Chapter One: Moving Day

Moving day at the dorms is always fun and also nerve-wracking. Glennon Hall is a mixed class dorm where freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors all are intermingled. It’s meant to promote mentorship and solidarity. It’s a good idea but most juniors and seniors don’t stay in the dorms. They often find off campus apartments. But still, some stay in the dorms with the freshmen and sophomores.

Tyler has lived in Glennon Hall every year and never had an urge to move off campus. He’s a confident, presents as cocky, but truly kind senior that knows campus and the dorms very well. It’s his comfort zone, and he’s become a popular and respected figure in the hall. If the RAs aren’t helpful, people go to Tyler. He’s always friendly and happy to lend a hand, but also doesn’t often take part in the parties and large events. He likes to take a more calm approach to his days and nights. It might be why his psychology major is turning into a counseling or pre-med decision point to continue his caring ways next year. But first, to finish undergrad and today Tyler finds out who he gets as his new roomie.

Ben is a nervous wreck. He regrets having convinced his parents to let him move by himself so he could be independent and not get embarrassed. Instead, he feels scared and alone on his first day away from home. School isn’t the fear, he’s crazy smart. Becoming an independent adult isn’t a fear either as he’s going to do just fine for himself as a biochemical engineering and physics double major. The fear is the students. Living with another guy. Sharing a bathroom with 20 guys. It all gives him flashbacks to high school locker rooms with assholes teasing him and poking his stomach humiliating him. He can’t get a note to skip gym or avoid changing in the locker room here. He gulps and pushes his cart loaded with boxes to his assigned dorm hall and looks at each door in search of his room number. He navigates the busy halls and crowd by a bulletin board with notices of campus clubs and intramural sports signup sheets and notices not to masturbate in the showers. Ben cringes at the notice and fears the type of guys he’ll share showers with.

Tyler breaks down his boxes having unpacked when the door swings open. He turns to see a short chubby guy backing in pulling his cart. He couldn’t be more than 5 foot 7 and maybe 220 pounds with medium length wavy/messy brown hair. Tyler jolts over to help and pulls the cart through the door and turns to introduce himself, “Hey, I’m Tyler.” He extends his hand.

Ben stumbles back a bit as the cart is pulled inside with ease. He turns toward the voice and extended hand and freezes. Holy fuck. Ben dreads his new roommate then nearly 6-foot-tall obvious jock with his strong build and short gelled red hair perfect goddam smile and strong arms with long tattoo up his right arm. Ok, the tattoo is interesting and cool, but FUCK why a jock? “Hi I’m Ben.” He says quietly reaching out to shake hands. Looking Tyler up and down in his sneakers basketball shorts and sleeveless shirt, yup, definitely a jock.

“Great to meet you, Ben. Guess we’ll be rooming together this year. I got here early so I’m all unpacked. I hope you don’t mind I set up on this side already. I’m happy to help you unpack these boxes.” Tyler picks up a box offering to assist.

“Umm, no, that’s cool. I uh can get it myself.” Ben doesn’t want to get on the jock’s bad side and owe him anything and definitely don’t want him going through his stuff so he can make fun of them.

Tyler sets the box back down and nods. “Ok no problem, you’re new to campus. Probably wanna get a feel or your new place and settle in. How bout I get out of your hair and let you settle. “Tyler goes over to the desk at the foot of the bed on his side of the room and scribbles something on a post-it. “Here’s my cell number if you need anything. I’m gonna go to the union and hang for a bit and give you a little space. How bout I get us a pizza tonight and we can get to know each other a bit…?” Tyler tilts his head nudging for a yes.

What’s his deal? Ben takes the post-it and nods.

“Perfect. I’ll let you settle, and I’ll be back with pizza around 5. That should give you plenty of time to get all unpacked.” Tyler smiles and heads out the door softly closing it behind him.

Ok, so Ben isn’t the type to invade anyone’s privacy but as he unpacked his things on his side of the symmetrical room, he kept feeling the urge to check out what Tyler was all about. He fought the urge and continued to unpack.

The room was tight but had a perfect pair of twin beds, decent sized dresser and bookshelf combo, small desk, and tiny closet. Tyler had already claimed the right side which shared the outer wall of the building, smart. Ben will share a wall with the next room. There are also dual end tables between the two beds with a window over them looking out onto campus. A tight fit for sure to have all that furniture and two guys. If they both stood at their bed sides, they’d bump into each other. This is going to suck.

By the time Ben finished unpacking the room felt cramped with boxes so he stacked them back on the cart and pushed it out into the hall where boxes and carts were being collected. Much better. A clean and full room. Sure hope this guy isn’t a slob. Ben takes a seat on his bed and looks at Tyler’s side and the urge returns. Ok, just a peak. He opens the end table drawers which clearly is being used as underwear drawer. Briefs, really? Ok. Tank tops, that’s going to be distracting. Bottle of lube, gross. Ben closes the drawer and opens the bottom one. Phone chargers, some random cords, leather strappy thing with some silver loops, a weight belt? Fucking jock assholes.

Ben stands up and scopes out the rest of Tyler’s stuff. Desk seems pretty normal with office supplies. Dresser containing nicely organized clothes, under a stack of pants a weird leathery blue and black mask almost feels like a wet suit, is he a swimmer or something? Closing the drawer and moving to the bookshelf. A few psych books and a stack of towels and a toiletry bag with toothbrush, paste, floss picks, hair gel. Hmmm, standard jock. Maybe it won’t be terrible. He tried being nice. Ben laid down on his bed listening to the commotion in the halls outside go from chaotic to white noise to silence.

The door swings open and Tyler walks in with a pizza box and a couple bottles of soda. He looks at the room for a moment taking in the look and feel of how both their stuff is situated. He smiles and kicks the door shut behind him. “Alright Ben. How was your first day? You find everything?” Tyler pulls a desk chair out and uses it to sit the pizza box on and hands Ben one of the two sodas.