Thunderstorms have always fascinated me. Grey storm clouds have long been a favourite of mine. It gives me a sense of inner joy to witness them twirling in the heavens. I'd wear it forever if I could reach up and grab a scoop of that cosmic swirl. If I could weave a piece of fabric out of it that was as ever-changing as the sky above is right now. As much as the springtime flowers and brightness restore my soul, I was made for battle, the kind that provides soul-cleansing rain.

As I walked upon the never-ending field of Lawson university, I became mesmerised by the strongly structured, grey building before me. Due to the obvious enormity of the university, I was able to develop a more expansive sense of myself. Returning back to America wasn't an option for me. In Los Angeles, what is truly meaningful? How many people have a true friend, the kind of love that is unaffected by money, greed, or fame? Has the soul been sold in this borough, chopped thin and sold by the ounce? Every vice pours in without love as our healthy obsession. So, I believe the question is; can we learn to love again? Is it possible for us to be a society that creates positive ripples? Can we see each other without the masks we put on so regularly that we forget they're not us?

It's the first day of university and I can already smell the fresh depression in the air.

"Hey, Wolf!"

Mmh, I thought moving to a smaller town would make people leave me alone.

"Looking good man!"

I mean it's just annoying.

"Can you sign my face!"

Girls...

The vending machine called my name as I walked closer with a stomach that was rumbling. The bright light shining from inside the vending machine lit up the selection of snacks available and I quickly took out a Euro. I selected my favourite comfort snack, salted chips. Or crisps as they call it here in the UK. It might sound plain, but it does the job.

A girl climbed out of an old rundown car. I'm not sure what type of car it was, it was covered thickly with dust. From afar, an intimidating aura surrounded her. She was wearing baggy blue jeans with a tightly fitted white turtleneck. Her assumably mother climbed out of the driver's seat and helped her get out her leather suitcase from the back.

"I hate this," the girl scoffed as she threw an overpacked backpack over her shoulders.

"You're going to love it here, honey! I promise," her mother smiled at her, holding her arms tightly. "Come say it with me, goooo..."

"Go, Lions," she said with apathy.

"You could've said it with a bit more enthusiasm," her mother joked. "I need a quick photo," her mother beamed as she took a small camera out of her purse.

"You already took like a million, mom," the girl said with annoyance in her tone of voice.

"One more won't hurt," her mother smiled as she snapped a photo of the girl in front of the university.

"Doubt it," she huffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Enjoy every moment of university, Samantha!" her mom grinned as she waved her off.

"It's Sam," she stated as she wheeled her suitcase toward the dormitory.

The girls and boys were divided into two separate dorms for good reason. The university didn't want any 'accidents' to happen. I walked over to my assigned room, number 107, and read a laminated printed piece of paper taped to the door.

~

Wolf Drewitt
Majoring in Bachelors of Business Science in Actuarial Science

Bernard Elrod
Majoring in Bachelors of Fine Arts

~

God, I'm paired up with an art major. This is going to be exhausting.

I opened the door with some power and observed the room before entering. On both sides of the small room, the two cheap stripped pine beds with their scratchy canvas mattresses were situated opposite one another. Without the beds, it would appear rather spacious, and with the stone floor and corniced ceiling, it may even appear quite regal, but it reminded me of the economy part of a run-down train carriage. The light shone softly through the dirty mullioned window between the two twin beds onto the grey bedding and the grey, dusty floor. Only where the grey sky faded into the grey of the ocean could be seen from the horizon.

"Oh, my god! The Wolf Drewitt is my roommate!" a curly-haired boy exclaimed with joy as he jumped up from his bed. "I'm Ben!" he smiled broadly as he held out his hand.

I snapped with annoyance as I pulled his collar tightly towards me. "I'm not spending this year with a crazed fan, so if you're going to fucking say something about it, I'll cut off your dick and make you eat it."

Ben gulped as I released his collar. "Understood," he stuttered.

"On the door, it says your name is Bernard," I mentioned as I threw my bag onto my side of the room.

"Uh, yeah, but everyone calls me Ben," he explained feeling slightly taken aback by my intimidation. "Uh, but you can call me Bernard if you want," he quickly added, scratching his head.

Ben's chestnut coloured hair fell into perfect curls, like springs. He wore a set of glasses that complimented his facial structure with his brown eyes full of life and hope where mine was already dead.

"So, is this really it?" I asked, drifting away from the pointless conversation containing his name.

"Pretty much, at least we have a TV," Ben acknowledged as he pointed to a small TV in the corner of the room.

"Fuck, yeah, full-screen porn!" I joked, leaving my face emotionless.

"Hell yeah!" Ben cheered.

"No," I glared at him in disgust.

I never found sexual pleasure intriguing. I never think about it or ever get turned on sexually. Quite frankly, I'm disgusted by it. I never understood how people can just fuck other people and then leave them, or be in a relationship with a person where it's almost an obligation to have sex with them.

"Wha-" Ben said with wide eyes in embarrassment.

"Fucking loony," I said as I rolled my eyes and started unpacking my suitcase.

"You know, you're a lot nicer on screen than in person," Ben said with an angry frown while crossing his arms.

"Thank god."

The characters I played were the complete opposite of my true personality. They were all well-rounded, emotionally matured characters, something I couldn't relate too.

I opened up the door to have a look around campus. Lawson university sat in the heart of Bristol. The city was small but felt massive. It was conveniently located near the ocean with lovely scenery. The cold air touched my face as I exited the building, I felt more at home than ever, even though I had no family.