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Chapter 1: Orientation Week (Part 1/3)
"Mom, I'll be fine."
"I just wish you would've let us come with you."
"It's okay. Don's here with me and we're pulling up to the dorm any minute now."
"Okay. Let him know if you need anything. And if something's wrong one of you call me immediately!"
"Alright, alright. Listen, I gotta go, we're almost there. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetie. Call me later today."
"I'll try. Bye!" I ended the call. "Man, she's such a nag sometimes."
"C'mon man, she worries about you," Don said from behind the wheel.
"Was she this bad when you went to college?" I asked from the passenger seat.
"She was worse! I was her first. And I didn't have an older brother living nearby."
It was a lucky coincidence my older brother Don happened to live fairly close to the school I picked. When it was time to leave I let my parents drop me off at the airport instead of coming with me (better to go through Mom crying at the airport than in front of everyone at the dorm). Don picked me up at the other end, and I was excited to get this new chapter started.
"WELCOME FRESHMEN!" read a large banner at the entrance of the parking lot. "Please Register at the Main Lobby of Dorm Building 1."
"Do you need some help with these?" Don asked, taking my two suitcases out of the trunk.
"You know, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to go in alone."
"You sure?"
I looked at the impressive-looking building in front of me, the first and largest of three in a row.
"Yes," I answered.
"Okay. Good luck," Don gave me a hug. "And if you need anything, text me. You can come stay with Ellen and me anytime."
"Thanks, bro," I patted him on the back and then watched him drive away.
This is it. Finally, me, on my own.
You know those families where everyone means well but they're still always at each other's throats? That was us. My parents were good people but they were both way too nosy when it came to their kids' lives. My siblings and I were all too far apart in age to be friends so we all just got on each other's nerves. Well Don and I were out of the house now, so my younger brother and sister could fend for themselves.
I took up every extracurricular activity I could just to keep away from home as much as possible, which at my school meant mostly sports. Turns out, I was pretty good at sports, mostly because I was very competitive. But unlike some of my fellow jocks, whose whole existence seemed to revolve around athletics, I viewed it more as a means to an end, the end being the scholarship I landed. It was based on both my academic and athletic achievements, but it did not require me to join any sports teams in college which was perfect for me.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my suitcases, and rolled up to the wide-open door. The Main Lobby was super bright, the late-August sun pouring in through all the windows all around. The lobby was bustling, full of students, suitcases, and some parents.
"Hi," I walked up to one of the students sitting at desks wearing navy-blue Resident Assistant T-shirts. Apparently that was all I needed to say.
"Hi! Freshman, right? My name's Hannah. If you give me your name we can get you settled in."
I gave Hannah my full name.
"Okay, Aaron. Here you are. Oh, you're rooming with Rory. He's an RA as well, so I'm sure he'll be super helpful. For now, here's all the info you need to know," she handed me a large folder and a student guidebook. "The most important stuff's on this page here," she pointed to the first sheet of paper in the folder, "so I'm not gonna talk your ear off. For now, here's your temporary keycard, you get a permanent one after your interview with your advisor. You're in Room 141, just down the hall on the right. If you need anything we're here all day, just come and talk to anyone."
"Okay, thanks," I said with a smile. That was it? This was going so fast!
I grabbed my bags and turned to head to my room.
"Hi! Freshman, right? I'm Hannah. If you give me your name we can get you started," I heard her say to the next person. God, it must be like Groundhog Day for her today.
I didn't have to walk far. I passed the entrance to a computer lab, a public restroom ("Male," "Female," "Unisex") and a lounge with a couch and a couple of armchairs. Right next to it was a door that said "140, 141."
I tapped my keycard and heard the door unlock. I dragged my suitcases in and shut the door behind me. All of a sudden there was silence.
I walked to the room on my left first. Two beds, two desks, two wardrobes. Basic, but clean and functional. There was no luggage in it. I looked at the door and it said 140. Not my room.
I headed to the other room in the suite. It looked identical to the first room, except someone's stuff was already in here. Rory had already settled his part of the room. There were clothes on his bed, an open half-empty suitcase next to it, and a pair of used socks and underwear on the floor.
I left my bags next to the unclaimed bed, and walked to check out the rest of the suite. The bathroom area was around a corner in between both bedrooms, but there was no door separating it. There were two sinks and a large mirror there. Beyond that there were two lockable doors. Behind one was a toilet, behind the other one a shower.
I needed a piss. I walked to the toilet and closed and locked the door behind me. (Even though the chances of someone walking in were minimal.) As I took a long piss after all that time in the car, I finally stopped to think. Shit, this was really, finally happening.
I walked back to my bed and looked around. So what now? I could hear suitcases rolling in the hallway outside and voices talking. Being on the first floor, I could see people walking outside. There were people all around me but I didn't know anyone.
I was tempted to pull out my phone and update all my social media saying I've arrived. No! That would be living in the past, an update for all my high school friends who were now scattered all over the country. I've waited 18 years for this and it's time to live in the now. I decided to start by unpacking.
The first thing I pulled out was my laptop. The piece of paper Hannah pointed out had the wifi password on it, so I got online and started playing music while I unpacked. Twenty or so minutes later I heard a loud beep. Someone had unlocked the suite door.
"Hey," a guy wearing a man-bun, hipster glasses, and a Resident Assistant shirt identical to Hannah's came into the room. He wore a pair of shorts low on his waist, with the waistband of his underwear showing. "I'm Rory, nice to meet ya."
"Hey bro, I'm Aaron," we shook hands. "Glad to be rooming with an RA, man, you can fill me in on everything. You been here a while, right?"
"Yup, I'm a junior."
"I thought I might be sharing with other freshmen."
"Nope, no other freshmen in the suite. Off-campus housing round here's a bitch, so lots of upperclassmen around. Over in 140, Eric's a senior and Jamal's a junior as well."
So many names to keep track of already.
"How are you doing so far, everything okay?" Rory clapped his hands. "What do you have today?"
I looked at my schedule.
"Well, my meeting with my advisor isn't until tomorrow. Only thing on the calendar today's a Computer Safety class and some party."
"The computing class is mostly nonsense, but it's mandatory. They just wanna show you how to use the computers in the lab and what not to do. But the Welcoming Party's gonna be epic!" He raised his arms in the air. "Six o'clock, right outside. Make sure you're there!"
He grabbed some papers from his desk and started to head out again.
"Aight bro, I'll be there," I smiled and nodded.
"See you there, man," Rory came in for a pound hug, pulled up his shorts, and left the room.
[Rory is the main character of My Brother and His Husband, which takes place after this story]
Click here for all my stories + illustrations
"Mom, I'll be fine."
"I just wish you would've let us come with you."
"It's okay. Don's here with me and we're pulling up to the dorm any minute now."
"Okay. Let him know if you need anything. And if something's wrong one of you call me immediately!"
"Alright, alright. Listen, I gotta go, we're almost there. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetie. Call me later today."
"I'll try. Bye!" I ended the call. "Man, she's such a nag sometimes."
"C'mon man, she worries about you," Don said from behind the wheel.
"Was she this bad when you went to college?" I asked from the passenger seat.
"She was worse! I was her first. And I didn't have an older brother living nearby."
It was a lucky coincidence my older brother Don happened to live fairly close to the school I picked. When it was time to leave I let my parents drop me off at the airport instead of coming with me (better to go through Mom crying at the airport than in front of everyone at the dorm). Don picked me up at the other end, and I was excited to get this new chapter started.
"WELCOME FRESHMEN!" read a large banner at the entrance of the parking lot. "Please Register at the Main Lobby of Dorm Building 1."
"Do you need some help with these?" Don asked, taking my two suitcases out of the trunk.
"You know, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to go in alone."
"You sure?"
I looked at the impressive-looking building in front of me, the first and largest of three in a row.
"Yes," I answered.
"Okay. Good luck," Don gave me a hug. "And if you need anything, text me. You can come stay with Ellen and me anytime."
"Thanks, bro," I patted him on the back and then watched him drive away.
This is it. Finally, me, on my own.
—
You know those families where everyone means well but they're still always at each other's throats? That was us. My parents were good people but they were both way too nosy when it came to their kids' lives. My siblings and I were all too far apart in age to be friends so we all just got on each other's nerves. Well Don and I were out of the house now, so my younger brother and sister could fend for themselves.
I took up every extracurricular activity I could just to keep away from home as much as possible, which at my school meant mostly sports. Turns out, I was pretty good at sports, mostly because I was very competitive. But unlike some of my fellow jocks, whose whole existence seemed to revolve around athletics, I viewed it more as a means to an end, the end being the scholarship I landed. It was based on both my academic and athletic achievements, but it did not require me to join any sports teams in college which was perfect for me.
—
I took a deep breath, grabbed my suitcases, and rolled up to the wide-open door. The Main Lobby was super bright, the late-August sun pouring in through all the windows all around. The lobby was bustling, full of students, suitcases, and some parents.
"Hi," I walked up to one of the students sitting at desks wearing navy-blue Resident Assistant T-shirts. Apparently that was all I needed to say.
"Hi! Freshman, right? My name's Hannah. If you give me your name we can get you settled in."
I gave Hannah my full name.
"Okay, Aaron. Here you are. Oh, you're rooming with Rory. He's an RA as well, so I'm sure he'll be super helpful. For now, here's all the info you need to know," she handed me a large folder and a student guidebook. "The most important stuff's on this page here," she pointed to the first sheet of paper in the folder, "so I'm not gonna talk your ear off. For now, here's your temporary keycard, you get a permanent one after your interview with your advisor. You're in Room 141, just down the hall on the right. If you need anything we're here all day, just come and talk to anyone."
"Okay, thanks," I said with a smile. That was it? This was going so fast!
I grabbed my bags and turned to head to my room.
"Hi! Freshman, right? I'm Hannah. If you give me your name we can get you started," I heard her say to the next person. God, it must be like Groundhog Day for her today.
I didn't have to walk far. I passed the entrance to a computer lab, a public restroom ("Male," "Female," "Unisex") and a lounge with a couch and a couple of armchairs. Right next to it was a door that said "140, 141."
I tapped my keycard and heard the door unlock. I dragged my suitcases in and shut the door behind me. All of a sudden there was silence.
I walked to the room on my left first. Two beds, two desks, two wardrobes. Basic, but clean and functional. There was no luggage in it. I looked at the door and it said 140. Not my room.
I headed to the other room in the suite. It looked identical to the first room, except someone's stuff was already in here. Rory had already settled his part of the room. There were clothes on his bed, an open half-empty suitcase next to it, and a pair of used socks and underwear on the floor.
I left my bags next to the unclaimed bed, and walked to check out the rest of the suite. The bathroom area was around a corner in between both bedrooms, but there was no door separating it. There were two sinks and a large mirror there. Beyond that there were two lockable doors. Behind one was a toilet, behind the other one a shower.
I needed a piss. I walked to the toilet and closed and locked the door behind me. (Even though the chances of someone walking in were minimal.) As I took a long piss after all that time in the car, I finally stopped to think. Shit, this was really, finally happening.
I walked back to my bed and looked around. So what now? I could hear suitcases rolling in the hallway outside and voices talking. Being on the first floor, I could see people walking outside. There were people all around me but I didn't know anyone.
I was tempted to pull out my phone and update all my social media saying I've arrived. No! That would be living in the past, an update for all my high school friends who were now scattered all over the country. I've waited 18 years for this and it's time to live in the now. I decided to start by unpacking.
The first thing I pulled out was my laptop. The piece of paper Hannah pointed out had the wifi password on it, so I got online and started playing music while I unpacked. Twenty or so minutes later I heard a loud beep. Someone had unlocked the suite door.
"Hey," a guy wearing a man-bun, hipster glasses, and a Resident Assistant shirt identical to Hannah's came into the room. He wore a pair of shorts low on his waist, with the waistband of his underwear showing. "I'm Rory, nice to meet ya."
"Hey bro, I'm Aaron," we shook hands. "Glad to be rooming with an RA, man, you can fill me in on everything. You been here a while, right?"
"Yup, I'm a junior."
"I thought I might be sharing with other freshmen."
"Nope, no other freshmen in the suite. Off-campus housing round here's a bitch, so lots of upperclassmen around. Over in 140, Eric's a senior and Jamal's a junior as well."
So many names to keep track of already.
"How are you doing so far, everything okay?" Rory clapped his hands. "What do you have today?"
I looked at my schedule.
"Well, my meeting with my advisor isn't until tomorrow. Only thing on the calendar today's a Computer Safety class and some party."
"The computing class is mostly nonsense, but it's mandatory. They just wanna show you how to use the computers in the lab and what not to do. But the Welcoming Party's gonna be epic!" He raised his arms in the air. "Six o'clock, right outside. Make sure you're there!"
He grabbed some papers from his desk and started to head out again.
"Aight bro, I'll be there," I smiled and nodded.
"See you there, man," Rory came in for a pound hug, pulled up his shorts, and left the room.
[Rory is the main character of My Brother and His Husband, which takes place after this story]
Click here for all my stories + illustrations