Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Meet Nicholas
(From Nicholas's point of view)
Annoying buzzing sound was drilling trough my sleep. I took me a whileto realize what is going on. A new semester means a new schedule. Now Ihave to get up at 6 am so that I can manage to go to the gym beforeschool. I was never a morning person, which makes switching to morningexercise even worse. Groaningly, I got up and got dressed.
One good thing about getting into gym at this hour is that there are onlyfew gym rats in there. I started my routine, still trying to wake up mysleepy muscles. At least I am here, I thought. Another victory againstlaziness - and sly smile broke over my face. Sometimes you have to makeyourself feeling better all by yourself, and this little pep talk wasdefinitively working. Just recently I started to notice fruits of my hardwork. I was always trying to keep myself in shape - not that I wasparticularly involved in sports or anything, but I really let myself goin last year.
Still running on treadmill, I started to recollect how stressful was lastyear for me. After two years of marriage, Melissa and I finally broke up.The whole marriage was a farce, based on delusions on both ends. Melissawas a mental child in grown women body, and she could never understandhow complex person I am and the darkness that was always present in myhead. Finally we ended it up, and it was a bitter one. We never clickedtogether and I was glad that it was over. I got accepted in grad school,moved out and closed that chapter of my life. It took me better part oflast year to get myself back in semi-normal stage of mind, where hate isnot something that you wake up with. Four months ago I rented a smallhouse on the edge of our college town and finally settled in. I mademyself go back to the gym, start eating more carefully, and above all,live less stressed-out life style. And I started to feel good aboutmyself, once again.
But my dark side was still there.
Ever since I was a teenager, I had internal battle inside of me. It tookme years to finally realize that I am bisexual by nature. When I was inhigh school I dated girls, but could never fully plunge myself intomeaningful relationship. Nor I could really say that I was actuallyhaving feelings towards girls that I dated (and slept with). It was morepart of obligation, trying to keep a straight image. A baddass Nicholas.Take-no-crap-from-nobody Nicholas. Sport-bike riding, drinking,donuts-in-the-parking-lot Nicholas. Yeah, that was me. On the other side, Inever had courage to actually go out and find a...boy...a boyfriend.
See, that is where I haven't quite cleared stuff in my own head. Findingan actual boyfriend would mean total and final surrender into life stylethat I really, really did not wanted to belong. You know. Pillow-bitter.Ass-licker. Faggot. No. Even I was almost sure that I was actuallyinclined towards same sex, but my rational side was in total denial. Andof course, there is always infamous "what will world say".
My family tried to reason with me, but I was not listening. Counselingwas a joke - I was playing mind games with shrink all the way. I had abad temper - I would often get into fights. It seemed that even if Iwouldn't look for trouble the trouble would find me with no influencefrom my side whatsoever. Binge drinking was not helping the situationeither. Last year of college my drinking got out of hand a little toomuch. One night, I wrapped my car around an oak tree coming back home.Thankfully, I was alone in the car, but that finally send a message.Months of rehab later, my family moved. I managed to finish collegesomehow, but something happened to me. I withdrew into my self, stayingmostly in my room. I guess it did help from the stand point of view thatmy brain switched-off "Self-destruction as meaning for life" mechanism. Ithink that sub-consciously my brain figured that something needed tochange. One year later, I met Melissa and we got married with all thementioned consequences.
All sweaty, I finished with treadmill and moved onto free weights. God,this is much harder this early in the morning. I made myself push my bodyharder. I knew that in a week or so, I would get used to morningworkouts.
It was almost nine when I came back home. I have to hurry if I want tomake to my Physics II class. One shower and breakfast later, I headedout. Physics with Mr. Raysbroock was not fun - man was real stickler forin-class discipline, so I made sure that my cell was on vibrate before Istuffed it in my pocked and entered the classroom.Halfway try class I got really nasty surprise - my cell phone started toring its metal lungs out. To make situation worse, its ringing tone isportion of a song from a local heavy-metal band. Really recognizable inpublic. And really, really annoying when you don't want to hear cellphone ringing. Like in a movie theatre. Or in a restaurant. Or in aPhysic class.
After almost half of minute of ringing, I managed to dig the damn thingout of my backpack and shut it off. Mr. Raysbroock stopped his lecture,and in sudden dead silence of the classroom his tapping of the blackboardpointer on the floor seemed louder than my cell phone second ago.
"Mr. Faulkner, what is the class policy on the cell phones?" "...Um, to be turned off during the lecture..." this was reallyembarrassing, and he was not making it easy on me. Obviously he was goingto make an example out of this particular incident. "Would you be so kind to see me after class in my office, please?" Oww,shit. Him being falsely pleasant was even worse. I saw half of the classturning their head to see who is in trouble. People are such vultures -even in grad school they will childishly look to see who got in trouble.And I was. Again.
WAIT A DARN MINUTE!
If that was my cell phone that was ringing a second ago - then who'scell phone I got in my pocket ?!? Burning with curiosity, I started to quietly move in my seat. I had tobe inconspicuous. I do not need more trouble. Thirty seconds ofsquirming, I got other phone out of my pocket.
One black Razor in left hand. One black Razor in right hand. One with ascratch across front cover.
Suddenly the scene from yesterday was playing again in my head. Thatfreshman knocking me over. My stuff on the floor. His stuff on the floor.Me picking up cell phone and taking it home. That means that...
Oh crap, crap, crap.
I have to straighten this mess up as soon as possible. How come troublealways manages to find the way to mess with me? I couldn't wait for classto end. I was brainstorming how to get this phone back; I am reallyconcern about other people's property...especially when I...err, stoleit. Luckily, there is "Missed Calls" feature; at least I can call himback. Or go try his phone book to find last placed calls. Or maybe justsimply drop it by campus security? That actually sounds like good idea -the guy is probably going to seek it there too. In the midst of thatplanning, class ended. Shit, I completely forgot that now I have to seeMr. Raysbroock. Luckily, he was less of a pain that I thought he wouldbe. He actually laughed when I explained to him about two cell phones.Still, he gave me "don't let this happen again" lecture. Oh well. Ihurried out of his office.
Outside, I scrolled try phone menu to find "missed call". Three missedcalls? Wow, this guy is popular. Last one was from this morning - while Iwas at the gym. To my disappointment, calling back the same number all Igot was our campus directory. That means that he used phone from one ofcollege's offices - probably security office itself. I guess I betterhead there than...now where is it security office here?In the middle of that, phone in my hand started to vibrate. Area code wasdifferent from ours - now I was curious.
"Hello?" I started cautiously."Matt? Where are you? Is everything Ok? Why didn't you answered lastnight? I was worried sick! Your dad and I did not hear from you all dayyesterday..."
Oh shit. This was his mother. Now she will have some total strangeranswer her son's cell phone. How messed up is that - and can my life getmore complicated than this? Should I just tell her that she got wrongnumber? No, that won't work since she will call immediately back - andthan what? I sighed and tried to sound as calm as possible.
"Ma'm, this is one of the students at Matt's school...Matt had apparentlylost his phone yesterday and I am on my way to security office to see ifhe was looking for it" I tried to be as discreet as possible withoutraising too much concern."Is he Ok? We been trying to get in touch with him since last night...weare very worried - and he doesn't not know the number of the hotel wherewe are right now".
Jesus, what a mess. It turned out that his parents are on vacationthemselves, and they traveled halfway with him, and now they somewhere inTennessee, in some motel going insane trying to reach him. Awww...All ofthe sudden, I started to feel extremely sorry for this kid. According tohis mom, he did not even have place to stay - he just arrived yesterdaymorning, just before classes started. I could only assumed that he mightbe in one of town hotels, but judging by what his mom said, he did nothad much money on him. Uhhh...I left her my cell number, and I got numberof their hotel. Now I was feeling obligated to track down this kid.
Matt. So that is his name. Cool.
I was still indecisive about what exactly to do. I guess I should stillget to the campus security and hand them the phone with a note regardinghis parents' hotel info. Somehow, that did not feel totally satisfactory.In that case, I would never know did he actually went to campus securityand got it. It was bothering me, and I was not sure how to address thisproblem. Still brainstorming about that, I reached campus cafeteria.Maybe after cup of coffee I could think something better.
Cafeteria was the usual jungle of students truing to hang out, grabsomething to eat, go try their papers and talk - all at the same time.With coffee in my hand, I was treading try the crowd looking for a placeto sit down. I spotted Scott at one of the tables, talking to some blondegirl. I didn't wanted to intrude, but he saw me and flagged me in.
"What's up man? I heard that you got flamed in Physic today!""I see the news travel fast around here...how did you find out soquickly? I just happened, like ten minutes ago?!?""Courtney here was just telling me...man, I can only picture the scene...I bet it was awesome!"
That was typical Scott. I knew him from day one - we shared room forabout two months until I got sick of dorms and moved out. He was happy toget rid of me - his girlfriend moved in the same night. He was really okguy, just a little loud for my taste. We still hang out together fromtime to time."Courtney, I guess you know Nicholas by now" Scott continued"Yeah, she and everybody else in Raysbroock's class...I'm gonna be knowas Mr. LoudCellPhone from now one" I frowned." Like you can do something about that," he retorted, almost choking onhis fries."Would you like to sit her with us, Nicholas?" Courtney smiled. She reallylooked ok, on the second look. It was just that I was not in the mood fora dating game yet. And besides that I was not quite sure which datinggame I SHOULD be in the mood for. Yeah, I simply loved my messed up,split-in-two brain that couldn't decide for me which chair I should siton.We talk for a bit, and actually Courtney proved to be quite ok. At leastit is always beneficial to meet more people from the same class. I was inthe middle of telling them about my "pleasant" conversation withRaysbroock, when I saw him.
I stopped in the middle of my sentence. At that moment it becameimperative to observe his movement try the crowd, his body twisting leftand right as he was making his way in between tables and crowd, holdingwhat looked like wrapped sandwich and bottle of juice. In just that briefmoment, I managed to soak all the details on him. Faded jeans, t-shirtwith some logo on the sleeve, backpack on the left shoulder. Black shorthair and just portions of his face as he was treading trough the crowdtowards the exit.
"Nicholas?""Huh? Um, yeah, sorry." I concealed my story break with sip from mycoffee cup. I finished my episode at Raysbroock office, and excused myself from the table with some made-up story about that I forgot to dosomething and I had to leave. I hate lying, but sometimes it is justeasier. Besides, it was not quite a lie - I had to catch this guy beforehe disappears.
It took me nearly two minutes to get out of cafeteria. Outside, I didquick scan in three directions that he might went. There were only threepaths that lead to cafeteria from rest of the campus. And he was nowherein site. How did he managed to run away so quickly? Even if he was trulyrunning, I could still see him; pathways are alt least eight of a milelong - nobody can be that fast. Confused I just stood there, with peoplemoving in and out of the doorway. I took a second look around and then Inoticed him. He was just little sideways, sitting underneath the bigtree, unwrapping his sandwich. I took a big breath and I moved alongtowards him.
End of chapter two