Troubled Youth

[Camisya]

The wind outside rushed through the leaves of the courtyard, sounding like a melody of screams to the ears of one particular student, sitting in the university lecture hall, staring out the window waiting for the day to be over. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his studies... Far from it in fact. But the professor standing in front of the small group of people that had elected to take music theory definitely did not inspire his attention. For the past 6 months of the class, he had sat there and learned a whole pile of crap that he already knew. And his classmates were just as bad! Every single time they had done any sort of performance, he had continually outshone every last one of them. Not one of the other students, nor the faculty, however, ever seemed to see that there inane teaching completely failed to challenge his intellect.

And so, the young man, bored out of his mind, sat there silently, pretending to take notes but not even paying the slightest amount of attention to the insufferable droning from the head of the room. Just biding his time, day after day, till he could get his qualifications and be out of this place at last. This attitude got him in trouble more than once. For failing to attend lectures. Or return assignments. Or treat his professors' with the respect they claimed to deserve.

As the class ended, he gathered together his fabricated notes and was the first person out the door. Walking through the university grounds he made his way back to his student house. Cambridge was obviously a big place, being one of the most prestigious universities in the world and it took him a while to wander his way through the maze of pedestrianized streets and canals that crisscrossed the city college district. He got looks on the way. He always did in fact. He stood head and shoulders over most at an impressive height of 6' 4''. Long dark brown hair giving him a bit of a rebellious look and a proud stance most people had trouble meeting. He wasn't a broad guy but a hint of well toned muscles still separated him from most people his height, a sort of tall swimmers' body look.

Surprisingly though, he had never been much of a ladies man. Either he had found most woman dull and unable to match his intellect, or they had been intimidated by him and it never seemed to work out. He did think of himself as a fairly proudly fierce person after all. Besides, his music was his main focus anyway. He had never met a woman who could draw his attention from that.

He reached his house at last. It was, like most student accommodation in this town, a fairly sizable, semi-detached Victorian house, deep in the residential area outside the town center where a lot of students lived. This one had one small difference though that Steve was very grateful for. A converted, self-contained flat to the rear of the house. Suitable for one person. Thankfully he had been the first one of his housemates to get to the house last summer when the term had started and had immediately snapped this up. He really hadn't liked the idea of sharing his personal space with anyone. Least of all five other someones. So he had kept to himself mostly. Staying in his little apartment, away from the hubbub of the others he might have otherwise had to put up with.

It was a simple enough place. A medium sized bedroom just big enough to squeeze a double bed into, bathroom and another room for the kitchen, dining room, living room... Everything else in fact. Small, simple, basic... but adequate for him. What else would he need?

 

[Camisya]

The next day was a Friday. Whilst everyone else was excited and upbeat that the week was coming to a end, Steve remained his cool, calm and collected self. Following his time honored routine he got up at seven, got washed and dressed, wearing his normal style of dark blue jeans, trainers and a dark, short sleeved t-shirt, and went out to his lessons. Another day of tedious lectures and dull, half witted people. There were only a small handful of people he liked... many more who liked him, though he always remained distant from them.

People had always told him that he stood out of the crowds. He had been told he was attractive and girls often gave him looks. But Steve had never seen it. When he looked in the mirror, all he could ever see were his flaws and faults. All the things he wanted to, but could never be. It had always been this way. Even as a child, he was ignored so often he completely failed to notice that he had changed from a boy into a man. And he had become one of those people that others envied. Wanted or wanted to be.

He didn't really care anyway. Why should he care. True, he secretly wanted, deep down, to be admired and respected. But to his knowledge, it had never happened.

After his last lecture of the day, an uninformative droning about the deeper meaning of Shakespeare's 'Troilus and Cressida', which Steve had read so many times now he could have recited in his sleep, he made his way for his allotted time in one of the music rooms.

'Hey Steve, how's it going?' came a voice from behind him. Steve silently cursed. Pete. Pete was one of those drunken, idiotic college students that maintained the stereotype of a typical 20ish British lout and one of the people who seemed to think that Steve was a cool guy and would be fun to hang out with. No idea why. He had certainly never given him any reason to think he even remotely liked Pete, but he was too polite to say anything. That's not really what people do in this situation. You're also supposed to chat and be joyful and friendly, but Steve had no plan to adhere to this convention. Without even slowing his pace or looking up he brusquely replied,

'Fine'

This hadn't dissuaded Pete though. Ever happy moron that he was... he soon caught up.

'A bunch of us from the class are going out tonight. Get some drinks in... make a night of it... You in?

'Not really Pete. I've got stuff to do.' Steve answered, never taking his eyes off the building in front of him. trying to get there as soon as possible.

'Oh come on... it'll be great! I won't take no for an answer! You'll have fun. I promise.'

Damn it. He wasn't going to let it go this time. Pete had invited him out before and the answer had always been no. Steve suspected he couldn't say no forever without losing his friendliness. he may appear to be cool and calm, but only because he feared rejection. He would have to hang out with Pete and his friends at some point. If only to maintain human contact with others outside his own, very small group of friends.

'Fine...Where and When?'

Before he knew it... he was sitting in a bar that night, surrounded by people he didn't really like. Crowded with men and woman he didn't know (And getting a few looks from more than one of them), and having drinks poured down his throat by a bunch of people who genuinely seemed to think he was a fun guy!

 

[Camisya]

Steve was bored out of his mind.

The alcohol was starting to get to him, and whilst that made everyone around him seem slightly funnier... Even to the point where his interest in them was almost genuine, it also meant that he was losing control of his neural functions a bit. You know that point in the night you're not so drunk that you start to slur speech but just tipsy enough to make you think you can do anything. Steve feared that feeling. He didn't enjoy not being in control of a situation, because if you're not controlling a situation, then it could go very badly for you...

Just as he was beginning to think he should maybe go home (he had stuff to do tomorrow and one more drink would probably push him over the edge into not wanting to go home) He was suddenly jolted out of his reverie when someone walked into him!

His first thought was, 'How could someone walk into him. He was sitting down in a booth for god's sake!' But never the less, napkins and drinks went flying. Probably just someone who had way too much to drink... Then he looked up and saw, not a drunken lout, but an apparently sober young woman... Defiantly not unattractive either. Hot in fact. Hair billowing out around her face, the lightest touch of makeup, not covering her features, but accentuating them nicely. An elegant but revealing outfit nearly drew his gaze, but her eyes captured him instead. A pair of stunning emerald green eyes that had him staring as she walked all the way back to her table. More though was the nervousness she exuded. He could practically sense it as she looked into his eyes and then hurried away.

He promptly abandoned all thoughts of going home and went and got another drink instead.

For the next hour or so it was all he could do not to steal glances at the girl across the room. he could see she had noticed him as well. She was doing the same. The difference is that Steve, unlike most people, had absolutely no problem with prolonged eye contact. This tended to freak a lot of people out... he had never quite gotten a grasp on the social concept that a person should try to avoid looking directly at someone they are not talking to, listening to, or at all know. So she would cast a glimpse at him looking at her, and he would not avert his gaze.

The next hour or so saw many people leave the bar and head off elsewhere. When the place had quietened down a bit, and most of his group were just about to go drink more somewhere else, Steve made his way to the portion of the bar nearest to this mystery girl. He went up to the bar and asked the bartender for a drink. he got a bit of a funny look when he said what he wanted, but a bartenders job wan't to judge. And he did it well enough. Drink in hand, and the girl staring at him through the corner of her eye (He could tell, she wasn't hiding it well...) He waited a moment, then to great surprise, turned, faced her and wordlessly handed her the drink. And smiled...