Living Years

Disclaimer: The following story contains activity that would be considered of homosexual nature between consenting college students. While none of it crosses into a gratuitous nature, if such material is offensive to you or you are not of the legal age to read such material in your area, please do not. Other than that, please enjoy the story!

The Living Years

Chapter Two "Left to Chance"

What had he done? That's all Trey had been thinking about. What he'd done during his orientation session.

He'd kissed another boy!

And what exactly was it supposed to mean? Did it make him....gay?

He knew well enough to know that people experimented in college. But he hadn't actually been at college officially. He was only staying a few days.

But the kiss. Did he like it? He didn't want to think about it, but it was all he could think about.

Especially now that it was finally time to go back to the place where it happened.

Two and a half months had gone by since the kiss had occurred between him and Noah and it was now time for school to start. Granted, he hadn't spoken to Noah since. It was probably for the best, as it was the only way they could keep the awkwardness of the situation off of their minds.

Of course, that hadn't stopped Trey from thinking about it. He couldn't be gay. He had never even thought about any guys at all before the kiss. He wasn't even sure how or why it had happened. It wasn't like he had any experience in the love department. He'd never had a girlfriend and certainly hadn't thought about boyfriends.

It was all so new to him and strange.

And completely the wrong time to be thinking about it and he shrugged it off as his mother knocked on the outside of his door and walked in.

"Hey baby," she spoke, kissing him on the forehead.

Trey smiled sheepishly as he folded a pair of briefs and packed them away in his bag.

Trey wasn't afraid to admit that he was definitely a momma's boy. He loved his mother and respected her for all the hours she'd taken on to pay for his education. He rarely mouthed off to her, and if he did he always apologized. Basically, he would do anything to make her happy and at this point, he definitely knew that having a gay son wouldn't make her happy at all.

"Oh, Trey...now I know I taught you how to fold better than this," his mom said, taking a shirt from Trey's hands and pushing him lightly aside. "Let me do the folding. You worry about something else."

Trey pretended to be offended as he walked over to his dresser and grabbed his bottle of cologne from it.

"So this is it huh, my baby's going out into to the world to make something of himself."

"We'll see about that," Trey replied, walking back over to his back.

"Now I don't wanna hear none of that nonsense now, boy," his mom said. "I wanted you to go to college because I didn't want my baby ending up like me. Broke and living in the projects."

"Momma-"

"It's true Trey. That's why I want you to go to that school and study hard. Don't let anybody up there try and get you to do them dirty drugs."

"I did a good job avoiding that so far," Trey spoke.

"I know baby and I'm proud of you for that. But I just want you to stay focused up there, Lord knows it's already hard for a black man to get anywhere in this world without facing a bit of trouble."

Trey sighed and sat down on the bed.

His mother stopped folding and sat down next to him.

"Now I'm not gonna cry......" she said, wrapping her arms around Trey. "I gotta be strong so you can be strong."

Trey and his mom just sat on the bed for a few minutes, Trey waiting for his mother to regain the strong composure she was trying to maintain, before she spoke again.

"And don't be running around chasing any fast little hoochies up there neither," his mom smiled.

Trey laughed and stood up, turning away from his mother.

If only he did have that problem to contend with, he figured things would be so much easier. ***********************************************************************

"Hey....what about this?" Ben asked, holding up a snorkel.

"Ben, where the hell are we gonna go scubba diving on campus?" Shawn replied, going back to his own packing.

"You never know," Ben sighed. "I mean I'm sure there's people up there all the time wishing they'd brought their autographed baseball card or Scream Halloween mask."

Shawn just ignored Ben as he continued packing.

The summer had been an all around enjoyable experience for him. Of course, he would have had more fun if he hadn't found himself thinking about what had happened during the orientation session.

He'd met some pretty interesting people, none of them more over the top than a rich British kid named Jesse, whom he hadn't heard from since.

And of course there was his own roommate for that weekend, a tough street looking but not acting black guy named Trey.

Trey had been the person he found himself thinking about the most over the summer. That confused him. He didn't think about guys like he did Trey and he hated the fact that he was.

He wasn't really sure why the hell he was even thinking about Trey of all people. After all, he hated Trey. He was a loser and there wasn't anything special about him.

Nothing special that Shawn cared to think about or dwell on.

"Oh, hey boys...getting everything ready?" Shawn's mother spoke, walking into Shawn's room.

Shawn stood up and walked over to his laptop, beginning to unplug all the cords.

"Hey Mrs. Wright," Ben spoke. "Tell Shawn that we might need a snorkel at-"

"You won't need a snorkel Benjamin," Shawn's mother replied. "I'm still amazed you made it into college. You never were very sensible."

"One of these days Mrs. Wright...." Ben smiled.

Shawn's mother walked over to her son and stood next to him, as he worked to pack away his computer.

"I'm proud of you, you know that?"

"Yes mom, I've heard this speech before, remember?"

Shawn stood up and put his laptop into one of his bags.

"Well I am. And I have a right to be, you're my one and only baby boy."

"Not a baby," Shawn smiled.

"Look at the friends you carry with you," his mother spoke, nodding in Ben's direction.

"Hey I resent that," Ben said, putting on his hat.

"Don't worry, mom, I'll be fine up there," Shawn spoke.

"Of course you will, you're a good boy," Shawn's mother replied.

"Yeah...sure he is," Ben chuckled.

"Benjamin, I think it's about time I tell you the story about how your mother and father found you on the side of the road one cold winter morning," Shawn's mother replied.

Ben looked up at her wide eyed.

"Found me?" he spoke.

Shawn chuckled to himself as he continued packing. ***********************************************************************

"Did I ever tell you the story of how I beat the prince and David Beckham at football?" Jesse spoke.

The room was noisy, as loud blaring music was playing in several of the speakers around the house. The house itself was jam-packed full of people, who were all doing anything from dancing to the music to jumping from the third floor down to the second, where the large indoor pool led directly to.

Jesse of course, had thrown a party, not expecting his father to come home at all. Only, having finished his work a little early, he had come home.

He'd come home to Jesse's party that was at its peak and out of control.

"Hey, old wanker....feeling a bit lost there?"

Jesse's father looked around at all the young people dancing and drinking, flabbergasted at what was going on in his own house.

"Hey Jesse, you've ran out of those neat little roll things," Jesse's friend Cameron shouted from one of the kitchen's.

Jesse's father watched as Cameron took out a box of Pizza Rolls and started getting them ready.

"What the devil are you eating?" he asked.

"Oh, they're called Pizza Rolls," Cameron replied. "Yeah, Jesse brought them back from America."

Jesse's father snorted at the food before going off to find his son in the mess of a party.

"So I said to Britney, the next time you come to London, it better be without that loser husband of yours."

Everyone surrounding Jesse laughed as Jesse shifted one girl off of his lap in exchange for another one.

"Now Melissa-"

"It's Sharon-"

"It's what I said, isn't it? Anyway, Sharon...let me tell you all about how I single handedly helped Mariah Carey get back on her feet after her drug-"

Jesse stopped in mid sentence once he saw his father headed his way.

"If you guys wanna see a real show, watch this," he said just as his father was finally reaching him.

"What's all this then?" his father asked.

"What does it look like?" Jesse replied. "Just a simple gathering of friends."

"Simple gathering?! Jesse, have you gone mad?"

Jesse moved Sharon and Melissa from his lap and stood up.

"Look, I don't see what the big deal is. I have parties all the time-"

"Yes, but not when you're supposed to be packing for college!"

Jesse sighed and crossed his arms.

"Oh...that," he spoke flatly. "I've actually changed my mind. I've decided to go to school when I feel like it later on."

It was Jesse's father's turn to sigh with annoyance as he looked around at the party goers before looking back at his own son.

"Jesse-"

"Father, if you'd only saw the things that I had....I mean, it's bad enough everyone there was such a pathetic wanker, but now I know it must be in for other guys there to snog each other."

"Nope, unacceptable," his father replied. "Not when you spend almost two hundred thousand dollars paying all your expenses up front. You won't be pissing away my money!"

"Actually, I got it from mummy," Jesse replied, coyly.

"Not surprised, she was never a sensible woman, even when I was married to her."

"Father can we just drop it for now? I'm not being a good host standing here arguing with you!"

Jesse's father looked his son directly in the eyes.

"Listen to me you bloody little scag," he started. "Either you go to this pathetic school you've picked out, or I'll cut you off."

"You wouldn't-"

Jesse's father flashed his son a bemused look before taking out his cell phone and beginning to dial a number.

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked.

His father just put on a coy little smile as he put the phone to his ear. Jesse turned around and looked at his company behind him, who all looked like they were trying to fight back laughs.

"Ah yes, I'd like to empty an account please."

"Father stop it!"

"Yorkshire, Jesse."

"Father stop it now, you're embarrassing me!"

Jesse's father pulled the phone down and covered it with his hand.

"Tell everyone to go home so that you can pack, now!"

Jesse, realizing where to pick his battles, sighed and turned around to face his friends.

"Oh yeah Jesse, that was quite a show alright," one of his friends said, finally laughing with everyone else. ***********************************************************************

"Dude.....this taste like....sweet nothingness...." Noah's friend Kaz said as he lay on his back on Noah's bed.

"Dude get up, you're on my shit," Noah spoke, pulling a shirt from under Kaz's back.

Kaz sat up and stuffed the rest of his 'special' brownie in his mouth.

"See, that's exactly why chicks date older men," Noah's other friend Sabrina said, rolling her eyes at Kaz.

"But in order for you to fall into that category, you'd have to be dating first, now wouldn't you?" Kaz spoke.

Sabrina gasped before picking up one of Noah's old soccer trophies and throwing them towards Kaz with all her might. Kaz ducked out of the way, just in time.

"Hey, would you two be careful!" Noah exclaimed.

"Why? It's not like you care about that kinda shit anymore," Sabrina replied, fishing around in her pocket for some smokes.

Noah sighed as he folded another shirt and put it into one of his bags.

He realized that Sabrina was partially right. It had been nearly two years since he'd stopped playing sports or talking to any of his old popular sports buddies.

He'd traded that life for the one he was living now. The one where two of his closest friends were burn outs too busy getting high to actually care about graduating.

He'd had all summer to think about his life and to put it into perspective. He may have had losers for friends, but he certainly didn't consider himself to fall into that category.

He also wouldn't have considered himself to fall into a 'gay' category, but after having kissing another guy during his summer orientation session, he had to consider himself at least a small part of it.

He wasn't gay. At least, he couldn't have been because not only had he a few girlfriends before it, but he really hadn't thought about any other guys.

Only, he sure had been thinking quite a bit about Trey and the kiss between them. How could he not, really? After all, it had taken him by surprise. He wasn't expecting it.....or at least, he'd been trying to rationalize that he hadn't been expecting it. But the truth was....deep down, he knew it was going to happen, and he hadn't stopped it. Now he only felt like he was being 'caught'.

Did it mean he didn't like it? He hadn't exactly shared any more kisses with any other guys since the first one. And it was just one kiss. It didn't make him gay.......

"I feel so stupid, you going off to college why I'm stuck here working at Burger King," Sabrina sighed, joining Kaz on Noah's bed.

"It's because you are stupid," Kaz replied. "Besides, at least we all graduated, that's all we need, right?" Kaz sighed.

"Tell that to Noah," Sabrina replied, finally deciding that she wanted to light one of her cigarettes, only to have Noah stop her.

"I thought you guys understood why I needed to do this," Noah spoke, stopping his packing temporarily in order to face his friends.

Kaz and Sabrina exchanged glances before Kaz sat up and decided to speak.

"Noah, no one understands it," he started. "But were your friends, so we just act like we support you and move on with our lives."

"Kaz-"

"No I get it, I mean living the old American dream is a hell of a lot better than having one, right?"

Noah sighed and looked over at Sabrina who just stared at him with a completely unreadable look.

"I'm not just gonna forget about you guys, if that's what you're thinking," he said, going back to his packing. "And I'll be home on the weekends. I can visit."

"You better," Sabrina spoke, getting off the bed and walking over to Noah, taking him off guard when she kissed him deeply on the lips. "You sexy bitch."

Noah was used to Sabrina's wild antics. She did what ever she wanted, so he knew there was no love behind the kiss. It was just something she felt like doing at the moment. Which was why he wasn't upset.

"Dude, I bet there's gonna be like a bazillion and one fucking hot ass bitches up at that place," Kaz said loopily as he laid back down on the bed. "You gonna go for those preppy cheerleader types, now?"

"What?" Noah asked, smiling as he turned to look over at Kaz.

"It's been like what....two years since you dated them right?" Kaz asked.

"Yeah...."

Noah hadn't really talked about his old life with his friends. It was hard enough trying to get them to trust him when he'd stopped hanging out with all of his old pals. He figured, if he didn't bring them up, neither would they.

Apparently not.

"Just shut up and help me pack already," Noah said.

"Sorry fucker, I'm allergic to unnecessary labor," Kaz replied.

"And bathing," Sabrina added, pushing Kaz completely off of the bed.

"Fuck you, Sabrina toothed tiger!" Kaz shouted standing up.

Sabrina gasped at Kaz before looking around the room.

"I'll cut you with something," Sabrina shouted back.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was actually going to miss his friends. Not just them, but the security being around them provided him.

Because once he was out there, on campus, he would be on his own.

And he had no idea what something like that might do to him. ***********************************************************************

Even though he was friendless, Trey really hadn't cared all that much. Most of the people at his school and in his own neighborhood were hardened thugs that would most likely kill him for something of his they wanted.

So he pretty much had avoided making friends in order to stay alive and un-picked on.

Only, now that he was pulling on to the campus where he'd be living for the next year and remembering just how huge of a place it was, this was one time that had him wishing that he'd at least gotten to know some of the kids at his school that were more like him.

He figured maybe if he had, they might have been here with him, ready to face the school alongside him.

Because in a place like this, it was obvious to see that he needed friends.

"Damn baby, I didn't think it was gonna be this big!" Trey's mother said, as she drove along the one way street leading to Trey's dorm.

Trey had decided to go with Ark Hall for his dorm. After picking his classes, he and Noah had gone all around campus trying to locate the buildings their classes would be in, and Ark Hall was the closest to most of his classes.

So were Chandler and Frost Hall's but they were two of the three upperclassmen dormitory halls, that weren't available to Trey.

Greenlee Hall was also close, but it had two communal bathrooms for the entire dorm hall, and Trey figured that wasn't enough for as many people as the hall could hold. Plus, it was sort of gross.

"I'm starting to remember that too," Trey replied, looking out his window.

He'd already seen several dozen different people, probably incoming freshman, carrying boxes and bags inside the various dorm halls that they'd already passed.

Mostly, Trey was excited. But he also knew that once he was here a few hours without his mother, the reality of it all would set in. The last thing he wanted to do was panic. But he wasn't exactly sure how he'd react once it happened.

"Look at all these people....you sure you gonna be alright baby?"

"Momma-"

"I know, I know..."

Trey turned to look out the window again, realizing that they were coming up on Ark Hall.

"That's it up there momma," Trey spoke, pointing to the only building in front of them.

"What, with all them white folks standing all around?"

"Momma-"

"Why couldn't you have gone to Morehouse like I wanted you to, you know I wouldn'ta minded working some extra hours-"

"Mom, you already have three jobs to pay for this school! Besides, there's a lot of black people here too."

Trey and his mother weren't racist people, but they also didn't know too many white people either. Being here on the campus full of mostly white students was like culture shock for the both of them.

"I'm sorry baby, momma's just worried about you-"

"I know, but I'll be fine, I promise," Trey replied, as his mother pulled into a parking space near the dorm hall.

As the car turned off, Trey took a deep breath before getting out.

"My baby, at college...."

Trey could already hear the tears coming. Trey didn't cry too much himself, but suddenly just stepping out of the car had him feeling so emotional. Like he'd never see his mother ever again.

"Baby, what floor is your room on?"

"The third," Trey replied, walking back to the trunk and opening it.

"They have elevators right?"

Trey just smiled at his mother as he started to unload the car. ***********************************************************************

"I'd fuck her.....her...her.....maybe if she lost a little fat.....her......ugh, did we never hear of sunlight?"

Noah just grinned as he listened to his friend pick out several college girls walking around the campus as Sabrina continued to drive down one of the campuses many one way streets.

"You're such a skeeze, Kaz," Sabrina sighed.

"Hey, it's called being a guy," Kaz replied. "I mean, you agree right Noah? Those girls are hot!"

Noah just smiled as Sabrina pulled up to the dorm he had picked out for himself.

While he didn't have a problem with Ark Hall, the hall he'd stayed at during his summer orientation session, it just wasn't close enough to any of his classes, so he decided to pick Statham Hall.

He had to wonder whether or not Trey or even worse, the British idiot, Jesse, would pick the same dorm hall as well. But with over a hundred thousand students attending the school, he figured he'd never see either of them again.

"Nice digs, Noah," Sabrina said, as she parked the car. "How much a month?"

While Noah pretty much despised his parents, he had to appreciate the fact that they were paying for everything, from books to his dorm room. Of course, they'd made the promise on a night where they were both sober and not partying, and he knew there was a chance they would both forget if they got drunk enough over the next few years of his staying at school.

Noah got out along with Sabrina and Kaz, who both walked to the front of the car and sat on top of it while Noah walked to the back and opened the trunk door.

"So once again I get no help, huh?" he asked.

"Allergies, remember?" Kaz called from the front of the car, still staring at all the pretty girls walking around campus.

Sabrina took out a pack of cigarettes from her jacket and lit up one of them.

"You know, I coulda went here If I wanted."

Kaz looked over at her.

"Shut up-"

"No I'm serious, I mean, I passed with semi decent grades and all. I just don't see the fucking point of condemning myself to four more years of torture...only paying to suffer too."

"It's not about that, Sabrina, and you know it," Noah spoke, walking around to the front of the car with a box of some of his stuff in his hands.

"You still haven't told us what your deal is," Sabrina replied.

"No, I keep telling you and you just keep hearing what you wanna hear," Noah spoke, passing Sabrina and Kaz up and starting towards the dorm.

Sabrina looked over at Kaz before putting out her cigarette and pulling Kaz along as she hurried to catch up to Noah.

"I know what's gonna happen," Sabrina started.

Noah just continued walking while Sabrina and Kaz shuffled along, slightly behind him.

"You're gonna start meeting all these snooty music majors and become some weird clonish version of your old self and new friends, while we at home, just fade into another existence."

Noah turned slightly as he walked to face Sabrina.

"If that made sense, I'd probably have a response."

Noah headed straight for the stairs leading to his dorm, instead of waiting for one of the elevators, where lines were already forming.

"You remember what it was like when you first started trying to hang out with us, don't you?" Sabrina continued.

Noah was trying his best to ignore her as he started up the six flights of stairs that led to his room on the sixth floor.

"Kaz and I basically saved your fucking ass-"

"Sabrina-"

"And now you're just gonna forget about us!"

"Are you really that paranoid? God, Sabrina, can't we just for now focus on the present instead of talking about what may or may not happen in the future?"

Sabrina just shut up and continued to follow Noah up the stairs.

"Well, now that that's over...did anyone see that fine ass Mexican girl in the lobby licking her lips at me?" Kaz asked.

Neither Noah or Sabrina responded as they both continued up the stairs until they finally reached the sixth floor.

Noah said nothing as he led his friends to the end of the hallway, where his room was located.

"To the ends of the Earth he travelled, where he was never heard from again," Kaz joked. "Fuck, they have you all the way down here don't they?"

"I took too long trying to decide where I wanted to stay," Noah replied, turning the knob to the door and walking inside.

Once inside, Sabrina and Kaz rushed over to the two beds in the room and sat atop them. It was obvious that Noah's roommate hadn't moved in yet, as the room was completely empty.

He wasn't surprised though. Classes didn't start until Monday, and it was only Friday afternoon.

"So, it's not too bad.....it's bigger than my room at home," Kaz spoke, testing the firmness of the bed.

"Kaz, you live in a trailer, remember? This place is bigger than your entire place!" Sabrina spoke, laying back on one of the beds.

Noah set his box atop the desk in the corner and looked out of the window next to it.

"Welcome home," he mumbled. ***********************************************************************

"I've arrived!" Jesse spoke as he walked into the lobby of one of the dorms.

He'd managed to convince several students to carry his bags around for him as he walked around, not exactly sure where to go.

When no one paid him any extra attention, Jesse frowned and walked further into the building.

"Uh, stay here will you, I'll be right back," he said, taking off his shades and looking around.

While he hadn't looked around in this particular dorm hall, Jesse had pretty much expected it to be just as average and 'non-five star' as the one he'd stayed in earlier in the summer.

But, after having looked in each of the dorm halls, he decided that he'd do better to stay in the largest, as he figured it would have the largest rooms.

"Hi, you probably already know who I am," Jesse started, walking up to the front desk.

He paused, waiting for the guy behind the counter to recognize him.

"God, do you just NOT read or watch t.v. then?" he spoke, impatiently.

"Something I can help you with, guy?" the guy behind the counter asked, smacking on a piece of gum loudly.

Jesse stared as him smacking for a few seconds before replying.

"Well it's just, I've been looking around for almost an hour and this is the place I wanna stay in."

The guy behind the counter clicked something on the computer in front of him while Jesse watched.

"Name?"

"Jesse Yorkshire, of course," Jesse replied.

The guy clicked something else before looking up at Jesse.

"Not in here, sorry-"

"Well of course I'm not in there."

The guy stopped chewing on his gum and looked at Jesse seriously.

"Then why are you wasting my time then?"

Jesse was already in a bad mood, after basically having been forced the previous day by his father to even come to the pathetic little school. He really didn't feel like dealing with his own mood as well as someone else's.

"Listen, I'll give you a few grand just to give me a room," Jesse started.

"I'm not in charge of that. I just look up names and hand people keys-"

"Well great, you can hand me a key then!"

Jesse had started to reach behind him for one of the keys sitting behind the guy on the shelf, but was pushed back.

"I know karate. Don't make me kick your British little ass!"

"Well I'm not going to get into the reasons why that would NEVER happen, but, I really think it'd be in your best interest to give me a room."

"My best interest huh....."

Jesse realized that he normal demeanor of intimidating the people in London to do what he wanted because he was famous there wasn't going to work in Texas just because they were all obviously hicks that had no idea who true celebrities were.

So he decided to try a different approach.

"I'm sorry...alright. It's just I've been in a bit of a row with my father, and I'm a long way away from home and tired and I just want a dorm to stay in so I can finally relax."

That had to be the furthest thing from the truth. In actuality, the only reason Jesse was trying even half as hard as he was was because it was required of all freshman to stay on campus. Otherwise he'd have already checked into the nearest five star hotel available.

"Look, even if you were a senior which you so obviously aren't, this place is full," the guy behind the counter replied.

"Oh..." Jesse mumbled.

"You could try some of the freshman dorms. Those aren't all full yet."

"Freshman dorm?"

"Like....I don't know....Ark Hall or Statham Hall-"

"Yeah alright thanks," Jesse started, starting back towards the front.

All he needed to hear was 'Ark Hall' which was enough to have him realize that there was no way in hell he wanted to rehash the nightmare that was his summer orientation session. Of course, there was also no way in hell he'd be staying anywhere with communal showers and restroom facilities.

"Alright people were moving on," Jesse replied, putting his shades back on as he walked outside.

He'd find a place. After that, however, he wasn't sure what he'd do. ***********************************************************************

"Here it is," Ben spoke, staring straight ahead at the dorm hall he and Shawn had picked out. "Home sweet home for the next year."

After having carefully considered all their options, the two of them had decided to go ahead and stay in Ark Hall. They saw nothing wrong with it during their summer stay and while it was a bit further away from Ben's classes, it was closer to Shawn's and Ben had decided he didn't want to be apart from his best friend, so he picked Ark Hall as well.

"Grungy little place, isn't it?"

"Dude, shut up!" Shawn spoke, shoving Ben in the arm as he passed him to head for the back of the truck. "You didn't have to stay here."

"I know..." Ben spoke, looking around. "But I seem to remember there being a couple hundred fine ass women always around....looks like nothing changed."

Shawn just smiled as he started getting things from the back of Ben's truck while Ben followed pretty girls along with his eyes.

"You seriously brought way too much shit, Ben," Shawn spoke, pulling a barbeque grill from the back of the truck out. "Is this stuff even allowed on campus."

It took a moment for Ben to stop watching some of the girls but he turned around, picking right back up in the conversation as if he'd been a part of it in the first place.

"Hey, what they don't know can't hurt em, right?" he asked, reaching into the flatbed to grab more stuff.

Shawn turned around and headed towards the building.

He wasn't sure why he was looking around. It couldn't be that he was looking for someone. Looking for Trey.

It was weird and he knew it, so he did his best to push those thoughts out of his mind as he walked down the hall to his room. He was lucky to have gotten one on the first floor, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about stairs and that he was closer to the cafeteria.

When he finally stepped inside his room, he wasn't surprised by how it looked at all, which was identical to the room he'd stayed in over the summer, only, everything was on the other side of the room.

He set the stuff in his hands on the edge of the bed and collapsed onto the other one across the room.

He was tired, after having drove a good couple of hours to the school, but he was excited at the same time.

He only knew college life through movies and television and was definitely ready to experience everything first hand.

Thinking about everything, Shawn closed his eyes and relaxed, deciding to rest for only a few minutes...................

"Dude, we have a problem!" came the voice of Ben.

Shawn sat up and opened his eyes. He looked down at his watch and realized that he'd been asleep well over a half hour.

What was more, he noticed that none of Ben's belongings were in the room.

"What's going on?" Shawn asked carefully, standing up.

"This school fucking screwed me over!" Ben exclaimed.

Shawn wasn't liking the situation already, which was exacerbated by the angry tone in his best friends voice.

Ben was breathing very heavily and walking back and forward in the room, looking ready to knock someone out.

"Dude, come on, what's going on?" Shawn repeated.

"Tell me, did I or did I not specifically ask to be assigned to whatever room and dorm you were in when we signed up?"

"Yeah-"

"So tell my why the hell they don't have me on file then!"

Shawn realized that the door to the room was still wide open, and once he noticed a few people in the halls stopping to see what the shouting was about, he walked over to it and closed it.

"I feel like beating the shit outta somebody!"

"Ben, listen to me, you have to calm down-"

"You don't understand how fucking angry this makes me Shawn! I mean, where the hell am I supposed to stay, huh!"

Shawn realized that Ben wasn't calming down and might have been angry enough to actually go find someone to beat up.

The entire time they'd been friends, Shawn had only known Ben to beat up two people unrelated to anything he was upset about, and one of those people had been him.

He just had to find a way to calm him down so he could talk to him.

"Ben..."

"I mean, it's not like anyone actually really wants to stay in this shitty little place. I just wanted to be here for you, you know?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Fuck, this is good then right? I mean, we'll still see each other, and now I get to stay somewhere else!"

Shawn did his best to try and get Ben to sit down, as he himself sat down.

Ben's breathing had already started to return to normal and Shawn could tell he was starting to calm down.

"You're not mad are you?" Ben asked.

"No, of course not," Shawn replied.

"I guess this means we won't be living together like we always wanted," Ben smiled. "It's okay, you're kind of a slob anyway."

"Me? What about you and all that extra junk you brought along?"

"Shut up," Ben smiled, punching Shawn playfully in the arm.

Even though Shawn would miss not being able to live with Ben, a part of him was excited at the possibility of meeting someone new.

Granted, as long as the person wasn't like Trey. Or then he might have some problems.

"Let's get you settled in," Ben spoke, getting up.

Shawn got up as well, feeling a mixture of many different feelings. **********************************************************************

The thing that had Trey feeling the most nervous was having to meet someone new. Not just any old person, but the person he'd be living with for the next year.

It was a scary thought, as so much was going through his mind. Naturally, most people would prefer to room with someone like them. Same tastes, same style, same race.

But Trey didn't care if he lived with a white slob or a Chinese jock, as long as he was able to get along with the person, he'd be fine.

Probably the first indication that he wouldn't be living in complete harmony came once he could hear loud laughter coming from the area where his room was. Not only that, but several people were coming in and out of the room, passing him as he made his way closer to it.

He wasn't exactly sure what to think once he finally got a chance to look around. It was obvious that the room looked completely comfy. Comfy in the fact that the entire room was done. Meaning...

"Oh...hey, you moving in next door?" some white guy sitting on a chair eating some pizza asked Trey.

Trey, boxes still in hand, shuffled a little before responding.

"Uh, actually-"

"No dumb ass, look at him, he's probably you're real roommate," another white guy, Trey noticed, hanging from the side of one of the beds, spoke.

There were all of about seven people in the room. Four guys, three girls. Two were playing a PlayStation hooked up to a large tv in the far wall of the room. The other two guys were the ones that had spoken already, and the girls were all sitting on one of the beds, staring at Trey.

The first guy to talk stood up and walked over to Trey, forcing him to have step backwards as the guy shut the door almost all the way behind him.

"Listen, my buddy and I forgot to sign up for a room together.....we figured whoever I got wouldn't care since...well, we don't know each other," the guy spoke.

Trey could see the point, but that still didn't make it right.

"Well, where am I supposed to stay?" he asked.

Trey watched as the guy took in a deep breath and looked both ways before replying.

"I don't think this place is gonna be completely full...I mean, the freshman have the most dorms......"

Trey didn't like the situation or how the guy seemed to be trying to get rid of him without having to do anything to help himself.

"Look, I understand....all that," Trey started, not really sure what to say. "But again I ask, where am I supposed to stay?" ***********************************************************************

"This is great, just great!" Jesse exclaimed, once again making a scene. "Now where am I supposed to stay?"

He left the front desk of yet another dorm hall and walked outside, beginning down the pathway in a flustered hurry.

"Uh, Jesse-"

"What!" Jesse shouted.

"The four of us are getting a little tired of carrying all your stuff around-"

"I'm paying you by the hour-"

"Right and the extra cash is cool and all....it's just....we all kinda have lives. You know, stuff to do?"

Jesse stopped and chuckled to himself.

"Well that's rich, really that is.....okay fags one through four, you're fired!"

None of the guys looked like they really cared and dropped Jesse's stuff in the grass before taking off, all 100 dollars richer.

"Fucking ingrates, I tell you, the nerve of these bloody Americans," Jesse mumbled as he looked his stuff over. "There's no way in hell I'm carrying any of that."

As Jesse tried to figure out what he was going to do next, he was interrupted in his thought process when he noticed someone staring at him.

"If you don't recognize me right now, you never will," Jesse mumbled.

"Jesse?"

"Okay, okay, what part of your body do you want me to autograph?" Jesse sighed.

The girl walked over to Jesse and smiled.

"It is you!"

"Well of course it's me, God, who else would it be?"

"You remember me then?"

The question caused Jesse to take off his sunglasses to get a better look at the blonde that had interrupted his thinking.

"Definitely a ten....but no, sorry," he replied.

"It's me, Amber Tanner.....orientation......Super Sunday?"

It took Jesse all of about two seconds to realize that he really didn't remember the damn girl. But she didn't have to know that, as far as he was concerned.

"Amber!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug. "God, I thought about you all summer."

"Really?" Amber asked, leaving the hug.

"Oh yeah, I see that your....your...hair is longer," Jesse replied, taking a chance that he might actually be right.

"Thanks, I grew it out some more...got some highlights," Amber replied. "You're still hot as hell."

Jesse knew that there was no arguing that fact.

"So what's going on, are you moving into this dorm?" Amber asked.

"Well, I wish that was happening....actually, I haven't found a place to stay yet...."

"Really? That's weird, I thought everyone signed up for dorms....."

"Yeah....."

Jesse was doing his best to try and get Amber to feel sorry enough for him to help him find somewhere to stay.

"I feel really bad for you Jesse," Amber said, actually sounding like she really felt bad for him. "I wish there was something I could do."

Jesse inwardly smiled.

"Well, do you know any place I could stay?" he asked.

While it took Amber some time to think, Jesse was beginning to realize that Amber wasn't as bright as she so obviously did not seem. Which was perfect for him because smart girls only gave him trouble.

"I would invite you to stay with me, but I'm staying at the sorority house over on Yearly Row...."

In actuality, Jesse had been to every freshman dorm but Ark Hall. He was purposely avoiding going there for several reasons, the most prevalent of which was the fact that it seemed to be where all the homosexuals lived, proof provided during his stay there and further proven with the guys who'd left him to carry his own bags like a bunch of pansies, who all stayed in Ark Hall.

"Why couldn't I just stay in the sorority with you then?" Jesse asked.

Jesse knew why. A sorority was for women, frat houses were for the guys.

Jesse wasn't a fan of all the overly testosterone driven, drunken, insane acts that he was sure took place in any and all frat homes. He was used to being surrounded by girls with all the parties he threw and attended, and wouldn't mind staying with one...or a lot.

"Well that's like...against the rules," Amber replied.

"Amber my dear, come with me," Jesse started, looping his arm with Amber's and beginning to walk with her.

"What about your stuff?"

"I'll send someone for it later," He replied. "Now, show me where this sorority house is, will you?"

He knew exactly what he was doing. ***********************************************************************

It had been nearly an hour since Noah's friends had left after having helped him move in and get his room together, and he now felt completely settled in.

He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing now. He didn't know anyone, and his roommate still was a no show.

It was what he was most afraid of, now that he was here. Being left alone with his thoughts. He didn't want to start thinking about anything that had happened here, because he would automatically remember the kiss he shared with another guy.

He was almost desperate in the way he felt about not wanting to think about his experiences here in particular, so he took out his guitar and immediately went to work at writing some new music.

Although, he wasn't really writing anything. He wasn't aware of how bad he was playing up until he noticed someone standing at his door, with a rather annoyed look on their face.

It was a girl. White with short dark black hair. She was probably a good foot shorter than Noah, and she had light green eyes that he could barely notice the color of behind a pair of average, slightly thick, dark black glasses.

The girl looked like she might have been into art or something, as she wasn't dressed like the typical prep. She also wasn't dressed like any of Noah's friends.

He noticed that she was holding a book in one of her hands, that was flipped towards the middle as if she'd been reading it, and a highlighter was tilted sideways in her mouth.

"Not that I can say I care for the standardized strumming on a guitar thing, but if you're gonna play, would you mind shutting your door at least?"

Noah had left it open in case his roommate showed up within the next couple of hours, but had completely forgotten that once he started strumming on his guitar.

He'd also forgotten that he was staying in a co-ed dorm, the girls and guys staying on separate sides of the hall instead of separate wings altogether like in Ark Hall.

"Uh..sorry," Noah spoke, looking up at the girl.

To him, she looked intelligent. Like the type of girl who's smart in more than one way. She also didn't look like she put up with crap from anyone, despite how small she was.

"I mean....I wouldn't have noticed with all the other loud freaks running around.....it's just...well, you've kinda been stuck on one chord for the past like...twenty minutes......"

Noah really wasn't sure what to do. It had been a while since he'd actually had to come up with something to say to someone. He was so used to his normal life, his normal friends.

He just normally kept to himself. What people would call...a loner. Only in the sense that he didn't go out of his way to meet new people.

"Well...um...." the girl was starting to leave

"I'm Noah!" he found himself blurting out.

The girl stopped and looked back over at him with a slight smile on her face.

"Zoey," she replied.

He really wasn't sure why he felt compelled to tell Zoey his name. Maybe it was because he felt a slight sense of familiarity in her. Or a certain...warmth about her.

She just seemed like someone he might have wanted to get to know, without actually having said much to her.

"Sorry...just, you were leaving and-"

"Right...." Zoey replied, leaning against the doorway. "You know, I was actually gonna head down to the quad...check out one of the local bands playing tonight......did you wanna come along?"

For some reason, Noah actually felt like he wanted to go with her.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, putting his guitar back in its case.

He grabbed a jacket and his room key before turning out the light and shutting the door. ***********************************************************************

After having been forced from the room he'd signed up for months earlier, Trey realized that with his new situation, he couldn't afford to be a picky person.

Which was why he'd have to find somewhere to stay. Finding another dorm hall was out of the question. It was already dark out and he was tired already.

He just wanted someplace to finally rest.

When he'd told the people up front that they'd 'accidentally' given him someone else's room, it had seemed like the people had already been dealing with similar situations, the way they handled him.

They'd given him the keys to another room in less than ten minutes, informing him that it had just gotten an opening that day.

He wasn't sure what that meant and didn't care.

Upon entering the room, which he was thankful was on the first floor, he noticed that whoever his roommate was, had moved in and gotten all their things unpacked.

He also noticed that whoever he was rooming with wasn't around either.

Letting the door shut behind him, he walked into the room and set his stuff down, taking a few moments to just let everything sink in.

There was no way he was moving anywhere else. He wasn't that much of a punk.

Whatever feelings of exhaustion he had felt before, were washed away, excitement taking their place.

Even though he hadn't exactly had the best first roommate or second for that matter, he was still excited to get to know someone new.

He thought about all the types of personality traits his roommate would have as he unpacked his stuff.

An hour went by and he had been so wrapped up in his thinking and unpacking that he was snapped back into reality once he heard loud shouting and banging coming from the halls.

It sounded like someone was shouting something about a band and apparently banging on each door as they ran along.

"Death Hound's playing in the quad!" came the loud voice of one of the guys accompanied by a bang on Trey's own door.

He noticed that the guys weren't sticking around for him to open up and had moved to the next door just as quickly as they had all the others.

He could literally hear the people on his floor leaving the dorms in order to go see the 'Death Hounds' performing.

Trey knew he was an outsider. That was only reinforced every day of his life back at home. But he realized, he was no longer at home.

He was at college. Where adults came to learn. And he had to start behaving like an adult.

Adults socialized with people because not socializing with someone because you're afraid, was childish.

The last thing he wanted was to be an outcast here and for the rest of his life.

So, realizing that he was done unpacking and settling in, he grabbed a jacket and headed out the door, ready to see the so called 'Death Hounds' performing, with his peers. ***********************************************************************

Jesse wasn't surprised to see various girls smiling at him and eyeing him like they wanted him to fuck them as he took of his sunglasses and looked around the sorority hall.

He was expecting a lot of gorgeous girls, and that was certainly what he was seeing as he followed Amber up the stairs as she led him to her room.

"It's like I said before, look at me...I really don't think any girl would have a problem with me staying here," Jesse said as he looked around Amber's room.

Sure enough, one side of it was empty.

"My last roommate cut her hair so short...she looked like a man," Amber spoke. "We had a meeting and she had to go."

Jesse looked over at Amber incredulously as he set the one bag he did bring with him on one of the beds.

The room looked to be double if not triple the size of the one he'd stayed in over the summer, which was still small in comparison to his room in the mansion back home, but good enough for him to stay in for the time being.

"So, this is it, huh?" Jesse spoke, as he took off his jacket and tossed it on the bed.

"Yeah, oh and we have our own bathrooms in each room," Amber spoke, showing Jesse the restroom, which also was much bigger than the one in Ark Hall. "I mean, the upperclassmen get the bigger rooms but that's just because they all run the sorority."

"And you don't?" Jesse asked, still looking the room over.

"Well I'm a freshman," Amber replied. "We're all just lucky we even get to stay here."

"How long have you been here?" Jesse asked, noticing that the place looked well lived in.

"We were all allowed to move in the beginning of August," Amber replied. "So I came a walking."

Again, Jesse flashed Amber a bemused look.

"Amber...what the hell!"

Jesse looked over at the doorway and noticed a tall brunette standing with her arms crossed and a mean look on her face.

"Heather....oh uh-"

"You know the rules, no guys...if Gloria catches you with him in here-"

"I know," Amber started, looking over at Jesse before rushing over to Heather and pulling her aside. "That's why you can't say anything."

"Say anything, just tell him to leave-"

"I can't do that because.....because he's my new roommate," Amber spoke in a hushed tone.

Heather looked over at Jesse who smiled at her before looking back at Amber.

"Are you crazy? Amber, you'll never be able to keep him here without one of the upperclassmen finding out-"

"Not by myself, but you could always help me out-"

"Like I helped you vote Shelly out just because you guys didn't like her haircut-"

"She looked like an ugly dykey loser!" Amber exclaimed before settling back down. "It's just...well look at him.....he's gorgeous."

Heather sighed and lowered her head before looking back up at Amber.

"He is hot.."

"I know...and I'm trying to get him to be my boyfriend," Amber replied, glee in her voice.

Heather looked past Amber to where Jesse was sitting on the bed flipping through Amber's cheerleading magazine album, mouthing the words 'hot' and 'do-able' as he looked it over.

"Well, good luck with that," Heather spoke.

"Thanks," Amber replied. "But Heather, please, you can't tell anybody that Jesse's staying here."

Heather thought it over, realizing that it was somewhat possible to keep Jesse's living here a secret, considering where Amber's room was located.

"Fine...but if you get caught, I had no idea he was here," Heather replied.

"Thank you so much!" Amber replied.

Heather walked into the room with Amber and looked Jesse over, who now looked bored.

"What's good to do around here?" Jesse asked, yawning.

"Well, I hear the Death Hounds are playing in the quad tonight," Heather spoke.

"Hell if I know who that lot is," Jesse replied. "But I need to do something before I die of boredom."

"Great, let's all go then," Amber spoke, getting off the bed with Jesse.

Jesse knew he'd get his way in living here, and was definitely excited for all the possibilities it could lead to. ***********************************************************************

Shawn looked over at Ben who was bobbing his head around like he was having a seizure.

"Dude, these guys fucking rock!" Ben shouted.

Shawn thought the band was okay, considering he'd never heard of them before. But he was a little bored.

They were your typical rock group and he didn't see anything special about them.

"Yeah...." Shawn responded.

Ben stopped jumping and looked over at his best friend.

"Dude, how can you look bored when were like two feet away from the band?"

It was true. Having been around when the band was setting up, he and Ben had managed to get good spots at the front, which if he'd actually liked the band, would have been a good thing considering there had to be several hundred people around.

Of course, it also wasn't a concert hall, which meant they were all pretty much spread out.

"What, do you wanna go?" Ben asked.

"Nah...I think I just might be thirsty," Shawn replied.

He wasn't thirsty, he just needed to get away for a second.

"Okay...I'll save your spot," Ben spoke, as Shawn fought through the crowd to head towards the refreshment table.

Shawn figured the reason why there was nothing but small bottles of water and pretzels was because the school wanted them to spend their money at the Chic-Fil-A or Taco Bell located inside the actual quad.

Still, since he was at the table, he decided to grab a bottle of the free water and took a sip of it as he started to look around.

Besides Ben and the few people they'd met, he really didn't know anyone. He wasn't used to that. Back at his high school, he was so popular, nearly everyone knew him.

Here, he was just another face in the crowd, literally.

He was still feeling a bit apprehensive about everything. Homesickness hadn't kicked in yet and he was afraid to think what would happen once it did. He didn't want to start thinking about changing his mind.

As he continued to look around, he noticed one face that looked very familiar to him, standing closer towards the back.

Setting his bottle down, he moved towards the outside of the group to get a closer look.

He realized that he must have gotten too close once the person he already knew it was looked up and saw him.

He and Trey just stared at each other for a few moments before Trey just up and took off.

It took Shawn a few moments to realize what had just happened. He'd come face to face with someone that had been on his mind all summer. Someone he hadn't expected to see ever again.

Someone who after tonight, he probably never would see again. ***********************************************************************

"They're really good, huh?" Zoey asked.

Noah looked over at her and smiled.

"Yeah..uh, they are," he replied.

It was still amazing to him how comfortable he felt around Zoey after only knowing her for such a short amount of time.

He hadn't really figured he'd meet anyone so fast, and especially not someone that was as likeable as Zoey seemed to be.

"Alright, we'll be back in ten for our next set," the lead singer of the band said into the microphone.

Instantly, the crowd began to talk amongst themselves and walk around a little.

"Maybe we should go have a seat," Zoey spoke, pointing towards one of the empty tables in the foyer.

"Sure," Noah replied.

"So, you have to be a freshman," Zoey started, once they were both seated.

"What makes you say that?" Noah asked.

"Just...the way you have freshman written all over you. That and the fact that you're staying in a mostly freshman dorm."

Noah laughed a little and folded his hands on the table as he leaned forward a bit.

"Yeah...busted," he replied. "And you're a freshman too?"

"Was, last year," Zoey replied.

Noah took that to mean that Zoey was obviously a sophomore.

"Then...why are you...."

"Closer to the art and music departments," Zoey replied. "I'm an art major so...."

"Wow," Noah replied. "Imagine a little old freshman like me chatting it up with sophomore."

"Some consider that a privilege, yes," Zoey laughed.

Noah could already tell that Zoey was a little bit more mature than what he was used to but now he knew why.

"I guess you're still trying to figure yourself out, huh?" Zoey asked.

Noah sat back and sighed.

That statement meant more to him than Zoey even realized.

"Aren't we all?" he replied.

He didn't know what else to say. Sure he was comfortable with Zoey, but he also knew that he'd just met her and had some things he needed to figure out for himself before he was willing to share them with anyone, let alone her.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Zoey jumping up after some water had been splashed over her.

He jumped up as well and turned around, noticing a familiar face chasing around a few girls with a water bottle.

"It can't be a wet t-shirt contest if you won't let me wet your shirts!"

Noah knew the face and British accent well, after having to endure a few days of hell with the biggest jackass he'd ever met.

"Hey freshman losers, why don't you try not acting like loser freshman!" Zoey shouted as she wiped herself off.

Noah walked over to Zoey, handing her a napkin as the girls Noah were chasing stopped and looked over at Zoey, which caused Jesse to stop running and look over.

"God, people just don't think much these days do they?" Zoey mumbled as she and Noah worked to dry her shirt.

"Hey loserish bitch, what's with the attitude problem?" Heather spoke, as she Amber and Jesse walked over to Zoey and Noah.

Zoey stopped drying her shirt and looked up at Heather.

"I don't have an 'attitude' problem, YOU have a perception problem," she replied. "Then again, I expect that from certain people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Heather asked.

"Ladies, ladies, let's all get along now," Jesse spoke, getting between Heather and Zoey.

Jesse and Noah glared at each other as did Heather and Zoey.

"It's all one big party to you, huh?" Noah asked. "It's not enough you gotta annoy me, now you go and bother her too?"

"Hey, I had no idea you were here," Jesse replied. "And for the record, that was an accident."

"If you'd have been acting your age instead of your shoe size, it wouldn't have happened!"

"You two know each other?" Amber asked.

"Unfortunately," Jesse and Noah replied, simultaneously.

Noah had been having a good time, forgetting about the past. And now, seeing Jesse had only made Noah realize that if he could run into Jesse, he could run into Trey too.

"Come on, Zoey," Noah spoke.

Zoey wasted no time in following Noah away from the area altogether as they walked back to the dorms.

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends here," Zoey said.

"I don't," Noah replied. *****************************************************************

Trey wasn't sure why he'd ran, but he had. He felt bad about it now, because it had made him look so stupid. But he had, and he couldn't take it back.

It was just....seeing Shawn. It just made him remember how much he hated him.

Or how much he let himself think he hated him. There was just something else about Shawn that Trey.......something he'd felt even before he'd kissed Noah.

It had been a few hours and Trey had just been sitting in his bed in the dark, wrapped up with his knees up to his chin, arms wrapped around his legs.

He felt so alone, and seeing Shawn made him feel trapped and....something else at the same time.

So he left. He got away.

But realizing that it had been a while and his roommate still hadn't come back, he got up and turned on the lights in the room.

The light stung his eyes a little at first but he got used to them as he looked around.

It was pushing midnight but it was anything but quiet in the halls and Trey could hear people talking and coming in and out of rooms all through the dorm.

He didn't want to snoop, but he was curious as to what type of person his roommate might be, so he did a little passive snooping. As in not actually going through any of his roommates things, just browsing over it all.

He really hadn't had a chance to do it earlier, having spent most of his time unpacking his things and then going straight to the quad.

But now that he was actually beginning to get a look around, he was starting to a feel a sense of familiarity towards the stuff he was gazing upon.

Little things, like the careful way the bed was made, or the way things were put on the shelves.

There wasn't much to go by, although he did see one thing that he obviously hadn't seen before.

A picture, which had obviously fallen out of something, lying on the ground, sticking partially under the bed so that shadows were constricting his view of seeing it clearly.

He slowly bent down and picked it up, already beginning to come to a conclusion in his head..........

"Look, you walked me back great, but I told you I'm not in the mood to sit around talking," Shawn said as he and Ben headed down the hall to his room.

"Fine whatever, I'll leave when you get there," Ben replied. "Shit, what was in that water you drank that's got you acting like a little bitch?"

Shawn didn't say anything as he just got out his key and put it into the lock of his room door.

Trey could hear the lock to the door turning as he turned the picture over.

He didn't need it though, as he already knew who'd be in it, even before the door opened and he saw him.

"Shawn....." Trey spoke, turning around to face him.

Shawn looked over at Trey in shock.

"Well....this is awkward," Ben spoke. ***********************************************************************

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