The University of Weird

[Maha1930]

"Oxford, University of the best and the brightest in all of Britain."

"It still baffles me then how I managed to get accepted," I muttered as I slung my bag over my shoulder, making my way up the stairs to the main entrance to the dormitories. I didn't see what all the hype was really. The hallways and floors were obviously gorgeous but so was every other expensive school in Britain but, it wasn't like I had a single choice in the matter. My b*****d of a father saw to that. Not a single word or acknowledgment of my existence for Nine-teen years, but the minute I graduate High-School it's full-paid tuition for my entire enrollment.

I don't plan to understand it, nor do I really care. I just wish that everyone here wasn't so...

"Posh?" A voice suddenly piped up right next to my ear giving me quite the jolt.

"Sorry mate!" I turned to face a broad smiling, dirty-blond hair, blue-eyed Australian who was outstretching his hand to greet me.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," I smiled back shaking his hand in the process.

"So, you're new this year as well?"

"Yes sir. Just got here in fact, you wouldn't know where I could find uh.." I struggled to finish my sentence as I looked at the itinerary I was given at the front gate.

"Bartholomew hall?" The Australian asked as if that name was supposed to mean something to me.

"What?" I snapped back, trying to be less rude and more frustrated as I tried desperately to un-crinkle my paper and balance the bag strapped across my chest at the same time.

"It says in the top-right corner there, Bartholomew hall room...314," he finished flashing me another perfect smile again.

"Oh. Thanks," I replied rubbing my head nervoulsy with my free hand feeling like a complete ignoramus all of a sudden.

"I'm actually on the same floor, just moved in yesterday. I could take you there if you want?" His question sounded more like a plea of desperation like he was vying for any other human company and it wasn't exactly like I knew anyone here so I agreed to have him tag along.

"Sure. Thanks," and I started to follow him up to the front desk to get my key, then up the stairs.

"My name's John by the way," the boy piped up mid-way up the second flight.

"James," I answered back which prompted another smile from the Australian. "Why do you smile so much?" I suddenly asked, making it sound more menacing than I intended too.

"Why not? It's the best way to make new friends."

"And how's that working for you?" I asked sarcastically as we reached the landing of the third floor.

"You're the first to actually give me the time of day."

I could see his smile dissipate to be replaced only by a look of complete and utter sadness.

"Well...thanks. I could use a friend here." I replied whole-heartedly. "Plus, It's not like I know anyone here."

"Thanks," John replied smiling brightly again. "Well, here you are, room 314."

"Thanks," I said swiping my key-card and walking inside. It was much bigger than I expected. It had two bunk-bed's on each corner of the room which was about the size of a normal living room. "Damn, this is actually quite nice."

"Sure is!" John said plopping down on the bunk bed across from the one I was putting my stuff down on.

"So, where's your room? You said we were on the same floor right?"

"You're looking at it!"

"Huh?" Turning around I realized that my roommate's stuff was already all laid out and in order. "Wait, you're my roommate?"

"Duh. Cool huh?"

I actually smiled and let out my first chuckle of the semester. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Oh, crikey!" John exclaimed jumping up and pulling my arm till we were out of the room and halfway down the hallway.

"What? What!" I shrieked as he tugged me along.

"We're late for orientation!"

"Oh s**t!" I yelled as we raced down the stairs, hall, and the freshly cut grass to the campus center.  

[Ashley_Winston]

"So are you new here?" I heard a low, quiet voice ask me. I turned my head to look at the girl.

"Yea.. I just transfered here." I replied to her, then turned back around and continued unpacking everything.

"That's cool. I'm Melany by the way. I've been going here for a few years. If you want, I can show you around?" She asked politely.

I sigh quietly, "Yea sure. Just lemme finish unpacking real quick." I pull out a picture of my Mom and Dad. I miss you guys...I place the picture on my desk next to my bunk bed, my fingers gently tracing the curves of the picture frame.

A loud thud pulls me out of my daze. I turn to look at another girl standing beside me. She had bleach blond hair, and a Juicy Courture outfit and bag. Oh boyyy... The b***h has entered the room. I thought to myself.

"Ummm, excuse me. But I refuse to sleep on the top bunk. It'll mess up my hair with all the heat and moisture up there. So I call dibs on the bottom bunk. Kay, thanks!" She and her very high pitched voice declared.

I would NOT stand for this. "Huh. Someone needs a reality check. Look, you stupid little b***h. This isn't your school. You don't own the place just because you wear expensive name brands. No. Oh and don't get me started about heat, moisture and hair! There's things that were invented that are called, showers, hairbrushes, hairspray and hairties are for. Learn to use them and stop being a priss." I shouted at her. I f'n HATE snobby bitches like her. She needs to grow up. Like, today.

Melany grabbed me before I could even start to slap that girl silly. "What are you doing???? She's like related to the Dean!!" She seemed really scared.

I sighed and calmed her down. "Don't worry. This wouldn't be my first time I get kicked out for fights." I said, winking at her.

I was about to continue with this blondie, but Melany stopped me again.

"We can't right now! We gotta get to orientation anyway. It starts soon. If we go now, we can get the good seats!" She exclaimed with a smile.

I just laughed at her and make a motion for her to lead the way. As we left the room, I glared back at the blond. I'm so not done with her. And if she touches my stuff, the b***h is going to hell.

As Melany pulled me along with her to the orientation room, we accidentally bumped into two other guys also rushing to orientation. "SORRY!!!" We yelled back at them as we kept on running to the Hall and laughing like silly school girls.

We finally got to the Hall and found a few of the best seats in the house! I like this place already! I smiled as I took everything in. It's all so elegant.

Everyone was seated and the orientation began....  

[Maha1930]

"Sorry! Sorry! Oh, sorry!" I must have apologized a billion times to unhappy faces as my big feet squashed numerous toes on the way down the aisle to our seats. As soon as our butts grazed the empty spaces on the bench the proceeding's began. It was just the normal stuff "Welcome to Oxford, we're so great, bladdity bladdity blah." As I was listening to the headmaster explain the rules or something along those lines of the University my eyes began tracing the inner workings of the very room we were in.

It wasn't a room per-say, but a work of art. Just like the campus itself the room had arches and intricate stone workings waved into the walls and ceilings like it had stood there since the medieval times. It reminded me of a chapel like the one's mum used to take me when I was just a little boy.

"Pay attention," John whispered prodding me in the side. I prodded him back which spurred giggles from both of us and hushes from the surrounding student body. But my attention couldn't spur away from the room instead of the announcements that were happening around me. It was then my eyes fell finally upon John. I really hadn't gotten a proper stare at him yet, I mean we only had met mere minutes ago. It was then that I realized he wasn't such a bad looking bloke after all. Not that I thought he was, he just looked sort-of geeky to me. Then again, Australians tend to be quite the attractive bunch.

"Would you stop staring?" John whispered harshly under his breath making me quickly turn back around to face front.

"Sorry mate." I whispered apologetically.

"It's okay," he whispered back.

"He was staring at me. Why was he staring at me?"

"I said I was sorry John," I said repeating myself.

"What are you on about? I said okay already."

"No, I thought you just said-never mind."

The assembly was boring as all manners of dread. It was nothing I hadn't read or been notified of through the copious amounts of pamphlets I had received in the mail from the University over the past six months. Nothing really peaked my attention until the headmaster called "Mr. Gram," to the podium. A wave of shivers went down my spine.

"That's my last name." I thought to myself.

"Mate what's wrong?" John asked curious as to why I had gone into a state of sudden shock.

It was him I was sure of it. I had no idea how I knew it, but that was indeed Nathan Gram...my father.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Me and Melany whispered through the whole orientation. She said she could fill me in on the important stuff later before classes start. After the orientation, we went back to our rooms and I walked over to my bottom bunk. I noticed that all my stuff had been moved by that b***h.

"Awwwwwhhh no man! She did NOT do that. Okay. s**t's going down. Where is this Fake Blond b***h!?" I yelled, storming out of the room looking for Ms. Blondie.

While running around, I ran into these two guys. One sounded/looked Australian. The other one seemed quite happy to be near this Australian.

"I'm so sorry. I would stay and make it up to you guys, but I have a b***h to ******** up." I said, smiling then running off again.  

[Maha1930]

"What a strange little sheila," John said referring to the girl that had bumped into the two yet again. This time however she seemed to be running towards a fight.

"Yeah.." I replied sounding severely disconnected from the world around me. It was just seeing my father up there, addressing the student body with a smile on his face...like nothing had gone wrong. Not being in my life for Nine-teen years just seemed like a trivial matter. "So why now?" I thought to himself.

"James are you okay?" John asked prodding his new friend in the side to at least get a reaction out of him.

"I guess."

"You've been in a weird mood ever since orientation ended, there couldn't have been that many rules and regulations to already ruin the semester come on now, lighten up!"

But John's friendly advice was lost on me. I was too preoccupied with the fact that his father was running the very school I was attending and the fact that my father had made that all possible on top of all that. "I need something to eat." I said after awhile.

"Alright, but I think we have to go that way to get to the dining hall." John said turning both his friend and his feet in the opposite direction.

After we had got something to eat and found a rather nice table away from all the noise of the other students John finally piped up and asked me the question he'd been awaiting an answer to for the last hour and a half of silence. "So are you finally going to tell me what's wrong?" asking me whilst filling his mouth with a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"My dad's here," I replied not even touching my food that we came here for in the first place.

"Well isn't that a good thing?" John asked taking another big helping of mashed potatoes.

"Except that he's the head of the entire college.." I thought to himself.

"Oh, tough break." John said as if I had said something worth replying to.

"Huh?" I said confused finally spooning some food into my desperately hungry mouth.

"Nothing." John replied. "I'm guessing you don't like your father?"

"I didn't even know he knew I existed until now. Mum got a letter around the time I sent my application for here just for kicks thinking I would never get in and well...here I am. Full tuition payed by good old daddy who I've never laid eyes on in Nine-teen years mind you." I began angrily stabbing my steak as my anger welled up even more from telling my story.

"Cookie?" John asked holding out a chocolate chip in front of me before flashing another one of his Aussie smiles.

I chuckled a bit before finally saying "Why not."  

[Ashley_Winston]

I made my way into the dining hall and scanned the room for this girl. I weaved in and out if rows after rows of tables. Each time I spotted a blond, it wasn't her.

"UGH! Where the hell is she?" I asked myself.

I looked at the line where people were getting all sorts of different foods. I looked through the line quickly then saw her. I passed through people as politely as I could and I positioned myself behind her.

"Oh, hey! There you are!" I said, playing fake and sounded happy.

She turned around with a smile, which immediately turned to a frown with a confused look. "Oh. It's you. What do you want?" She asked.

"Me? Nothing really. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to eat together? Since we're gonna be roommates, why not get to know each other?" I said.

She contimplated the offer for awhile, and people behind her began tapping their feet impatiently.

I gestured her to the waiting people. She looked back and made a "Sorry" face and moved out of the line.

"Sorry. I have too much to do. Plus, I would never waste MY time on you." She said coldly.

"Ohhh, so that's how you see it. Is it?" I asked, letting my anger and frustration grow.

She nodded.

"Hmmm.. Then I guess there's one way to settle this little problem I have with YOU." I said.

She looked at me with suspicious curiosity. "Oh?"

"Yea. I have a problem with you. You think you own this place. Apparently you seem to think that you can get what ever you want with a flick of a finger. Oh HELL NO. Not with me! I'm done with Blonde Bitches like you! I may have no say in any of this, but I DO have the freedom of speech! And listen b***h, you're going down!" I yelled at her.

Her face was begining to turn red. And I didn't expect her to do what she did just then.

She lunges at me, tackling me to the ground throwing punches here and there. Pfft. Like I'm gonna let that happen. I kick her off of me and she lands on a table full of food.

The whole hall goes "OOOHHHH!!!" And I laugh as she gets up and wipes the food off.

Blondie runs at me and I run at her. Just as we're about to collide, I go down and slide right past her. Quickly getting up, I jump at her and land on her back. And I have no idea why... But I start tugging on her hair. Maybe expecting something to happen?

She struggles to get me off of her, while in the process she falls to the ground and I straddle her so she can't get up.

She flails around trying to hit me. But I just grab her arms and hold them down.

"Now, why don't you stop acting like this, okay? You're in a University. I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesn't tolerate this behavior. There are plenty others like me. I'll just admit that I went too far and we ended up right where we are now." I said, calmly.

Her face was beat red from humiliation. I kinda felt bad. But I wouldn't let her get to me.

I got off of her and pushed through all the people gathered in a circle around us. Once out of the ring of idiots, I weaved, yet again, through all the tables and made my way out of the dining hall.  

[Maha1930]

"Did you just see that just now?!" John shrieked and waving his finger after the girl that we had bumped into twice now, she was running out of the dining hall.

"Mhmm!" was all I could reply, my mouth being quite full with a very delicious cookie and all.

"What is that girl's problem? Is that how they solve things over here in Britain? Hair pulling and food throwing?"

"No," I said once I washed down my throat with a sip of cool water, "well..yeah that's basically it. I have no idea why that girl went after that blonde chick like that though. Weird." I just shrugged and continued eating my meal. The blonde girl had since left the hall in an extremely distraught fashion, yappering away into her cell phone when we were finally done eating.

"Mate it's already 9!" John exclaimed whipping out his phone and checking the time. "We'd better get to bed for an early start tomorrow!"

I simply groaned. I didn't want classes to start anytime soon. "Do we have to go to bed? I don't even want to go to any of my classes tomorrow."

John just laughed. "Oh come on mate, it's not gonna be that bad! What classes do you have anyways?"

I scratched my head trying to deperately recall my schedule. "I only have two tomorrow I think. Biology and...Psychology I believe? I dunno."

"Wait, who's your Psych professor?!" John asked seeming even more excited than his usual self.

"Mrs. Mulgrave?" I replied which seemed to entice such an excitement out of John you'd swear it had lightened the very color of his hair.

"I have her two! We must be in the same class! What are the odds!" He said beaming.

"We do live on the same floor and in the same room," I replied sarcastically, "It can't be that random." I poked him in the side and he just laughed as we made our way to our rooms and collapsed on our coinciding beds. "I'm wrecked, I haven't even checked my phone today," I said rummaging through my bag and pulling out my iPhone. As soon as I unlocked it I saw that my Mum had called me ten times. "Eh, I'll call her later," I replied as if John knew what I was talking about and plopped back down on my bed.

"Mate you need any pillows?" John piped up after awhile as we both adorned our beds with the proper sheets and duvets.

"Nah, I'm good, I packed three just in case I needed the extra comfort," I said laughing and we both got under the covers and said our good-nights, even though it was impossible for me to fall asleep for the next hour or so. I didn't bother asking John if he was asleep cause he began snoring as soon as the lights went off, it was just...I felt all alone.