Chapter 10: 9. HEDONISM

Madonna with Child and Singing Angels, Botticelli, 1477

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Stepping off of the bus, Isaac genuinely believed he'd been transported to another universe. Having never been to a forest before, and having lived in the city his entire life, he never knew nature could be so violently green.

Isaac turned to Asher. "I don't get it. Are we supposed to like...hike and write about flowers we see?"

Asher paid no mind at first, too enthralled by his surroundings to respond. "...You noticed it, right? That this trip feels awfully pointless."

"More so than usual, yes."

"That's because it is." Asher stated all knowingly. "Everyone knows this trip is a way for students to end their second to last year at Eton positively. The teachers think we'll have better things to say when we return home to review our year with our filthy rich and terribly influential parents."

"That doesn't seem like it'd be very effective. They chose the wrong place. Who of the British upper class genuinely enjoys the wilderness? The only leaves we're familiar with are tea leaves."

Asher chuckled. "It is effective, but not for the reasons the teachers intended. Have you not heard the stories about this trip?" he asked, crunching leaves and snapping twigs as he walked the dirt path. "How every student releases his most animalistic instincts in these three short days. Personally, I see the wilderness as a perfectly fitting environment."

Isaac quirked a brow. "What?"

"It's tradition. During the day, we hike and attend lectures—we're the usual golden students. But at night, oh, at night! all hell breaks loose. Think about it. We have two nights outside of campus, two nights where the adults are at rest in their far too distant cabins. This year especially, they've put so much trust in us because of the damn prefects. So even if you say you hate Beckett, you have to at least give him your gratitude for doing his job so perfectly. We have two nights of pure freedom before we return to our parents with way too much power, time, and ridiculously high expectations of us."

"Oh? I'm intrigued. Tell me more."

"The first night, we're expected to meet on the east side of the lake, just past midnight. I've already heard from Elijah that he heard from Nathan that he heard a rumor that Archie and his friends smuggled in bottles of alcohol and cannabis."

"And if you think that sounds crazy, wait until you hear about the second night. There's another school staying at the nearby lodging site. They're inviting anyone who wants to come, and the best news is that it's not another bloody all boys school. My brother went on this excursion two years back, he said he hooked up with two other girls at the same time. Frankly, I don't believe him one bit, but I guess anything is possible when everybody is drunk and high off their minds."

"Jesus. Does everyone participate in this?"

"For the most part, I think so. The prefects vary from year to year, depending on how uptight they are." Asher gasped as if he were struck with a bolt of brilliance. "You know what you should do, Isaac?"

"What should I do, Ash?" he mocked.

"You should invite Josiah, get him to come. I really want to see how he acts drunk."

Isaac smirked, "He's much easier to get along with, that's for sure." He stopped to think. "But I won't bother, I know he'll never put himself at risk."

"Not even if you ask him?"

"Especially if I ask him."

"Want to make a bet?" the curly haired boy challenged.

Isaac stuck out his hand and smirked. "Twenty pounds he says no. Another five if he lectures me about proper behavior."

"You're on, pretty boy."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"As boring as ever, I see," Isaac greeted his roommate as he entered their cabin, five minutes before his shortened curfew.

"Is that your politest way of telling me to get the hell out so that you can have this room all to yourself?" Josiah Beckett responded, placing his open book face down on his nightstand to keep his page.

"Actually it's not. I was merely stating a fact." Isaac said, noticing the familiar cover of a book on the bedside table. "The Picture of Dorian Gray, that's what you're reading?"

"Was reading."

"It's fantastic, isn't it?" Isaac marveled. "How it portrays the captivating story of a man's obsession with beauty and eternal youth, the tale of an innocent soul's fall to sin and self pleasure."

"Fantastic? I would say it's more eye opening and dreadfully realistic, the destruction of a sinful man."

"But it's just so romantic. My dream in life is to live however I desire, to live like Dorian Gray, at least, before he was driven mad. I look to Dorian as he did Henry."

"Now I see where your own hedonistic nature stems from. You look up to terrible people," the prefect sneered. "But if you are to be the Dorian Gray of Eton, then I sincerely hope I am not your Basil—trying to keep you in check and all."

"Basil Hallward was practically in love with Dorian. You are no Basil."

"Good. Because while Lord Henry is the embodiment of the devil, Basil is the saint like figure, and I'd hate for you to associate me him."

"As a saint? I would never."

"You are but an exception, Harley, and I am grateful for that."

"Grateful?"

"Yes, for the fact that you don't view me as some heavenly creature."

"Ah, but the rest of Eton does. I get it."

Isaac, planning to follow through with the bet he made with Ash earlier that day, used this conversation about saints to transition smoothly. "It's for that exact reason...I assume you will reject my invitation to join me in sneaking out to the lake tonight," he said slyly.

Josiah scoffed. "You want me to come to the lake and partake in hedonism with you?"

"It's a shame you can't. After all, you are Eton's prefect, Eton's perfect angel." Isaac turned to leave the room quickly so that he could tell Ash about his rejection.

"W-wait," the other boy stammered, "I never said I wouldn't go with you."

Isaac turned in disbelief. "What?"

"I...I want to go to the lake," the prefect answered sheepishly.

"Why?"

Josiah shied from his gaze. "If I remember correctly you invited me first."

He couldn't believe his ears. Had he egged him on too much? Isaac knew he could never control his snarky attitude when it came to Josiah Beckett. Fantastic, now he owed Ash twenty pounds. He sighed with frustration.

"Be ready by midnight then." Isaac stated, before finally walking out to meet with the boy he now owed money.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Isaac! You made it!" shouted Archie Rivers when he arrived at the arranged spot: east of the lake, a kilometer from the teacher's cabins. "And...Josiah?"

Josiah smiled coldly. "I'm not here as a teacher's spy."

"I know...I'm just...surprised by the odd combination, that's all." Archie shot his eyes from one boy to the other. "Right this way then."

He led them a few steps from the lake, pushing back vines from the forest trees to reveal the notorious Eton getaway. It was surprisingly magnificent: string lights hung from the branches above, music blasted (where the electricity was generated from he did not know), a campfire burned with people sitting around it drinking their stresses away—it was both heaven and hell on Earth.

"Welcome," Archie turned towards them, "to the only paradise you'll ever experience as a student of Eton."

Ash, who arrived ten minutes prior, ran towards him, curls bouncing. "Isaac! Josiah! Join us, we're playing a game."

"What is it?" Isaac asked.

"You'll find out."

They followed him to the campfire more than a dozen kids sat around.

A brunette, which Isaac recognized as Ethan, rose to announce the rules. "We're going to play Truth or Dare, but with a twist—you've all played Spin the Bottle, correct?"

The boys around mumbled answers. "The player is decided by this empty bottle, and we have a basket filled with truths and dares mixed together. It's simple, if the bottle lands on you, you draw. If you don't think you can do what the paper says, you can draw one more time. If you still can't, we get to throw you into the lake. Clear?"

Everyone nodded eagerly.

"Alright, we've already written several truths and dares and placed them in this basket." Archie, who Isaac didn't notice followed him, placed his hand on the bottle, ready to spin it. "Let the game begin!"

The chances of the bottle landing on Isaac were moderately low. Still, it was nerve wracking to watch it land. The first spin landed on Asher. He reached into the basket.

"Dare: Jump into...the lake." Asher pouted like a child. "Okay, seriously, what idiot put this in here?"

Archie started cracking up, as if his dare was the most clever dare to ever exist.

"I'm redrawing!" He reached in angrily. "Dare: kiss the cheek of the person on your left."

Archie turned to his right. "God, no."

"This ones for you!" Asher shouted as he planted a big, wet kiss on Archie's cheek. Everyone laughed at the absurdity of the scene that appeared straight from a weekly comic.

The next spin landed on Adam, who had to down an entire bottle of beer straight. When the boys rooted for him to continue, he gave in easily to the peer pressure and downed another. The third spin, which landed on Archie, forced him to reveal he was a virgin. And although most of the boys weren't shocked, everyone pretended to be out of pity. Brandon took LSD, describing his acid hallucinations in vivid detail to the rest of the boys. Apparently, he saw colors he never knew existed. He named one color Aphrodite and the other Athena, because one color gave him good advice and the other was so strikingly beautiful that he became aroused.

Perhaps he shouldn't have taken more than one tablet.

The bottle continued to spin, until it landed on the other prefect who was convinced by his roommate to come: Charlie Franz. He grabbed a slip of paper.

"Truth:" he announced, "so you currently like anyone? If so, who?"

Isaac saw the immediate anxiety in his face. He noticed his first glance towards Josiah and the red in his cheeks. He was right, they were romantically involved. Perhaps he'd accidentally come between them.

"Isn't this two questions?" Charlie asked while smiling nervously. "But it's fine, I don't like anyone at the moment, sadly."

Must be complicated, Isaac thought to himself. He figured, no one would sleep around if they were in a committed relationship. Before he could finish his theories, the bottle landed on him, forcing him to draw from the woven basket.

He felt eyes looking deep into his soul as he read from the paper. "Truth: who was your first love?"

The other boys fell silent.

"Well that's an easy one," he said without a care, "I was fourteen and she was two years older. We lived in poverty together. I haven't seen her since then."

The crowd of boys gossiped amongst themselves at the news.

"Back when I was naive and desperate, I'd fall in love with anyone who was nice to me, anyone I found physically attractive. I've definitely learned my lesson though." He admit as he smiled to himself. "The strength and lure of kindness and beauty is a mysterious thing isn't it?"

The boys sat still, mouths agape.

Ash leaned over and whispered into his ears. "You never told me you lived on the street."

"I like to avoid depressing conversations. Look at the mood now, I ruined it."

The bottle was spun again. It landed on Josiah Beckett. He was handed the basket, and pulled out a crumpled paper. "Truth: If you could sleep with anyone here...who would it be?"

He froze in his spot.

"How about none of you?" he finally sneered.

The boys booed. "Draw another one or we'll toss you, coward!"

"Fine." He reluctantly jammed his hand back into the basket. "Dare: for fifteen seconds, kiss...kiss the..." his voice lowered and he frowned at his paper. "Kiss the last person the bottle landed on."

Isaac's eyes widened at the realization. That's me isn't it?

"I don't think that's appropriate," said Josiah.

"Come on! Prove to us that you're not just a strict prefect and do something exciting for once."

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" they chanted.

Jesus, was Archie's explicit content not providing enough stimulation for these horny teenagers?

Josiah gave him a questioning look, as if to ask, "should we?"

He could only shrug in response. To be honest, Isaac certainly didn't want to be thrown into a cold lake. He downed the rest of his bottle and walked towards the center. When he reached Josiah, he spoke as discreetly as possible. "Make this quick. No open mouth, no tongue, no lip biting."

Josiah smirked. "Yeah, if you can control yourself. I know you."

"I so can."

I so can't.

The other ten boys leaned forward, overly eager for the show.

They brought their faces together.

One.

It started off with the closing of eyes and a gentle brush of lips.

Two.

They both started to apply force.

Three.

The pressure intensified, and Isaac found himself unintentionally placing his hand on the side of Josiah's face to keep the kiss steady.

Four.

Josiah did the same with Isaac, cupping both warm hands around his face.

Five.

As he predicted, Isaac lost his sense of thought and opened his mouth out of habit.

Six.

Josiah surprised Isaac when he inserted his tongue.

Seven.

Isaac moaned quietly.

Eight.

Josiah used this opportunity to tug on Isaac's lip.

Nine.

Isaac mentally swore at the feeling.

Ten.

He felt his pants growing tight.

Eleven.

Isaac pulled away, unable to complete fifteen seconds. "We're done here," he said with heavy breath.

The other boys participating in the game of Truth or Dare were left speechless at the sight.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a piss," he said, before running into the forest. He knew his lie was blatant, but his body was so hot from both his embarrassment and desire that he had to escape.

He ran deeper into the forest, not deep enough to lose his sense of direction, but enough to be unseen. Leaning against a tree, he gasped for air. He sat in silence, staring down at what his body had created, unsure of what to do. For a good while, he tried to think of sad events, which he found easy in his life abundant with misery, but he couldn't relax his lower half.

Bloody hell.

He lowered his hand, ready to take care of this himself.

"Harley?" a deep voice asked from the dark. Isaac shrunk his body to hide behind a tree. "I know you're here."

He closed his eyes and swore before revealing himself. "Why did you follow me here Josiah?"

"You kind of surprised everyone when you ran out. Is everything alright?"

"I...I got an..." He buried his face in his hands. "I got an erection."

"You what?"

"I got hard, dammit!"

"Are you still..."He trailed off.

"Yes!" His face was burning with embarrassment.

Josiah stared before letting out an airy laugh. He stepped closer, backing Isaac into the tree, placing a hand firmly between his legs. Pressing down—hard—he spoke with voice like silk into his ear. "Do you want me to help?"

Isaac breathed in and nodded quickly. Helplessly. Desperately.

Josiah placed a kiss on his neck, using his hands to slide Isaac's shirt up. He kissed his chest, then his stomach, and proceeded to move further below where Isaac had intended.

"Don't do that... " he bit his bottom lip, then gasped out. "Y-your hand is f-fine."

"Shhh, you're so loud," the prefect teased, "do you want to be caught looking like this? It's rather erotic."

Isaac hated how these acts made him feel, but he was especially weak when compared to Josiah. He felt completely powerless, like raw prey being swallowed whole by a predator. And that predator was hungry—starving even—for every taste of him.

He tugged at the other boy's hair. "Josi-ah! I swear if you don't fucking stop...I'm going to co-mmmm...in...oh dear God, Beckett," he groaned, jerking from against the tree.

Not bothering to wipe his mouth, Josiah rose and pressed tainted lips against his.

Isaac pushed him off angrily and spit the vile substance out. "What the hell was that for? That was disgusting!"

"That," Josiah smiled, appearing more satisfied than Isaac, "was for what you did in the locker room the other day."

Isaac scowled.

Josiah offered his hand like a chivalrous prince to his princess. "Shall we? Return, that is."

"You're insufferable," he muttered, smacking his hand away before heading back on his own, Josiah trailing after.

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