Post by Isamina on Jun 20, 2010 15:26:14 GMT -5
“College Life”
August 28th, 2009
I just finished putting some of my stuff away. I finally arrived to MIT's campus early this morning. I haven't seen all of the buildings yet but from what I have seen, the campus is spectacular. A few of the older buildings are made of red brick with webs of green ivy creeping up every wall, my dormitory being one of them. In the middle of the grounds there is this large white marble fountain, a few people have thrown a few coins in there, maybe wishing for a promising year.
Though I don't think I fit in very well. When I stopped by the fountain one of the older students asked if I was lost, which is perfectly normal question. But, when I told him that I was on my way back to my dorm he said that was impossible because I looked twelve.
I told him that I was actually seventeen and I could tell he still didn't believe me. Yeah, okay maybe I'm a bit short for my age and I couldn't grow any facial hair for the life of me but I do not look like a twelve year old.
I think tomorrow I'll walk around campus so I can tell where my classes will be, besides by then my roommate should arrive.
Justin
August 29th, 2009
My roommate moved in earlier today and I'm starting to think that the admissions office may have accidentally swapped my papers with someone else's. His name is Ian Johnson, he's blond, and has that rugged good looks thing going on, taller than me (even though that isn't much of an accomplishment), and right now I kind of want to throw him out the window.
To be fair when we met he seemed like a normal guy. We talked a little bit how he was going to major in business and I was going to major in graphical design. It was a normal, but then I picked up this box of his, it was open and when I looked inside it looked like it contained some order forms with a few names on it. When Ian saw what I was holding he yanked the box out of my grasp and told me, well more like snarled, to never touch any of his stuff again. What could have possibly been in that box to cause that?
Anyways, I couldn't walk around campus today because it started to storm as soon as Ian arrived so I've been stuck inside my room, shoved into a corner. That's actually a funny story. After the box incident Ian made sure that I had as little room as possible. When I tried to protest he gave me this glare that gave me goose bumps, I have to say he is a master at the death glare.
Well, tomorrow is the first day of classes and I'm sort of jittery. I'm nervous and excited at the same time, hopefully no one else will say something along the lines that I should still be in highschool. I have Sociology at nine and I haven't bought the book yet but it's orientation so I shouldn't need it. Actually come to think of it, I really need to buy all my books still, oops.
Justin
September 10th, 2009
Things are not going as I thought they would. Ian has already become friends with practically half the freshman and some of the sophmores, I don't know how he did it but he did. And he has some kind of Hitler like control over them. To put it simply, I have a lot of people who don't like me right now. I know that I didn't start it, a stupid box is no reason to have a vendetta against me. Well, maybe I knocked some of his things out of the window this morning, but I swear I didn't mean to.
Two days ago I was on my way back to the dorms when Ian and these two goons stopped me. One of them looks like a ferret with red hair, the other was huge Hispanic orangutan and I think he only speaks Spanish. Anyways, I guess I blinked in an offensive manner because the next thing I knew someone's callused hands closed around my arms and threw me into the campus fountain. Now, I thought that my books and everything else in my bag being soaked would be bad enough, but I was wrong. I guess while Pepe Jorge whatshisface picked me up they stole my keys. When I tried to enter the dormitory my pockets were absent of keys.
I had to spend the entire night outside in my soaked clothes and it was really cold out. When I think back on it I probably should have found a staff member or a security guy but that's not really helpful now. I managed to get back in my room the next morning and change before I went to class. From what I saw in the mirror I was quite a sight, my hair is flat on one side from sleeping on the ground, I was getting odd looks all day.
I don't know what Ian's problem is but I hope he gets over it because I don't think I can spend another night outside, I heard dogs out there and they sounded mad.
Justin
September 15th, 2009
Making friends here is hard. I know that most of the people here are already friends with Ian, but I thought I figured out which of them weren't. This girl, Marie, sat next to me in my science course. She introduced herself and then asked what my name was. I said “Justin Griffith” and her face lost all of it's color. Marie blurted out some excuse grabbed her books and sat somewhere else. I knew that Ian could be the only cause. He's making me out like some sort of plague, get to close and you'll be in trouble.
After that course I heard that a freshman was arrested. I only care because he was one of Ian's friends. His name is Seth Kinney. He was apparently stealing money from the school, but no one knows how. I'm hoping that Ian is next.
I was lucky enough to have some time to myself to do some work that afternoon. When I walked into the room I noticed this piece of paper sticking out from underneath Ian's bed. I picked it up and I saw that it had all the title's of every book students need here for their courses. Next to each one were the prices of the book, I found it weird because I bought my books on-line and they were more expensive than the prices that were on the list. The price list was from the beginning of this year too. But what was Ian doing with the list in the first place?
Justin
September 20th, 2009
My inhaler is gone. It's not that I really need it, my asthma is only physical so nothing bad should happen. At least that's what I thought before I got a cold which is probably from being shoved in that fountain. The bucket full of water on my head didn't help either. Yesterday I opened the door, and Ian being a funny guy and all decided to pull a prank. He placed a bucket full of ice water on top of the door frame so when I opened the door I got soaked, again...
Then when Ian got back (goons in tow) he blamed me for getting his books and work all wet. If he knew that I was going to make the bucket fall then why would he have his stuff by the doorway?...Then make me do his work....Yeah, nevermind.
Back to the inhaler. When I was having a hard time breathing I went to get my inhaler and it was gone. I knew that Ian had to be behind it, so I confronted him about it. The bright side is that he admitted that he took it. The not so bright side is that he said that I could find it underneath his car...crushed into small pieces.
It could just be me but I really think that Ian is trying to kill me or something. When I graduated high school I didn't see myself in college like this. I thought that, I don't know, I guess I thought that I could go to my room without being assaulted with water. I know that I should tell someone what's going on here and I should get some credit because I was going to do that the other day but Ian is a mind reader. His ferret friend and big Spanish monkey stopped me and threatened bodily harm if I told anyone, at least I think that is what the monkey was saying. Against my better judgment I listened to them. What can I say, I like living.
Justin
September 25th, 2009
I swear to god I did not check the box that said sadist on the room forms. I have to hand it to Ian, he does get creative where he puts my stuff when he takes it. Like, yesterday he hid my books on top of the ceiling tiles in the science building, that was fun to explain to the janitors. Then a few days ago he took my keys again and someone just happened to have left their car unlocked. Ian threw my key inside of the car and then locked the doors.
When the owner found me with a coat hanger trying to unlock his car doors he wasn't too happy. I could tell when he shoved me against his car and looked like he wanted to hit me, I know that look, I get it a lot these days. Anyways, after I explained myself to him he was happy to let me get my keys out of his car. He told me his name is Nick McConnell, and he's old. Well, not old old, just kind of old to be a student here is all, like twenty six or something. I guess he had a pretty late start in life or something.
At least I got my keys back without having to sacrifice anything else. My cold has gotten a little bit better, I'm not gasping for breathe anymore which is a good thing. I don't have any extra money to pay for a new inhaler, so for the time being I'm going to stay away from all rigorous activity. That shouldn't be too hard right?...Yeah, don't answer that..not that you could...because you're a journal...
Justin
October 13th, 2009
Okay, so yeah maybe it's been a while, but I have a pretty good excuse this time. When Ian tried to steal my homework he came across my journal and he stole it (my homework too). I obviously found, a bit dirty from being buried but unharmed. Actually over the last week Ian's attacks have been less frequent. I think it's because of my new body guard.
Nick, the guy that caught me trying to break into his car shares the same calculus course with me. I thought I would have noticed some guy who was older than the rest of the class. So, he sat next to me because I had the only open seat. He commented on how bad I looked, I can't blame him for saying something about it, I do look horrible. My face is washed out of color except for the dark circles under my eyes and my hair is always sticking up, I stopped trying to keep it flat some time ago. While I was talking to Nick the red headed ferret goon hit me in the back of my head. I learned his name by the way, ferret boy's name is Travis, I honestly expected something more...threatening, like Jack or Hank. I still prefer ferret boy. And he's a psychology major, figure that one out.
Moving on, I don't think I had a chance to blink before Nick had Travis by his shirt collar. I don't know what would have happened next because the professor came in before it could go further. I swear that guy has the best timing, one time Travis was having this fight with another student....who shall remain unnamed and the professor showed up at the exact moment Travis was done beating the pulp out of the unnamed student.
Anyways, after that math course Nick has been like right there. I was eating lunch and right before the Hispanic orangutan could shove chicken salad down my pants Nick was there. If I didn't know any better I would say he was stalking me and he gave me his number in case I needed help, but seriously what happen could that would be so bad that I would have to call Nick for help?
Justin
October 20th, 2009
Ian took me out for ice cream yesterday. It was late and I was walking back to the dormitory when Ian and company approached me saying that they were going out for ice cream and wanted me to go with them.
When Ian offers you ice cream the obvious answer is no and the run away. So, I said no and tried to run away, but Ian insisted. I said no again and someone has a hell of a left hook. I blacked out for a while, when I did regain consciousness I was inside of a car trunk. I hate closed in spaces and I tried to find a latch that would open the truck or the cords that are attached to the tail light. I didn't find either of them.
I don't know how long I was in, when the car finally did stop it was quiet. I could only hear my own breathing, though I was hyperventilating. The trunk popped open and I was pulled out and dumped onto the street. Travis laughed and wished me luck on finding my way back. I said something like “Hey Travis how damaged do you have to be mentally to resort to kidnapping?” because he's the psychology major and should know the answer. But, his face turned as red as his hair and made me eat pavement.
The three got back in the car and Ian started the engine. I didn't think they were going to leave me there but I was wrong. It was dark out and I was standing in the middle of an empty street surrounded by worn down buildings. I walked around, trying to find out where I was when I found a telephone booth.
I had some change in my pocket, but I had to decide who I was going to call. I have no family to ask for help, so I guess it was a good thing that Nick gave me his number. He said that he was going to be there in few minutes and I had to stay where I was.
Nick found me after twenty minutes had passed, he tried to get me to tell the admissions about Ian. I refused, if Ian will go as far as shoving me in a trunk and dumping me in the middle of some street I don't want to know how much further he can possibly go. I already got Nick messed up in it, the one person who is actually willing to talk to me and I don't want him to get hurt because of me. If I tell someone else what's going to stop Ian from taking his anger out on someone else? I don't want to be responsible for that.
But Ian is up to something, I heard him talking to Travis about some bank account and how it was only a matter of time. Matter of time for what though?
Justin
November 5th, 2009
He's gone, Ian is actually gone, I feel like singing that Wizard of Oz song right now. It turns out that Seth Kinney wasn't the only person that scamming the school out of money except this time I actually know how they did it.
Ian had those order forms for a reason, he was using the books as a way to make money. It turns out that Seth was handy with computers because he hacked into MIT's website and changed the book's prices. He increased every book price, the campus would get the normal amount for the book but Ian and Seth would get the extra amount of money. It was actually quite clever of them really, they had to have made thousands of dollars.
Except their plan came to a halt when Seth was arrested, Ian's banking transactions were being watched closely so he couldn't take any of the money out, that is until he was suddenly living alone in a dorm. That's why he was torturing me or at least that's half the reason. Once Ian was living in a single dorm then his account would be changed and lose the surveillance.
Here is where I enter though. Ian spoke too much over the last few weeks since the ditching me in the middle of nowhere thing. Ian figured that I would be gone by Thanksgiving break, and nearly every night I heard him talking to Travis and monkey guy (I really should have learned his name by now). It took me some time but I finally put the pieces together and I told Nick what I learned.
Nick said that I needed to tell the police. At first I wasn't sure if I should but Nick kept pestering me and pestering me to do it and I finally did. I called and tipped the police off about Ian and it felt like a blur after that. Ian was arrested along with the other two.
Just like that Ian is gone and suddenly my college life looks a lot brighter. The question is, why didn't I do it sooner?
Justin
Another Creative Writing piece, but this one is an Epistolary, a story told through journal entries or letters by one or more people.
