oblivion | stenbrough

one

Stanley Uris never liked school. The idea of learning by someone else's rules didn't sit right with him. The organized rows of wooden desks in every classroom and having the same teachers everyday brought him little comfort because he knew he would have the unfortunate days where he might have to acquaint himself with an entirely new teaching style due to substitutes. The day Stan graduated was a breath a relief, followed by a brief feeling of joy before the stress of starting over kicked in.

Just over a month after graduating, he and his best friend Eddie Kaspbrak were packing up the back of Stan's car, filling the trunk and backseat with backpacks and labelled boxes, making sure that the boxes never stacked higher than the seats so that Stan could see clearly out of his rear view mirror. The trip down was long but it gave them time to talk and Stan would occasionally laugh at the jokes that Eddie told. The car didn't have a working radio so Eddie played music through his phone. Stan sneered at some of his choices but had no other option other than sitting through them since he didn't want to risk either getting pulled over or possibly dying in a fiery car accident.

By the time they reach their college campus, it had been two hours of being tormented with Eddie's music and stopping for gas or to use the restroom. Eddie stared out the window, in awe of the towering buildings around them and the quickly passing scenery, illuminated by the midday sunlight. After making a quick stop at the admissions office, they were pulling into a parking space in front of the residential hall that they had been assigned. Stan slumped his shoulders as he stared at the piece of paper the RA handed to him, reading over the name of his roommate.

"Michael Hanlon." He stated monotonously, tensing up and shooting Eddie a look. Eddie smiled sympathetically, knowing how Stan could hardly stomach the possibility of having to room with him, let alone a stranger. Eddie took it as a good sign that he wasn't hyperventilating like he had thought he would. Eddie stared down at his own piece of paper.

"Benjamin Hanscom." Eddie sighed and gently pat Stan on the shoulder, offering a small smile. The way he saw it, they were lucky since they were on the same floor but on opposite ends. Eddie just hoped that his roommate wasn't a slob and that he wouldn't have a problem with all of Eddie's medications taking up the shelves in the bathroom.

"Quiet hours are from 10PM 'til 7AM on weekdays and 12AM to 8AM on weekends. A lot of students have early jobs and classes so we try to accommodate them as much as we can. You can still chat amongst yourselves and such, just at low volumes." The RA—Kenny—explained, bobbing his head as he nodded and flashing a wide smile to Eddie and Stan who shared another look. They thanked him and took the elevator up to their floor.

The chaos of moving in had been two months ago. Stan had finally acquainted himself with his roommate quite well and the new lifestyle of living with someone else but spent much of the first week either in classes or in the dorm. He found that he and Mike (he insisted Stan call him Mike versus the alternative, Michael) had little in common. Mike worked on a farm with his mother and grandfather and was homeschooled his entire life until he decided to pursue college, unlike Stanley.

Eddie and his roommate were getting along rather well, despite the fact that Ben spent most of his free time in the university library. For the most part, he seemed like a great guy but Eddie never had time to actually talk to him and have a real conversation since he was always out.

Deciding that staying in their dorms forever wasn't an option, Eddie finally dragged Stan out of his room a few weeks after classes began, forcing Stan to walk around campus with him. This brought them to find their favorite coffee shop three blocks away from the residential hall. Stan preferred to walk since parking wasn't always available and he didn't like to drive unless it was absolutely necessary.