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His foot hit the pavement outside his dorm only a few minutes after sunrise. He could still smell the morning dew coating the planter boxes that framed the building's exit, and the amber early-morning sky had only a hint of clouds. He had woken up as planned before his roommate, and had begun the half hour trek to the library on the other side of campus. Even though New Marineford University had seven separate libraries, with one even being right next door to his dorm, this one was by far his favorite. All he had to do was make it there, set up his backpack and laptop at one of the comfy couches with the big low tables, and he'd be set for the day.
Koby didn't really have anything in particular to do at the library—it was a Saturday and semester didn't start until next week—but he just couldn't be in his room today. Not with him visiting.
For the most part, Helmeppo was a fine roommate. He cleaned up his messes, cooked dinner occasionally, and rarely locked Koby out of his room. The two had become fairly close during their first semester together. But when he was around his father—"Axe Hand" as he insisted on being called—he tended to just go along with whatever strange topics happened to arise. And they tended to arise with alarming frequency.
The sky began its shift to the cerulean even as it darkened with scattered clouds, a light misting beginning to coat Koby's face as he continued his walk across campus. The large open plaza where clubs and fraternities would table at the start of each semester was empty, save for a homeless man trying unsuccessfully to get some sleep on a bench with an armrest in the middle. The concrete around him started to emit that peculiar smell that always comes after a long drought.
Helmeppo's father, Mr. Morgan, was certainly not the worst person in the world, but he had a habit of bringing up uncomfortable topics and expecting those around him to be okay with it. The first time Koby met the man, he had stood in the doorway of their dorm room, watching idly as his son did all of the moving in himself. The older man, wearing a skin tight tee that did not flatter his physique and short cropped blond hair, surveyed the room. He sniffed and thumbed his nose, before turning to Koby, and saying apropos of nothing "Man, I miss college. Fucked a new chick every week." Koby's face had turned cold as he realized that the imposing man expected a response.
The mist had turned into a rain now, big drops splashing into Koby's hair and running down his cheeks. Thankfully, he could see his destination up ahead at the top of the slight incline. This was one of the newest buildings on campus, only built in the last five years thanks to a generous endowment from some rich alumni. The construction was all steel and glass, but on a sunny day it was the most pleasant building Koby had ever been inside. Koby narrowed his eyes and tried to make out the paper sign taped to the glass doors of the library.
Koby had tried to formulate some kind of response, his elders deserved some kind of respect after all, but nothing came to him. The man's son looked to his new roommate and sneered "I've been getting puss on the reg, so you better be ready for that. I'm going to need this room free. A Lot." Helmeppo looked absurd to Koby's eyes, sporting an outfit that was nothing short of comical, with a dark purple suit and golden hair styled into a pompadour. Koby had doubted that very much.
By the time he could read the sign on the door, the rain had become a downpour.
All university libraries will be closed for the weekend of the 26th and the 27th. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Rivers rushed down his face, his back, and into his shirt. 'At least my backpack is waterproof,' he thought. His mind turned to the umbrella, sitting in the stand by the door, bone dry. His glasses filled with droplets of water and steam from his mouth as he looked down at his phone, trying to shield it from the elements while he hailed a ride. The driver would be there in 5 minutes.
After his father had left, Helmeppo dropped the act, at least somewhat. He still wore that ridiculous outfit of course, but he did apologize for his father's behavior. Over the months of that first semester, Koby's opinion of him softened, until they had become the best of friends. Still, whenever "Axe Hand" visited, he would always pull out that asinine bravado, and make Koby just a little bit more uncomfortable. He couldn't stand it.
The torrent coming down was pelting the top of his head so hard it stung. Koby backed away from the curb as a car approached, still splashing his feet as it stopped in front of him. He could see the ride-share insignia in the driver's window as he pulled himself inside the dark colored sedan. The young man sat and felt guilty as his drenched clothing and body soaked into the upholstery. The driver said nothing, and that was fine by him.
It was then only ten or so minutes before he was back home, climbing the staircase to his room, and unlocking the door. As it cracked open he could see Helmeppo, standing on a chair and posing absurdly in his purple suit, stopped mid sentence. His father looked at Koby, and with an uncomfortably toothy grin began with "So anyway, Koby, how's your sex life?"
Is this what hell feels like?