Book of 2016
-Page 33-
Brent's tale continued from page 29:
“Can I get ya freshin off da grill.”
“Why sure sweetheart you can.” Brent really like the cook and had a good relationship with her. Last year while he was dieting, she would make him special meals. She was a sweetheart.
Brent took his fresh burger over to his table and once again ate lunch with Theoly. Theoly asked him few question about class and then went on reading the WSJ. Brent’s outlook improved on the opportunity of going overseas. He ate a couple of burgers and his fare share of fries before making the climb to his room. He told Theoly that he would catch him later and they would go out and party.
Brent once again went to make the climb to the second floor. On his way up stairs he stopped by Gary’s first floor room. The door was locked and no one answered his knocks. Gary was always getting hammered on Thursday’s and sleeping his Friday’s away. Brent shook his head and continued up stairs.
When he got to his room he saw that Schaffer was leaving and bid him a good day of class. He really liked Schaffer and was glad he was living with him. Schaffer was in the fall pledge class after his and it was his first semester living in the house. Brent opened the door to find his other roommate lying on the floor reading some notes of some type.
Tony scratched his chin pubs as he studied his notes. The room was quiet for now and he could get some work done. He had an anatomy test this afternoon, and then he would have some of his work out of the way. Schoolwork seemed to dominate his life. If it was not studying for a test, then it was writing papers or doing labs. The life of a struggling student trying to get into dental school was always chaotic, but he would not let that get him down.
He was a junior and had enjoyed most of his college experience. His story like most had parts he would like to forget or at least rewrite. Most of the rewrites would help him to mend his broken heart. His problem with relationships is one that is not common. He unlike most twenty-year olds was ready to give his whole heart. To often had that kindness been taken advantage of.
There was a new script in Tony’s life though. She was a real sweetheart too. She was very kind, and had a really great personality. She was short and petite. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blues eyes. He had dug her since his freshmen year of college, but had never been able to get her attention. Well up until a few weeks ago anyway. Now they were hanging out frequently and loving ever minute of it. He was taking it slow though or at least trying too, but sometimes it does not work out that way.
Tony continued to sit on his couch and flip through his notes when the phone rang.
“Hello” he answered
“Tony.” A voiced asked with a slit draw.
“Yes sir.” He replied
“It’s your father. Whatcha doing.”
“Studying, I got a lot of shit to do.” He said back in his own little draw. He was a little stressed but relieved to hear his father's voice.
“Gotta test?”
“Yes sir, it is in anatomy, and I have to do well on it. How is everything?”
The conversation lasted a few more minutes, just a father checking in on his son. Tony’s father usually did this everyday. He was very concerned with what Tony and his brother were up too. Probably because he had done it all as a kid and did want his kids doing the same things. That usually did not stop Tony though, he liked to have his fun. Gin was his poison, but beer treated him just fine.
Tony Brackens was drinking a Diet Rite and getting ready to study his notes again, when his door swung open and in walked his roommate, Brent Baldwin.
Brent Baldwin and Tony Brackens were both from the same small town in Indiana. Neither remember how they meet, just that it was in the fourth grade and they had really hit it off and been best friends ever since. Their roads often had taken different routes but had always crossed in the end.
Although they were very close they were very different people. Tony was the out going one, the one that the chicks had always like; he was always the teacher’s favorite pet. In high school Brent called him a “care bear” because he was best friends with all the girls and would hang all over them, almost smothering them. He was funny, sharp, and very sensitive. Brent was always envious of his skills with women. Brent considered him one of the guys that got it. He was not sure what that was, but God the women always dug him.
Tony was a good-looking guy, but he was not pretty. He was about five-ten and weighed a hundred and seventy pounds. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was a sharp dresser and took pride in the way he looked.
Tony was a bright kid, with a lot of common sense. He was very good with his hands and had a real knack for fixing things. Tony was not the best student but worked really hard in-between beers and bong hits. He always had work to do, but very often he ended up having way too much fun. He at least acted like he knew what he wanted to do with his life and he had always wanted to be a dentist.
Tony would often tell people what an ass Brent was in high school. How he was always in a bad mood and treated girls like shit. He would treat them as if they meant nothing to him and he only treated his dearest friends with any respect. This was not entirely true because although Brent could be an ass, people had a hard time staying mad at him. There was just something about him that made you like him and let him get away with acting like a jerk from time to time.
Brent’s college friends did not have a hard time believing that he was moody, but being mean was something that they did not see. He was often in a bad mood, but he was not an ass. He was just stressed out; it was college and people were supposed to be stressed out.
In high school Brent was rarely seen as the teachers favorite. This was because he was the kid that had the parties. Every weekend people would go get drunk at the Baldwin’ or so that was the rumor around the school. Teachers he never had resented him for corrupting their students. Teachers that did have him knew he was better than the rumors said. For a guy who never got one detention in high school, he was sure thought of a troublemaker.
The truth was Brent rarely had parties, yes people did come to his house and drank, but at least they were not out driving around. He was quit, but he just wanted to be left alone. He longed for a time when he could be like for who he was and not for having parties or despised for things that he did not do. He found that in his fraternity at IU and in his good buddy Tony Brackens.
Tony understood Brent and knew what he was dealing with and almost felt sorry for him. He would here a lot of Brent’s so called friends talk behind his back and knew that was why Brent was usually so resentful back then. He understood the pressure of college and why Brent was so stressed out all the time and so up tight. He wished his friend could just let it go and relax. Tony also knew that Brent was one of the nicest guys he knew, although he gave him a hard time about being a prick. Tony thought Brent was gentle, and caring, not cruel and rude like Brent carried himself most of the time.
Brent did not feel that he had much common sense, but he did. What he lacked was just general knowledge of the world. He led a sheltered life with parents that adored him and always took care of him. He like Tony was a spoiled brat that was use to having his own way. Brent was an underrated student. His grades had increased every semester of college. His first he got a 3.0, then a 3.33, then a 3.4, then a 3.9, and then over the summer a couple 4.0’s. But he was not satisfied, he wanted to better, he must do better. He had to please his parents; his 3.4 cumulative GPA was not good enough. He was a good student, that people thought was just an average student.
Brent was about five-eight and weighed two hundred and eighty pounds. He had been dieting for years, but always seemed to put more weight on. He loved to eat and usually could not stop eating. He was very handsome for a heavy kid, and carried his weight better than most heavy people. He did not look just plainly obese. He looked more like a big football player that could whip a lot of ass, all though he was as harmless as a mouse.
The girls in college like Brent more than he realized. They thought he was a really sweet guy that was very shy and they were right. Brent had a really good heart that was a treasure he and Tony shared. They were both giving people, not only to one another, but to anyone that needed their help or asked for it. They had a tough time of turning down favors for anyone who asked for them.
Brent had no idea at the age of twenty of what he wanted to do with his life. He often thought of going to law school, because that is what his parents wanted him to do and because he was afraid of interviewing for a job in the business world.
Brent and Tony were defiantly different people, but they were friends. They had always lived with each other in the fraternity house. It was like they were a packaged deal; you never got one with out the other. They tried to spend most of their free time together, which for them during school year was very tough. Their favorite thing to do was to get into Tony’s jeep with a few beers and just drive around and talk. They would talk about anything usually not making any sense, but they would enjoy themselves. There were to many times they wished they could go jump in the jeep and take off, but school and pleasing their parents was a job for now and they must succeed in doing it.
“What’s up Brent.”
“Nothing.” He replied while exhaling a deep breath. “Anyone call” he continued.
“Nope.”
“You ready for your test?”
“Nope.”
“You need to start leaving this room to study. You can not possibly get much done with the TV on and the phone so close to you.” Brent regretted saying that before he finished. He was always so judgmental of people. Especially ones that he cared about. Almost a year ago similar statements got a box fan thrown at his head by Tony.
“I’m comfortable, and I am doing just fine this semester.” Tony said defensively. Why did Brent always have to judge people, Tony shook his head.
“You really need to get on the Brent Baldwin study plan. I will have you cranking 3.0’s in no time. Oh yea, I saw Cara, yesterday!” The Acquaintance that Brent had spoken to before he made it to the window and Tony’s knew interest in women just happened to be one in the same. Brent knew of his good friend’s affection towards her and was poking fun at him.
“Oh yea, what did she have to say?”
“Nothing really, did you know she was going abroad? I had no clue.”
“Yea, she told me.”
“When did you see her.” Brent said surprised not realizing that his good friend had been out on the prowl.
“Oh you know here and there.” Tony said with a smile. “She and I are going to Fun ‘N’ the Sun together.” Fun “N” the Sun was your typical frat party, but with a ton of sand that would be used to cover the floors of the downstairs of the frat.
“No shit, that is awesome. Yawl will have a blast. I do not know who I am gonna take yet?”
“Why don’t you ask that girl in your group, what’s her name Balder?” Tony replied.
“No, she is ugly.” Brent snapped. He did not mean it though, he thought she was good looking but was afraid that his friends would not and never said anything about her to any one. “I guess this fat guy will just have to find so hoe in-between now and two weeks from now.”
“Baldwin you crack me up. Oh yea, I heard you were going to Europe. I can not wait till I get you out of this room.” Tony said jokingly.
“Hey why don’t you tell Cara to set me up with a hottie for Fun “N” the Sun!” Brent said somewhat with a touch of excitement, but also with a touch of despair. In three years of college Brent had never gone to a date dance without a taking a girlfriend from home or getting set up. He wondered when he would find a date on his own, that he could dig or hang out with.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
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