Chapter 2

"Well, bro. This is it! State U in all its...I wanna say glory, but..."

Nitz stood with his brother outside Chilton Hall, suitcases and duffel bags in hand. "This is where we'll be staying for the next nine months."

Jay surveyed the area and spotted a small group of people sitting in a circle. "Hey, Nitz! Do you know them? Can we go talk to them?"

"Uh, sure." Nitz recognized them as the resident potheads, but they were harmless. The two walked up to the group. "Hey guys, how's it goin'?"

The one with a huge nose wearing the baseball cap backwards stood up. "Hey, man. Nice to see you again. Uh...what was your name again? Barry? Harry?"

"Nitz."

"No, that wasn't it."

Jay's eyes darted around, trying to take in what was going on. "Huh, it's kinda smoky over here." Then he noticed one of them lighting up a joint and he stumbled back in horror. "My god, you're smoking marijuana!"

"Sure am! Want a hit?"

Jay shook his head and hid behind Nitz. "Can we go now?"

"But I haven't even introduced you yet."

Jay stepped forward a bit. "Hi, I'm Jay, Nitz's brother. Well, we better get going. Bye!" He took off towards the doors of Chilton Hall.

"Dude, is he OK?"

"Yeah, I think he's just used to a sheltered life. I'll catch you later, guys."

"Later, dude!"

Nitz took off as fast as he could carrying three bags at once. "Jay, wait up!"

"Wow, I'm surprised any of those guys made it to sophomore year."

"Nitz, please tell me you don't do that."

"What? You mean smoke pot? Of course not! I don't even drink, remember?"

Jay slouched next to his stack of luggage.

"Jay, you're gonna need to lighten up. Our supervision is basically the Douggler and Cal. Things are a bit different from living with mom and dad."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just something I need to get used to."

Nitz shook his head and helped Jay up. "Let's just get to our rooms."

"Room 405, this is it." When Nitz opened the door to his dorm room he heard fingers typing away at a keyboard. "Um, hello?"

The typing continued and Nitz ambled through the doorway. He saw a short man with long messy black hair and a suit. His eyes were bloodshot from staring at the computer screen and a large cup of coffee was nearby.

Nitz dropped his bags on the unused bed and tapped his roommate on the shoulder. "Hello?"

He swiveled his chair around, his expression one of annoyance. "Yes, hello. My name is Zack. It appears we'll be roommates, no?" He held out his hand.

Nitz reluctantly shook his hand. "Hey there, Zack. I'm Nitz. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

Zack turned his chair back around and typed away. "Not really, no. I'm just getting a head start on this essay for Mr. Lin's class."

"Classes don't even start until next week. How could you already know what you'll be doing?"

"Oh, I have an idea. By the way, I hope you have a computer of your own because I never let anyone use mine."

Nitz sat down on his bed. "Well, I'd say we're off to a great start."

Suddenly, a very long repeated knocking came to the door. "Don't worry, I'll get it." Nitz stood up and opened the door to find Jay behind it. "Jay? Something up?"

"My roommate smells."

Nitz blinked a few times. "And?"

"AND? I can't room with someone who likely hasn't bathed since the turn of the century! What do I do?"

Nitz sat Jay next to him on the bed. "Here's what you do. Get a giant hose, wait until he's asleep and then blast him with it."

"Hose, in his sleep, got it!" Jay got up, oblivious to Nitz's joke.

Nitz grabbed Jay's arm and shook his head. "No, goofball. I was making a joke. It's just something you'll have to endure for now."

"Oh. Kinda like you having to endure Cal's slurping noises?"

"Yeah, kinda."

Jay suddenly noticed Zack in the room. "Hi!"

Zack didn't answer and kept typing.

Jay and Nitz started roaming around the campus, saying hi to everyone who had been around.

"Why does it seem like meeting people for you is like pulling teeth?"

Jay looked down at the ground and began fidgeting. "I don't know. I'm just not comfortable, OK?"

"Well, I'm not gonna hang out with you all semester."

"Why not?"

"Well...I have my own circle of friends. Don't worry, you'll eventually have your own circle." Nitz started giving Jay a noogie. "You can start with your roommate."

"Yuck! Well, he's probably no worse than yours."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Nitz stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's the matter, Nitz?" Jay noticed Nitz staring off and focused in on a girl getting out of a car.

It was Jesse, but she looked startlingly different. Her hair was still dyed purple, but it was much longer, falling off her shoulders in long strands. She was wearing a red halter top and baggy jeans, and her exposed belly button was pierced. Not yet noticing the duo staring at her, she grabbed some boxes out of the trunk of her car and walked towards the dorms.

"Nitz? Who was that?"

Without saying a word, Nitz ran at full speed towards Jesse. He skidded to a stop in front of Chilton Hall's front doors. "Jesse?"

Peeking off to the side of her boxes, she gave him a slight smile. "Nitz. Hi. Um...you're kind of in my way."

"Oh, sorry." Nitz blushed intensely and stepped to the side, nearly slamming into the outer wall. "You're looking...great."

"Um...thanks." A few seconds of awkward silence passed. "I...need to get these inside, Nitz."

"Hold on a sec. There's someone I want you to meet." Nitz suddenly realized he left Jay by himself. He smacked his forehead and ran off. "I'll go get him, just stay right there."

Jesse dropped her stuff to the ground and rolled her eyes. "Here I go, dropping what I'm doing for Nitz again."

Nitz came back with Jay, who seemed utterly petrified upon seeing Jesse.

"Jesse, this is my brother Jay."

They shook hands. "Hi, Jay. I don't know what Nitz told you about me, but..."

"NITZ!!!"

The conversation was interrupted by a loud, shrill voice. Everyone looked around, confused until a familiar redhead came up and hugged Nitz, and then kissed him on the lips.

"Kimmy, how lovely to see you again." Jesse started picking up her boxes as fast as she could. "Well, you know what they say. Three's a crowd."

"But there's four of us here." Kimmy replied in her usual bubbleheaded manner.

"Yeah, well...whatever." Jesse kicked open the doors and hurried inside.

Nitz was a little shaken by what just happened, as it transpired so quickly. "Kimmy, you're here. It's great to see you." Peering inside, he saw Jesse practically push one of the freshmen aside as she disappeared up the stairs. "And...um...I'd like you to meet my brother Jay."

"Jay! So nice to finally meet you. How are you doing? Are you going to join any clubs? Oh my god, you look just like Nitz! Anyway, Nitz sweetie, could you help me unpack my things?"

Jay had a quizzical expression on his face while she talked and merely watched as Kimmy dragged Nitz out of sight. "What just happened?"

"FUCKING KIMMY BURTON!" Jesse threw her boxes onto the bed of her dorm room and pounded the walls. "WHY THE FUCK DID SHE HAVE TO SHOW UP RIGHT THEN??!!" She kept pounding on the walls, until she ran out of energy and fell into a heap on the floor. She laid there for a few minutes and then sat up looking into her hands, which were bruised and bloody. Balling them into fists, she stood back up and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water in the sink and stuck her hands in. "Ow! Great, and I have to carry the rest of my stuff in."

Ah yes, the eternal question. Kimmy or Jesse? I'll make sure to put Cal, Rocko and Gimpy in the next chapter. Later, UG fans!

-KTF/Xfox