FIXated

Raphael dozed comfortably on his bed, unmoved from his last position and unbothered by the clattering noises around him. Chairs shifting, cabinets creaking, slippers flopping, and the opening and closing of bag zipping.

A soft hum of ringing muffled in his ears as he groaned.

Too loud. Who's making such noise at this time?

His hand grabbed the nearest pillow and buried his face. The ringing still blared continuously.

Seriously, what is that? Alarm?

Wait, a second. . . school bells?

A voice whispered in his ears, pleading.

"Raphael, wake up! We will be late!"

A violent shake jolted Raphael awake. His eyes shot open, hesitantly scanning around the room.

"W-what time is it?" he gasped softly.

Harian's golden eyes greeted him first, beaming up. His hair bounced up as he leaned in closer to Raphael's face.

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"It's 7:40 AM. I am surprised you're still asleep," he puffed his cheeks.

Raphael smacked his forehead, followed by a deep sigh.

"Ah, sorry. I must've been tired."

"Come on. Let's get going."

Harian urged as he began to run around the room, grabbing Raphael's bag from the ground and setting it on top of the desk. Then, he pulled out a fresh set of uniforms in the closet, laying them down neatly on his bed.

Raphael dragged his body out of his bed, wrinkling the sheets along the way as he readied himself for classes.

---

Homeroom class is scheduled to start in a few minutes as students move toward their respective classrooms along the hallway. Raphael had arrived on time, walking towards his locker with his bag slung over his side and shoes clicking with each step.

He clicked his locker open, a metallic creak from its hinges, and his fingers grabbed the necessary books and notes for today's schedule: History.

Raphael stopped as he glanced over Elena's picture with her beaming grin. A soft smile curved across his lips in return.

Elena...

Just hang tight over there.

Right after he shut the door, a figure stood next to him, leaning against the lockers.

"Ah!" Raphael gasped as his shoulders flinched up.

Orange locks fell over her shoulders, shifting slightly with the air. Her back slumped against the cold, metallic lockers with arms crossed over her chest, pressing her dress shirt lower. Her legs pressed against the edge, riding her skirt up.

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"Did you sleep well last night?" she cooed softly as her gaze moved from him from head to toe.

His eyes widened.

His breath caught.

He ignored her. Is she here to demand a reply?

"Sorry, just got tired from PE class," he scratched his nape while his eyes averted away from her.

"Oh really?" she tilted her head to the side, her hair brushing softly against her shoulders as she shifted her body forward.

"Don't keep me waiting, Raphael," she warned.

He swallowed a lump.

"Um, what do you mean by that?" he questioned as he glanced at her, eyes blinking.

Sylvia stared at him for a moment before scoffing.

"So, you have no idea, hm?"

He slowly shook his head.

For a moment, Sylvia's brow tightened, then she forced a smile.

She approached closer as the scent of her perfume clung lightly to his nose, sweet and fruity like cherries. Her lips brushed near his ear.

"Show me.... What's beneath here," she demanded as her fingers carefully traced from his navel up to his chest before giving his tie a light tug.

Sweat formed on his forehead.

"I-I'm not sure about that." Raphael stuttered, catching her hand with his grip.

Sylvia looked at him once more with a small smirk.

"Remember. You still owe me," she reminded him once more before slipping her hand from his grip.

"You said that-"

Her finger pressed against his lips.

"Like I said..... I want more."

This time, her voice dropped lower.

"Send it before lunch, or else... You don't know what's coming next."

Is that a threat?

Raphael didn't move. No words could come out as his lips quivered and his throat went dry.

The smile on Sylvia's face returned once again, that mischievous smile. She moved aside, walking away from the scene. Her heels clicked down the hall, fading into the distance.

His messenger bag slipped off his shoulders as the bag landed on the ground with a thump.

He didn't pick it up.

Unclothed? But why?

His brows drew together.

He should've asked. . .

A huge slap on his back snapped Raphael out of it.

"Ah!" he gasped, flinching.

"You good, Raphael?" Feyline peered behind him, head tilting to the side. "You look like you just shit your pants."

Raphael just blushed. "W-what? Definitely not."

"What are you thinking then? Something came up, hm?" she teased, her brows lifted.

"N-nothing. I thought I forgot something."

"Okay. Classes are starting soon... You don't want me to mark you late, hm."

Raphael nodded as he pulled his sling bag back onto his shoulders before heading into his classroom in a small jog.

The morning session officially started as the bells rang in blaring chimes down the corridors. Feyline stood in front of the class and held a record book in her palms as she began calling out names for attendance.

"Raphael Kiersten."

Upon hearing his name, Raphael raised a hand.

"Present."

Feyline gave a thumbs up with a wide grin to acknowledge as she jotted in her small record book. Then, she resumed calling several names in the list.

"Sylvia. . . Macaulay."

A hand lazily held up in the air, waving side to side for a brief moment before putting it down sloppily on the desk. Feyline almost didn't catch it as she glanced around the room, but confirmed Sylvia's presence in her usual seat, as she nodded once.

Sylvia leaned against the back of her seat, stretching her arms and legs as she made a soft yawn.

Meanwhile, from behind, Raphael quietly watched her. Her orange locks scraped against the edge of the backrest, her hands dangled to the side lazily as her shoulders dropped down.

His eyes lingered on her.

Distracted.

Disconnected.

Distressed.

---

The vending machine hummed softly in the corner of the corridor. Buttons beeped as fingers tapped the screen. The lights inside flickered as the can of Arisonna fell off the row, clunking down into the hatch.

Raphael bent slightly and grabbed the drink below.

The cold can prick against his fingers.

"What you got?" Alexis peered behind him with a bright smile.

Raphael glanced at him, flashing the can in front of him.

"Arisonna. Iced Tea."

"Oh, those are great! I'm getting one too."

Raphael stepped away from the machine as Alexis began pressing buttons. He watched him from behind as he popped the can open.

Tssss!

He chugged the drink down his throat.

Gulp.

Gulp.

He exhaled, lowering the can.

That was refreshing. . .

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"Hey, Antonio! Do you need anything?" Alexis called out to his friend.

Antonio stood at the far end of the corridor, back hunched and fingers scrolling on his phone screen back and forth.

He didn't look behind.

Raphael blinked, glancing at Antonio first, then Alexis.

"Maybe he didn't hear you."

Alexis sighed.

Feyline appeared right around the corner with a paper bag filled to the brim with assorted chips, candies, and cookies, lifting them up in the air proudly.

"Yo, I got you guys some snacks!" she proudly announced, looking over the two standing near the machine.

"Oh, Fey." Raphael greeted, while Alexis waved from behind.

"Here. Get something you want."

Raphael fished out a pack of cookies from the bag before Alexis grabbed a bunch of chips and candies.

"Hey, Antonio! Get your stuff!" Feyline's voice boomed in the corridor.

Antonio flinched.

"Y-yeah! In a second."

He lingered in the corner, aggressively tapping his screen. Still, he didn't move. Feyline clicked her tongue as she stared at Antonio. Her hand rested on her hips.

"You'd better come now, or else I am taking everything." Feyline roared.

"Geez!" Antonio quickly stuffed his phone in the side pocket and spun around towards their direction, approaching them in little hurried steps with an awkward smile on his face.

"Hey y'all! What do you have for me?" he spoke up.

"You good?" Feyline asked.

"Yeah. I am."

Alexis just shook his head and nudged him to the side. "Come on, man."

Feyline's eyes narrowed.

Raphael blinked, taking a quick sip.

A short pause.

"F-fine!" Antonio's shoulders slumped down. "I got ghosted, man."

"Pfft. Seriously?" Feyline shook her head in disbelief.

Raphael tilted his head. "Ghosted?"

Alexis just nodded his head. "It means he got ignored for the fifth time now."

"Hey! Don't say that!" Antonio crossed his arms and frowned.

Raphael rubbed his chin.

So, that's called ghosted, huh?

He paused and blinked once.

Did I just ghosted her?

"Aww. Why don't you share your frustrations, Tony?" Feyline wrapped her arm over his shoulder, tapping his back lightly.

"It was going sooo well this time!" he cried.

"How well?" Alexis cut in.

"We talked all night. Normal stuff like that." he hesitated. "...you know."

His fingers fidgeted against his shirt.

Feyline raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

"Mhmm. I rizzed her hard enough to the point where things are getting spicy."

"Yeah, right. So what did you?" Alexis eyed him closely.

Antonio scratched the back of his head while fishing in his pocket, finally pulling out his phone.

"I sent her something," he confessed.

"Damn. Already?" Feyline shook her head. "What is it?"

Antonio fiddled with the phone, unlocking it before he shoved the screen toward them.

Rapheal leaned in closer to check.

A messaging app called Itsagram appeared. The chat box was littered with messages, emojis, and pictures from previous conversations. Then, at the bottom, a photo stood out.

Antonio lifts his shirt up to his chest confidently, flexing his well-defined muscles on his arms and abdomen.

Spoiler

!WARNING NSFW!

Other Version

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Raphael frowned slightly.

The upper torso and his head don't seem to align altogether. Is it skin tone difference, or the weird jagged white lines cut along the edge?

Silence before Feyline burst out laughing.

"You edited that, didn't you?"

"O-of course. I need to appeal to the girls, you know." Antonio snapped.

"And ?" Alexis eyed him closer with a look of dismay.

Antonio just laughed awkwardly. "She stopped replying..."

Feyline clapped her hands once. "Deserved. Catfisher."

"See? You are going too fast." Alexis huffed with exasperation. "That's what I've been telling you since."

"Yeah. yeah man. I am sorry," he pouted while he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

Raphael stayed quiet, his fingers tapping onto his drink before crinkling it slightly with his grip. His body shifted with unease, fixing his tie and blazer.

Hesitating.

Sylvia's message flashed through his mind once again.

". . . What if they ask first?" he spoke up.

"Ask what?"

Raphael ran his fingers behind his ear as his gaze averted.

"...for more?"

The group fell quiet. They glanced at each other. No one answered.

Antonio let out a small chuckle as he wrapped his arms over his shoulders, pulling him closer to a whisper.

"That, my friend... is trouble."

His eyes widened. His shoulders tensed up.

Am I in trouble?

Raphael swallowed a lump.

The bells rang once more, resonating around the hallways in loud, consecutive blares. Recess time has ended as the morning session continued.