CHAPTER TWO: THE FRAT BOY.
Registration day passes by in a flash - Your excitment only growing at the sight of the schedule on your hand.
"We have to make a deal." Shawn says as he walks by your side - You had never seen someone look so damn good with a jean jacket, but somehow, Shawn could pull that (among many other things) off really good.
"What will the deal be about?." You raise an eyebrow with a cheesy smile. He takes a sideways glance at you as he grins.
"I'll go to every single one of your plays as long as you go to every single one of my performances." He states and you chuckle softly. You both arrive to what had grown to become one of your favorite coffee shops, not too far from campus and the coffee wasn't bad at all. Soon it had become Shawn and your's hang out place.
"That's it?." You scoff playfully as you two get in line, Shawn's body turns to you - His frame hovering taller than yours. "Deal." You comply with a smile and his grin grows to his eyes.
It had been a cozy fall afternoon, just like the ones you loved so much - And Shawn's company was comforting and secure, only a week had passed by but hell, you already knew that Shawn was going to be someone very special on your life.
You watch him softly, his eyebrows furrowing as he nibbles (unconsciously) the tip of his index finger, his gaze focused on the menu before him, thinking about what he was going to order - Though he always orders the same thing, you notice. Shawn was a true sight for sore eyes, no doubt, he was all softness and tenderness - All warmth and kindness, and that was something so comforting for you.
—
"First day of classes, how are you feeling?." Shawn asks, his voice slightly distorted by the fact he was brushing his teeth - Toothpaste on his chin.
"Good? Nervous? Anxious? Maybe all three." You reply, fixing your black skirt and knee high socks. You look at your figure reflecting on the full-length mirror before you, you feel excited - But also jittery.
You watch as Shawn walks out of the bathroom, a comforting smile framing his lips as his messy chocolate brown curls fall down his forehead.
"You'll be fine, (y/n). You're gonna knock 'em dead." He reassures and you groan, throwing your head back and he chuckles. "I'll walk you to your classroom, is not that far away from mine." He suggests and you smile brightly at him.
"Thaaaanks." You chant, hugging him briefly. "But we need to go now!." You state, walking towards your bookbag, slipping the strap on your shoulder.
Shawn shakes his head playfully, taking his guitarcase and black backpack and making his way to the door where you tapped anxiously on the floor.
You two make your way through campus, both of you feel jittery as he walks you to your Introduction to Theater Production class. The halls open wide before you, crowded and filled with noise - Part of you feels like you don't belong there, but you know you're not the only one that feels like that.
"Here we are." Shawn mumbles, staring at the door - You sigh nervously and he touches your arm lightly. "Good luck, lovely." He smiles, somehow that had become his nickname for you, and everytime he said it - it just made you weak on the knees.
You smile gratefully. "Thanks." You grip onto the strap of your backpack. "Good luck to you too, Shawn." He smiles once again, grazing your arm softly.
"I'll see you later." He finishes off before walking away, you see him turn around the corner - His tall frame disappearing from your vision. You take a deep breath, and walk inside.
Your breath hitches on your throat when you notice all eyes on you — Everyone had the same nervous look on their faces, except for one or two people that look relaxed.
You make your way to a seat in the middle of the classroom next to the big windows, dropping your bag on the floor next to the seat. It was a cloudy morning, dim light shines through the windows.
You tap nervously on the floor as the teacher comes in, closing the classroom door behind her. All smiles and grey hair, but she still manages to look juvenile — A dress with flowers falls below her knees as she walks to the desk.
"Good morning, class." She greets bubbly, walking in front of the class. "Welcome to Introduction of Theater Production." She softly shoves her glasses on top the bridge of her small nose. "First I would like to start by saying-."
The door opens, interrupting her – She frowns slightly as a guy with a smug smile on his lips walks in.
"Good morning, Mr...."
"Holland, Tom Holland. I'm sorry for coming in late." He says, those words roll off his tongue with a thick British accent, but you can tell he hardly means it by the playful tone on his voice.
"Mr.Holland, take a seat – and don't come in late again." She scolds as Tom makes his way a couple of seats behind you. He grins brightly, messy curls fall down his forehead even though his hair was gelled back. Your eyes follow his motions, he sits - not before clasping hands with a couple of his friends with a smug smile.
"My name is Ophelia Lockhart, you can call me Ms.Lockhart." She greets, the eager smile coming back to her kind and wrinkled face.
Class rolls in, and the initial jitters disappear as you take notes — Never had you felt so happy about taking a class.
"Class dismissed, I'll see you guys tomorrow!." Ms.Lockhart clasps her hands together and you stand up, taking your bag from the floor.
Suddenly a shoulder brushes up against you harshly, making you stumble forward.
"Hey!." You scold with a frown – You raise your gaze, the dark blonde haired guy stares at you, non apologetically.
"Sorry, darling." He shamelessly stares at you up and down, and you huff.
"Yeah well, you should look where you're going." You spit, rolling your eyes and walking past him.
He watches as you walk away, clicking his tongue. First day of class and he had already pissed off one of the girls in his class.
You make your way to your next class, which was at the theater of the college — Basically a world away from your current location. Someone taps your shoulder and you turn to look at girl — Redhead with freckles on her cheeks and nose like stars splattered in the night sky. She smiles politely at you.
"Hey." You greet slightly confused.
"Hey! I hope this isn't weird – It's just you are in my class and I don't really have friends so I was wondering if we could you know go together." She says with a big smile, no doubt on her voice and you smile kindly.
"Yeah for sure! I'm (y/n)." You shake her hand politely, your voice filled with kindness. Her expression is filled with relief.
"I'm Rachel!." She replies with a smile and soon you both make your way to the Theater. You notice she is very talkative and fun, she tells you why she loves theater and you keep talking as you enter the theater.
"So has anyone told you about the big party one of the kids on our class is throwing at his fraternity?." Rachel asks and you shake your head.
"Really? Everyone was talking about it right after Ms.Lockhart's class." She says slightly stunned.
"I kind of left in a rush, that guy - Tom is kind of a jerk." You say and she chuckles.
"That jerk is the one throwing the party." She explains and you laugh, tipping your head back.
"Woops." You say playfully as you two walk down the stairs and sit in front of the stage — The theater is vastly huge, filled with rows and rows of seats and a high ceiling.
"It's tonight at 10pm if you wanna go, and I hope you do because I don't know anyone else." She chuckles and you smile.
"I think I will, i'll ask my roommate if he wants to go." You reply and she nods.
Tom walks into the theater, this time followed by two of his friends, he makes his way down the stairs as he talks and jokes with his friends. Most of the girls in the class were already smitten by him, mostly by the fact that he was British. Some girls were shallow like that.
"How much you want to bet he will have a player reputation in a few months?." You lean to the side of Rachel and she giggles.
"I think he already kind of does." She replies softly, watching subtly as he sits on the row behind you.
And with that class rolls in, Mr. North starts by teaching Corporal exercises and talking about performance and acting.
You're just grateful that after that class you have a free period to lunch, so after class is over, you start to make your way out.
But Tom has other plans as he swiftly catches your wrist, you turn around with furrowed eyebrows.
"Party at my fraternity tonight, love. Hope you can show up." He winks softly, you narrow your eyes at him. He was obviously trying to bother you, and it was hard to believe that guys like him still exist in college - You had thought that, that kind of inmaturity had been left in the halls of High School.
You shake your hand off his grasp, turn around and walk away with Rachel trailing behhind you. You had no time to argue with such a prick.
But Tom is just amused by you - Not because you weren't head over heels over him, but you just seemed like the perfect kind of girl to bother.
As you open the doors of the theater the gloomy weather greets you with a cold breeze.
"Told you he was a jerk." You comment as Raches catches up to you.
"You're still going to the party, right?." She asks, silently hoping you say yes.
"Damn straight." You reply with a grin tugging on your lips.
—
Shawn throws on his denim jacket, paired with boots and black skinny jeans - Did he own anything other than that outfit? Maybe you would never truly know.
"I can't believe you were already invited to a frat party on the first day of college." He runs a hand through his curls as he says this.
You shrug, applying a little bit of mascara on your eyelashes. "The guy was kind of a jerk, but what are the chances he'll see me, right? Besides it's sounds fun, we can meet new people." You convince yourself more than Shawn. You were never much of a party girl in High School due to your part time jobs to afford College, but now - Why wouldn't you give a well deserved break?.
Shawn nods slowly as you walk out of the bathroom, your frame wrapped around a grey dress that falls above your knees - Paired with a burgundy scarf, because Boston weather demanded it. Shawn whistles playfully at the sight of you and you can't help but roll your eyes - Even when your cheeks flush, but you can always blame it on the cold weather.
"Do you own any different clothes, Shawn?." You say mockingly and he narrows his eyes at you.
"I'm living the college life, (y/n)." He explains and you look at him funnily.
"I hardly think that means wearing the same clothes three days in a row." You reply with a chuckle and he shoves you playfully.
"Alright, alright, fashion police - Stop judging my outfits and let's go already." He changes the subject as he opens the door and you two walk out.
The frat house was a little far, but Shawn made the walk to it comfortable - Making jokes that weren't actually funny here and there. At last, you two stand in front of the frat house, crowded with drunken freshmans.
Music blasted through big speakers, everyone held a red cup on their hands - It was certainly an enviroment you hadn't seen before, but your stomach churns from the excitment. You walk through the threshold of the elegant - but messy - frathouse and the picture inside wasn't any different.
The house, even if it looked amazingly big from the outside, was crowded with people - Giving you two only so much space to walk through. In the stairs there were people making out, some were puking - And in the impromptu dance floor people were grinding against each other to some pop song.
"Just what you had imagined, eh?." Shawn says with a smile, taking a sideways glance at you - You roll your eyes playfully. "Do you want a drink? There must be drinks in the kitchen." He says and you slowly nod. He starts to make his way through the crowd, soon disappearing from your sight.
You shift awkwardly on your heel, staring at everyone but not for too long - How could someone really have fun like this?.
A pair of eyes is set on your frame.
"Look who came." The guy slaps Tom's arm, making him follow his friends gaze until it falls on you.
A sly smile tugs on his pink lips. "Did you doubt she was going to come, Haz?." He asks his friend with unique arrogancy.
"I fail to see your amusement with that girl, you only met her today." Haz replies, taking a sip of the content in the red cup. Tom shrugs, the black shirt tugging at his arms as he does.
"I'm not amused, she just seems fun to bother." Tom replies, leaving his red cup on one of the tables and he begins to make his way to you.
You feel his gaze on you, and once you see him you fail to hide the annoyance on your face.
"Glad you came, darling." He greets with a sardonic smile - Brown eyes sparkling with intent as he stuffs his hands on the pocket of his denim jeans.
"Why do you keep bothering me?." You ask mildly, crossing your arms over your chest.
"Am I bothering you? I'm just trying to be nice." He deadpans, and you huff. "Okay I find you very interesting, does that explain it?." He breathes, but the look on his face says something else - He had a mischief painted all over his face.
You look at him quizzically before letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, right - Listen there are like plenty of other girls that will be dying to have this conversation with you, so can you buzz off?." You ask beyond annoyed. It was true he was attractive, he had the looks of prince charming himself and the smile of a god, but that didn't mean he had any right to bother you.
He smiles dauntingly, for some reason, your annoyance only made him want to tease you even more.
"Oh c'mon-."
"I think she said 'buzz off'." A voice says from behind him, Tom turns around only to see a tall guy holding two red cups on his hands. He had a grave look on his topaz eyes as the words rolled off his tongue.
You stand there amused, and it feels like the music isn't playing anymore - But that isn't right, because the world is happening all around you three, you just can't feel it.
Tom's smirk never fades away as he stands straight, though he can't quite reach Shawn's height.
"And you are..."
"With her." He gestures you with his chin, walking over to your side and handing you the red cup. You feel tense, no idea of what was truly going on.
Tom reaches to shake Shawn's hand.
"I'm Tom Holland, the guy that threw this party." He introduces himself and Shawn shakes his hand stiffly, with a straight face.
"Shawn Mendes." He replies, and lets go of Tom's hand - Shifting his weight to his other leg. "Nice party, do you tend to bother girls a lot?." Shawn taunts and you almost choke on your drink.
Tom let's out a dry chuckle. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend."
Your eyes widen as you swallow hard. "He isn-."
"That's really none of your business, is it?." Shawn interrupts before taking a sip of alcohol. The air is thick, a couple of people stare at the little game of words being thrown around Tom and Shawn,
Tom lifts his hands up in surrender, clicking his tongue.
"I was just trying to be a nice host." He explains, with a smooth smile - His eyes locking with your shocked ones. "I'll see you tomorrow, darling." He winks before walking away.
Shawn swallows hard, glancing at you.
"I take it that was the jerk you mentioned earlier?." He comments and you nod - Your lips dry and your mind still stunned. "Well you weren't wrong, if he tries to bother you again, just tell me, alright?."
"I had it handled, Shawn." You mumble, looking at the beverage on your hands. "Thanks though." You smile at him, and he smiles back - His muscles relax.
"No problem,"
You see a familiar red head make her way to you and you wave eagerly.
"You came! I'm so glad, I've met a few people and I'm going to introduce you to them right now!." She says eagerly, clearly slightly tipsy as she grabs your wrist and pulls you to her.
"Wait, Rachel - Shawn!." You shout at him, and he chuckles as he follows the both of you. You stumble upon a few other people before coming to a stop - Right on the living room, specifically on the couch a group of people were seated.
"Guys this is (y/n)! She is in my theater class." Rachel introduces, hugging you sideways - Her alcoholized breath hitting your cheek as she does.
A couple of 'Hey''s fills the room and you wave awkwardly. The group introduces themselves; Eric, a short, black haired guy. Hannah; All big green eyes, pale white skin and curly dirty blonde girl. David; Tall, scruffy guy.
Shawn comes up behind you, holding another cup for you since Rachel had made you accidentally drop yours somewhere among the crowded halls.
"Oh and you are?." Rachel asks, glancing at Shawn - He smiles awkwardly.
"Shawn." He sends a small wave before looking down at you and handing you the cup.
"Thanks." You mumble gratefully, taking a sip of the much needed alcohol. The room smells of a mix of smoke, sweat and alcohol and it makes you scrunch your nose up at the unpleasent smell.
"So how was your first day of class here at Boston Arts University?." Hannah asks, crossing her legs - Her tight dress hiking up slightly.
"It was really good, are you guys Freshmans too?." You ask softly and she chuckles.
"God forbid, no." She replies as Eric and David laugh along. "We are Seniors." She smiles at you. "But I remember my first day here, kind of nerve wracking." She states and you nod at that.
"Yeah well, it was nerve wracking - But it was also nice."
"Rachel mentioned that you two want to be Drama majors." Eric comments and you nod, taking a sip of your drink. "Nice, i'm a Drama major - If you ever need any help, ya' know." He says politely. "Or if you just want some weed to release some of the stress." He wiggles his small eyebrows at you.
Once again, you almost choke. Eric bursts out laughing. "I'm kidding, sweet pea." He says between laughs and you chuckle. Soon enough they make their own conversation, occasionally you throw a comment or two - Followed by Shawn.
You couldn't really shake of the uneasy feeling, your muscles were still slightly tense - And the fact that you still were on the frat house, in the party that Tom had thrown didn't help.
A couple of hours pass by, Tom glances at you across the room here and there - He felt like a fool, like he needed to prove something, but he couldn't quite grasp what. He sees as you walk away from the group, placing the red cup on one of the tables.
"Tom, leave it alone - You were totally thrown off your own game." Haz teases, only half serious. Tom had already drank more than usual, his eyelids feel heavy and he wobbles as he walks - But his mind was focused on you.
"Whatever." Tom mumbles drunkenly, turning away and walking toward the other room and up the stairs, making his way to his bedroom. He shuts his eyes for just a second before colliding with someone. "Ouch." He grunts, fluttering his eyes open.
"God, Tom, you scared the shit out me." You scold, placing your hand on your chest. I
"Sorry." He hiccups and you cock your head to the side - The smell of strong alcohol hits your face.
"You reek." You comment, you turn to walk away but he catches your wrist sloppily.
"Listen, i'm sorry-." He hiccups, his careless curls fall down his forehead. "I didn't mean to bother you."
Your face softens. "It's fine, Tom."
He shakes his head, his eyelids closing. "No-no it's not."
He lets go of your wrist, running his hands through his face as he groans.
"Get some sleep." You suggest softly. "I'll see you tomorrow." You bid your farewell before walking downstairs.
Tom is left in the middle of the hallway, he feels hazy - And part of him knows it's not just the alcohol making him feel that way. He shakes his head and it is like his legs are working again - making his way to his bedroom.
You join the group again, still feeling a little confused at the last exchange of words you had with Tom. Shawn touches your back softly, making you look up to him.
"Do you want to go?." He asks, his sleepy eyes say it all. You nod slowly and you two bid your farewells before waltzing out of the still crowded frat house, it was already 1:00 a.m and you had class tomorrow as well as many other people in that party - But you figure that's the way college works.
Shawn and you walk slowly through campus - Feeling the fresh cold air hit your skin, you had made the mistake of not wearing a jacket. Shawn stops on his tracks, you realize he starts to take off his jacket - leaving him only with a blue navy sweatshirt.
You try to protest but he is already placing the jacket over your shoulders, softly placing and rubbing his hands on your arms. He smiles cheekily, and maybe it was the alcohol or the daze of sleepiness taking over your body - But you can't help but think he looked more handsome than he had ever looked.
"Thanks." You breathe out sheepishly, he shoves his hands on the pocket of his jeans - His cheeks flushed and a tight-lipped smile on his lips.
"No problem."
The dark night swallows the both of you - The night had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but right there - walking beside Shawn in the most comfortable silence, you felt whole.