Stardew Valley - Dark Blue: When The Chickens Came Home To Roost (Shane)

Chapter 4: Two Little Lines

Shane met Dray Rosas and Annemarie Plimpton his freshman year of college — his first day at Zuzu University, actually.

Before life had fucked him hard and raw, Shane had been a formidable gridball player. He was quick, mean, clever, and build like a fucking brick house — all the necessary components for a force of nature out on the field. All through high school, everyone had known: someday, Shane Slater would go pro. And sure enough, senior year came fast, and of course, the recruiters eyes were all for Shane. He'd barely even tried, honestly.

His first day at ZZU was like a fucking dream. Shane walked through the main hall exuding big dick energy, complete with a deep blue letterman jacket and some dark shades. Back then, he thought he was the hottest shit on the planet, and no one could — or would dare to — tell him otherwise. Shane was the master of his universe, and everyone around him was simply a pawn.

There weren't classes the first day, so rather than touring the campus like he should have, he headed straight for his dorm, eager to set up a mini fridge and stock it with as much beer as it could hold. Even then, his priorities hadn't been straight.

The crumpled map in his hand wasn't serving him worth a damn as he blindly roamed the massive campus, face buried in the overcomplicated rendering of the school. Dorm Hall A, B, C...

"Hey!" A feminine voice demanded as Shane's body clattered into hers.

He clutched the map hard in one fist, jerking his hand down to his side, bracing himself for an argument — because with a tone like that, someone was definitely picking a fight. But then, he looked up — and he couldn't talk. Couldn't even ask her what the fuck her problem was, despite the fact that he'd been the one not paying attention.

She was, easily, the most attractive person Shane had ever seen in his life. She was fair skinned, with big, bright green eyes and long, pale gold hair, which was pulled away from her face by a thin plaid headband. Her round pink lips were set into a frown and her high cheeks were blushed. Shane knew that he was staring, but he couldn't help it. They didn't make women like this in Grampleton — not even fucking close.

"Are you fucking impaired?" She snapped, craning her neck to get a closer look at him as she smoothed the light blue tube top that stopped right above her belly button.

The gears in his brain began to turn. "Ah, no — not really. I'm just lost."

She crossed her arms. "We're all lost. That's no excuse to not watch where you're going."

Angel Face was being a real asshole. Honestly. If she hadn't been so damned pretty, Shane would have long told her to get lost. His bravado was begging him to say something cross, but he just couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry," he said gently, like he was soothing a wild animal. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She scoffed, but then her expression softened. "No, you didn't hurt me," she admitted, loosing a sigh. "I don't mean to be rude — I'm just out of sorts right now. I'm not used to feeling so helpless, but this place is so damn big —"

"Don't mention it," Shane insisted. "Like you said, we're all lost." He smoothed out the map in his hands. "What are you looking for?" He asked as he angled the pamphlet toward her.

"Dorm Hall D," she mumbled, studying the wrinkled paper over his shoulder.

"Hey, me too!" Shane flashed her his best winning smile — the smile that had brought every girl at Grampleton Senior High School to their knees.

Angel Face was unphased — seemingly impervious to his undeniable charm. "Great, then let's get going." She slung her duffel bag from one shoulder to the other. "What's your name, big shot?" She looked him up and down once or twice. "I assume you're here on a gridball scholarship?"