a heart's end

Two

Monty 
    "I'm going to miss you so much, Montgomery." My mother bawled. My mother is a nice woman, really she is. She is also a very big woman. And a very loud woman. She also has the attitude to not care what anybody thinks of her. Mix all of those up and you have one embarrassed 18 year old with his loud, shaking, sobbing mother on his shoulder.

    Me, my parents, and my brothers were standing at the Nashville International Airport gate. My mom was the only one crying. However, the air was a little thicker, or maybe it's my own throat caving in on me. I really really don't want to leave. I have all of my comfort here. My safe places, my normal, all right here. The thought of having to start all over petrifies me to no end and has been haunting me like a ghost since I recieved my acceptance letter.

    No, no. On second thought, I am ready. There isn't a doubt in my mind about this change. I need this, I need to get out of my southern roots. The world has so much more to offer outside of my small town. I'm ready to see it all, I'm ready to experience new things. There's so many lives to live and the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

    "Momma, I'm moving. Not dying. I'll see y'all in a couple months, at the latest." I faced my brothers and they nodded, pulling me in for a hug.

    "I'll see you then, bud." Mathis' voice cracked at the end. With that, I shook my head. To much emotion for me.

    "Bye Monty! See you soon! I love you!" Marco wrapped his chunky arms around my waist and squeezed. With a quick gasp I squeezed him back and he unwrapped me from his death grip. A stiff handshake from my dad was left, and with that I was ready to face New York City.

    The  plane ride was short and the cab to LaGuardia Airport to New York University was ungodly long. In time, however, I made it and the New York City skyline was beautiful at dusk, even though I was getting out of a stuffy cab. The view from the pavememt was exquisite, building after building all piled on each other. This is the only place in the United States I've been to despite my hometown, and going from one extreme to the other both thrilled and saddened me.

    Four tall dormitories lined the main campus, two for girls and two for boys. The main campus was so detailed, I almost mistook it for art. The history was so rich and the feeling of belonging overtook me. As I took a deep breath, I stepped into building D, where my dorm was.

    As the elevator went up and up to the 23rd floor, my nerves hijacked my body. I was on edge to meet my new roomates. Auden Torid was the only one I knew about. I had two more roomates, I had learned yesterday while scrolling through my email. I guess that's what happens when you leave your email unchecked all summer.

    2304, my room for the next 10 months. As I approached the door, hesitant to knock or just barge in, I hear what I would assume to be a thick German accent followed by lots of laughing. I stood there with my head against the door for a minute more before opening it. Three sets of bright eyes looked up at me before the guy closest to me slapped his hand on my back. What a warm welcome.

    "Alright guys, the southerner is here! Yee-haw!" He laughed as well as the other guys. My cheeks flushed thinking that they had obviously done their research. The way they acted around each other was very comfortable, which was very comforting in itself. They acted almost like they've been friends for years, but it seemed unlikely in such a big city. I shook the thought from my head, all I know of them right now is that they are really playful.

   "Hi guys." I said as I shook each of their hands.

    "Auden Torid." Head nod.

    "Lucca Milano." Head nod.

    "Arno Achterberg." Eyebrow raise, then head nod.

    Looking around the place, it's very spacious for four boys. The top right bunk was vacant, obviously mine.

    "Here, let me me help with your bags." Lucca slipped his cigarette behind his ear as he lifted the heavy bag on the bunk. I'm pretty sure you cannot smoke in the dorm, and I was about to tell him until I saw the window.

    There, out this very window, was the most beautiful sight of Central Park. It was black, and the only light illuminated from the street lights and cars and windows and the little cigarette butts of the people down there. It was huge, so huge. If I looked straight, I could see the curve of the earth. I turned to look at my roomates who were chuckling. Lucca lighted the cigarette that was behind his ear and puffed on it.

    "What a sight, yeah?" He said. The lights of the dorm made Lucca's hair look like an oil slick. He definitley had the 1960s bad boy thing going, minus the leather jacket. He was probably the buffest college student I've ever seen and the olive hue to his skin made his muscles bulge even more. I shuddered.

    Arno, on the other hand, was in a light pink button down shirt and khakis. His hair, beard, and eyebrows were so blonde they were almost white. He was very tall, however, and very structured, almost like a Greek statue.

    And as for Auden, me and him dressed the same. Just a plain tee shirt and jeans. However, they looked a lot better on his light brown skin then they ever would on my patsy arms. But, they all seemed normal. Not the serial killer type, which made me glad.

    A couple more seconds passed by and I almost forgot Lucca asked a question, until he cleared his throat in a dramatic way. I had assumed he was talking to everyone, not only me, but assumptions suck and when it comes to my assumptions they suck even more.

    "Oh, yeah." I mumbled. Awkward tension filled the air.

    "So guys, what are we doing tonight?" Arno asked, his accent taking up the air in the room. My heart plummeted. I just got here, I wasn't ready to go anywhere, much less "out".

    "We're doing something?" I asked, I had hoped they would ignore the shrill in my voice, it was an embarrassing trait developed from my younger years of having horrible anxiety.

   My hope vanished when they all busted into laughter. More heat rose to my cheeks and honestly, I felt like crawling Into the bed and going to sleep. But I needed to impress my new roomates, so when Auden put his hand around my shoulders I didn't say a word.

    "Monty, buddy. Calm down, calm down." He smiled and looked at me. When I gave a smile back, hoping it didn't look as creepy as it felt, he continued talking.

    "See, the thing is, you don't need to be scared of going to new places and trying new things. Because the truth is, when you have two New Yorkers and a German going with you, nobody is going to touch us."