I shrugged my school bag higher up my shoulder, trying to make myself invisible as I trudged my way through the vast grounds of the Prestigious Black Stone University. The massive structure glittered in the sunlight, half made of glass. The school was one of the highest and most sought after school in the States. It's structure was the third best in the city with the greatest facilities. Seventy percent of top notch individuals in the state, emerged from Black Stone.

I had never thought I would make it into a school like this. It was the school for the famous and wealthy kids. Yes, I had been the best student in my year in high school but I knew my single mother wouldn't be able to afford a school like this for me and also I stood no chase getting in so I hadn't thought to apply until my principal had called me to his office, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Good news, Miller. I just received a letter from Black Stone University. Apparently the blogs had put so much heat on their back about them not being receptive so they decided to embark on a scholarship hunt. A scholarship exam will be carried out and the best twenty students will be picked," he said.

I had applied immediately then written the exams. Yeah, three exams. Afterwards I hadn't given it much thought. I went ahead and applied for an admission at Pinewood University and got accepted. But then during my sister's birthday, a representative from Black Stone had called stating that I had been accepted into the university. It had taken a few moments for the information to sink in but after that I couldn't stop screaming. I could still remember the tears of joy and relief on my mother's face upon hearing the news. Now here I was, living the dream I had once thought was impossible.

As soon as I walked into the main hall, the temperature of the room dropped. I spun around, gazing at the magnificent structure in awe. The bright overheard light shone on the glass tiles, making them sparkle like tiny diamonds. A few students milled around the vast space while others moved about taking the escalator and stairs to different parts of the building.

"Hey! Watch it kid!" A tall guy warned, taking off his headset when I mistakenly bumped into him while looking around.

I immediately backed away, holding up my hands. "I'm sorry. Just looking around," I smiled.

He glanced around for a split second then shot me a look of disbelief and annoyance. Placing his headset back in place, he turned and stormed off, muttering about "damn freshers." 

I stared at his retreating back wondering what his problem was, then shrugged. Guess some people were just born grumpy.

I glanced around, looking for someone laid-back I could ask for direction around. I spotted a kid wearing a blue athletic outfit. His mouth was moving. He seemed to be counting the number of times he bounced the basketball in his hands.

I approached him, "Hey! Excuse me. I'm new here and I don't know my way around. I need to get to the admins office. Do you know where I can find it?" I asked.

He didn't look up at me or pause his bouncing for a second, just flicked his finger in the direction of an attached room made of glass. "The glass box over there," he replied. 

"Oh! Okay. Thanks."

He nodded, his mouth resuming it's silent movement again. I stared for several moments at how fast the ball bounced then turned and made over to the 'glass box.'

The glass box was an office made of glass with a partition in the middle. A woman with a burgundy hair sat behind a desk, clicking away. A large bear fur was wrapped tightly around her neck.

"Excuse me ma'am." I called, knocking lightly on the partition.

She paused and turned towards me. "Are you a fresher?"

I nodded in affirmation.

"Alright. The little card you were given at the gate, place it on the scanning machine over there." She gestured to a small beeping device beside me.

I quickly pulled the yellow card from my pocket and placed it on the screen of the machine. It beeped loudly.

"Sage Miller?" She asked. 

"Yes ma'am." I confirmed.

She turned right back to her computer and began clicking away. Several students walked past. Some didn't spare me a glance, some looked at me indifferently while others shot me looks of disdain, probably because I wasn't dressed like they were. My white long sleeved shirt and black pants were neatly pressed but it was pretty easy to tell that they weren't new. The slightly worn out pair of Nikes I wore definitely didn't rhyme with the killer combat boots or Jordans of the students who streamed in. I glanced away, mentally scolding myself for being materialistic.

"Here is you pass." The admin said, successfully cutting off my train of thought. She had left her desk and was now standing in front the glass. "I advise that you hold it closely and not loose it. If you do, you won't be allowed immediate access into the school premises. Today is different though." She glanced around. "All freshers are resuming today so the security is a bit lax."

Nodding, I accepted the pass from the tiny partion in the glass. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you ma'am."

"Hold on." She said as she picked up the telephone and dialed. "Tania, please can you send a representative down? We have another fresher." She waited a bit, "Yeah. That will be perfect." Dropping the receiver, she turned back to me, "Stick around." And with that I was dismissed.

Shifting uneasily, I glanced at my watch then around, biting hard on my nails. Several minutes passed and still no one showed up. I considered asking the admin but just as I was about to, I heard a voice say, "Hon if you keep at that, your knuckles will be gone in no time."

I turned around to find a tall guy with blue spikey hair grinning at me. His blue eyes gleamed with mischief, complimenting the playful expression on his boyish face. He looked like a "boy next door" with his black baggy jeans and multicolored T-shirt. 

"Ohh! He's checking me out." He exclaimed, giving a playful twirl.

Blushing, I replied quickly. "Uh- no. I was just-"

"Tone it down a notch, Trey. You can't keep hitting on every male fresher who walks through those doors." The woman behind the desk interjected.

"Miss keys!" He exclaimed, moving towards the glass partition. "But you know he's the second fresher I have graced with my presence today. The older students get to have the other male specimens to themselves. Not fair," he grumbled.

She ignored his statement, "I asked Tania for a school rep and she sends me you?" She said, shaking her head.

"Well I happened to be the only one available. Others are either too tired or busy, so I volunteered again."

"Again." She emphasized, lips quirking.

"You know you love me, Miss Keys." He grinned boyishly, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Her stoic expression immediately softened and she smiled, her dimples prominent. "Unfortunately I do. Now get the hell out of here Trey. I'm busy." She replied good naturedly and turned back to her computer, clicking away.

He turned towards me, shaking his head. "Pardon my bad manners. I'm Trey. Trey Kaden." He said, shaking my hands.

"I'm Sage. Sage Miller." I replied, adopting his introductory method.

Throwing his head backwards, he barked out a laugh and drawled out the word "Nice," which made me laugh. 

"I like you already," he smiled. "Come on Sage, let's get you settled. "

As we made our way through the school, I realized that I really liked Trey. Yes he was a chatterbox but he was also very respectful, observant and considerate. It was also obvious that he was gay. I was out but wasn't as comfortable as Trey seemed to be. Past traumas were negative contributing factors so I formed a habit of only admitting my sexuality when people asked about it. But looking at Trey and seeing how comfortable he seemed with himself, I decided right then not just to befriend Trey but to also try to be more open about my sexuality.

"You are going to there for the freshers initiation party, right? I've been preparing for quite a while now." Trey said in excitement, interrupting my train of thought.

I turned towards him, confused. "But you are not a fresher."

"What?" He asked looking confused, eyebrows drawn together but after a few seconds his expression eased. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I really should be used to that by now but I'm not. I'm a fresher too. Here is the thing. My mother has worked here for years as the head of sport so I have spent pretty much half of my days touring this grounds. That's how I got to know the staffs and most of the students. It's weird but children of staff are allowed easy access into the school but once there is a sniff of trouble, you get kicked out immediately. After high school I just thought it wise for me to apply here, you know and I did get in."

"Oh! That makes sense. I'm glad you got in."

"Yeah, same." He winked as he gazed at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What?" I asked hesitantly.

We had come to a stop in front of a lecture hall which I guessed was ours. Students milled about chatting while a few drifted into the hall. The double doors were made of glass, giving slight view of the hall.

"Are you gay, Sage? Cuz my gay radar is going haywire. Though you look straight as hell with that outfit," He commented, gesturing at me. "I feel you you are not. Call it sychic power or whatever. So tell me, am I right or wrong?"

The bomb I had been expecting had been dropped way too soon and I didn't know how to feel about it. I debated on going with the flow or stalling for a while.

Trey must have seen the hesitation on my face because he quickly backtracked, "Shit! I shouldn't have," he whispered to himself. "I'm sorry if that's a sensitive topic for you and it's okay if you felt offended by my question. I shouldn't have asked so soon. I'm really sor-"

"I'm gay." I heard myself say, halting his apology. But I must have said it too loudly because several people gathered around the entrance glanced in our direction, shock boldly written on their faces.

I froze. My heart beat very fast as I turned towards Trey to make sure I wasn't in some kind of trance. He looked as shocked as the other students but quickly recovered and laughed. 

"Alright love. I guess it's not a secret now." He said, gesturing towards a group of girls who were now openly whispering and staring at us. "Don't panic but entire school will definitely get to know before the day is over."

"Was that supposed to help?" I blanched and turned to flee but he smoothly blocked my path.

"Please wait. Damn it. I'm really making it worse, aren't I? Let's hope it doesn't get out but even if it does, it will fizzle out sooner than you expect. If you try to run now though, you'll just end being a target and they will come after you. So I advise you, let it be."

I grimaced, "I really didn't plan on admitting my sexuality to a bunch of strangers on my first day in college."

"Well life happens to the best of us. Thought you said you were out in high school?" He enquired.

"I was. But never did the whole standing up on a chair announcement thingy." I had just told a few who cared to ask about my sexuality and word eventually got around. I always wondered what the fuse of coming out was all about.

"Oh! I guess you are one of those who don't like the whole coming out thing. Well I'll make you see reasons later."

"Alright," I shrugged.

"Another scum to add to the list of scums prancing around here." A tall blonde guy said loudly, pointedly staring at Trey and I. His friends and a few other students snickered in response. All eyes were on us again as they waited to see what would happen next.

Trey immediately tensed beside. "Hey! Watch it!" He snarled and stepped forward but I tugged him back.

"Or what blue? What are you going to do? Nothing." The jerk face spat.

Trey's face flushed deeply, he looked ready to explode. "Just let it go. It's not worth it." I said, trying to convince him. I was angry but not as angry as Trey. I was used to hearing things like this. It was one of the reasons why I didn't like the coming out thing. When people found out I was gay in high school, a number of them were not that thrilled about it and I was made fun of for a while. They immediately switched up though when I began to shine academically. And that was that. I would even as far as saying I was immune to ribbing.

"But that would be a lie." The voice at the back of my mind whispered.

"Look, they are here." A girl to the right suddenly exclaimed, diverting everyone's attention.

I watched as the crowd patched and five guys walked through. My eyes fastened on the guy with the deathly, cold eyes.