AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following is a tale of horrific abuse of a poor, hapless innocent who in no way deserves it. It is written only for people who enjoy such tales. Call this a spoiler, or call it fair warning, but my stories NEVER contain revenge or table-turning. This one is no exception. Enjoy!
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Well. Here I am, I thought. This is the best Sunday afternoon ever. I am ready to start my adult life. 18 years old, a freshman at Trentstown University, my parents have just left for the drive back to my hometown of Bellewood. I'm signed up for my classes, which start tomorrow. I have my books. I've arranged my desk just the way I want it. The room has a private bathroom attached, which I didn't expect. But I was quite relieved to know I wouldn't have to use common showers in college. My toiletries, towels, and washrags are all placed in the bathroom where I want them.
My roommate, who I have yet to meet, has taken the top bunk, which is fine. There's a futon couch in the room, which doesn't match the other furniture, so it must be his. There's a flat-screen TV on top of a dresser. The TV must be his as well. He left his dirty socks and underwear all over the room, and towels on the floor in the bathroom, but I've gathered those up and put them in a pile on his unmade bed. I also threw away food wrappers he left around, and empty soda bottles. Maybe now, since I'm here, he will try to keep the place straightened up.
I didn't know where my roommate was, or when he would show up, but I thought I'd take advantage of the quiet to take a look at my books for my courses. Maybe I could read ahead a little, and be prepared for whatever my professors might discuss tomorrow. My desk was situated back-to-back with my roommate's. Each had backs, with shelves, so if you were both sitting at them, you couldn't see each other. My chair was in the corner of the room; behind me was a wall; to my right, a window, and to my left, the bunk beds.
I read, and took a few notes in one of my notebooks. After about 45 minutes, someone walked through the door. He came around beside the bunkbeds, and, seeing me sitting at my desk, said, "Oh. Hey. You must be my roommate. I'm Tyler." He approached and extended his hand.
I shook it and said, "Hi. I'm David."
"You a freshman?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, me, too. Where you from?"
"Bellewood."
"Oh, that's cool. I'm from Keenesburg."
"Where's that?"
"It's way east of here. About 8 hours."
"Oh. I haven't been to that part of the state much."
"So, you're, what? 18?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, me, too. I'll be 19 next month."
"I guess you must have got here yesterday? Or before?"
"Yeah, I got here Friday. Wanted to check out the city a little before classes started. And the campus, too. They got a nice weight room here, right in this dorm. You work out?"
"No."
"Ha. Didn't think so. No offense, but you don't look like the type. So... you gay or somethin'?"
"What? No."
"Ha. Well, then, what are you doing sittin' in here? You should come out and walk around campus, man. Hot chicks everywhere. You're not gonna see any out that window, walking through our parking lot. 'Course, I got a girlfriend back home, but that doesn't mean I can't look, right?"
"Is your girlfriend still in high school?"
"Naw, man. She graduated. We both did, last year. She didn't wanna go to college, though. She waits tables back in Keenesburg."
"Is she 18 also?"
"Yeah. She turns 19 in March."
"So she's just living at home and waitressing?"
"Well, actually, she moved in with my mom."
"Really?"
"Yeah, haha. My mom loves her. Shelly - that's my girlfriend - she's got younger brothers and sisters, it's crowded at home, so she really wanted to get her own place, but my mom was like, 'Nooo, honey, don't do that, save your money. Move in here, then I won't be so lonely when Tyler leaves.'"
"Wow. I can't see my parents letting a girlfriend move in."
"Yeah, well, it's just my mom. My dad died when I was 5."
"Aw. I'm sorry."
"You got a girlfriend, by the way?"
"No."
"Well, that's why you should be outside! Get out there and meet some chicks here, man!"
"I'll meet 'em soon enough. Today I wanna get a jump on classes."
"Hahaha, what?? Is that what you're doin', studying??"
"Yeah."
"Dude, what for? There's nothin' to do yet. You're a strange one, Davey. Dude, check out my abs, man. They're gettin' tight!" With that, he lifted up his sweaty shirt to show me his stomach. I just nodded. "Those are lookin' good, huh?"
I shrugged. "I guess so."
"Yeah, man, I had a nice workout today." He stripped his shirt off and tossed it in the middle of the floor. "We got a nice basketball court right out there, too." He pointed in a direction that told me the court was on a certain side of the building. "Thinkin' of goin' out there for a pick-up game. What about basketball, you play?"
"No. Oh, by the way, um... I picked up clothes that were lying around..."
"Yeah, I see that."
"... and, um... well, do you have a laundry basket or something?"
"I got a bag."
"Well, you think, maybe... you could... you know... keep your clothes picked up? You know, and... put them in the bag, then?"
"Well, it's right here," he said, opening the closet door and rifling through a box. He pulled out the empty laundry bag, and tossed it in my direction. It landed on the floor beside my chair. "It hangs on the inside of the closet door, if you want." He then got a basketball out of the closet and started bouncing it.