Due for a Change: A Short Story

Sophomore year of college is a weird time – too early to chalk up the experience as a 'loss', but too late to make friends. Oh, I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about my study partner, Gio.

As a confident, outgoing, 19-year-old girl with a healthy dose of 'pretty privilege', I never had trouble making friends. I didn't even need to join a sorority. Every step of the way, I've been blessed genetically, socially, and financially.

So why do I still feel so damn empty?

I talked about this a lot with my friend, Allison – another 'pretty privilege' beneficiary – at length. She blames the sociology course I took this fall for peeling back the layers of fortune I'd taken for granted. Grades? Good. Family? Can't complain. Social Life? Wonderful. But still, there's much to figure out with how I want to live my life. The purpose of college is to build a foundation for not just a career, but character too. It's December 14th – the Friday of finals week – and I've decided my exclusionary, inward-looking nature ends today.

So I'm making a change – to do one good deed and, maybe, change someone's life for the better. And to me, the obvious choice is Gio.

"Him?" Allison groaned. "The shrimpy dude you study with. That guy?"

I nodded confidently. "He's very sweet. I think he'd like to go out with us."

Allison paced around my dorm room, baffled by my sudden act of charity. "Are you sure you're okay? You didn't bonk your head?"

"Really, I'm fine! I just..." I paused, foreseeing the cheesiness of my sentence. "...I want this to be my New Year's resolution."

"Sophie!" Allison shrieked, collapsing onto my roommate's bed – my roommate who, fortunately, finished her finals early and was already home for the holiday season.

I'd had enough of Allison's lack of support. "I'm doing this, okay? I'm inviting Gio out with us. Benny's on Finals Friday is a right of passage. Plus he's got no one to go with."

She must've had enough of my white-knighting too. "Ugh, fine. But if he somehow fucks up my chance to get with any guys, I'm blaming you."

"Thaaaaaanks girlie!" I shouted to Allison as she shut the heavy wooden door behind her. I knew she'd come around. She always does.

It took a little more psyching up than expected for my walk to Gio's room and to actually follow through on my good deed. I checked the time on my phone. One o'clock. Me, Allison, and a few other girls said we'd pregame for Benny's Pub at nine, meaning I had eight hours to convince Gio. How hard could it be?

Gio conveniently lived one floor down in Hanover Hall on the boys' floor, so there was no need to trek outside. As acquaintances, we've walked to and from Hanover to the library or class many times. Though not being actual friends, our conversations rarely extended beyond talk of schoolwork or campus-related small talk. I put on some pants, brushed my hair to look somewhat presentable, and made my way down to Gio's room.

I politely knocked, hoping he – and not his roommate – would answer. But instead of a friendly 'come in', I heard a bunch of voices. Dude voices.

It felt like intruding, but I let my curiosity get the best of me and creaked open the unlocked door... immediately facing the backs of three hulking, douchey frat boys.

"Dude, you don't fucking own this room, okay? It's mine too," One of the boys shouted.

A much gentler voice responded. "I know, Connor. I just... I'll probably go to bed early tonight."