George left the college library dreading the next few days of classes. He'd never been so tired in his life. His first year of college was becoming a test of wills. In high school, studying was easy. He practically knew everything the teachers were going to cover on the tests. Now, instructors and professors were tricky bastards.
He grabbed his pack and left the private study room. Several of his friends had fallen asleep in their own rooms, their faces plastered inside the books they were supposed to be studying. George smiled and shook his head as he walked out the main doors.
The night air was chilly on the nearly quiet street running through the university. Fall was definitely in the air. He pulled the hood of his sweater over his head and shouldered his pack closer to him. His parents had told him that nothing good ever happened after midnight. It was now two in the morning and he was praying to God that he wasn't going to prove them right.
At the first cross walk, he looked around to see if he was being watched or followed by anyone. The sidewalks were bare of people except for a person who was further in front of him on the other side of the cross walk.
The light turned and George jogged quickly to beat the fast light. During the day, he wouldn't dare try to cross against the light. One impatient student had already been hit by a car by a driver that wasn't paying attention earlier in school the year. Thankfully, that happened during the day and not after midnight.
The stores on the street were locked and their lights turned out for the night. The only light around him were the glowing neon orange street lights above him. The person in front of him moved at a slower pace than he did and George was soon going to be walking right next to him.
The pedestrian wore worn out tennis shoes and jeans that looked like they had needed a wash for a few years. His black hoodie didn't look like it would do a good job at keeping him warm as the nights gradually got colder. He appeared homeless and was probably walking as a way to keep warm.
As George reached him, he casually looked over at the stranger. He was a young man about George's age. If life would have treated him better, he probably would have been a freshman in college along with George.
The stranger looked back at him with a smile. His face was cleanly shaven and his eyes were a dark brown. His head was nicely tucked away in the hood of his sweater and only a small bit of his black hair showed.
"Cold night, innit?" the stranger asked in a slight southern twang.
"Sure is, buddy," George replied. He wasn't one to talk to strangers, but he didn't see the harm in talking to this man who looked friendly enough.
The two walked side by side at the slower pace of the stranger. Although George was in a hurry to get home and get some sleep, at least he would have some company until he got there.
"Do you go to school here," the stranger asked.
"Yeah, I'm a freshman."
"That's great. Yeah, I had a few friends who go here. Good people."
"Oh, really," George said. "What are they studying?"
"I don't really know. We haven't talked since our paths split back in high school. I was the one who thought college was for suckers."
