College. A dream for some kids, a nightmare for others and downright dull for a select few. For many kids, it's the first time they were on their own in the cold cruel world; for other kids it's the first time out of their country. No more family for support or help, just total strangers just as out of their element as you. Is it any wonder, then, that college is a place where social interactions abound? Thrust into an unfamiliar setting, teens will always seek the comfort of another they can relate to, even if they know next to nothing about the other person. That is how friends, something more vital to teens than breathing, are made. If a teen doesn't make friend, then they can't make it through anything.
Always remember that.
It was just another boring day at the University of Toledo; the air was chill with the cold November air. Students wandered the grounds either walking to their next class or walking just for the sake of it. The cafés were full of kids enjoying a filling lunch and as always the Starbucks was packed with those who needed their usual three cups of coffee to make it through the day. In one of the cafés sat a student who'd just eaten two plates with pizza and tacos, odd choices to some but this was a bit of an odd kid. He looked normal enough for a college freshman; his brown mess of hair was in need of a comb and maybe a quick trim, his hazel eyes stared blankly ahead as he downed the rest of his soda. A quiet belch left his throat, signaling his inability to intake more food for the time being. The young adult stayed in his seat a few moments longer, just staring at the empty plates while his mind remained wonderfully blank. With a bit of a grunt he forced himself to his feet, picked up the bag containing both his Chemistry books and laptop, and carried the tray over to the conveyor belt drop off. His meal finished, the boy walked past the cashier and went to the bathroom to relieve himself.
This was how it was for him every Tuesday and Thursday; though he'd gotten a much welcome break in the monotony this week. It was student conferences for his Composition class; so he'd been able to both sleep in, much to his delight, and even shower before driving in, something that normally didn't happen till five-thirty. But now, it was back to the old grind. The teen almost sighed as he washed his hands, could life get any more boring
The teen exited the restroom a few minutes later and, with nothing better to do, wandered outside for a walk. The cold air chilled him even through the UT pullover and cloth-lined that he wore nearly everyday and the wind almost immediately pulled all heat and feeling from his exposed hands, and he acted like he barely noticed. In truth, he felt every freezing gust and at times his hands were in pain from the cold; he stuffed them both into his pockets in an effort to conserve the thermal energy and kept walking. His head automatically tilted downward as he strolled around the campus, his eyes stared at the ground while only vaguely registering what they saw, and his ears were flooded with the sound of the grab-bag music selection of his MP3 player. His mind was wandering the endless expanse of his imagination while, at the same time, sending the signals for what was in his way. He'd gotten used to this type of multi-tasking but it offered little to no chance to socialize with his peers. He kept walking, past a series of dorms that he would never see the inside of; subconsciously, his head started bobbing to the rhythm of the 'Nickelback' song blaring through the earphones.
"Hands on the mirror/ Can't get much clearer/ Can't make this all go away." He sang under his breath, more out of a need to exercise his unused vocal cords then a desire to sing. If any had heard the terribly flat and off key notes they most likely would have told him not to quit his day job, like he actually had one. He was too lazy and, if he was honest with himself, far too immature to hold any sort of job. He'd tried a few years ago and it hadn't even lasted to the new school year, and that was a once a week deal. You can imagine how bad it would have gone if he had to do it everyday. He knew that he needed to step up and actually grow up; but his own dislike of responsibility prevented any hope of that any time soon. So he remained unemployed.
The boy sighed loudly during his walk and walked off to the side and slid his bag strap off before lowering it to the ground. The youth reached up and rubbed his aching shoulder; the joint felt about ready to cave in and his hands, originally hot and sweaty from their stint in his pockets were know dropping into numbness. He didn't mind the loss of feeling; it was just another part of college to him. God; his life was so boring. Don't get him wrong; his siblings were decent most of the time and he loved his parents. He just wanted a bit of excitement in his life of routine.
As he leaned against a nearby tree, his MP3 began to stutter and skip; he removed the device from his pocket only to find the display screen just as messed up. Random pixels lit up every few second and the backlight flickered on and off at a pace rivaling a strobe light. "What the hell?" The boy questioned quietly just as high pitched static assaulted his ears. "Shit!" He shouted, yanking the phones out of his ears. "What is going on?!" He shouted just as loud as before, earning a couple of stares from the other two people that were walking the same path as him. Immediately self-conscious, the boy turned away from the others and muttered "Sorry."
Neither of the boy's fellow collegians remained on the scene for much longer, choosing to beat a hasty retreat for fear of the boy's sanity. Although he had no idea who they were, and it was doubtful that their paths would ever cross again with the random nature of the universe, the boy regretted that the scene had taken place and that the other two probably thought he was insane. He was like that; he didn't like to be around others but he wanted them to believe he was a decent person; like he tried to think the best of others.
A sudden shimmer from the general direction of the boy's half seeing gaze jerked him out of his thoughts. He walked forward, slightly curious as whatever it was shimmered again; just as he reached the railing put up to prevent kids from falling into the miniature swamp a good ten feet below the surrounding ground, the boy found his shimmer. A large green gem, perfectly cut, lay among the dead leaves and half frozen grass. It seemed to have a light source all its own as it colored the brown and orange leaves nearest it a faint shade of green similar to its own. I gonna be rich! The boy thought as his hand grasped the jewel, only vaguely noting that his prize was warm to the touch, not ice cold like the surrounding air.
He stood and his free hand reached for his cell phone, ready to call either his mom or dad and tell them to come and get him; this was more important than anything that a chemistry lecture had to teach him, and he could always get any notes he missed from one of the kids that sat around him. He slid the black phone's screen back to reveal the small key pad hidden beneath it and was about to dial when the phone screen glitched out as bad as the MP3 had only moments ago. Random ringtones intermingled with static blared out of the speakers and nearly made the boy drop the phone in shock. The boy growled, why the hell did this have to happen NOW of all times. His phone wasn't in the best of shape but it had never been this screwed up, even after his first day when the rain had turned the pocket of his bag holding it into a puddle.
"You know," A gruff, masculine voice said from behind. "If you got rid of that emerald, your electronic troubles would be over." The boy spun around and brought his hands up in a makeshift defensive position; ready to fight. He found himself face to face with an obese man with an obscenely large mustache, a long and pointed nose, and a pair of opaque, black sunglasses obscuring his eyes. As if the facial features weren't bad enough, the man had chosen to wear a beige trench coat and matching hat over whatever his main wardrobe was. "I'd be happy to take it off your hands." He offered in an almost believably polite tone; keyword: 'Almost'.
"How 'bout I just hold on to it till my dad brings the car back up." The boy said, for the first time regretting his not bothering to get his temps till after his senior year. He watched as the man's face contorted briefly in rage, and allowed himself a brief moment of pride.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." The man spoke once his face had settled back into a passive expression. "That gem has unique electromagnetic properties; bringing it near any type of machinery would have adverse effects of a must undesirable nature." The man smirked slightly, probably hoping his use of large words would confuse the boy.
"Well, if that true, then what use would it be to you?" The man's smirk turned to a scowl in the blink of an eye. "Someone with your extensive vocabulary obviously has access to at least basic technology, which would be as prone to malfunctions with this around as any machine." The boy had no clear idea as to why he was acting like this toward the man; normally he would just politely refuse and say he'd take care of the gem himself. What was making him act like a jerk toward this guy? Maybe it was just greed rearing its ugly head that made every word out of this guy's mouth sound like a lie to him. All he knew was; he didn't trust this man.
"Here's an idea." The man growled, all traces of decency gone from both his face and voice as he reached inside his trench coat. "You give me that emerald or else!" The mustachioed stranger pulled out something resembling a gun and pointed it at the boy's skull. The way he held the weapon, as well as the way his face was twisted into absolute disgust, left little doubt that the man would shoot him without a moment's hesitation.
"Hey, help!" The boy called over the man's shoulder. The assailant turned back, trying to see who else he had to face to get the gem; only to be met with empty space. "PSYCH!" The boy shouted and the man's head snapped back to find his intended victim sprinting away. The portly gunman growled in a rage and fired his pistol. The weapon made next to no sound, most likely it had a silencer to muffle the explosion, but the round it fire was just as lethal as any. It was pure luck that the bullet missed; whizzing just over the boy's shoulder and imbedding itself in one of the trees instead of his head. The boy found new strength in his fear, adding speed to his flight and lengthening the distance between him and his attacker.
"Come back here, you cretin!" The man shouted as he ran after the boy, his speed far greater than what one would assume. He fired another shot with out any real attempt at aiming and a dorm window to the boy's left exploded in a shower of glass shards. "Hold still!"
Oh, yeah. The boy thought bitterly. Like I'm really gonna listen to someone who want to kill me. If anything, he increased his pace through the suddenly deserted campus. "Where the hell is anybody?!" He shouted in desperation, trying to draw attention to his predicament. Unfortunately; it seemed that no one had heard his scream and to make matters even worse, his foot made contact with a sheet of black ice a second later. Sending him to the pavement with a painful 'Thud'.
A deep, malevolent chuckle sounded in the boy's ears as cold steel was placed against the back of his skull. "Thought you could get away from me, did you?" The man's voice was practically dripping with sadistic glee. "Well you thought wrong. And since you made me work for that emerald; I'm putting you out of my misery." The boy's eyes clenched shut, there was no way the man would miss a point blank shot.
Please, God. He thought as his hand clenched the jewel that was going to cost him his life. Not like this. Not like this. The man's finger pulled the trigger back as the gem the boy held began to glow with its green light. The hammer of the gun pulled back as a fresh bullet was brought to the chamber; the glow increased so that the man holding the gun noticed, but was unconcerned. The hammer fell, striking the cap and igniting the gunpowder; the emerald's glow was to the point where even the one that held it noticed through his clenched eyes. The expanding gases from the burning gun powder pushed the bullet out of the chamber at as the gem exploded with light.
The boy's scream echoed throughout the campus.
