"You heading over for dinner?" Pelham asked Lucio, who had just gotten out of the bathroom and was wiping his face with a face towel.

"Are you stupid?" Roshon blurted out, looking up from Pelham's phone from where he had been trying to beat Pelham's highscore at Temple Run 2. "Of course he's going. It's food!"

"Actually, I'm planning to eat here," Lucio answered uncertainly before Pelham could say anything.

Pelham looked smugly at Roshon, crossing his arms while doing so. "Wait, why?" he asked, turning his attention back to the younger boy.

"Well, it's good to be independent. That's what my mum said to me anyway. Grabbing food from the cafeteria is just like staying in a hotel," Lucio explained, giving a light shrug as he did so. "And that's not really camping."

"So is staying inside cabins and allowing the use of mobile phones,"

By which Roshon pressed on the 'home' button and put Pelham's phone slowly on the bed, mouthing I'll beat your damned high-score. "Your mama is smart. You know what? I think I'll stay here and cook too," Roshon finally said, giving Pelham a light slap on the shoulder before getting on his feet.

"You don't even know how to cook," Pelham pointed out.

"We'll see,"

"Last time you cooked, the bacon was stuck on the ceiling and you poured milk into the frying pan,"

"Don't you demean me like that, Nixon,"

"And nearly burned the whole kitchen down five minutes before my parents returned,"

"This is not how I lose my dignity."

Lucio was trying to contain his laughter, which only came in wheezes. Pelham merely shook his head, smiling after his best friend. They still hadn't decided with their sleeping arrangements yet - him and Lucio. But it didn't seem to concern Lucio much, so Pelham ignored the matter for a while as they proceeded to the kitchen after Roshon. It was clear by then that they wouldn't be coming to the cafeteria for dinner at all. Roshon made a few attempts at cooking during the first twenty minutes, having had declined any offer of help from either of the two other boys. Not until he threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "I'LL BE BACK WITH FOOD!" before exiting the cabin.

Really, he had only managed to boil the water. The can of soup sat unopened on the counter. Pelham made no comment.

Fortunately enough, Pelham and Lucio knew how to cook. Pelham; because he had chefs for parents, which was fairly beneficial, for he spent quite a number of times observing them and helping them out. Lucio; because he said his mother told him to pick up the habit. And thankfully, Lucio had brought some ingredients along ("So those were what had been making those clinking sounds in your bag!" said Pelham when he saw Lucio come out with handfuls of small jars in his arms). So while Roshon was out hunting for food like any real camper, they went to cook. Again, Pelham felt like had somehow misjudged Lucio; he wasn't really that reserved boy that Pelham had always assumed him to be, or will talk only when he was talked to. As a matter of fact, he got comfortable around Pelham quite easily. Not really open, but just comfortable, as though they had been friends forever. Amiable, Pelham thought.

They exchanged jokes and stories throughout the whole time, simply doing a mini ice-breaking with each other, especially if they were going to spend a week together and sleeping in the same room. Another thing Pelham learned about Lucio was that he had a great sense of humour. Pelham was glad that his - what Roshon called 'Bed Buddy' - wasn't a gauche, withdrawn boy whose only way of speaking was to mumble. Not that he was developing a crush on Lucio, despite how handsome the boy was. He had long since vowed that he simply couldn't develop some intimate feeling whatsoever towards a boy for a justifiable reason that involved him already being in a relationship. He was gay, he knew that. But he was also in the closet.

Roshon got back nearly an hour later, carrying a bag full of food and juice boxes from the cafeteria - where he got the bag, Pelham hadn't had the faintest idea. At that time, Pelham and Lucio - already finished with their dinner - were lounging on the couch, hashing over their favourite Marvel superhero after Pelham randomly asked what power Lucio would like if he had one.

"Captain America is too mainstream," Lucio was saying.

"Says who? Even I can make a suit out of iron and save America. The world. The galaxy."

"And where are you going to get the talent?"

"Oh, now you're going for the nature-versus-nurture debate?"

"I wasn't-"

"Experience, Lucio. Experience."

Pelham had never really had arguments like this with other people but with Roshon - and sometimes with April, when it came to rock bands (Pelham preferring Linkin Park over everything). He continued proclaiming judgement with Lucio, oblivious to the fact that his best friend was standing at the door, until Roshon cleared his throat.

"I vote for X-Men. Anyone?" he said.

They both turned to look at him, quite startled to see that he was there. "When did you get in?" Pelham asked.

"Five decades ago. Food's nearly rotten. Let's eat before the bacteria do,"

"Already did,"

"The bacteria?"

"Us,"

"Some friend you are - I'm trying to be nice here," Roshon murmured before heading over to the armchair, slurping on a juice box. "So what are we doing tonight?"

Pelham and Roshon looked simultaneously towards Lucio, as though he had the authority to give orders. Lucio remained quiet, not quite knowing what to say or how to act, or when he suddenly became so noteworthy towards the pair of best friends. Pelham had been hoping that Roshon had something good in his mind so they were not going to get bored to death overnight. Something entertaining. After years of being best friends, it was always Roshon who came up with something amusing to do - even if they were in a tedious lecture.

"You know, some of the kids are playing outside ..." Roshon continued, sounding vague.

"'Kids playing outside'," Pelham echoed. "What are we, eight?"

Lucio grinned at that. "I have UNO ..." He suggested rather quietly, hoping that neither of them had heard him. If he were honest to himself, he didn't think either of them were fans of such card games.

"Why didn't you say something?" Pelham exclaimed, springing up from is seat.

"Uh, I thought you guys are ..." Lucio pursed his lips, "you know, too mature to play it."

Roshon gasped - quite melodramatically - at the remark. "I can be negative-three-hundred years old and still beat this twat at it," Pelham pointed out, jerking his head in Roshon's direction, who scowled in response, and proceeding to finish the juice. "Come on, where is it? Rosh, stop eating."

"One; I'm not eating. Two; don't you ever command me of such burdensome task,"

"Don't pick up my vocabulary flair,"

"Ever heard of a thesaurus, Pelham?"

But Pelham was already heading into his and Lucio's bedroom. He headed towards Lucio's backpack and realised soon that he shouldn't be doing this - trying to rummage into someone else's bag - to some random person even if they were his roommate. It was brusque, not to mention that it made him look like the real git in the room. He straightened up, feeling rather abashed, and sent a sheepish grin in Lucio's direction, who was just entering the bedroom.

"It's at the front zipper," Lucio said coolly.

"Uh ..." he was certain his cheeks had gone crimson.

"You're the one who wanted it,"

"I know where you keep it," Pelham said. He bent back down and pulled the zipper open as directed while Lucio watched him from the door. Pelham rummaged through the contents of his backpack.

"It's in-"

"Shut up, I know what UNO cards look like," Pelham persisted, digging his hand deeper.

*

Lucio felt a small smile creep up on his lips as he watched Pelham search through his bag, because there was no way Pelham was going to find the regular box of UNO in his bag. For one, he always kept his card games in a small case with a zipper around it - so much for being neat. Apart from that, there was this small delighted feeling and amusement at the fact that Pelham Nixon was going through his bag. It was fatuous, to an extent. And it had nothing to do with Pelham already taking a hold of the exact small zipper case where Lucio kept his UNO cards - which Pelham, who clearly didn't have a clue that he'd already found what he was searching for, shoved back in. Lucio had always thought that Pelham was attractive - waggish even, especially with his dry, sarcastic remarks - and now, apparently, his habit of using high-vocabulary words.

When Lucio moved in during the previous year, he had developed a tiny liking towards Pelham Nixon, whom he'd first seen had been skating along the pavement towards the school gates with his friend, Roshon. Of course, being an invert himself, he could not deny his feelings. But that was merely a teensy bit of liking - a crush. Nothing serious. Besides, Lucio knew Pelham had a girlfriend. There were, of course, other boys that drew his attention. But Pelham just had to stood out.

Still, he could not help but feel somewhat overwrought when he first discovered that he was being assigned with Pelham and Roshon for the rest of the week. He hadn't gotten a problem at staying with people he hardly even knew. The issue was definitely his small feelings towards the older boy, which he knew - by a comparatively deplorable experience - was going to grow in one way or another.

He was pleased, however, that he didn't go all timid or flustered when he found out that his new roommate was Pelham. He had always characterised Pelham as one of the 'cool seniors' - or 'popular kids'. But apparently, he had been wrong on that matter. In truth, Pelham only hung out with a couple of people; those being his best friend - Roshon - and his rather laid-back girlfriend, April. He would know if Pelham had more close friends; he would've been outside, hanging out with the other students.

Normally, to Lucio, people like Pelham would hang out with a group of more than two friends and do something entertaining around school than to sit at home and chat with random strangers on Omegle - inevitably getting rejected after three seconds of holding one conversation. Again, Pelham was a whole other individual than what Lucio had expected him to be. There was so much about Pelham that he didn't know. But then again, they weren't even friends - not yet, anyway. Lucio was only a year below him. They never shared the same classes. They never hung out at school. And only now, they were just roommates, getting to know some random facts about one another. So he was not going to let his hopes go too high.

A small crush, he told himself. Nothing else.

"Found it!" Pelham yelled in triumph, holding up a the same zipped case he'd neglected earlier on. "Pretty sure I've inspected this before."

"Have you, really?" Lucio said as Pelham passed him.

"Come on, Rosh, last time you beat me to this I didn't even cry!"

"Lucio, you're the man! Why didn't I think of bringing those bad boys along?" Roshon gave Lucio a hard clap on the back that he nearly stumbled forwards.

"Or Twister," Pelham added.

"I have that in my bag," Lucio said with a non-committal shrug.

Roshon stared at him as though he could not believe his ears. "I'm thankful your roommate has gotten injured. Otherwise we would die of boredom without you," Roshon murmured. Pelham gave Roshon's head a loud smack with the palm of his hand. "I mean, okay, I hope he's all right."

"So, Lucio," Pelham rested both arms on the coffee table they were gathering around with a smug expression on his face as he opened the box, "how good are you?"

The first round took them nearly half of an hour to finish; Roshon leading the victory line and Lucio going second. He couldn't help but laugh as the smug expression faded from Pelham's face the moment he won. Roshon was yelling then.

"That's only the first round," Pelham said defensively.

"You wanna bet?" Roshon asked.

Lucio shook his head, laughing; he liked the two friends already. But then, he could feel a twist in his stomach as that thought sank in. He tried to push it away. But it kept coming back - the memories, mostly. Pushing them back was like trying to immerse a floater into a water and telling it to stay underwater. You don't have it anymore, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time since it happened. And it kept replaying in his head for a long while that he didn't realise he'd zoned out of the game. Unfortunately, despite the two best friends' constant retorts, they noticed his slight change in mood.

"Earth to Lucio," Roshon waved a hand in front of his face.

Lucio broke out reverie. "What?" He asked bluntly.

"You just zoned out," Pelham stated.

"Uh ... yeah, I tend to do that a lot."

And Lucio was being honest when he said that.