Chapter Text
Nico's POV
College. My best chance of leaving the crap of my past behind me and starting completely over. I had made the decision to move from Las Vegas all the way to New York, and well, so far so good. I hadn't talked to my family since I made the move and it took weight off my chest that I hadn't realized was there. Now, I was ready to start my own life. And I was ready to do it my way.
I had been accepted to the University of New York and got to the campus on registration/move-in day. The common area in front of the admissions office was teeming with new students and their families, despite it being late in the afternoon. Mothers were crying and fathers were consoling. I brushed past it all and walked to the check-in table. “Hi, hon! Welcome to UNY! Can I have your name so we can get you checked in?” A peppy blond girl greeted me from behind the table.
“Nico Di Angelo.” I muttered.
The blonde flipped through some papers and ticked a little box. “You're in Williamson Hall. You turn left out of this parking lot, down two blocks, and make a right. It seems as though your roommate has already checked in, so he should be there when you arrive. Here's a map, your class schedule, and some general information about campus. We're glad to have you!” She shoved the papers into my arms and I was pushed away by the crowd.
I walked back to my car and threw the papers into the passenger seat among the McDonald's wrappers and other miscellaneous trash. I drove to the dorm and parked near the front where yet another student was there to greet me. “Hey! You moving in?” he called and walked over to where I was unloading my stuff.
“Yeah. Am I in the right place?”
“If you're rooming in Williamson, yes. I'm Travis, by the way.” He stuck out a hand to shake.
“Nico.” I shook his hand and popped the handle on my suitcases while Travis consulted a clipboard.
“Good to meet you. Your room is number 204 and your roommate's name is Will Solace.” We trudged up the stairs and down a hallway. Travis set down the boxes he was carrying for me and fished in his pockets. “Here's your key. Do you need any help moving in?”
“I think I'm good, thanks.” Travis nodded and headed back downstairs.
I unlocked the door and pushed it open, and almost broke my roommate's nose. “Woah, easy there Slammy!” The guy who opened the door the rest of the way was radiating happiness.
He was tall as hell with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a Southern accent. I couldn't believe it. We couldn't have been more different. I pushed my shock aside and attempted a smile. “Sorry about that.”
“I'm Will Solace.” He shook my hand and grabbed a suitcase from me. “And you're. . .”
“Nico.” I dragged my other stuff inside and kicked the door shut.
“Good to meet you. What's your major? I'm in pre-med.”
A nerd. Great. I thought. “Music major.”
“Nice, nice. I stacked the beds so we have more room, is that okay?” He climbed a small ladder to sit on the top bunk.
“It's fine.” I replied and went about unpacking.
Clothes went in the closet, books and my computer went on the desk. I propped my guitar cases on the edge of the desk and made the bed with the gray sheets, pillows, and the red blanket I had brought. The boxes and suitcases were stashed under the bed. Once finished, I flopped on the bed and started messing on my phone. “You don't talk much, do you?” Will poked his head down from the top bunk.
“Not really.” Awkward silence followed.
“Do you want to go get dinner?” He asked.
“Sure.” I got up off the bed and grabbed my headphones and my keys and followed him out the door.
We left the dorm and I walked along slightly behind Will, who was smiling and waving at everyone who passed. I didn't realize how slow I was walking until Will turned around and shouted to me, “Keep up, you munchkin!”
“I'm not short, you're just a giant.” I muttered, scowling, but still quickened my pace to catch up to him.
“Where are you from?” He asked.
“Las Vegas. You?”
“Middle-Of-Nowhere, Texas. Born and raised. ” Well that explains the accent. I thought.
“What music do you play?”
“I play guitar.”
“Which kind?”
I was surprised he asked that. Most just took guitar as an answer. “Both acoustic and electric. What made you want to go into pre-med?” I figured that maybe if I asked him a question he might start talking and just, not stop.
“I've always wanted to help people. The rest of my family do too, just in different ways. My dad runs the ranch and my mom the B&B. Do you have any siblings?”
“No!” I snapped, and then put in my ear buds. I never talk about my family. That was basically the entire reason I went to New York.
He didn't try to talk to me for the rest of the walk, but I had to take my head phones out during the meal. I may be socially inept, but I'm not rude. I loaded my plate with fried chicken and french fries and grabbed a soda. Will reappeared next to me with a salad on his tray. “What are you, a rabbit?”
Will scoffed. “A vegetarian, actually. What about you, do you know how bad that stuff is for you?”
“I wouldn't know, I'm not the pre-med.” I fired back.
“Fried food tends to have saturated fat and that's the bad kind of fat and. . .” Will went ranting on about how I was “basically inviting a heart attack” and I should “care more about my health” and blah blah blah.
Finally, he shut up when he realized that I had stopped listening. We each went back for bowls of ice cream, he got lemon sorbet and I got one scoop of coffee and one scoop of dark chocolate.
We were eating silently at our table when a new person descended on our table.
“Aye Will, how ya been?” The black-haired guy threw an arm around Will's shoulders and plopped in a seat next to him.
“I'm good, Percy.” Will chuckled.
“Who's the emo?” Percy drawled, looking at me. I ground my teeth and glared, my hands clenching into fists.
“'Emo' is short for 'emotional', you idiot. If I'm “emo”, you're “emo” too. And it's not a way to describe a person, either.” I snapped. I've been stereotyped for my appearance far too many times for me to let it slide.
“Woah man, sorry I was just joking around. See you later, Will.”
Will smiled apologetically at me. “That's Percy. He's on the track team with me.”
“You're a sporty person too? God, what don't you do?” I snapped, still reeling from the “emo” comment.
“Take shit from angry short people.” Will retorted. “Brighten up, Death Boy.” And just like that he was all smiles again.
“Death Boy?! Where did that come from?” I spluttered.
“You're white as a ghost, man. And those under-eye bags. Go take a nap in the sun or something.”
“Noted,” I muttered as we left the cafeteria.
Back at the dorm, I used the bathroom and changed into pajamas and got into bed with a book. “What time do you go to bed slash wake up?” Will asked.
“I go to bed late and sleep as much as possible.” I answered.
“I'll try to not wake you up, then. Goodnight, Nico.” Will said.
“Nico. Nico. Niiiicccccoooooo.” I squinted against the intense sunlight coming from the window and groaned.
“What'd you want, Solace? I'm sleeping.” I groaned and turned over. Will then ripped off my covers and stood across the room with them.
I made a sound like a dying cow and stumbled out of bed to retrieve them.
“And the dead rises!” Will cheered.
He dodged around me and threw my blanket back on my bed. “Seriously, what are you doing?”
“Nico, it's almost eleven. You've been sleeping way too long. Here.” He placed a mug of coffee in my hands and sat on the sofa. “Drink that and then get ready, we have stuff to do.”
I gulped down the coffee and set the mug aside. “I won't take long.” I muttered.
I took my clothes and bathroom stuff with me into the bathroom. One cold shower later I emerged a whole lot more awake than I was when I went in. I succeeded in the daily struggle of putting on skinny jeans and combed my hair into place. Back in the room, I pulled on my Vans and asked Will what we had to do.
“I thought we could walk around campus and figure out where our classes are and then go get our textbooks.” He said as he was tying his shoe-laces.
“Okay, I'll just follow along I guess.” I stood up and followed him out the door.
We were about to leave the parking lot when I remembered something crucial. “Solace, hold up a second. Gotta grab something from my car.”
I jogged back to my car and grabbed my penny board from the backseat and my schedule from the mess in the front. I skated back to Will and smirked as I rolled past him. “Keep up, Solace, places to go and people to see!”
We ended up making a loop around the whole campus without really realizing it. Will and I shared a few of our general education courses but that was where the similarity ended. He would be spending a lot of time in the science labs and me in the music department. Together we figured out where the library was, and ended up at the university book store. I was busy scouring the shelves for the textbooks I needed when Will called my name from across the room. I turned around to see him holding up two shirts that both had “University of New York” emblazoned across the front. “Which one do you like better?”
I face-palmed. “Oh my god, you loser.”
“I'm serious! Which one looks better?” Will pleaded.
“The black one, if you must have my opinion.” I turned back to the textbooks.
“Of course you would say that, Death Boy.”