The first day of my college experience, I was eighteen. Because of the Advanced Placement programs at my high school I was entering the college world with my Freshman year already done. That meant no freshman hazing. No last picks for classes. No stupid Freshman only rules. It was gonna be great.
I decided not to join a fraternity until I got into the flow of my studies so I was staying at the dorms. My roommate, Derek was supposedly a junior. I hadn't met him yet but I had friended him on Facebook last month and he seemed cool enough. He was a jock. I think he played Basketball but I couldn't be sure.
I said goodbye to my parents and went back up to my room to start unpacking. When I got up there, Derek had already started to unpack his own bags. Including a huge flatscreen. He was setting it up on the shelving system on the opposite wall of his bed above his desk.
"Hey." I said as I walked in. "I'm Matt."
Derek turned to look at me. "Derek." His voice was low and smooth, like a sixties jazz singer. "You're the boy genius, right?"
I actually blushed. "Nah, I'm just organized." My blush deepened at the idiotic statement.
He chuckled. "When did you turn eighteen?" He asked.
"Only a few days ago." I mumbled. "How old are you?"
He smiled as if he found the question amusing. "Twenty. Not quite old enough to buy my own yet but I got plenty of people lined up."
I felt my brow furrow. What did he mean? "Uh . . ." Then it hit me. "Oh! Alcohol! Like beer and stuff."
"Yeah." He laughed. "And stuff." He folded his arms across his chest and the muscles in his arms bulged. I gulped as I watched them ripple. What was happening to me? "You never drank?"
I shook my head. "Never got around to it."
"That's cool man." He looked as if he was reconsidering that. "People will probably give you shit about it. If anyone else asks, say you have but you did some stupid stuff back home and don't want to get back into it. Make shit up about a fresh start. Wouldn't want you're impressionable mind to be influenced too horribly."
I just nodded. "Thank you. "
He smiled and it somehow reminded me of a lion. And I was the lamb.
. . .
It was three weeks later by the time something else substantial happened. We had fallen into this routine with homework, his practice, eating and sleeping. We barely had time for anything else. But it was about this time the Teachers decided to stop trying to scare the weak willed away with more homework than was humanly possible, and Derek's coach seemed to feel his team could get by with an hour less a practice now that they refreshed themselves on the plays.
So we were siting on our beds respectively, when Derek started to throw his ball at the wall. I didn't understand his need to have the basketball with him at all times but he claimed it was to keep him in an intimate relationship with it. What ever the hell that meant. We usually didn't talk to much, not wanting to bother the other while they were working. But today Derek didn't seem to give a shit.
The throws were at an infuriating pace. Just when I thought he was done the ball would hit. I ended up reading the same sentence ten times. "Derek." I started. THWACK
"Yeah, Boy Genius?" THWACK.
He knew I didn't like being called that. I think it was the boy part. I was eighteen. I wasn't a kid anymore. "Can't concentrate." I weakly protest.
"That essay's not due for weeks." THWACK. I wasn't even working on an essay.
Before I could get angry, I just shut my Statistics book and grabbed the book I was doing for my Lit report. That's when the ball hits the back of my chair. "Duuuude!" Derek complained. "I am so bored."
"Then watch something on TV." I suggest lightly.
"Like what? Cable sucks and my Netflix isn't working today."
"I don't know." I thought for a moment. "Hook it up to your laptop."
"Great solution." He praised me sarcastically. I turned back to my work to avoid my pink cheeks being noticed.
THWACK!
I nearly snapped my pencil. Giving up on any homework, I jumped onto my bed. I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through Facebook.
THWACK!
This time the ball hit mere inches away from my head. I flinched as the ball landed on my left side. "Derek," I whined.