Chapter 2

Registering for classes was hell. Of course it was stuck between Porter and I being guided by Angelina. It was kind of chaotic for such a small school. So many freshmen squeezed into this little office.

I watched Porter as he stood behind me, "Move big head, can't see the class listings."

I turned back to him. He let this smile go. He was the type of boy that knew he was cute and felt that everything that came out of his mouth was just so damn cute.

"You must have lost your mind," I stated, continuing to stand there and look at the bulletin.

I thought he was going to complain a little bit more, but instead he did something weird. He moved over and rested his head on my shoulder so that he can see over my head. His chin was right on my shoulder.

It was awkward...at least for me. He was obviously completely fine with being so close.

It got a little less awkward when Angelina put her head on my other shoulder.

"You figure out what you want to take Syn?"

Porter smiled at me, "He's probably going to major in Insultology."

Angelina laughed a little bit. I didn't see what was so damn funny though. Porter was corny. He found himself to be so damn hilarious though and it was obvious Angelina had a little crush on him by the way she laughed at everything he said for the last couple of days.

"Let me know when you are done proving how much of a mental retard you can be ok, Porter?" I asked.

I moved forward quickly, causing the both of them to fall off of my shoulder a little bit.

I turned around toward them.

"Yeah, I know what I'm going to major in. Philosophy."

They looked at one another.

Angelina smiled at me, "Um that sounds good. I heard a lot of lawyers major in that."

I shook my head, "Fuck law school."

"What the hell are you going to do with a Philosophy degree?" Porter asked and laughed a little, "Come on Syn. You want to be Gandhi or something?"

"There were many great philosophers. Nietzsche, Sartre, Marcel..."

"And they are all dead. Ha...I mean, it's a not a profession. Not any longer."

Angelina shoved Porter a little bit in his ribs, "Syn, you do whatever makes you happy."
"I planned on. I wasn't asking you guys opinion on the matter."

I turned around, immediately. I could see Porter looking at me. It was quiet for a minute but I felt Angelina was whispering to Porter by the way he was letting off a little groan.

"Syn, you know I was just joking with you," Porter stated, "I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"You couldn't hurt me with a sawed off shotgun," I stated with al seriousness.

He rolled his eyes a little bit and grabbed me close. He pulled my head into his chest and played with it. He was annoying and if he wasn't kind of cute, I would have really told him off. But he was cute and smelled so damn good.

It was hard not to get a little aroused by him.

It wasn't long however before I realized him and Angelina were back to flirting. Truth was they would make a really cute couple. They went off to talking to each other in this low voice, pretending to be completely engrossed in the other's conversation.

It was interesting to see how they went back and forth like that.

I chose my philosophy classes and a couple general requirements with ease. It wasn't hard like everyone else. It was the only thing that even slightly interested me in the syllabus. Everything else...was just bullshit.

Was philosophy dead?

"So now that you guys are all registered, how about we go out to the lake. Khan wanted to meet us out there."

I turned my head, "What lake, Brunswick has no lake."

"Didn't you say you were from here? Even I know abut the lake," Porter stated.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was always so damn smart.

"I was talking to Angelina."

Angelina smiled, "You two need to quit going at each other like that. The lake isn't really a lake. It's more like a reservoir. It was built a year ago after the...um...well you know the big storm.'

"Damn, I heard about that storm. It made Katrina look like the missing Rugrat."
The storm was mentioned and immediately everything got real quiet. It was like hell. I could see Angelina's face drop. Returning to the place, I knew there would be a lot of sadness. A lot of fakeness as well. People pretending to be happy when really they lost so much.

I had been around Brunswick, everything was still in ruins.

"You can't make jokes about everything, Porter," Angelina stated, "That storm was serious. I lost my parents in that storm."

Porter all of a sudden got quiet, "Damn sorry...did you lose anyone Syn?"

"I didn't have anything to lose," I stated.

I walked away. I didn't have time to tell them about my house or all the friends that I had lost in the storm. All my friends that had just gone missing. The past was the past. Let's leave it at that and move on.

I hated emotion with a passion.

We ended up at the reservoir. It was crowded with local students already. People had set up camps all around it and were barbecuing and doing all sorts of stuff. I guess this was the local hang out spot for the campus. It was probably the only thing a lot of them really had to do during the daytime.

Then I realized it.

Faces...faces from my past. Faces from New Brunswick High.

I wasn't the only one that noticed the stares too. Some people smiled at me anxiously. I had turned some of their high school careers into a nightmare. I didn't have many friends. It was amazing the faces that appeared. Some of their names slipped my mind. Most of them I didn't pay any attention to even back then.

We walked down towards the river and I realized one face in particular. We called her Medusa back in high school. She was a big girl. Her and I had a real off and on relationship in school. But she may have been one of the few that didn't hate me completely. I could see when she got up that she definitely remembered me.

"Do you guys feel like we are getting stared at?" Angelina stated.

Porter shook his head, "Well not all of us. Syn, is there something you wanted to tell us?"

I shook my head.

"Nope."

Nothing. We made our way up to the reservoir and I could see Medusa's eyes still burning into my back. She couldn't believe I had come back.

"I want you to introduce you guys to my sister," Angelina stated pulling me frantically.

"I'm not really a big people person..."

"Relax, seriously. I want you to meet her. She's all I really have left. And I want her to meet my new friends."

"We're friends?"

"Duh silly..."

She pulled me still smiling. People killed me sometimes. So quick to make friends. She didn't know what a friend really was. Sitting here pulling me and Porter and pretending like she liked us. She didn't know us. I could be a serial killer for all she'd known. I could cause people real pain.

But people, stupid people. She'd trust me regardless.

We ended up going to a girl. She was standing by herself. She looked at us as we approached her. She had this huge expensive purse that said Chanel on it and matching glasses. She looked like a young, slightly less attractive Halle Berry or something.

Angelina walked up to her, "Dani."

Dani turned around. She had a short haircut and when she took of her classes, I could see that her eyebrows were so arches that they looked more like pencil lines then hair.

"Hey darling..." she stated, not half excited as Angelina.

She didn't even completely look at Angelina. I could see her looking past Angelina and staring at me then staring directly at Porter. I could see the interest in her eyes. Why was it that girls could never hide when they find a guy attractive?

"Guys this is my sister, Dani," Angelina stated.

"Hi I'm Porter."

I could see Dani reaching her hand out stroking his hand gently. She smiled and her face went red. Oh, this bitch was batting her eyes now! How corny was that.

She turned to me, "And you are darling."

"I'm Bored."

I could read through people. Why pretend to like someone? Angelina, yeah she would be find. But Dani...I knew I wouldn't get along with her from day one.

In a weird way, I could see that she didn't back down like most people. She didn't act completely insulted like I had just snatched all her pride away from her. She stared at me, holding Chanel and pretending not to be slightly amused.

"Oh, how unfortunate. Boredom is for the Broke."

She put her glasses back on and turned her hair. Did this bitch just come for me? I took a step forward but then I saw Angelina and realized, I wouldn't come at this bitch...not just yet. But it'd be payback. It sure would.

"You waiting for your boo?" Angelina stated.

Oh wow. I realized maybe I wouldn't have to be attacking her. Dani looked over at Porter, who seemed not to even slightly understand how girl's think. Then she gave Angelina a shady smile.

"Yeah. Eh-ehm. So Porter, you are a freshman I presume."

"Yes I am. I'm liking it so far. It's different from New York."

"Oh really? New York? What part! I lived there for a while in this condo when I was trying to get into modeling. You know they had all the best parties..."

She grabbed Porter by the hand and started leading him away. You would think she was already going to suck his dick in the back of a bus somewhere by how she was acting like a little school girl.

I looked over at Angelina. She looked completely...taken just now.

Her eyes crossed over the beach at the two moving.

"You like him don't you?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I'm not even going to lie. But I realized he doesn't even pay attention to me. I freaking should have known. Bringing him around her. I should have known. She always seems to want to compete with me. Like I told her just yesterday I liked him. JUST YESTERDAY!"

"Well, maybe you should get back?"

"How?"

"Go to the STD Health Clinic. Wait till you see the most distressed looking guy there. Ask him out for a date. He'll go. Then tell her about it. Leave them alone and let her get her shadiness-on..."

She looked at me in this weird way. Her eyes got a little wide.

"What!"

I rolled my eyes, "Nevermind. See Angelina, you have to learn how to deal with shady individuals..."

"No, I'll just let it go."

We followed "behind" Porter and Dani for a little while down the reservoir. We ended up just walking around until it got dark. And then there was the big bon fire that they were having.

The Annual FRESHMAN BONFIRE.

It started off stupid. Porter and Dani joking around. Porter was non-stop with the jokes. He was saying just about anything and Dani pretended to find it funny. She wasn't a good actress though.

I watched Angelina just watching the whole sight. It was like watching a fisher's face while a corporate ship came in and contaminated the waters.

It was kind of funny in a sad way...

"Um, why the long faces?" I heard Khan say.

He walked up from behind us. He had a couple bears in his hand. The were bon fires everywhere and students were playing music, dancing and well...they were drinking.

"Angelina's sister is stealing Porter away from her," I replied.

She punched me in my arm hard. It actually made me laugh cause she just looked so damn DISTRAUGHT!

"Shut up. It's not like I had him anyway."

"Damn, she's hot, I'd bone her..."

Angelina rolled her eyes at Khan, "Yeah thanks for the support. Where the hell is her boyfriend anyway. He needs to come break this crap up."

Just as she said that we watched Dani who was in front of us sitting on some logs with Porter. He had shaken up bear and was threatening to open it, like the silly ass that he was. I couldn't imagine him ever being depressed.

But just as he was about to open it, Dani clung onto him. Holding him there.

"Um, he better come quick..." I stated, "Those two are bout to get x-rated. And that is no lie."

Angelina turned to Khan, "Anything up. Let's change the subject. I know my sister. If anything she wants an audience."

Khan looked over at me, "Well you know who came to the room to see you while you were scheduling your classes."
Sampson...

Ugh, I rolled my eyes.

"I don't care."

Angelina smiled, "Is he cute? Why haven't you introduced us?"

"No he's not cute. He's ugly as hell," I lied rolling my eyes, "I love him, just not in the mood right now."

"Looks like someone else is having boy problems too."
"I never have problems. I just have opportunities," I stated, "And right now this is an opportunity."
"Huh?"

"Get back at your sister. If this isn't the first time she's done this you need to stop acting like such a victim Angelina."
Khan looked at her, "Syn's right. Go do something."

"You know what...you're right..." Angelina stated.

We sat there on the rock and watched. Angelina got up, looking more pissed off than I'd seen her since I'd met her. She looked like she was about to steam.

This should definitely be good. Khan and I watched as though we about to watch a prize fight or something. We watched as Angelina walked up to them with this mad face and just as she was about to open her mouth...I could see Porter screaming for her to move back.

But it was too late, the can had popped open and a stream of beer spilled all over Angelina. It was like watching Bloopers or something.

Angelina's mouth would not shut as she was soaked in beer. What's even worse is that Porter couldn't even get out a full apology because he was cracking up so hard? And then so was Dani. They had cracked up so hard that Porter was no rubbing Dani's back to make her stop.

I watched Angelina come back over to us.and kneel down defeated.

"Whose idea was that?"

"Khan's," I state and laugh.

All of a sudden I watched Angelina's eyes shoot across the yard, "Oh shit...here comes her boyfriend and damn...this guy that he's walking with. These freshmen guys are freaking sexy as hell!"

She was so thirsty.

I looked over at who she was talking about and I couldn't believe it again.

It was Sampson and with him was Pubes.

Fuck was Sampson always doing with this guy. This shit was bugging me for real this time. Like what the fuck did that guy to hold his interest that his own boyfriend wasn't doing.

I watched Pubes walking up to Dani and her getting away from Porter just in time. She was a scheming little bitch and she got away with it.

Porter walked back over to us as if he hadn't blown us off for an hour or two now. And that was when Dani came over...with Pubes and my boyfriend.

"This is my cue to leave," I stated.

Khan grabbed me, "Syn don't act like that now, come on. He's been trying to contact you."
"Who you guys talking about?" Porter asked.

"No one."

I got up just as Sampson, Pubes and Dani approached us. I began walking away. I could hear Dani make a small comment like, "How rude" or something dramatic like that. I didn't care though.

I knew Sampson was watching me. I knew he was watching me walk away but I knew he wasn't going to follow me or anything like that. Sampson wasn't like he used to be anymore. He wasn't going to ask me what was wrong. He was just going to ignore the problems and later pretend like nothing was wrong at all.

I hated it.

I walked and walked across the bridge, only ending as I bumped into someone. I turned to see who I had bumped into.

Fuck...it was Medusa.

She put her hand over me aggressively. She pulled me and grabbed me and pulled me close to her. She knew how to manhandle an actual man.

"I can't believe it. I thought you were dead. We ALL thought you were dead. No communication nothing? All these years."

I didn't look back at her. Why the fuck would I communicate with them?
"You mean you wish I were dead huh?"

Medusa punched me in my arm, "You so silly man. You need to start hanging out with the old gang. Sampson comes and visits the old neighborhood. You know T-Boy never stopped talking about you. You were his first love."

T-Boy...

The name came at me like some lost recipe of happiness or something.

I missed him.

He was the only one from my past that I'd want to sit down and talk to.

"Is he mad about...Sampson..."

"He doesn't mention it. He was cool with Sampson last time they spoke though, but he doesn't mention you."

"Then how do you know he misses me?"

"Because he goes so far not to mention you."

I rolled my eyes. Medusa never made any sense at all. She just used to talk to talk. She was the dumbest, strongest bitch in the world.

"Where is he?"

"I knew you would ask. I'll take you to him. And the gang..."

"What do you mean the gang? I thought T-Boy was in school."

"T-Boy is not in college by any means. Neither am I. Hell, we have something going on, on the side. After the city went down we have new ways to make money."

"Drugs..."

"Yessir."

"Great, why not waste your lives because of the storm huh?" I said, trying to shake Medusa off of me, but obviously, it didn't work.

"No one's wasting their lives. That's the thing. You don't know what it was like. We struggled through that storm. People died."

"And you sell drugs?"

"We were all each other had. And when people get depressed, they need something to help make them feel better. It was T-Boy's idea. Why not give them what they wanted. We'd grown up in the neighborhood. We knew the people. We had connections. Why not sell?"

I looked back, noticing Sampson was still with them.

Noticing Sampson wasn't paying me any attention. He was meeting Angelina...Khan...Porter. He was meeting my new friends. How would he react?

"I want to take you to him."

"To...T-Boy."

"Yeah...T-Boy."

After all these years. I was going to see him. How would he react? He was my first love. He was the only love before Sampson. He was also Sampson's stepbrother. I had run from facing him for years.

Now I was going to face him.

Now I was going to dwell into the past.

"Ok, take me to him."