College AU where Zach Dempsey is a freshman college students who are determined to be a fratboy whereas Alex Standall is also a freshman college students that want nothing to do with fraternity and rather focus on his studies. One night their fate...
"ALEX, WAKE UP! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Zach shouted, bursting into the room.
Alex jolted awake, scrambling out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to wash up. His mind raced—why hadn't his alarm gone off? Why was the dorm so quiet? But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He couldn't afford to be late to class, especially after skipping the first one.
By the time Alex finished changing into his pants, hoodie, and backpack, Zach was already gone. Alex hurried outside, only to stop in his tracks.
It was dark.
And quiet.
Too quiet.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time: 3:00 AM. His jaw dropped. "This motherfucker!" he yelled, storming back to their room.
"Fuck you, Zach!" Alex growled as he slammed the door open. Zach was back in bed, snoring loudly—and, Alex suspected, pretending to be asleep.
Alex grabbed his pillow and whacked Zach with it. Zach didn't budge, just rolled over and continued his fake snoring.
"YOU PIECE OF—" whack.
"STUPID FUCKING—" double whack.
"WASTE OF OXYGEN—" triple whack.
"MAGGOT-LOOKING DIPSHIT!" final throw.
Alex stood there, breathing heavily, before finally taking a deep breath. "Fine! I won't be trusting you again, you enormous fucking dickhead," he cursed, changing back into his sleepwear and collapsing into his bed.
....
"Hey, Alex. Class starts in an hour," Zach mumbled, peeking over at Alex, who was facing the wall, clearly ignoring him.
"Fuck off, Zach," Alex grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.
Alex's phone rang, jolting him awake again. He answered groggily. "Yeah? What's up?"
"You're not going to class today either?" Charlie's voice came through.
Alex rubbed his eyes and checked the time: 11:15 AM. His class had started at 11:00. "I'm going! Thanks, Charlie," Alex said, hanging up and jumping out of bed for the second time that day.
...
Alex arrived at class at 11:30 AM. Thank god it's a two-hour class, he thought, slipping through the door.
"Sorry I'm late, sir," Alex apologized, his face burning as every head in the classroom turned to look at him. Being late was bad enough, but the added attention made his anxiety spike.
His eyes landed on Zach, who was covering his mouth, clearly trying not to laugh. Alex glared at him, annoyed but not surprised. Zach looked way too pleased with himself.
"You may take your seat, Standall," the professor said, and Alex felt a wave of relief. He made his way to Charlie, who was sitting near the back.
Charlie St. George, who shared his dorm and classes, was a slender young man with brown hair and blue eyes. He typically dressed in preppy styles.
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( Charlie St. George, circa 2021 )
"That's a first," Charlie joked as Alex sat down.
"And it won't be the last if I have to keep rooming with a total asshole," Alex sighed, pulling out his notebook.
"Winston?" Charlie asked, confused. As far as he knew, Alex and Winston were close. They were practically neighbours, with Charlie's room just a few doors down.
"No. Winston got invited to the Lambda Chi Alpha campus, and now I'm stuck with the outcast, Zach Dempsey," Alex said, forcing a smile.
Charlie's jaw dropped. "Oh wow. You guys are like.. rival."
Alex tilted his head, crossing his arms. "What does that even mean?"
"Every time you two are in the same class and start debating, it's like World War III. Everyone notices," Charlie explained. "And now that you're roommates? It's like waiting for a nuclear weapon to go off."
"Now you're just exaggerating, Charles. We're not that bad. I can handle being his roommate," Alex said, more to reassure himself than Charlie.
"Sure, Lex," Charlie nodded, though he didn't sound convinced.
