The early '90's was an incredible time to be in college. We had access to the internet before we knew what it was. Everything was new and the future was bright. With four muted chords, Nirvana killed the 4th generation of derivative hair metal, as if flicking a switch, and ushered in a new era of great hard rock--opening the door for Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Candlebox, and many other great bands. I remember hearing "Alive" echoing throughout the quad. Eddie Vedder's baritone was such a stark contrast to the cheesy, screechy falsetto of Cinderella or Slaughter.
At first, I thought my roommate, Dan, was alright. I wasn't much of a partier in high school, but the elite private college I attended had a well-earned reputation as a party school. "Work hard, play hard," the students liked to say. I wasn't aware of this reputation when I was looking at schools. This was just the best school I had been admitted to. It was an exciting time and initially I thought Dan and I would have a great time together.
My first indication that Dan and I weren't completely compatible came within the first few weeks of school. As is typical, our hall initially socialized as a group. After a while we all began to identify who we liked to socialize with and who we didn't. While I adapted to the party scene and enjoyed socializing, Dan seemed to prefer to stay in on weekends and play computer games or fantasy games with the dorkier guys on the hall. I would wind up back in the room sometime around 3am, in some state of inebriation, and find them sitting around after a long night of D&D. Still, we got along ok.
Dan wasn't an ugly guy. That wasn't why he was such a loser. Physically, he was decent looking enough but his insecurities made him unappealing as a friend and to the ladies as well. He walked around our hall hunched over, with his hand down the front of his boxers; his beady eyes shifted back and forth as if he was constantly worried about someone messing with him. He was also passive-aggressive and spineless. Rather than address concerns with me, he would do things like hide items of his that we initially shared. He would only mention that something bothered him after I asked why something had gone missing.
One day, my friend Jim came to hang out. Dan asked: "Jim, why do you come in our room and sit on my bed if you don't like me?"
Jim replied: "Dan, get the fuck out of here before I kick your ass." Dan scurried away out of his own room, hunched over, cupping his balls under his boxers. Later in the year, I learned more about Dan's family dynamics after his siblings came to stay with us. It started to make sense why he had emotional issues. In retrospect, I feel bad for him.
Dan's high school girlfriend also came to the same college. Physically, they were a perfect match. Beth wasn't attractive, but she wasn't totally hideous. I'd say she was a 4.75 out of 10. They also had similar pale coloring and beady eyes. I think part of their bond was that each was the only person to ever show romantic interest in the other. Beth was more tolerable though. She was much smarter than Dan and, therefore, not insecure. Her major was much more challenging than his and she helped him with his calculus homework--which was a significantly simplified version of what she was required to take.
Beth soon became a constant fixture in our room. She was always there on weeknights to help Dan with his homework and would often stay over. On weekends, I would come home very late to find them in bed. I slept in my underwear, so it was normal for her to see me like that. Though I had girlfriends in high school and had fooled around with them, I hadn't had a full-on sexual relationship yet. Therefore, I hadn't switched over from tighty whitey underwear to boxers yet. I would regularly catch glimpses of Beth's breasts when she leaned over and the wide neck of the t-shirt she slept in opened up. At 18, almost any breasts were a thrill.
It wasn't long before Beth virtually moved into our room. As was typical of Dan, he never bothered to check with me if I had any objection. Apparently she decided she really didn't like her roommate. I didn't mind too much. She was very quiet and didn't mind if I played my music. She sat on Dan's bed and studied. The only part that was a little awkward was if I had to change my underwear. It did interfere with my masturbation habits, though.
Our dorm was close to the gym and I would go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since I didn't have classes all afternoon. Of course, I wanted to shower when I got back but now Beth was constantly there even though Dan had class. The both of them were so inconsiderate that it never occurred to them that this might be an inconvenience for me. I have always been a bit of an exhibitionist, so it didn't bother me for Beth to see me changing. I just didn't want Beth accusing me of harassment.
Trying to be friendly, I would exchange pleasantries and small talk with Beth when I entered the room. Initially, I would strip down to my underwear, grab my towel and shower basket with toiletries, and go shower. I would come back wrapped in my towel, and put my underwear on underneath the towel. Beth wouldn't move from Dan's bed, nor say a word. It didn't bother me that she was there, but it annoyed me that she never thought to ask if it did. As the weeks went on, I was less careful about the towel riding up before my underwear and made less of an effort to be discreet. In fact, often the towel would completely drop away before I was covered. I would be facing away from her, but I could see in the mirror that she was looking--though the mirror was too high for her to see my penis.
One Wednesday, upon returning from the shower, my towel dropped just as the door to the room closed behind me. My hands were full with my shower basket, underwear, and keys so I wasn't able to grab it without jabbing myself. I stood frozen for a second, fully exposed right in front of Beth. She looked up at me and gave a shocked laugh. She then looked away laughing hysterically and said: "Oh my God! I didn't see anything!"
