golden - part 2
we got to the pub and i started to notice sco was the type of guy who got along with people who talked a lot. anya talked a lot.
"when will and i met it was like a high school movie." she was not much shorter than me and very statuesque, i was afraid that if she fell off the chair she was going to break into pieces "we were paired to do an english project together and let me tell you, he's all quiet here but when's about something he's passionate about he will talk for hours. we'd argue all the time, he'd want to do things his way and i would want to do mine, but in the end i think that's what makes us a great couple, right?" she took his hand and he smiled. she was incredibly nice, i liked her and i think she liked me too.
"barely heard sco talk since we became roommates. first full sentence to come out of his mouth was about you, saying that i should meet you and the three of us needed to go for drinks, in fact."
"sco?" she asked
"yeah, like in schofield." i smiled
"you're already mates." she smiled "will was a bit worried he'd take long to make friends here." sco looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed "what? you said it!"
"it's fine." i took a sip of my pint "i also thought i would, to be honest. it's a new life, like we were saying." i turned to him.
"it is." he smiled.
even though the pub was full and noisy, there was silence. it was partially good and partially uncomfortable. i knew anya was looking at us but it was fine, the yellow light shining on my new friends face brought me reassurance.
;
when we got to the dorm, i wasn't even the first one to speak.
"what did you think of her?"
"she's really nice. talks a lot, i respect her for it. you think she liked me?"
"yeah. you're good, blake."
i still hadn't got used to being called blake, no matter how i tried to make it natural it just didn't click and sco noticed it.
"what's the matter?"
"nothing, just a little weird. no one calls me blake, i'm just getting used to it."
"do you want me to call you something else?"
"no, i like blake, don't worry about it."
"good. i'll go take a shower."
sco went in the bathroom and i took the time to put things up my wall, i had a couple of posters, pictures and other pieces of paper i wanted hanging there. i put up first a map, i wanted to see the world and whilst there were no other countries visited yet, in the space between africa and south america, right on the atlantic ocean, i had written a list of countries i wanted to go. 'germany, morocco, france, croatia, thailand, mexico, belgium, austria, spain...' could be read in between squares of coordinates, and one day they'll be all crossed out, small red pins on top of the cities i visit, maybe pictures attached to the map from my adventures. then, posters of movies like dunkirk and the wages of fear, just to put myself in the atmosphere of the words "film student". lastly, pictures. some with my school friends, some of brighton beach where my mum liked to take us in the summer, one with my mum and two pictures with my brother, joe; one was a shaky picture of the first time he gave me beer when mum was not in town and i was 14. he was 17 at the time and basically wasn't allowed to leave the house for two months when our old lady found out. the other picture was a year and a half after that, he was in military attire and holding a blue helmet, i was standing beside him, smiling wider than i ever could, prouder than one could ever imagine. i must've spent quite some time staring at that picture, when i felt sco's hand on my shoulder i jumped.
"fucking hell!" i screamed
"sorry!" sco's voice cracked "sorry..."
"it's okay!" i screamed again, turning the picture upside down, not ready to talk about it just yet "it's okay." i tried to crack a smile.
"good. good." he looked at the wall, seeming to absorb every bit of information i had put on it "you have a lot of things up in there. i have things to put up too, really interesting as well." he stammered.
"cool." this was awkward. "like what?" 'why did i ask that' i thought.
"i... i don't. i don't have anything to put up. i have an xbox though."
"cool." i smiled
"good." he smiled too
"i'm gonna go shower."
"okay."
