Sneaking out of the dorms was never an easy feat. Though if you’ve done it as many times as I have it gets easier and easier. The only problem I run into is my roommate. He’s had it out for me since I got here, and made it very clear he does not want to room with me. I try to be nice, but he is just the most unlikeable person ever. So here I am waiting for his royal highness to go to sleep, but he won’t stop giving me weird looks. 

“Go to sleep Ollie.” I groaned and turned off my light. 

“I asked for you to stop calling me that, Luca.” His British accent always made me chuckle even when he was saying the worst things. He huffed and finally turned off his lamp. “If I catch you sneaking out I will report you, don't try me.” 

“Of course not Ollie.” 

He groaned and I heard shuffling for a couple minutes before finally, it was quiet. I waited another twenty minutes just to make sure he was deep asleep. Slipping my shoes on, I tried to be as quiet as I could when creeping past his bed. His light snoring comforted me because at least then I knew he wasn't pretending to be asleep to catch me in the act. 

Once I was safely outside of our dorm room I all but sprinted out of the exit. Once I opened the door I took in a huge breath of night air. Looking up you can sort of make out the stars in the clouded, polluted air. My mother loves stars. Well, she used to love stars once she died it’s like a part of me died too. Now I like to sit outside at night and watch the stars. I just sit here and look up and remember when my mom was here, and she’d drag me outside to peer up at the sky with this humongous telescope my dad got her for their anniversary. She would pull me close to her and point up at the sky and then I’d look up with the telescope and she’d tell me the names of the constellations. And so I sat here outside my dorm building in the freezing cold just staring at the stars that I can’t even see because of fog. I just really want my life to go back to when my mother was alive. Everything went downhill. My father shut out everyone and sent me away to live at this horrible boarding school where everyone detests me. And where my roommate has it out for me for no good reason. My father's reasoning for sending me away was stupid and selfish. 

“Luca, mi hijo I'm sorry but I just need some time alone.” Was all he said to me and then he just sent me on my way. He didn’t even look me in the eyes when he said it. 

I’d been out here for fifteen minutes in silence before I noticed the tears. Once I realized the tears it turned into a sob. A gut-wrenching sob that I couldn’t control no matter how I tried. 

Suddenly the door was thrown open and there he was, Oliver, standing there looking like he caught me in some dangerous act. 

“ Wait, why are you crying?” He sounded so strained that he kind of just stood there. I stared at him and we were both kinda just frozen until I just looked away and quietly cried again. 

“Can you just go away? Please?” I pleaded and instead of going away, he sat down next to me. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t need to talk about it or anything?” He nudged me with his shoulder and I shot him a dirty look. 

“Even if I did need to talk it wouldn’t be with you.” Oliver sighed and moved a bit away from me. 

“Right. Sorry.” So we just sat there because this nuisance wouldn’t leave. “You know I’m sorry for threatening to tell on you all those times.” I rolled my eyes. I mean honestly the nerve of men sometimes I just don’t get it. I mean yes I am a man but I’m not stupid like the other ones. Like Oliver. 

“Yeah okay sure…so bye” Oliver groaned and moved back closer to me. 

“Listen, mate, I really am sorry. Now I do not  know why you’re crying but I do know it's better to talk about your feelings.” He tried smiling at me, but I made sure to frown extra hard at him. 

“God, what are you, my therapist?” 

“ I'm sorry for trying to help you.” He was clearly getting annoyed but I just didn’t care. I turned to look at him. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

“Why are you crying?” 

“God I hate your accent.”  He scoffed, sounding offended, but the scoff turned into a sigh pretty quickly. 

“Can you stop being petty for one second please. I’m trying to apologize for being a sh*tty friend.” I wiped away my tears and gave him a questioning look. 

“We were never friends so you are just a sh*tty person.” He actually laughed at that and his laugh echoed in the quiet of the night, and for once he seemed like a person I’d actually be friends with. 

“God, you have such a problem with me eh?” 

“Yes, governor I have the biggest problem with ya,” I said in the worst British accent I can muster up. Which made him laugh even harder that I was afraid we’d get caught by a teacher. 

“That accent was horrid oh my god.” I started to laugh along with him and by the end of it, he was clutching onto my shoulder from laughter. 

“Didn’t realize I was that funny.” 

“Yes well, you are very surprising Luca.” I looked at him and he looked back with a small smile. 

“My mom.”

“Huh?”

“That's why I was crying.” We sat side by side and our shoulders were touching, and he looked concerned. 

“Did your mum…do something to you?”

“Yeah, she died.” He laughed but then seemed guilty about it. “You did not just laugh at me telling you my mom died.” 

“Unfortunately I did yes.” 

“God, you’re the worst.”

“It’s part of my charm darling.” I shoved him for calling me darling, and he just leaned back into me again. 

‘Yeah well she died this year, and my dad just shipped me off here. That's why I’m crying since you’re so concerned.” 

“I’m sorry that sounds like a sh*tty year.” 

“Yeah, you can say that.” He slung his arm over my shoulder and knocked our heads together. 

“I get that. I haven’t had the best year either. It’s been quite the horrible year.” 

“Really what's wrong with your year, your highness?” 

“I’m freezing, can we please go back inside?” 

“What, so I have to talk about my problems but you get a pass? Yeah no. Talk.” Oliver looked uncomfortable and stiff and didn't say anything. So I waited til he was ready. 

“Fine, I guess. Have it your way.” He paused again for a bit and I just let him. Something told me he needed time to figure out what exactly he wanted to say. “My parents aren’t the best in the world. Though they love giving me gifts.” He pulled up his shirt and there was a large bruise on his stomach and it looked faded. 

“Oh damn,” I reached out to touch it but stopped at the last second. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you.” 

“Eh, it's fine besides we’re here to talk about you.” 

“No we’re not, besides it is freezing out here.”

“Why’d you even come outside. I mean you could’ve cried in the bathroom or something.” I chuckled and looked up to the sky once again. A warm feeling spread within me when I could finally see the stars clearly. 

“Came for the stars. They were my mother's favorite thing ever.” He nodded then looked up at the sky. 

“Do you know the constellations? I’ve never known which ones are which.” he shuffled around trying to get comfortable as I cleared my throat.

We sat there and I pointed out the constellations and told him their names. 

By the time I was done I heard his light snoring and felt his head on my shoulder. I gently nudged him awake because it was starting to get really cold outside. 

“C’mon let's go inside.” I tugged at his hand then kept a hold on it when I realized he was still half asleep. I dragged him back to our dorm room and nudged him towards his bed. Then went to my own bed basically collapsing on it with how emotionally tired I felt. 

“Goodnight Luca”

“Goodnight Ollie.” I fell asleep knowing that even if my life’s a little screwed up at least now I wasn’t alone.