Axel Hitfield is a young man whose dream is to become a star, with a supernatural talent (despite his persistent laziness to make an effort) and managed to get into Nilo University, the best when it comes to having a chance to stand out in the music...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Forever isn't for everyone."
-Arctic Monkeys
- 9:00 PM - Post-Class Time
A hint of a smile played on Axel's lips as he watched Shivani pacing in circles on the dorm room carpet. The topic of conversation about the strange newcomer hadn't died down yet, it seemed.
"Did you see the look he gave when he noticed us gossiping? That dead fish stare?"
"Maybe the guy is just shy, some people have a more serious demeanor," Axel, sprawled on the couch, rested his feet on the coffee table cluttered with papers, which crumpled under his actions. "But did you find him that bizarre?"
Shivani's response was a simple shrug, her interest quickly shifting to another room, drawn to the kitchen where she opened the fridge as if it were her own.
"Did you find out who your roommate is?" She said as she cracked open a can of soda.
"Actually, no. Hadn't even thought about it, people aren't too keen on rooming with me, so I don't really care anymore."
Shivani remembered the many students coming in and out of Axel's dorm, each with a crude remark and an unfriendly expression on their faces.
"505. The new circle of hell." That's what they said. The girl chuckled when she remembered that.
"And you? Found out who yours is?" the blue-haired boy asked, wiggling his feet and further squashing the papers on the table he leaned on.
"Yeah." She paused dramatically. "Noah Campbell."
"Oh no!" Axel sat up on the couch with a start. The shock was such that the papers on the coffee table flew, covering part of the living room floor and making a measurable mess.
"Oh yes." And then Shivani leaned over the counter separating the living room from the kitchen and repeated what she had said very slowly, emphasizing the words. "NOAH. CAMPBELL."
"Shiva, you better hide the knives from your dorm yourself. I'm not really keen on going to jail just to visit you."
"I make no promises..." The girl raised her hands in an innocent gesture, as if surrendering to the police.
Axel laughed, not at all convinced of Shivani's innocence. He was ready to defame Noah in some way when the front door opened.
Neither of them was expecting visitors, but the figure that walked in was there, more real than ever. And he didn't seem very comfortable with the situation.
The blond-haired young man exuded a tired air, looking much older than he really was, especially when reflected in the corridor light. He entered, closing the door and focusing his pale eyes on the papers scattered across the carpet.
They weren't just papers. They were notes.
His notes.
And Axel kind of realized that a little too late.
Shivani noticed the tense atmosphere infecting the room like a virus, finished her soda, and tossed the can into the trash near the counter.
"Looks like you've got company this year!" she exclaimed as she slid out the door. "I won't interrupt your conversation, roomies!"
And she left. Leaving Axel alone with the stranger. A mouse being abandoned in the cage of a hungry serpent.
Seconds of torturous silence passed before Axel decided to get up from the couch and extend his hand in greeting to the young man in front of him.
"Axel Hitfield! Guitarist and future Nilo star!"
"Marshall," the blond growled, ignoring Axel's outstretched hand. His gaze was expressionless, but the energy he emitted was one of genuine disinterest. "Looks like order isn't your strong suit."
It didn't take a genius to understand he was referring to the papers on the floor, but Axel pretended not to have noticed. Marshall didn't seem to care much about that, he gathered up the crumpled papers from the floor and headed to the desk at the back of the living room, intending to study until he passed out from exhaustion.
But Axel had other plans for that night, he couldn't bear to spend another minute in that place, trapped with that bizarre blond.
He left dorm room 505 like a prisoner on the run, without saying goodbye or even saying where he was going.
