The dorm was vibrant or should I say bright , active, and exciting
New faces had joined our little world ( The Scribblers…it will break their hearts if they found out I named the group something as whack as this)this semester;Glenn and Jeffrey, both already warming up to the chaos we called friendship.
We were the Scribblers…..a chaotic POJOSS mix of friends arguing over anime or marvel and dc power-scales while secretly writing novels. They called us nerds, but we were too busy dropping beats, freestyling on random Saturdays, and sketching to care
But in another moment, it was just a different core circle gathered near my bunked bed which I used mosquito repellents to get rid of bedbugs , voices overlapping, the scent of dust and body spray thick in the air. Just kidding…the guys rarely used spray but I beg to differ.
Me,Micheal,Amos,Jade,Brian and Arnold; the beard guy.
Arnold couldn't stop touching his chin. He kept checking it in the mirror every five minutes like a new patch of hair might magically appear. The dude treated his barely-there beard like it was a newborn child.
Anyway, we fell into conversation like no time had passed.
"How was your vac?" Michael asked, already pulling off his shirt.
Jade snorted. "Long. Didn't even feel like a break."Brian leaned back on his bed. "Can't believe we're doing six more months of this crap….I might die from boredom abuse ,it's a really deadly drug ."
Arnold, still staring at his jawline in his mini mirror , joined in. "That's half a year, bro. You know how many beard hairs I could grow by then?"We laughed.
It was stupid, pointless chatter but it felt like a man cave…you know ,like from the croods
Then Amos nudged me. "So… you never said who gave you that watch." I shrugged, tried to play it cool. "Yvette."
The room went quiet for a second. Michael gave me that look like I see you.
Jade whistled. "So she is real."And just like that, vacation memories collided with the present. Laughter followed, teases started flying, and deep down… I realized the six months ahead weren't just about finishing school.They were about figuring out who I really was, who I wanted and who I'd be by the time this all ended.
Fast forward ⏹️
Okay pift….🙄that's a stop sign ,I couldn't find the forward sign
Anyways back to writing ….
Being a senior hit different.
The school suddenly felt smaller… like I'd outgrown it, but it still held pieces of me in every hallway. I knew the rules(ones to break and the ones I wouldn't), I knew the shortcuts(just shortened your time by two seconds), I knew the teachers' habits and the best spots to sneak in a nap between classes. I wasn't a king but I felt like one.
And I promised myself: I'd enjoy every moment of this final ride.
Back at the dorm, things settled into a rhythm. Amos had already made my bed by the time I arrived, his usual way of saying "welcome home" without actually saying it. That was his thing….unspoken loyalty. He didn't show it in words, but in little gestures like that.
The dorm room buzzed with noise
Glenn and Jeffrey, Michael's guys, had slotted into our lives almost too easily. Glenn was low-key, sarcastic, and effortlessly witty, all delivered in a calm, low tone .Jeffrey was the opposite obnoxious , rambunctious , sharp as hell and was way more into anime (very expressive too)
Together, they completed Michael's circle. And slowly… I started slipping into it too with Amos.
That's when the characters started.
Every day after prep or lights out, the dorm would turn into a writer's room. Amos would create these wild, overpowered fictional characters….think gods with emotions and moral dilemmas. Michael, never one to be outdone, would invent his own. Characters meant to rival, to conquer, to outshine.
It started off fun,creative and friendly
But it didn't stay friendly for long.