Chapter Text
College was supposed to be a fresh start. It was supposed to be a clean slate from your previously horrendous high school reputation. It wasn't that you were a bad kid, you were just weird and a loner. You maybe had three friends at most who would eventually turn their backs on you and leave you in the dust. You were determined to reshape your life. You were going to make friends, you were going to put yourself out there. Maybe you could start going to those cliché college parties they have in movies? You weren't entirely certain. But one thing you were certain of was what you wanted to do. You had been set on becoming a movie producer for years. Throwing together sloppy scripts making small skits with the few friends you had. It was all so surreal to imagine your lifelong dream was in arm's reach. It was decided, you were going to make a name for yourself no matter what stood in your way.
The day you got to your college dorm, you had a roommate. He was the timid type, he kept to himself and would only speak to you if he had a question. Small talk wasn't an option with him. But honestly, you didn't mind it. It didn't bother either of you that you would sit in silence for hours in the same room doing completely different tasks. But for some reason, whenever that would happen, you would find yourself feeling more motivated to actually work rather than lie around and groan to yourself about needing more coffee. Looking back, it's actually quite sad that you never caught his name until you were formally introduced, despite living with the man. But at this point, it didn't matter. You had a bigger issue on your hands. That issue was the dread of going to class. It only hit you that you would have to be in a large room with multiple strangers for over an hour. It was the definition of your nightmare. You told yourself how outgoing you'd be in college, only to be slapped in the face with the reminder of your social anxiety. You didn't want to go, but you'd be damned if you spent thousands of dollars just to live in a mediocre excuse of an apartment.
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Despite your brain convincing you that the world was going to explode if you tried to interact with a stranger, you still found yourself standing before the Art and Media building on campus. You pursed your bottom lip anxiously, swallowing back every ounce of fear that was twisting into a knot deep in your stomach.
"You can do this..." You whispered to yourself encouragingly as you approached the front doors.
As you walked through the building, it was surprisingly cold. It smelled of old books, like the kinds you would find in old libraries. But you couldn't complain, it could always be worse. You awkwardly wandered the halls for a few minutes before admitting to yourself that you were, in fact, lost. You looked to the doors, reading the numbering that made less and less sense as you continued through the building.
This would be so much easier if you'd just asked for help, you criticized yourself in thought. You couldn't tell if you were anxious or if you were too stubborn to ask for direction. You're ashamed to admit it's most likely the latter. Alright... someone who can help me. You looked up and down the halls before you saw a man with a pale yellow hoodie walking with his back to you. He had a cross bag and was walking with the confidence that said he knew where he was going. This had been the only person you'd seen in a minute because everyone else was already in their lectures. Just say excuse me and ask for directions. You directed yourself, taking a deep inhale before rushing after the man, who was a decent distance from you. You had to jog to get into earshot.
"Excuse me!" You called to the man, slightly out of breath. As you got closer to him, you could make out more details. One being that he was slightly taller than you. Not enough that it's awkward, but enough that he feels intimidating, and you have to tilt your head up slightly to get a good look at him. He had short light brown hair that was well taken care of. He straightened up slightly at your call, turning his head over his shoulder to look back at you. He had a thin mustache growing that curled around his mouth. He had deep brown eyes that felt too familiar, but you couldn't put your finger on it. Despite his softer features, the way he looked down at you made you feel slightly intimidated. You caught up to him, breathing heavily sightly out of breath.
"Sorry," you took a deep breath, hunching over slightly before straightening back up. "But could you point me in the direction of the film department?" You asked, trying your hardest not to stumble over your words and make a fool out of yourself.
"I knew it was you." A gentle smile stretched across his face. You furrowed your brows but quickly caught on. You'd recognize that tooth gap anywhere! This was Brian, one of the few friends you actually had in high school. It'd been so long you didn't even recognize him. He transferred schools for some strange reason in the middle of junior year, leaving you to fend for yourself for the next year and a half. You felt a tug of nostalgia as you stared at his familiar, ridiculous grin. His tooth gap always made him much less intimidating. Along with his goofy, crooked grin, he was the definition of 'resting bitch face.' Maybe that's why he also didn't have many friends in high school as well. "It's been so long, man!" He beamed, putting his large hand on your shoulder, patting it gently.
"It really has!" You chuckle awkwardly.
"You're going to the film department, right? I'm heading there too, I'll walk with ya'." He offered, nodding his head down the hallways as he began to turn.
"You took up film?" You asked, following by his side.
"It's my minor, I'm majoring in psychology." He explained, shrugging his shoulders casually.
"I applaud you for one of the strangest combinations I've heard." You teased, clapping your hands softly.
Brain chuckled slightly. "What's so wrong with psychology?"
"Nothing, I just never thought it'd be something you'd be into." You shrugged casually. Struggling slightly to keep up with Brian's pace with his long strides.
Noticing this, Brian subtly slowed his pace. "So you're still chasing your dream of movie producing?"
"Yeah," You paused for a moment, a pang of sadness struck you. "It's probably not gonna happen though." You admit, lowering your head slightly.
"Don't say that!" Brain retaliated with a soft gasp. "You came all the way out here to study it, and you're paying for the classes! You've got the determination. But you'll never get anywhere in life with that mindset." He lectured, poking the side of your head playfully, his usual grin returning.
You laughed softly, swatting his hand away. "Okay, Dad." You mocked.
Brain chuckled before slowing to a stop at a door. "Well, this is the place." He waited for a moment, looking towards you.
You anxiously shifted your weight from foot to foot, pursing your bottom lip like you usually did when you found yourself feeling nervous. Your hands rubbed together as you picked at your nails, spacing out slightly as you stared at the door. Brain nudged your side with his elbow, snapping you from your trance.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright." He assured, placing his hand on your shoulder.
"Yeah..." You took a deep breath and relaxed your shoulders, which you didn't even notice you'd been keeping so tense. "Everything's fine."
Brian opened the door, making a dramatic bowing motion like a servant would do to a royal. "After you." He gestured with a sweeping motion into the room.
You roll your eyes, "You haven't changed one bit." You remarked, entering the room, Brian following closely behind.
"So where are we gonna sit?" Brian lowered his head slightly to whisper.
Your brain paused for a moment. 'We?' He wanted to sit together? I mean, you weren't complaining, but it was just a reality check on how long it had truly been since you'd seen one another. But he talked to you so casually. Conversations always came so easily for him. It was one of the things you envied about him. Other than his height.
You both awkwardly shuffle through the long rows of desks and chairs for a spot to sit. Eventually, you both found a spot where you could see the board, hear the lecture, and where Brian wasn't obscuring anyone's view. The lecture wasn't as bad as you assumed it would have been. You learned a lot for the first class, surprisingly. You listened intently and took detailed notes. Brian was also hyper-focused on the lesson, but for some reason wasn't taking notes. That's when you remembered Brian's practically photographic memory. You were jealous of how easily this idiot could remember every word from the lecture but couldn't remember how to correctly tie a tie.
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Despite the lecture being a little over an hour long, it didn't feel that way. It was as if your world went into a pause and the only thing you could focus on was this lesson. The professor ended the lecture and started to say something that you admittedly tuned out. You began gathering your stuff along with the rest of the class, bumping into Brian awkwardly.
"Sorry," You muttered, throwing your bag over your shoulder.
But Brian didn't seem to notice the bump nor the apology. He was gathering his things, leaning over to the side in his chair. He stood, slinging his bag across his shoulders, looking back at you. "Do you remember Tim?" He asked suddenly.
You paused, digging deep in your memory for who Brian had dragged along to whatever nonsense he had planned. You scrunched your eyebrows as if it would help you think better. You a bBrian stood there in silence for a moment as you thought. Somewhere in your memory, you had a fuzzy image of another man who was slightly shorter than Brian (maybe by a few inches at most), with long features, black hair, and a voice that constantly sounded slightly annoyed. "Kinda?..." You look to Brian, unsure.
"Well, I was gonna go grab him to get some lunch together if you wanna come with. Get you guys familiar again." Brian pointed his thumb behind in gesturing which way Tim's class was. You felt slightly awkward. You hadn't seen Brian in practically 3 years, and you barely remembered Tim.
"Are you sure?" You confirmed skeptically.
"Obviously I'm sure." Brian nudged you with his elbow playfully. "You think I'd invite you if I wasn't sure?"
That was true, Brian was impulsive but surprisingly strategic. "Alright then..." You gripped the strap of your bag a little tighter, anxiously, giving Brian a nervous smile. He grinned back, the way his tooth gap made him look so innocent put your nerves at ease for a moment.
"Then let's go!" He urged excitedly, practically pushing you out of the room.