchairs along the side of the room. Their attention was863Please respect copyright.PENANAkmxGdR0Lo3
consumed by his presence, and he didn’t like it.
William Otto was an Alpha, the kind that shows it without863Please respect copyright.PENANA0uvyDvr6UA
effort at all. The doctors found out as soon as he was born—and that barely863Please respect copyright.PENANAiVqRPFr75i
even happens. When he was going through puberty, he went from 4’11 to 5’9 in863Please respect copyright.PENANAihVzf13LX4
less than three years. People thought that he was fifteen when he was actually863Please respect copyright.PENANAf9pPdi6Mxr
just twelve. Now that he’s a senior, he stood at 6’2—and that’s why it’s quite863Please respect copyright.PENANAVGqbzQRrBz
difficult to walk through the halls now without getting so much attention.
Though Will looked like the kind of Alpha that could863Please respect copyright.PENANAibdZtV3HyT
kill a Grizzly Bear, he didn’t act like it. Yes, he was tall, had broad863Please respect copyright.PENANALeZBz744Yn
shoulders, and had abs that could bite; but he wasn’t all that. He was863Please respect copyright.PENANAMkXwK2KlF9
kind, compassionate, and really, really friendly. He was the type of guy863Please respect copyright.PENANALthm7PucZV
you could depend on and talk to. He could work in groups of eight and make sure863Please respect copyright.PENANABnghBQiZTq
everyone had a job to do—and you wouldn’t feel the pressure of doing too much863Please respect copyright.PENANAanNRVTzETK
work. He was a sensitive giant, a large teddy bear. That was kind of why he was863Please respect copyright.PENANANpN5GhWrVx
the student body president.
Mason Emalia was the Star Player of their basketball team.863Please respect copyright.PENANAFBXs0GrBkN
Though his performance at school wasn’t the best, he’d always make it up to you863Please respect copyright.PENANAquHuLopSe7
on the court. He was a ruthless player and a worthy opponent. The only thing863Please respect copyright.PENANAfubAbBIO6w
you could beat him at was chess. Jeez, he hated chess.
And finally, Jax Jackson, the mischief. He was the definition863Please respect copyright.PENANAZttUX20vEY
of “gay and ready to play”—it’s true, he’s the one who made it. Though nobody863Please respect copyright.PENANA5q9Pghqj65
really knew where he landed on the spectrum, everyone at school knew that he863Please respect copyright.PENANAGzvNmXTybf
was only interested in men. All the girls would ever hear about him were, “I863Please respect copyright.PENANAYDxI966Xnb
don’t know why, but he was amazing in bed,” and the like. There was even a863Please respect copyright.PENANAiBOU79vXGC
rumor the spread like wildfire about him being able to get into their science863Please respect copyright.PENANAIzuIzvVJLc
teacher’s pants—who was at least forty years old for your information.
Seeing all these boys here made Caspian feel so small, as if863Please respect copyright.PENANAreKYiUCxRY
he was just a puny ant who could get stepped on in any minute. It terrified him863Please respect copyright.PENANA6MpOAF1R6Y
to the bone. And this was just the first three, where were the other four?
“Caspian, please have a seat while we wait for the others,”863Please respect copyright.PENANAEjI5x7e3ob
Principal Gwen said calmly as she gestured to the seats in front of his desk.
Caspian took a seat on the couch in front of the three other863Please respect copyright.PENANAyN2u65vDHe
boys who watched his every move (But that was what Caspian thought. They were863Please respect copyright.PENANADzYqfmM62A
actually just bored out of their minds right now.)
They silently waited. All they could ever hear was the863Please respect copyright.PENANAYdz9MsM2Ms
tapping of their Principal’s computer keys. Tik, tik, tik, they went.
Finally, the silence was broken when someone opened the door.863Please respect copyright.PENANAUMO20Us857
Another one of the eight boys who were beckoned by their intercom. And who863Please respect copyright.PENANAK3rTqKlgQb
exactly? None other than Robinson Wyatt, Caspian’s one and only childhood863Please respect copyright.PENANALdAZtpm5QV
crush.
They weren’t close when Caspian first saw him, but he thought863Please respect copyright.PENANAjJ5TemVfla
that Robbie was… cool. He watched him play around in the playground from a863Please respect copyright.PENANAv0mmXqAp9e
distance but never found the courage to actually talk to him. He was too afraid863Please respect copyright.PENANADPZ3NQFy4b
that Robbie would think that he was just a stupid Omega with no friends.
A few years later, word got around that Robbie was an Alpha863Please respect copyright.PENANAk123gBLs9m
and that just made things more confusing for him. He couldn’t understand why863Please respect copyright.PENANAnvEKPtJ7cI
his face would heat up or why his heart skipped a beat when Robbie passed him.863Please respect copyright.PENANA23D9upKGr0
It was a weird feeling that forced him to grin for no reason. Soon, he found863Please respect copyright.PENANAeWxfMftWXa
out that it was Love.
“Okay,” Principal Gwen started.
Caspian awoke from his mental nap, blinking his eyes863Please respect copyright.PENANAAjlChe5Mgf
furiously under his round glasses. The boy didn’t even notice that Blue, Caleb,863Please respect copyright.PENANA21nQDuYbKu
and Lee had already arrived—and that Robbie ended up sitting beside him.863Please respect copyright.PENANAHASzDVCIgq
Fortunately, he could still breathe. For now.
“I called all of you here today to discuss something really863Please respect copyright.PENANA67auFfU7d6
important-” she leans forward, fixing her posture- “though it may sound863Please respect copyright.PENANAa0FJWbHIiv
extremely odd.”
“Ma’am,” said Lee. “Are we in trouble of some sort?”
All eight boys leaned closer, as if they were programmed to863Please respect copyright.PENANAAe8A5NRpnX
do this in sync. Their ears were open wide enough to fit a moth.
Their once fully composed principal smiled. “No. I’m sorry to863Please respect copyright.PENANAdj7gg6y5EM
disappoint you, Mister Emmet.”
All eight boys eased up. Lee sat back, pleased to hear the863Please respect copyright.PENANAMMwAZIcqUn
good news. A small phew was could be heard from Blue—that is, if you863Please respect copyright.PENANA66BmEROkCL
listened hard enough. You could hear familiar cuss words from Jax and Mason’s863Please respect copyright.PENANAdRnrJDYzry
direction. Will, Robbie, and Caleb sighed for a good two seconds, thanking the863Please respect copyright.PENANAG4b7CQLglE
Lord’s Holy Name. And Caspian finally eased every inch of his body.
“Why?” their Principal asked. “Is there something you should863Please respect copyright.PENANAYeP3VvDKWs
be in here for?”
“Nope,” Mason said immediately.
“Not that I know of… yet,” coming from Mason.
“Of course not. How could I?” babbled Lee.
“No, Ma’am,” Will said, shaking his head.
“…”: Caleb.
“Hopefully not,” Caspian muttered.
“I don’t think so…?” Robbie said slowly.
“Very funny, Miss Gwen,” chuckled Blue.
“Okay then good,” smiled Principal Gwen. “Because if there863Please respect copyright.PENANAe4P4t33CBs
was, you’d still have to participate in this activity.”
“Activity?” blurted Blue.
“Yes,” Principal Gwen said enthusiastically—only in her voice863Please respect copyright.PENANAWpo5BvQwl0
though. “I would appreciate it if you eight would plan an event before this863Please respect copyright.PENANA3ViMBB1wbJ
school year’s prom. You know, to commemorate the graduation of the seniors.”
“But Ma’am,” Blue said, raising his hand.
“Yes, Blue?” Principal Gwen said, giving Blue permission to863Please respect copyright.PENANAHHaDBk4znf
keep going.
“What makes this year’s seniors make you want to plan a huge863Please respect copyright.PENANAJMcb8horDE
event for? (No offense.)” Blue continued.
We heard chuckles from some of the boys, knowing that Blue863Please respect copyright.PENANAMjMj24DdmW
was referring to Will, the only senior in the room. He was a good sport who863Please respect copyright.PENANAbmAo2dQTxD
smiled it out and muttered, “c’mon, guys.”
Miss Gwen chuckled along with them. “Well, what’s also funny863Please respect copyright.PENANAZxhq9PgiyM
is that we actually raised too much money for the yearly charity fund, and we863Please respect copyright.PENANAe6nVNWTMEV
couldn’t locate any other charities who were willing to accept the excess.863Please respect copyright.PENANAMsTpB2xvj6
Plus, the school’s had a good year, so I didn’t think it would be necessary to863Please respect copyright.PENANAvN9fUe456Y
keep too much money on our hands.”
The boys go ooh because now they understand what’s863Please respect copyright.PENANAOMIV5q5kOa
happening.
“So,” Caspian blurted out, absent-mindedly. “You gathered all863Please respect copyright.PENANAoREGYNbCb2
eight of us randomly to plan a pre-prom party?”
He realized that all eyes were on him again. All eight pairs863Please respect copyright.PENANAtTvwAJS3HE
of them.
“Uhm, yes,” their principal confirmed. “I like the sound of863Please respect copyright.PENANAQp8tSFNkuB
that. ‘Pre-Prom Party’. You boys already have something to call it.”
“Way ta go, Cassie!” Blue cheers enthusiastically.
All the other boys cheer as well, even Robbie—who was still863Please respect copyright.PENANAcB4o9t8Sgw
sitting beside him.
“Good job,” he whispered. “Caspian Grenfield.”
Hearing his name come out of Robbie like that made his face863Please respect copyright.PENANAkV6PbStNSR
grow warm. He put his palms on them, trying to hide his flustered face as he863Please respect copyright.PENANAEASlg9qpR9
muttered back a shaky “thanks” to everyone.
“Okay, okay,” Principal Gwen hushed. “Here are the forms863Please respect copyright.PENANAPTeqbJ6uPQ
containing most of the other information you need to know, -“ she passed a pile863Please respect copyright.PENANAjayH5o79gH
of white paper to each of the eight boys as she continued to explain. “-and the863Please respect copyright.PENANA41GxiwpebF
reply slip your parents need to sign in order for you to-”
“‘Stay at an Airbnb for a week’?” read Lee from the form.
“Miss,” Mason started, confused. “What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t worry, you will be accompanied by Miss Leslie.”
…and now they were arriving at the Airbnb.
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Oh, how time flies…
ns216.73.216.210da2