From What I've Heard - Sanders Sides

Chapter Six

Logan laid wide awake, on top of his neatly made bed sheets. His mind was having a hard time shutting down. The Phantom was the only thing on his mind. That and how he could meet the real Phantom. Not the person he saw on stage tonight. But the real him. The person behind the mask.

The door to the room opened, making Logan jump. Dee came inside, glancing over at his roommate's shocked face. The student calmed down as he went back to staring at the ceiling. "Still caught up on your little crush?" Dee asked, sticking all his bathroom stuff back under his bed.

"It's not a crush!" Logan tried to defend. Dee couldn't have rolled his eyes harder watching the lovestruck student's face glow red. "Just...wish I could've seen his face is all. I mean, what if a Broadway recruit was there or something? They wouldn't have a face to put to his name!" Logan tried to cover.

"Sure. Or...you know the other option. Horny college students want to know more about that guy?" Dee chuckled, walking over to Logan.

"You're high," Logan grumbled, lighting pushing his roommate back. Dee laughed some more, collapsing onto his bed in chuckles.

"Maybe, but am I wrong?" Dee retorted. Logan didn't want to admit it, but Dee was on the right path. He believed that The Phantom was heavenly.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Dee." Logan finally said, pulling his sheets and covers over his body.

"Sweet wet dreams," Dee cooed with a laugh. Logan turned over, blocking out the remains of his roommate's senseless nonsense. Eventually, his talking faded out as Logan fell asleep.

Hours later, Logan was jolted awake. Immediately he sat up, panting and wide-eyed. He had heard a noise. But he wasn't sure what it was. His vision was still clear and his nose hurt. Obviously, he had forgotten to take his glasses off before dosing off.

He looked over at Dee, who was deeply asleep and half falling off his bed. The student combed his fingers through his hair, still trying to calm his pounding heart. The sound went off again, this time, clearly coming from outside. It sounded like someone banging on a trashcan to Logan.

With quiet feet, he crept over to the window. He pushed the curtains back, peeking through to try and find the source of the noise. From what the student could tell, no one was around. Only the street lines on the sides of the path giving him the light he was using to see.

Anxious energy flooded his system. He looked back at his roommate as if trying to ask him what to do. Logan didn't want to worry about the noise if it was simply a cat. But Logan was hardly asleep anyway. Surely the mystery of the noise outside wouldn't help with that.

The student took a breath, going over to his dresser to grab a jacket and some shoes. He grabbed his keys before quietly slipping out of his room. As he went down the stairs, he assessed the situation in his head one last time. He wasn't sure how rational he was being about this. He was making a big deal over nothing. He knew that. But what did he have to lose?

He entered the cold night air. Immediately he hugged himself, trying to keep warm. The student walked over to his side of the dorm hall. Wrapping around the building, he stopped when he was in front of the trashcan. He looked up at the dorm hall, gazing at the window that belonged to him, making sure he was in the right spot.

Once he was sure, he looked down at the trash can. There were bottles of alcohol all around the can. Some of them were smashed, while others were still half full. None of it made any sense. Why would someone suddenly do this?

"Are you always out so late at night?" An oddly familiar voice rang out. Logan's nerves went cold as a hand placed itself on the student's shoulder. He was turned around, forced to face the person in front of him.

He couldn't place it at first. But everything about this was familiar to him. The person in front of him, the situation, the overwhelming fear. After a couple of seconds of staring at the students, it clicked in his brain.

This man had curly dark brown hair, a silver streak running across the side. Not only that, but he had an unkempt and wild mustache sitting just atop his upper lip. He had a black shirt with a dark green leather jacket around his shoulders. He wore dark black skinny jeans and chains where the belt loops were.

This was the same college student from the night before. The night he was attacked.

"You ruined everything for me, you know!" The man screamed, puffing all the alcohol he had been drinking into Logan's face. "They told the boss. And the boss got me kicked off!" He yelled again, smashing another bottle of alcohol next to Logan's feet.

The student shook in fear and shock. He was trying to hold his ground and not seem afraid. But he couldn't lie. He was afraid. Not so much of this person, but of what he could do. "L-Look, I don't want any trouble," Logan pleaded, trying to back out of the man's deadly grip.

"I don't think you understand what I'm trying to tell you," The man again spoke. "You ruined everything. I had everything in my grasp and you took it away!" The man grumbled.

"I think you're mistaken!" Logan told him, watching his smile grow a little.

"I don't think I am." Logan didn't take another second to wait around. He grabbed the man's arm and tossed it off of his shoulder. Logan was able to take a few steps back as the other student regained his footing.

The logical student kept his distance from the other, continuing to back up as the man moved closer. It was some sort of odd dance until there was a giant squeak sound that made them both stop. "Logan?"

The two looked up to the window to see Dee with his head out the window of their dorm. The other man covered his face as he ran into the night. Logan looked up at Dee, reading the shock on his face. "What the hell are you doing down there? It's 3:00 in the morning!" Dee reeled.

Logan rolled his eyes, releasing a yawn. "I'll tell you later."