Hi, my name is Levi, although it's pronounced Leh-vee, yes I know I'm weird like that, and I'm gay too. I know that's not the most important thing about me, but it's something that's been with me for a long time, even before I fully understood it myself.
It all started on my first day of college, and I was both excited and terrified. It was a chance to start over, to make new friends, to find my place in the world. But it was also a big change, and at the time I wasn't sure I was ready for it. I spent all summer thinking about what it would be like and I wasn't expecting it to be quite this scary. At times, I was much more excited; I wanted to be away from home, live my own experiences. And at other times, I was freaking terrified, but no, never this terrified. I didn't know anyone here.
My parents dropped me off this morning, and they were practically pushing me out of the car. They've been eager for me to leave for a while now, ever since they found out I was accepted to a Christian university, yikes. They thought it was the perfect place for me, a chance to get a good education and find a nice girl to settle down with. But they didn't understand that it has never been that simple, that there were parts of me that they didn't see or comprehended. No, they would never understand.
I wasn't sure how I was going to fit in here, in a world of strict rules and conservative values. I've always felt like an outsider, even before I realized I was gay. I probably always knew I was different. My classmates at school used to pick up on me and bully me a lot about my interests and my quirks, and I felt I needed to act differently. But now, in this new environment, I felt more isolated and alone than ever.
Nestled between the towering skyscrapers and steeped in the echoes of French and European architecture, Empiria emerged as the captivating town where this college had been funded. It seamlessly blended the past and the present. I looked up at the old university, and it looked ancient, with marble columns around the entrance and balustrades; a front yard full of bushes and flowers. If you looked at them from the balconies, they formed the University's name "Midnight Sun University".
As I walked through the campus, I saw groups of students laughing and chatting, enjoying their newfound freedom. They all seemed so confident and self-assured, so sure of their place in the world. I envied them, and I wondered if I'd ever feel that way. They were your typical Chads with Midnight Suns jackets and clothes, trying to show off. But then I reminded myself that it was only the first day, and that there was still time to find my own way. If I just made it through the day, that'd be enough. Just surviving is enough, sometimes.
I took a deep breath, tried to steady my nerves, and I looked up where I'd spend at least the next 5 years of my life. "I am here for a reason, and I'm not going to let anyone or anything stand in my way. It's time to start over, to embrace the unknown, and to see where this journey takes me." I thought.
I approached a group of young, scared-looking students whom I deemed to be first years and waited behind them. I remained there, trying to figure out where to go next. Everyone seemed as lost as I was, which was a relief.
That's when I met Jessica. We became fast friends. I knew right from the start, we would hit it off. She caught me keeping to myself and minding my own business, when she approached me from behind.
"Hi, I'm Jessica," she said loudly.
I was startled, and nearly dropped the box with my dorm stuff.
"Are you a first year too?" She asked.
"Yeah, I am. And to be fair, I'm not too sure where I'm supposed to go," I replied.
"Oh, they're supposed to pick us up any minute now and assign us our dorms and roommates," she said.
"That's exciting," I said sarcastically.
As we waited for our assignments, I couldn't help but notice how kind and friendly Jessica was, around other people. First impression, I figured. She had a warm energy about her, Jessica was the kind of girl you immediately liked. She had brown hair and coffee brown eyes, average height, it seemed to me, and she wore bright colors that made her stand out. I could tell that she was the kind of person who would make friends easily. More than one guy would be lucky to have such a woman by his side.
Before we moved on, I wanted to become better acquainted with this girl.
"Wait, my name's Levi. It's pronounced Leh-vee," I said, before she left me alone to my thoughts.
"Oh, well, you already know I'm Jessica. It's nice to meet you," she replied.
"Likewise," I said, and we shook hands. She had a nice soft hand with extravagant nails.
That was when the counselor who was supposed to assign us to our dormitories and roommates arrived. Her name was Isadora Forms, as she later introduced herself.
"Okay, first years, listen up. I'll be your first year counselor, and the lists regarding who your roommates will be and which dorms you'll be in are ready. I'll proceed to read them out loud," she said.
"Remember that the Housing Building I'll be assigning to you, is across the University campus, on Melian's Ave. You'll recognize it by the signs. What's more, consider yourselves very lucky, most students covet these Housing buildings; they're the oldest, best-equipped and most spacious of all the others"
After a while of seeing guys and girls getting assigned to their respective dorms and them meeting up, I saw Jessica getting assigned with another girl called Aimee Lee, an asian-looking girl who seemed pleasant enough.
Now it was my turn, and what was about to happen I certainly did not expect.
"Levi Winters is to go to dorm C305 with Jacob Harrison," the school councillor called up.
This was when I saw who Jacob Harrison was and I could not believe it. My mouth dropped, as I noticed some wardrobe, 6 feet 5", of a guy with nothing in his brains but muscle, wearing a Buffalo football jacket. Just the type of guy that used to bully me at school, but older. I knew then that I wasn't going to have a very pleasant school year at dorm. I was beyond myself.
It took me a while to process it, to the point that Jessica started yanking me out of my reverie, by the shoulder, so we could start walking across campus, towards the Housing Buildings. I had never been there yet, but I hoped they were nice enough. Despite my reservations about my new roommate, I couldn't help but be impressed by the beauty of the school campus. It was the kind of garden, that you want to sit beneath the shadow of a tree and fall asleep for a long time. There were so many kinds of different trees that it was almost like a park, with well kept grass and groundkeepers. In some parts, there were does, ducks and geese. The trees and greenery were so lush and inviting that I felt like I could stay there for a long time. Of course, it was a gated University, so when we arrived to the other end of campus, we crossed a green-rusted archway with the Midnight Sun University insignia, and inscribed on it, it read "Apartment's Gate", which made sense, if you asked me, since that was where the students would come and go between the Housing Buildings and college. Across the avenue, the Housing Buildings were two antique French architecture edifices, overlooking the University campus. One was for girls and the other one was for boys, that much was evident. I understood then why everyone wanted them. I considered all the reasons as I observed the buildings. They weren't huge, nor were they very tall, which implied there couldn't be many people living in them. Both buildings were imposing with impressive entrances. They featured lounges, and the female housing also included a cafeteria, based on what Jessica and her roommate were talking about. Perhaps, the most appealing aspect of all was their location; they were on a central, well-situated avenue with windows that provided a view of the school campus. It all made me wonder what had earned me this privileged dormitory, well except for one thing.
I glanced back and saw the chimp of a roomie that I was so lucky to get, making an obscene gesture to some other guys, just like him. I rolled my eyes and looked ahead. I sighed and tried to focus on the positive. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.