The Trophy Student - RK1000

Kamski

During an honestly quite boring lecture about the history of musical notes, Markus' phone vibrated, and he felt it was more than alright to ignore his professor for a second. It was a message in the group chat between him and his closest friends.

North: yo guys i just remembered its friday
North: we should hit the streets tonight
Josh: where ?
North: idk just go clubbin
Markus: like a nightclub?
Simon: That's too crowded, I don't want that :/
North: aight a bar then?
Markus: i'm in!
Markus: i could need a drink to forget professor snore
North: lol
Josh: yea ok me too
Simon: Just choose somewhere near campus, it's cold out >.<
Markus: why does the weather matter? we'll be inside
Simon: Yeah but I don't want to walk far enough that I freeze my arse ;P
North: valid
Josh: jimmys bar is pretty close?
Markus: i think it gets kinda crowded, though
North: okok ill figure it out dw
Simon: :)
North: <3

It was a while ago he had been out for drinks, Markus reflected. By attending his own piano performances, his father's art reveals, and by helping his brother move, he had been busy these last weekends.

With a sigh, he realised his clothing may be too casual, and sent a text to Simon asking if he could borrow something. After receiving an affirmative response, Markus made his way toward the boys' dormitory building after class.

Fifteen minutes after waiting outside for Simon, he gave in to the cold and went inside. Some freshmen were noisy in the common room, so he avoided them by walking up to Simon's floor, figuring he would soon arrive. Leaning against the wall and checking his phone, Markus almost missed Connor walking past on long legs. He smiled in greeting, but didn't receive one in return. Connor's facial expression was covered by his sunglasses, and Markus remembered the photo of his bloodshot eye. Was he perhaps sensitive to light?

Not long after the boy had disappeared into his room, Simon arrived, so he and Markus spent some time playing video games before getting ready to head out.

The air was crisp, yet cold breezes chilled Markus to the bone despite his thick jacket. North had been true to her words and done her research; they were neither headed to a very popular club nor any place further away than a twenty-minute walk. It was called Kamski, and although it had seemed awfully luxurious and expensive on pictures online, North reassured that none of them would go home in debt tonight. Strangely enough, that did little to convince her friends.

"We should go somewhere else", Josh said as they stood outside the bar - if it could even be called that. The interior made it look like a mansion, albeit one with low ceilings. Instead of gangly chairs and stained tables, patrons were scattered on sofas that had a dangerous resemblance to those made of actual velvet. The walls were covered with bookcases filled with leather-bound books and old trinkets that made the place look like a Victorian gentleman's library.

"Yeah, no shit", Markus agreed. None of them were close to being poor, but there was certainly a limit to how much money four college students kept in their pockets.

"This looks like a place my grandfather would spend his nights in", Simon said.

"No way! Come on, now." North waved at them and made to go inside. When no one made an attempt to follow her, she sighed. "Trust me. I would never lead you astray."

This blatant lie did not reassure any of the boys at all.

"Cut it, North." Simon sounded disappointed. Poor lad had been excited about going out, and had trusted North's leadership. "Let's just go to some other place."