"Hey, Dean is it okay if I bring my girlfriend over later today to spend the night?"
At being suddenly asked this question, Dean couldn't help but scoff internally. 'Hmph, now you think about me huh? Before I pestered the Residential Advisor nearly to death over the issue of you violating our roommate agreement with her spending the night unannounced nearly every day, you treated me as if I didn't exist.'
"Sure, no problem Ewan just remember that I have an 8 am class tomorrow so keep that in consideration." After getting his roommate's agreement over the issue, Dean couldn't but think about how the situation used to be before he'd brought his complaints to the residential advisor.
It wasn't a matter of wanting to be a jerk or someone uncool, but Ewan's girlfriend was there all day every day. In fact, it had gotten to the point that Dean couldn't help but wonder if he had two roommates instead of one and if the university had suddenly allowed for males and females to officially dorm together. At times he even found himself wondering if the room belonged to those two and maybe he was the unwanted guest.
Of course, if it was just over the matter of his roommate bringing his girlfriend over so frequently it wouldn't be a problem. However, after catching the two having s*x in their room after leaving for just 15 minutes to buy a pack of cookies at the local store, he knew that enough was enough. Immediately after this incident, he contacted the residential advisor and took the appropriate measures to address the issue.
It must be noted that Ewan and his girlfriend seemed to have contracted retrograde amnesia when the residential advisor set up a meeting between us as "I don't remember that" seemed to be their only reply to the myriad of incidents the residential advisor recalled from the extensive list of complaints he'd filed against them.
Dean conceded that he didn't expect for all of the complaints to be addressed. After all, how does one stop a college couple from getting friendly with one another? But he knew that requests such as 'Give me a heads up when your girlfriend is spending the night' and 'Can you not play the TV after 1 am' were perfectly reasonable.
'Of course, they didn't see it that way and what ensued was weeks upon weeks of irritating sidelong glances and awkward silences whenever he entered their... ahem, I mean our dorm room.'
'Now that I think about it. Why was she even there when Ewan and I were having that meeting? Maybe she really does consider herself as an unofficial third roommate.'
'Well, at least things are better now.'
Brushing the unpleasant memories from his mind Dean proceeded to play his PC game that consisted of nothing more than breaking blocks with his fist or any other handheld tool before using the material from these blocks to build various structures.
*************************
As he methodically collected and stored materials into his inventory, Dean glanced at the corner of his computer screen and saw that the time was 7:37 pm. Fast approaching the time he expected his second roommate to be coming over.
Saving his game, Dean proceeded to pack a few textbooks into his bookbag before grabbing his room keys and Android phone as he headed for the door.
As he opened the room door, Dean discovered Ewan's girlfriend, Kathy, in mid-motion of unlocking the room door.
Sharing a brief glance of acknowledgment at the door, they brushed past each other without a word being shared between them.
'So childish, just because I raised a few complaints you want to deploy these childish antics of not talking to me.' Taking a few more steps he did a double take as he realized that he had seen Ewan's room key on his desk, which means that the key she was holding now must be a copy.
'Really?! They had the audacity to illegally make an extra dorm key? I guess she really does consider herself a fellow roommate.' Sighing to himself, Dean entertained the idea of reporting this discovery as he exited the building to breathe in a deep wisp of autumn air.
The air was cool and lightly scented with the natural perfume that only autumn seems to be able to offer. Taking in another deep breath, he was greeted by the discontent grumbling of his stomach.
He realized with a start that aside from a few pieces of candy that he'd eaten earlier, he hadn't eaten all day. Realizing this, he pulled his Android phone from his pocket to text his one and only friend h'd made in his two years of university.
"Lettuce, you busy?" He only had to wait for a few seconds before he got a reply.
"I got some free time. What's up?" she replied.
"My second roommate came over again and I am not looking forward to going back. Besides I'm starving. You up for Benny's pizza tonight?"
"Yeah, get me the usual gluten-free cheese pizza and do you mind stopping by Hex's Solstice to pick up my package for me. Just tell Laura you're there for my stuff."
"That place creeps me out, I don't think..." He was halfway through typing this sentence before he deleted it before responding with an "Okay."
Pressing the home button, he glanced at his phone's clock to see that the time was 7:52 pm. A little over an hour before Benny's closed at 9. Depositing his phone into his pocket, he proceeded to make the 20-minute journey to Benny's as he thought to myself 'Gluten-free? I never get gluten-free and despite your insistence that there's a difference I've yet to hear you complain. Better yet, tell me who's ever heard of gluten-free pizza or gluten-free anything tasting like something besides nasty?'
Although he disagreed with her weird dietary choices and hobby, it was her weirdness that allowed them to become friends. The first time he met her was in the school's dining hall in his freshman year of college where he saw her munching hardily on a bowl of lettuce with her bare hands.
After a few more one-sided encounters, he worked up the courage to speak to her and the rest is what you'd call history. Albeit, a fairly short one.
The fact that he can call her Lettuce is a recent achievement of his that came with the condition that he had to accept whatever nickname she gave me when the time came.
Chuckling to himself over the fortuitousness of their meeting, he headed down the alley that served as a shortcut to Benny's only to slow his pace as he happened to hear a pained whimpering come from within an industrial dumpster.
'Sounds like a dog in pain. I'd best not get involved.' With that cruel thought he selfishly left the dog to its own devices as he proceeded to Benny's before it closed.
He'd only taken steps 3 steps before he heard a sibilant whisper that sent chills down his spine.
"Hey, you. Come over here!"