College Life 5

My friend and I ate lunch at the dining hall. He was a few years older than me. Disappointed that they didn't have anything mouth-watering, we both got whatever we thought was decent. I scooped up some rice and a sandwich and an apple. He made himself a pancake. Neither of us found the food satisfying.

"What a great meal," he said.

"You tell me."

Evening came as we were about to chill and play some pool. The sky was dark, the weather was extremely cold, my hands dug deep inside my pockets as the chilly and bitter-cold wind hit our faces. It was so cold that I cried. The entrance was blocked due to construction so we ended up having to go around the long way, finding out for the first time that there was a playground nestled within the college. It was a nursery. 

All that effort was for nothing as the place was closed. 

Frustrated and cold as hell, we ran to Starbucks. I got myself a vanilla latte while he just sat down recovering from the bitter cold. I pulled out a bag of honey roasted pretzels from my pocket and ate them. After a while he pulled out his laptop and started to roam around Facebook. As one could easily predict, we talked about girls. 

"Sean man you are a really popular dude. Show me some girls." 

"I am not that popular," I hated to admit, but I really wasn't. Yet I typed down a name and showed him a picture. 

"Daaamn," he said. 

I just sat there, observing the picture. Her hair in the picture was incredibly attractive. 

"You know," he began. "I'm really up to doing something crazy this semester.. something that I would never do."

"I agree with you on that!" I laughed. 

We knuckle-fived each other.

"College is all about living the life," he continued. "It's the only time where you can do that and nobody would give a damn about it."

"Uh-huh," I took a sip of my latte. 

"Gotta live the moment."

"Gotta live the moment," I repeated his words.

I went to my friend's suite the other day. The suite consisted of four sophomore girls. I was sitting in the corner, one of them kneeling beside me as we nibbled on Asian pears that she kindly cut into pieces. Right after, she brought us a bowl of edamame and a bag of flat pretzel chips. 

"So how did the whole roommate thing go?" she said. I got a new roommate after my previous roommate transferred. Apparently the first day I had to testify at the University Police after the new roommate triggered the fire alarm. Never did I expect to get involved in such ludicrous incidents. Last semester it was me who triggered the fire alarm in the first day after the shower handle accidentally got stuck on warm, the steam looming towards the sensors. But this time it was a foolish act done by two of the new suite mates. 

Me, along with the other person's roommate, testified. It was past midnight. I was shortly sent to the police station via the police car. 

"Get in the passenger seat?" I said. 

"You don't get to sit there," he replied coldly and immediately while shaking his head. "You're gonna have to get in the back. It's open."

When I climbed in the back seat I was cold, terrified, and my heart was literally pounding. Even though I was only going to write a brief statement I still felt scared just being in the backseat of a police car. The first time in my life. My legs could not extend at all, as they were bent. Feet pointing in one direction, kind of leaned to the side. 

"You're a freshman?" the officer said, backing up.

"Yeah," I somehow said. 

"Been to this college before?"

"Since last semester," I said. I didn't know if I was shivering because I was cold or because I was frightened. Then again it was around the teens and all I had on was a hoodie with a jacket, no gloves, no scarf, no hat. 

The place was within the campus so it was a quick drive. About five minutes. The room was bare, seeming as if there was no consideration for interior decoration. We were taken to a small room, which was also bare. Everything was operated under card sensors. A high tech office. On the bare table was a bare telephone set. The officers brought us shortly the sheet as we were instructed on what to do: to write down exactly what we saw in chronological order. I made sure to choose the right words and wrote down what happened and what I saw based on my observations. After all it all depended on me to take note of what I saw. About ten minutes later they came to collect our sheets. I signed and submitted. Felt like I was part of the case now. A witness, that's what I was. 

"Well I went on a police car," I said to her. 

"I've been on a police car before," she said. "Not pleasant at all."

"Not pleasant at all," I repeated. "I hate the fact that I have to be involved in this crap. I didn't even do anything. These people should know better."

She nodded, chewing on the Asian pear. Then she smiled at me.

I visited this suite often as we usually just chat and play games. Mao and Uno. Mao was a game that I utterly loathed as it made me more and more frustrated as the game progressed. Though from time to time, hanging out at this suite was something I need. I am in need of this as it relieved the tension I had from time to time. Maybe it was the fact that the suite was much cleaner and nicer, but somehow a girl's suite seemed to be more peaceful. No drugs, no commotions, no reason to get involved with the police.