School Challenge by Ifreet
May. 21st, 2006 11:40 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
ifreet.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ds_flashfictionTitle: Letterman's jacket
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ifreet
Rating: Teen for kissing
Pairing:F/K
Obligatory high school AU
Benton had put it off as long as he could -- longer perhaps than he ought to have, because Mr. Frobisher had finally resorted to wondering aloud if Benton had perhaps forgotten to pack his coat when he'd been sent south to Chicago, followed by a somewhat less than coherent lecture on relative versus actual temperatures and the continued danger of exposure at this latitude. And afterwards, Benton had allowed that, yes, it was really too cold to be going out without a coat anymore and that he did, in fact, have a coat. No, there was nothing wrong with it; it was a perfectly serviceable coat. Yes, he'd unpack it.
Though he realized he really didn't want to do so. That thought alone, though, would have been enough to send him digging into his winter clothes, even without the lecture. There was no reason to be silly and sentimental about a coat.
The day Grandmother had presented him with the letterman's jacket, felt letter "I" proudly affixed to the front, had been more emotional than the day he'd been presented with the letter itself. They'd really be staying in town, then, until he graduated. Grandmother wouldn't have spent the money on something so frivolous otherwise.
The next morning when he got off the bus, Ray just shook his head.
"Red and white, Benny? I thought you were going to try to blend in."
Benton's thumb came up to scratch at his eyebrow -- which he knew he shouldn't do, because Grandmother had insisted it would cause pimples-- as he tried to figure out how to tell Ray that in his family, having the wrong school colors was an insufficient reason to buy a new coat. "Well, I--"
Ray waved his hand, a sharp nevermind. "It looks good on you. In an extremely uncool way."
Victoria looked up as Benton dropped his coat across her shoulders, smiling at him. He grinned back at the figure she cut, dwarfed by his jacket, fingers barely poking out the ends of the sleeves when she slipped it on. Red always looked good on her.
Benton stuffed the jacket into his locker and spent the day's passing periods trying to ignore it. But the leather sleeves were too stiff and bulky, and they kept poking out past the boundary of the locker, getting in the way of shutting the door.
Benton hunched further into his jacket with each minute passed outside the principal's office without word. His grandparents had believed him; he thought the principal had believed him, too, so he didn't know what they could still be discussing in there. Finally, the door opened, and his grandmother strode out, a frown riding between her eyes.
"Don't slouch," she said as she herded him out of his chair and towards the door.
"Watch it, Kowalski!" Ray's voice carried over the general din of the hallway after dismissal, loud but lacking in heat. Benton glanced over in time to see Ray flipping Ray the finger over his shoulder. Ray and Ray seemed to have come to some silent agreement over how to divvy up Benton's day. Maybe it wasn't a silent agreement. Maybe they'd talked about it, argued about it. Either way, he no longer had to play referee between the two. Ray, his first friend at this school, met him nearly every morning before school, and they ate lunch together. Ray would turn up in the afternoon, sometimes between classes, but always after class was dismissed. Ray zealously ignored any and all signs that Benton and the 'new' Ray were becoming anything more than friends.
"I've been expelled?" Benton asked incredulously.
"No. They've no cause to expel you; you did the right thing turning those other children in. But the principal and school board believe you would have a negative impact on learning next school year, should you continue at this school." Grandmother's lips were pursed, as though the words themselves tasted unpleasant. "They want you to transfer voluntarily."
"But Grandpa is under contract for another year."
She nodded. "I've spoken to your father. He has a friend in Chicago, with a daughter about your age. They'd be willing to take you in."
Benton frowned at his overstuffed bag. Once again, he needed to take home nearly every book. Ray leaned against the neighboring locker, math book tucked under his arm, papers protruding from the sides, though he certainly had other homework due. Benton wondered if the math book was only leaving the building to humor him.
"You about ready, Frase?"
"Certainly." Benton took out his jacket and put it on. Then he grabbed his bag, shut the locker and spun the lock. Ray was staring at him.
It was the jacket; he knew wearing another school's jacket was a faux pas of sorts, but he hadn't thought that Ray, this Ray, would be bothered by it. Benton could feel heat rising in his cheeks.
Ray made an odd noise, then grabbed a handful of the jacket, tugging Benton down the hall behind him. He made a sharp turn into the restroom and pushed Benton back against the door almost before it'd had time to shut. Both hands knotted into the jacket, Ray pressed against him, kissed him hard. Benton lost his grip on his bag, distantly hearing it thud against the floor.
Much later, Benton still felt it necessary to ask, "So, you like the jacket?"
Author:
ifreetRating: Teen for kissing
Pairing:F/K
Obligatory high school AU
Benton had put it off as long as he could -- longer perhaps than he ought to have, because Mr. Frobisher had finally resorted to wondering aloud if Benton had perhaps forgotten to pack his coat when he'd been sent south to Chicago, followed by a somewhat less than coherent lecture on relative versus actual temperatures and the continued danger of exposure at this latitude. And afterwards, Benton had allowed that, yes, it was really too cold to be going out without a coat anymore and that he did, in fact, have a coat. No, there was nothing wrong with it; it was a perfectly serviceable coat. Yes, he'd unpack it.
Though he realized he really didn't want to do so. That thought alone, though, would have been enough to send him digging into his winter clothes, even without the lecture. There was no reason to be silly and sentimental about a coat.
The day Grandmother had presented him with the letterman's jacket, felt letter "I" proudly affixed to the front, had been more emotional than the day he'd been presented with the letter itself. They'd really be staying in town, then, until he graduated. Grandmother wouldn't have spent the money on something so frivolous otherwise.
The next morning when he got off the bus, Ray just shook his head.
"Red and white, Benny? I thought you were going to try to blend in."
Benton's thumb came up to scratch at his eyebrow -- which he knew he shouldn't do, because Grandmother had insisted it would cause pimples-- as he tried to figure out how to tell Ray that in his family, having the wrong school colors was an insufficient reason to buy a new coat. "Well, I--"
Ray waved his hand, a sharp nevermind. "It looks good on you. In an extremely uncool way."
Victoria looked up as Benton dropped his coat across her shoulders, smiling at him. He grinned back at the figure she cut, dwarfed by his jacket, fingers barely poking out the ends of the sleeves when she slipped it on. Red always looked good on her.
Benton stuffed the jacket into his locker and spent the day's passing periods trying to ignore it. But the leather sleeves were too stiff and bulky, and they kept poking out past the boundary of the locker, getting in the way of shutting the door.
Benton hunched further into his jacket with each minute passed outside the principal's office without word. His grandparents had believed him; he thought the principal had believed him, too, so he didn't know what they could still be discussing in there. Finally, the door opened, and his grandmother strode out, a frown riding between her eyes.
"Don't slouch," she said as she herded him out of his chair and towards the door.
"Watch it, Kowalski!" Ray's voice carried over the general din of the hallway after dismissal, loud but lacking in heat. Benton glanced over in time to see Ray flipping Ray the finger over his shoulder. Ray and Ray seemed to have come to some silent agreement over how to divvy up Benton's day. Maybe it wasn't a silent agreement. Maybe they'd talked about it, argued about it. Either way, he no longer had to play referee between the two. Ray, his first friend at this school, met him nearly every morning before school, and they ate lunch together. Ray would turn up in the afternoon, sometimes between classes, but always after class was dismissed. Ray zealously ignored any and all signs that Benton and the 'new' Ray were becoming anything more than friends.
"I've been expelled?" Benton asked incredulously.
"No. They've no cause to expel you; you did the right thing turning those other children in. But the principal and school board believe you would have a negative impact on learning next school year, should you continue at this school." Grandmother's lips were pursed, as though the words themselves tasted unpleasant. "They want you to transfer voluntarily."
"But Grandpa is under contract for another year."
She nodded. "I've spoken to your father. He has a friend in Chicago, with a daughter about your age. They'd be willing to take you in."
Benton frowned at his overstuffed bag. Once again, he needed to take home nearly every book. Ray leaned against the neighboring locker, math book tucked under his arm, papers protruding from the sides, though he certainly had other homework due. Benton wondered if the math book was only leaving the building to humor him.
"You about ready, Frase?"
"Certainly." Benton took out his jacket and put it on. Then he grabbed his bag, shut the locker and spun the lock. Ray was staring at him.
It was the jacket; he knew wearing another school's jacket was a faux pas of sorts, but he hadn't thought that Ray, this Ray, would be bothered by it. Benton could feel heat rising in his cheeks.
Ray made an odd noise, then grabbed a handful of the jacket, tugging Benton down the hall behind him. He made a sharp turn into the restroom and pushed Benton back against the door almost before it'd had time to shut. Both hands knotted into the jacket, Ray pressed against him, kissed him hard. Benton lost his grip on his bag, distantly hearing it thud against the floor.
Much later, Benton still felt it necessary to ask, "So, you like the jacket?"
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 06:51 am (UTC)It feels so incomplete, though -- I want to read more about this universe, see it fleshed out a bit.
I could just be greedy, though. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 04:41 pm (UTC)Sorry that it feels a bit unfinished; I played things too close to the deadline to do everything I'd wanted once the ideas finally started to come together. I may end up writing more, but I won't promise anything. I tend to let things languish when I'm not writing to a specific deadline.
I'm glad you liked it!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 07:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 07:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 03:55 pm (UTC)And, of course, the end was lovely and hot and sweet. Good deal.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-19 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 05:04 am (UTC)