I walked off no problem, school supplies in hand. I thought I'd be going back to my dorm room but suddenly Daniel caught up to me.
"Hey... that was awesome what you fucking did back there man."
"No problem. Guess I have the touch in those confrontations."
"Yeah. So which dorm room do you have?"
"457."
"Cool, I have 451."
"Nice. Well man, that was my last class of the day. Going back to the dorms right now actually."
"Same! Can I come with?"
I had this way to read people, and simply listening to his tone, I could already catch on that he didn't have that many friends. I barely even looked him in the eye since I was so tired that day in classes.
I felt a little bit bad for him, as I probably had given off an uninterested vibe to his rather enthused yet lonely tone. I could tell he'd be a nice friend to have since I was only on my first few days of College but hadn't made any friends.
So I decided to perk up.
"Yeah, of course you can come with. We can hang out. I have an Xbox One that I brought with me, my dad-- friend got if for me on Christmas once."
I stuttered, I didn't know what to call Angelo at this point. He felt like the dad I never had. But the way we treated eachother, it felt like we were brothers or best friends.
"D-- Dude... you really think I'd turn down an offer like that? What games do you have on it?"
That's when we kept rambling on about video games and lore on certain things.
"I'm just saying that Scorpion is better than Sub Zero."
"Dude... are you kidding me?"
That's when we finally got to the dorms and hung out for a while, and talked less about video games. We talked more about personal things.
"So what made you wanna go to college? Besides the whole thing about you not knowing why you wanted to go."
"Well, I didn't know what else to do. I was proposed a lot of things by some of my friends. I could've worked at a Spanish restaurant. I also could've done some handy work for my best friend. Things like that."
"Oh, so you went to a free one because...?"
"I didn't want to beg for money from anyone or take loans. That takes a lot of work to replenish back what I took. Rather would play it safe."
"I see. Is there anything you'd like to be when you grow up, man?"
"Well... I haven't really ever thought about it. I had to face a lot of stress in high school before I could focus on what I even wanted to be, haha."
"Yeah, I hated high school. The place I went too had really short breaks and a lot of work that felt as if it were slave work, rather than actually homework."
"I'm sure we've all been there. I barely even graduated high school. Surprised they even gave me a chance."
"Obama did sign that act sometime ago. No student left behind. Glad that happened now that I think about it."
"Why?"
"Well, everyone thought I was a retard because I didn't talk much, and I sucked ass at certain classes. I had a disorder for a while. Couldn't pay attention,"
I was about to say something but he kept going.
"And because I'm Asian the jokes were everywhere. I fucking hated it."
"Damn. Can't say I went through the same as you did, Daniel."
"Well I never really spoke much about it until now... glad I have someone to vent to, you know?"
He gave me this look back at me, one he didn't give me before. It was a look that signified his thanks towards me. He had a slight smile and I appreciated his satisfaction towards a good listener. I was always there for the right people. At least I think I always was.
"No problem man, I'm here for you."
"Thanks man, thanks."
He seemed at a loss for words, perhaps my prediction connected right with his true story. He did seem really lonely, but he seemed like such a nice guy to have around. He was nerdy, which I know sounds stereotypical for an Asian guy, but at that he knew his shit.
He just never really had a way to channel that. He was always quiet so he never got to show that he was a smart kid back then. Hell, I'm pretty sure he's a smarter guy than I am.
"Fuck! You got me with a small tad bit of health left!"
FATALITY
"Gotcha!"
"Scorpion is still shit!"
We both laughed and eventually it was late and we had to go to sleep.
I swear that my dreams in that dorm were always so precious, and light. I felt amazing waking up most of the time. I didn't know what it was until now.
I just managed my time better. Ate better. Tipped off the majority of my earlier stress of life. It helped me so much at the time. My dreams went from anxiety, depression, and insecurity, to much better things.
I had this one dream in particular that was stranger than most. I can't remember much but it began with me in the usual lecture room in College. I saw this beautiful girl in the class and she sat a row down from me.
But at the end we ended up banging, I know it's strange to say. But that's not the weird part. I had the same shit with Alison. When I woke up from it that same morning, I felt as if I needed to see this girl. Acknowledge her existence, because I could've sworn that I'd never seen her before.
That's when I went to my classes, until I got to the same one I met Daniel at.
Yet instead, she was next to me the whole fucking time, and I just never noticed it because I was too focused on class. I remember that same hair and aroma of smell she gave off to my left, each and every day of class.
It was a bit before class began that she asked me for something.
"Um... hey..." She whispered.
I turned my head and looked at her. She seemed a bit too shy, for how pretty she was.
"Yeah, what's up?"
I took the casual approach while staring at her beautiful dark brown eyes that slightly lit up when I acknowledged her.
"Could I borrow a pencil from you?" She asked in the most innocent voice I've heard in a while.
I loved her style. A black unzipped hoodie, natural auburn hair, white tee shirt under the hoodie of hers. Her strong and natural eyebrows. She just seemed much more authentic than the other girls I've seen, like the whored out Sorority girls.
"Of course!"
I proudly handed her over my only pencil, I was confident with her, so I hoped to feel the same this lecture. I had a flair pen incase I needed something really important that I needed to write down.
"Hey man..." Said Daniel.
"Sup?"
Daniel tossed a pencil from across the room for me. I knew he was my nigga from now on. He had my back and noticed right away when I didn't have a writing utensil that was proper for the class.
I didn't want to yell so instead I mouthed the words "thank you" towards his direction. He got my message with a nod and side smirk.
The girl seemed to notice this, as I looked back to the front of the class and from the corner of my eyes I saw her slightly blush.
She looked like she was dying to say something.
"Why did you do that?"
I looked at her again.
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. You gave me your only pencil..."
She seemed to think it was a big deal.
"Well maybe I have my interests." I say those words as if they were like a hiss from a snake, yet in a rather flirty attempt.
"Well, thanks... I appreciate that."
"No problem. If you need anything else, I have you covered. What's your name?"
"Skylar."
"Skylar? That's a cute name, Skylar."
She chuckled and gave me this look. A look that visually screamed to me that she was feeling great. I felt glad that I was able to lighten her day, along with Daniel's yesterday.
She started to open up more.
"Seems like this isn't the only impressive thing you've done for someone," she looked at me in the eyes.
"Covering for a friend was impressive to see too. You have a way with words huh?"
"Yeah, especially when I'm talking to pretty girls wearing hoodies."
"That what you say to every girl?"
"Quite generous to say that. You're acting like I have girls waiting to talk to me."
"Well you have at least one."
I smiled and felt like continuing my little verbal battle with her, but I ended up getting cut off by our teacher beginning his lecture.
Soon after class Daniel crafted a remark about my banter with Skylar.
"You have a way with ladies, all around charismatic guy huh?"
"If that's what you wanna say, then I guess I agree."
"Oh stop it you two." Chuckled Skylar. She seemed to be much more talkative now, since she's not really new to Daniel and I as much.
She seemed to be hiding under mask until I ripped it off of her with my so-called charm.
I had a trick I always wanted to try on "you know who" But then we broke up and I never got to do it. So why not try it with Skylar?
I asked if I could I have my pencil back and gave back Daniel his extra one that I received from him earlier. She said of course but I the pencil dropped onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up. Gravity bent this trick to my favor!
As soon as she turned back around to hand me the pencil I leaned forward and guess where her face would be when she'd lean back up, best guess I've ever made.
Right away when she looked back up and leaned her lips landed right upon mine and we kissed, but of course I kept it at a peck, grabbed my pencil from her hand, and smiled.
She looked surprised, but not in the worst possible way, as if I had raped her or stolen her innocence. She had a look of "Why did you do that?!" And "I'm so joyful that you did that."
Perfect blend if you ask me.
Daniel was flabbergasted as well with such actions.
"I should start taking notes on how to be an everyday stud."
"Well you can start now my dude."
I exchanged words with Daniel and ended up going with Skylar at the end of the day.
I took her back to my dorm room and we chatted about things. We didn't "do" something. But we talked about personal things and told stories about funny things that have happened to us. She wasn't only pretty, she had a sense of humor and adventure, based off her stories.
She and I got sleepy and we laid on my "semi-decent couch" as Daniel called it.
I sat up, but she began yawning and her cute little yawns felt more contagious than ever before. She laid on the couch and her head was in my lap. She laid perfectly enough for only her feet to lay off of the couch, her arms were on the back of her head as she made herself at home on my couch and lap.
I almost couldn't believe I was able to do that trick earlier, and was able to get her back the male dorms without a problem.
I didn't know such a relationship could be established so quickly. I felt like this was already ten times better than what I had before with Alison. Although Skylar had revealed that she's had exes, she's confirmed that none of them got too far with her and she stopped them at the right times.
Yet I always wondered, if she was cautious enough to stop her exes like that, then why is she letting me just slip into her good side so easily?
I just felt like it was taking candy from a baby. So easily buttering her up and using what charm I still had left, and it all seemed to work on her. Compared to Alison this was pure definition of perfection beyond the landscape.
As her head rested on my lap I looked her again in those eyes of her. Her look of infatuation and trust. Maybe my dreams were right. But then again, maybe it was luck. I acted way too superstitious at that time. Always praying even when I didn't even truly believe in an existing god. I was never able to truly choose a faith. I couldn't tell if I was athiest, or agnostic, or Christian the whole time. I felt like if I wasn't I was singled out.
Like if there's a prayer at a dinner, or someone tells me "god bless" that I'd deep inside feel bad that I don't side with such faiths that they uphold themselves. But even then I still remained the way I was. Only depending on my own wills and thoughts. One thing I never connected to with Angelo was religion. He was a Catholic. Made sense. Most Spanish speaking countries contain humongous Catholic followings. It always occurred to me that Angelo would go to hell even if he tried to redeem himself. Why I know that?
That's for another later.
But I feel as if the superstition and dreams really came to life. Skylar's warmth made me have butterflies, I guess even I, Austin fucking Keller, still had something to be nervous for. I just looked at her.
She was everything I ever had wanted or asked for in a girl. I know it sounds clingy, but I had a lot of reasons to act the way I did. They say-- or I say, that the most happiest or funniest people, have always went through the worst in order to act like they are acting. Even through seeing my friends brains scattered, seeing Angelo almost bleed out, being cheated on, and being in hospitals, I still had spirit. That's important, and I'll never forget those days.
I played with her hair and we kept talking back and forth.
"Honestly Austin, that is a fate worse than death!" She exclaimed.
"C'mon, marry fuck kill! Just make your choices from the three I already said!"
She sighed but I could tell she enjoyed our little games and talk.
"Ugh, fine. Marry Jace, Fuck Blake, and kill that one dude, what's his name again?"
"Kyle?"
"Yeah, kill him."
"Not bad."
We laughed and eventually she had to get back to her dorms and I needed my sleep. The next few days went by casually and I enjoyed them. It was a fun time for me, and the two, Daniel and Skylar, both added a lot to that fun.
But even in College I met with some bad apples.
I was on my way back to my dorm room at the end of the day with Daniel. The sun was going down again and the atmosphere was comfortable. It was beautiful that day so Daniel and I felt like going outside to watch the sunset and just talk about life in general.
But I saw a few dudes in the grade A douchebag letter jackets for varsity and shit. They were smoking cigs and hanging out right where Daniel and I were gonna sit. I wasn't a fan of those dickbags. They were spoiled as fuck and sheltered, just like Trent. But they could fight like real men, some on the wrestling team, unlike Trent.
Daniel and I were gonna sit closest to the sun instead of trying to be close by those fags.
But it didn't work.
"Hey Austin! Daniel!" Said one of them.
"What the hell do they want?" Asked Daniel.
"I have no idea. Let's ignore them."
I tried to be the newer me. Not the old Austin.
"Hey faggots?! Are you two fucking deaf?!" Exclaimed the group.
"Daniel if they come over here I'm gonna fight them I swear to fucking god."
"We don't need senseless violence." Stated Daniel.
"Not senseless if I'm knocking sense into 'em."
"Refrain dude, they're not worth--" Daniel was interrupted.
They grabbed him by the shoulder and kneeled by us.
The grasp on Daniel looked so tight that it could've been hurting his shoulder.
"Thanks guys we appreciate the company and all but could you fuck off?"
"He's getting feisty guys look out!" Said the leader of their fucking flock.
Daniel sat there doing nothing and I was beginning to get angry. But for Daniel I refrained.
"Could you seriously stop? We're trying to relax."
"Yeah. Stop." Agreed Daniel.
"Stop being so fucking butthurt you two! I didn't expect you guys to be the pussy ass bitch types!" Said the leader of their flock again.
"Fuck. Off."
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!" They tried to impersonate Daniel and I.
"You know Chad, how about you and your gang go back to fucking eachother in the sweaty ass locker room while jerking off about Sorority girls like you fucking faggots always do? That's all you guys do, and all you guys fucking talk about. Grow a fucking brain and stomp acting like fat fucking gorillas."
Seemed like Chad took offense and the dude stopped clawing into Daniel's shoulder.
Chad literally spit on fucking Daniel and threatened me.
"You tryna start a fight, Austin?"
I stood up in defense of my friend.
"Leave us alone. All of you."
"I've been hearing about you and Skylar, Austin." Said Chad.
"Yeah? So what?"
"She's mine bro, you fucking hear? Let me take her and I'll leave you alone."
I was about to fully fucking snap.
"Are you fucking with me right now,"
As I was talking, his group was circling me like hungry wolves who hadn't eaten in years.
"What made you think she's like a trophy to give away to a winner? Ever think that a girl has a mind too, Chad?"
Finally Daniel stood up and went with my words.
"Yeah, stop being such a dick, dude." Said Daniel.
"Hear that? Not only do I think you're a dick, but Daniel does too."
Chad followed up with,
"Fuck them up."
Chad was in front of Daniel and punched him right in the jaw, knocking him down to the ground easily. I knew Daniel wasn't the fighting type.
They all ran at me and I tried to block, dodge, and punch. I tried my hardest.
I blocked one dude's punch and then punched him right in the liver, knocking him straight cold.
One down, five more to go.
One dude tried to uppercut me and I kneed him in his barely sagging nutsack so he fell right down to the dirt too.
"You guys do wrestling and get fucked up this easily?"
"Those were my two friends who didn't do wrestling, dumbass!" Replied Chad.
Another came at me for an attempt to tackle me and he succeeded, but I headbutted him whilst being pinned and was able to get atop him and beat his face in for a bit until Chad pushed me off.
It got serious real quick. Chad pulled out a switchblade and raised to fucking stab me!
One of his friends tried to hold me down and get him to stab me but I could manage and stomped on the dudes foot, and elbowed him in the nose. It sounded like uncooked macaroni cracked under rough pressure.
But as I did that Chad got a tackle on me and tried to stab me but hit the ground instead with his knife. I took the opportunity to kick him off of me.
His last backup finished kicking Daniel while he was down and I ran at him, but Chad tripped me and I had fallen face-first right into the dirt.
This is where I knew it was over, but I fought until the end. I tried to get up but the two barraged me, Chad kicked me while I was down, directing in my ribcage, and then his buddy was stomping me and I yelled for it to all stop.
I tried to block but I was too open by then, it was too late.
I thought I would die.
...
I woke up and found myself back in a dorm room. But it wasn't mine for sure. I couldn't realize where I was so I decided to get out of the bed, it was obvious that I had blacked out or something. I felt tired and sore everywhere around my body.
I was in my tee shirt and boxers, but I had not a single care in the world about it and opened the door leading out the room.
I was in the girl's dorm. I hadn't even realized it until right then and there.
I peeked left and right and nothing was happening. I just walked right out. It felt eerie and my eyesight was grainy, stressed. I walked back in the room to see that there was a hoodie and jeans with socks all together. There was some blood but I didn't mind it at this point.
After getting in my clothes I went outside the dorms and went back on the streets, good thing my phone survived being in those damned jeans. Although I was very curious on what happened to Daniel and Chad, I kept to myself and needed somewhere to think. If I was able to wake up safely like that, then I had the mentality that the problem was sorted out, although eventually I'd later find out to be wrong, but then was not the time.
I layed against a concrete wall, street lights illuminating the areas surrounding me.
I call Angelo on my phone and get no answers. I call him again and again with no answer, but it rings, so his phone was definitely not dead.
I tried making a track back to his apartment by taxi and did make it there, but to my surprise upon calling the phone again while at his apartment, it was charging on 100% and the whole place was scattered and torn apart.
I attempted to make sense of what happened, and kept thinking and thinking.
Soon enough I had finally realized while thinking to myself...
I should have never been an asshole to the private investigator way back.