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Sarad blushed a little, but he shook his head, "you can change here. it's your room, after all. i'll be reading anyways, so it won't bother me." he picked up the book he'd been reading and quickly stuck his nose in it, keeping it close to make it obvious he wasn't looking. Those kinds of rumors were always following him, it was the curse of his looks and build not to mention his lack of interest in the girls of there class. it wasn't just girls, he didn't see anyone in that way. he strongly suspected he was asexual, but since he'd never experienced it, he couldn't draw a definite conclusion just yet. he himself planned to change once Dale was asleep. he still had a few bruises from his cousins he'd rather not explain.

Sarad lowered his book when he heard the rustling of the bed sheets. "Hmm?" he looked over and then turned the book so that Dale could see the cover, forgetting his didn't have his glasses on. "oh, sorry, it's my pre-med text. i like to read them before i start the class so i can know what to expect." he shrugged, it was a good way to keep his aunt off his back. sometimes he'd slip the cover of one of his texts onto a different book, but he enjoyed reading them so it wasn't too much of a bother. "let me know if i need to turn off the light, ok?" he said softly, knowing that Dale was probably tired and didn't really want to talk

Sarad flushed at the compliment. pretty? freakish and weird he could see, but pretty? he heard Dale's heavier breathing and quieted down, letting him rest. once he was sure that Dale was in a deep REM cycle, he changed into his own pajamas and curled up in his blankets. he sighed softly as he snuggled in, his thin frame shivering until the space around him was warmed with his body heat. he finally slipped down into unconsciousness after an hour of trying, his dreams garbled and upsetting. he woke early and just lay in the warmth of the covers. a squinted glance at the clock let him know he could lay there for another twenty minutes before he had to get up for class.

Sarad woke when he heard movement and for a moment, paniced. his heart raced as he tensed slightly, waiting for whatever his cousins had planning. memory of where he was returned as Dale left for his shower and Sarad sat up, rubbing his eyes. he was at school. he was safe. having reassured himself, Sarad lay back down and got a little more sleep before Dale returned. he remained still, acting as if her were still sleeping, and waited for Dale to leave for the day before dropping back into a deeper sleep. the door opening woke him, as did the smell of waffles. he lifted his head slightly as Dale spoke, confused. why was he being so kind? maybe that was just how he normally was? if that was true, it was going to take a while for Sarad to get used to kindness for the sake of kindness. "thank you," he murmured as he lowered his head back down. Dale left and only then did Sarad sit up to stare at the door curiously.

he shrugged and started to get ready, unable to go back to sleep a second time. he showered and dried off before eating the now cold waffles. were still delicious, Sarad had a fondness for waffles which made Dale's choice interesting. a lucky guess? he finished and gathered his supplies before he took the dishes to the cafeteria. he went to class and claimed his usual seat in the back, nearest the door. teachers always pointed out that those who sat closest to the front got better grades, but Sarad had been proving that wrong for years.

morning classes dragged since they were all the same thing over and over. intro to the class, intro to each other, going over what to expect in the class, the teachers making it seem worse than it would be to scare away the weak hearted. Boring. Sarad just wanted to start learning. they were assigned readings that Sarad had already done and told to be ready to work hard come tomorrow. he went to lunch at the cafeteria and got himself a Chinese combo. fried rice, noodles, chicken chow mein, and potstickers. he found an empty table and sat down to eat.

Sarad looked up when he heard the chair across from him being pulled back. he was surprised to be joined until he saw who it was, "hello, Dale. thank you for the waffles waffles earlier." he shook his head a little, "thank you, no. feel free to have anything on mine, i'm nearly done." he'd only eaten about half of his plate, but he never ate much to begin with. the lunch ladies hadn't listened when he asked for a half portion. he felt bad wasting so much food, maybe he could take it to his dorm for later? "they were boring. i get tired of the intro stuff, it's all the same anyways. how about you? how was your class?" Dale was done for the day, right? Sarad wondered what it would be like to be free by noon. he wouldn't know what to do with himself

Sarad smiled, "that is for sure. i don't mind, i've nothing else to do with my time, but i understand that i'm unique." he says 'unique', but the words most commonly used were 'nerd' or 'bookworm'. "i've a couple more classes this afternoon, but i'll be careful when i come back to the room in case you are sleeping." he'd check and if Dale was asleep, he'd go to the library instead. he didn't want to be a bother. he saw the look that Dale gave his plate and he smiled a little, "i don't eat much. i usually only get small portions, but they always forget at the beginning of the year."

Sarad played with his chopsticks a little, "it's not just that-" he said softly, looking down, "i sort of speak with them now and then. so they know me a bit better than just a face." truth be told, he'd made friends with several of the people working in the kitchen. he asked a lot of questions when they had their down time after lunch and before dinner and they'd taken a liking to him. they just forgot he didn't eat much. he suspected they were trying to fatten him up, but he honestly couldn't eat more than half a plate of food at a time. "you don't sleep for more than an hour at a time? have you talked to someone about that, it's not healthy."

Sarad looked down, it was true. he never had been very good at making friends, at least not with people his own age. but adults seemed to like him well enough, at least those not related to him. "not really, i spend too much time with my studies to make friends." he could hear his uncle telling him that he had no need for friends, they were just a waste of time. the only thing he was allowed to focus on was his studies and upholding the family name. "oh, forgive me, i misunderstood. but that must be nice to sleep so deeply," Sarad only obtained that level of serenity about half way through the school year, when his unconscious brain finally accepted they really were safe. he looked up at the time and gathered his books, "sorry, class starts soon." he took their trays and smiled, "see you later." Sarad inclined his head before taking both trays to the dirty dish area and hurrying out the door. maybe he could actually become friends with Dale. it seemed like Dale was willing. that gave him something to hope for and made his next classes not as boring to sit through.