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Freshman year
Garrett
I enter the dormroom I will share with a complete stranger for the next year. I made it into Briar U and couldn’t be happier but sharing a room with another guy sounds awful. I hope he doesn’t mind hockey or we will probably not get along at all. But honestly I am just happy to get away from my home. The room is a normal sized double and I already know the bed will be super uncomfortable and too small. I’m 18 and 6 ft tall, these single beds are not made for me. I look around and see that my roommate isn’t here yet. The student volunteer who helps me get my stuff in my room looks at my stuff and smirks at me.
“You on the hockey team?”
I nod.
“Yes, I’m Garrett.”
I don’t mention my last name. I don’t need to be asked for my fathers autograph.
“Cool dude.”
He continues helping me get my stuff in my room and when we’re finished I start unpacking. I didn’t bring much, only a few essentials and clothes. When my half of the room is set up I start wondering who my roommate will be. I was rushing two weeks ago and also pledged but only because my father wanted me to. Luckily they didn’t let me go through the real stuff and I only had to pretend but now I’m a member of Sigma but I’m not planning on spending a lot of time there. My sole focus is hockey, school and going pro after graduation. I hear commotion on the floor and go to the door to look what’s going on. This is an all male dorm and when I look outside I see a blonde guy with designer bags and a whole army of people setting up his room. Yeah, that's one of the rich kids. Probably a third or fourth gen attendee of this Ivy school and totally not into sharing a room. Can’t blame him though but it's required for all freshmen. I grew up wealthy, went to private school but never lived over privileged. Also I make it a point to not live of my fathers money and that’s why I worked the whole summer to save up money to not use any of the money he puts in the account I am supposed to use. Still he is paying for my car, books, tuition and equipment. I hate him. While I stand in the door an auburn haired guy enters the room where the rich kid just went into. He definitely looks like he isn’t from the east coast and judging by the clothes he’s probably from the south. He brings significantly less stuff and I wonder if he is an athlete as well. He looks like it. Well, so did the blonde one. I was chilling on my bed and dosed off so I'm slightly surprised when few hours later a dark haired guy with blue eyes enters my room with a guy that is definitely his brother. They look extremely alike. Both are wearing jeans and a washed out shirt and dirty sneakers.
“Hi, you must be Garrett. I’m John Logan.”
I look at the guy and hold out my hand. He is about my size but his shoulders are broader than mine.
“Hi, yes.”
He nods.
“Cool.”
He looks at my side of the room and his head swivels towards me when he sees my hockey bag.
“You on the team?”
I nod.
“Yeah. I play center.”
His smile brightens.
“I’m a d-man.”
No way. I light up.
“Cool man.”
We bump our fists. Well that makes it easier, we will definitely have a similar schedule and interests.
A few hours later John is set up and we head out to eat and afterwards I know a little more about my roomie. John’s family owns a car shop, his parents are divorced and we absolutely will be best friends. We both absolutely love the Boston Bruins.
“My biggest dream is playing for Boston.”
He admits and I nod in agreement.
“That’s the dream.”
He drives an old pick-up and he made it obvious he isn’t from money but who cares? I like this dude.
Logan
Garrett is a cool dude. His father is a legend and I asked him about it but he didn’t seem to like it, so I just let it go. Normally I would want to go out and party. It's our first night at college but tomorrow morning we are going to meet the team and we both agreed it wouldn’t be wise to go there completely hungover. I heard coach is a hard ass. Also it seems like Garrett is not a big drinker. Me on the other hand? I love getting shitfaced. All the shit that was weighing on me leaves my mind and I feel good, but I don’t want to rely too much on it and I don’t want anyone to find out what is going on at home. The deal I made with my brother will haunt me for the next four years so I will try to live my life to the fullest. The next morning Garrett and I go to the rink. Last week the open tryouts happened and the new team will meet today as a whole group for the first time. We meet in a room that could be described as a classroom and we sit down next to each other. Am I nervous? Hell yes I am, but I try to not let it show. Around two dozen guys are sitting in this room and you can definitely tell who is a freshman and who isn’t. When coach enters I gulp. I met the man before but now he looks even more intimidating than when he came to recruit me. Tall, muscular, with a buzz cut. He looks like a drill sergeant. The staff tells us about the rules the NCAA has and this programme, about our GPA we have to keep to be eligible to play and then he introduces the captain and his alternates. Afterwards he makes us introduce ourselves and when Garrett introduces himself I can see they recognize him, well he does look like his pops. The auburn haired guy that lives two doors across from me and G, I decided to call him that, has the same name as me and the team decides we will be addressed by our last names to avoid confusion. There are three more freshmen one is Tuckers roommate Dean Heyward-DiLaurentis and when I thought G grew up rich, this guy grew up extra rich. The two other guys weren’t recruited and joined through try outs, they go by Adam and Paul.
A knock at our dorm door wakes me up and I look around groggily. I look at my watch it's 9 pm. G goes and opens the door while I nearly fall out of the tiny bed.
“Let’s go out.”
I hear a voice say. I get up and take a proper look at the people standing in the door. It’s Dean and Tucker. We had practice after the first meeting and Dean is a d-man which was kinda surprising and even more surprising was how tough the rich kid from Connecticut is.
“Where you wanna go?”
I ask.
“Greek row.”
He answers and smirks. Something tells me he is one of those guys who love partying. Not that I don’t but I couldn’t go often while in High School. G doesn’t look too happy and I slap him on his back. I want to go. I want to party, get shitfaced and maybe get laid.
“Great idea. Let’s leave in 10.”
Dean nods and shoves Tucker towards their room.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Garrett says. I shrug.
“Why not? We don’t have practice until 4 tomorrow.”
He sighs heavy.
“Okay you’re right.”
He doesn’t sound too convinced or happy but still gets ready. Jeans and a shirt, bro is built but given his father is a legend, he probably had a great coach and prepared hard for this.
Greek row is crazy. It looks like every house has a party but Dean leads us to a huge frat house and smiles.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
He hands us something. Condoms!! And goes inside like he has been here a thousand times before. Dude has a lot of confidence. Well we do have a lot of fun and all four of us wander from house to house. Our new teammates are gathered in one of the frat houses but this one has a pool and yeah, I will definitely enjoy college. You can’t really call the pieces some of the chicks are wearing a bikini, because they are barely covering anything and I have a hard time to concentrate. We are drunk and high, Dean had shared his joint with us earlier and it was the first for me, Garrett and Tucker and now he is making out with a hot brunette. Hockey players have it easy I can tell, given I was approached three times already. Dean lets the brunette lead him away, but he stops right in front of us and whispers.
“Wrap it up, you don’t want to become Dad just yet.”
He smirks, winks and then he follows the girl inside. Dude really has it going.
“He is good.”
Tucker says and smirks into his cup.
“He is.”
Garrett agrees. An hour later G leaves with a pretty redhead and Tuck is dancing with a blonde who will definitely take him home. But I can barely keep track because I am totally wasted and the hot blonde who started talking to me some time ago leads me to a room. I should thank Dean tomorrow.
Tucker
Last night I drank too much for the first time in my life, I had a joint for the first time in my life and I got laid without doing much. She took me to a room and that was it. Afterwards she got redressed and left. I always knew the girls I slept with before but I can’t even remember her name. Did she tell me her name? Right now thinking is rather painful. Later I maybe remember her name. What I do remember the great sex. I’m sporting a bad hangover and the light from outside is burning my eyelids so I stop trying to remember or recall last night.
“Get up. I’m starving.”
Dean tucks at my blanket and I open my eyes.
“Why are you up yet?”
I groan.
“Bro, it’s 12:30am.”
I'm shocked and sit up too fast because now my head starts spinning.
“What?”
I croak.
“Yeah, now get up, I need food before practice.”
He is already in jeans and walks towards the door.
"I wake up Logan and Garrett and then we can hit up a diner or something.”
A few seconds later I hear his loud laughter and get up. I’m putting on some sweats and walk outside. The door to our teammates room stands open and I walk inside to see a sleepy Logan and Garrett still in bed holding his hands in front of his face.
“Get up Graham. I need food before practice.”
Garrett removes one hand and he looks terrible. He still wears the clothes he wore last night.
“How can you be so alive?”
Yeah, Garrett is sporting an even worse hangover than me. Dean shrugs.
“Practice. This isn’t the first time I got drunk. That’s why I’m telling you to go shower, get dressed and then we leave. I drive.”
No one dares to go against him, apparently the rich kid from Greenwich isn’t a stranger to excessive alcohol chugging. 30 minutes later we sit in Deans pick-up. An expensive car but unlike I expected Dean isn’t cocky about his parents money. Yes he grew up rich and it shows, but he isn’t an ass. We sit down in the only diner in town and the smell makes my stomach rumble. We order food that would normally feed a small army but what can I say, hockey players are hungry motherfuckers and after last night I am starving. Logan and Dean are talking about last night but Garrett still doens’t look like he is completely back from the dead. I am sporting a hangover, Logan is as well, though he also seems to be accustomed to it, but Garrett? He looks like he wants to die. The only guy who looks completely fine is Dean.
"How are you not affected by last night?”
I ask him curiously.
“You had way more to drink than us and you had more of the joint. And if I remember correctly, you" I point at Logan. "were smoking a cigarette.”
An athlete who smokes isn't unheard of but he is underaged and a college athlete.
Dean
“Yeah right. What’s that about?”
I ask Logan. The guys had quite a lot last night and mostly they slept it off, Logan took it the best. Seems like he is also quite familiar with getting shitfaced. The only one who doesn't look good is Garrett. No scratch that. Garrett still looks like he is about to die. Logan shrugs.
“Bad habit."
“Don’t let coach see it.”
Tucker warns him and I can only agree. Coach seems to be strict.
“Not planning on letting him see.”
Logan rolls his eyes. Garrett looks at me and I sigh.
“Ask.”
I can see there is a question burning on his tongue.
“How are you so... chipper?”
He asks, his voice thick with last nights happenings.
“ Like I said, I am used to drinking and partying. Where I’m from it’s completely normal.”
“And the weed?”
Logan asks me.
“Courtesy from my older brother.”
“Oh what's he doing?”
Logan asks and I can only smirk.
“He just entered Harvard law.”
The guys snicker.
“So your brother gave it to you?”
I nod at Logan.
“Yep, he told me one joint occasionally won’t show up on the piss test, but he also told me to be careful. A guy on his team got into trouble his freshman year.”
Garrett looks mortified by that and asks.
“Your brother played?”
I nod.
“He was a d-man for Harvard.”
Their faces frown. THE ENEMY, is probably what they're thinking.
“Why are you not there?”
Logan asks, sipping from his coffee.
“I didn’t want to. Briars hockey program is better and I wanted to play with the best.”
They all nod in agreement and finally the food arrives. While eating it is eerily quiet. We are famished.
“By the way, what are your majors?”
Logan asks us.
“Business.”
Tucker says with a full mouth.
“Me too.”
He nods at G, apparently that’s what Logan decided to call him and it does have a ring to it.
“History.”
I frown.
“Seriously?”
He nods.
“I like facts and History gives me that.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“So you two have the typical athlete major and you have a major without a future?”
I ask while sipping on my coffee. Garrett snorts, why more alive now than earlier after the calorie bomb he just had.
“Kinda, but it doesn’t need to have a future. I just want to get my degree and go pro.”
“That’s the plan?”
I ask, knowing he will go pro for sure. He is the type of guy to do so. Determined and extremely talented. I already had heard from him in school before coming here.
“Yep.”
I look at Tucker who shakes his head.
“Nahh man, I play now but I busted my knee in High School, after graduation I will find a job or somethin’.”
Tucker is from Texas and his southern drawl is strong and definitely a contrast to my New York accent and Logans as well as Garretts Boston accents, though their accents aren’t that strong.
“And you?”
I ask Logan but Garrett answers for him.
“He will go with me playing for the Bruins.”
Both grin and clap hands.
“What about you?”
Logan asks.
“After graduation I will go to Harvard law.”
Logan snickers.
“Of course. So can I assume you are a pre-law student?”
I nod.
“Wow, how will you handle that?”
Garrett asks and I shrug.
“I’m quite a good student. I will be fine.”
And I am a good student. I had a perfect GPA and loads of extra curricular to impress, that’s why I am here even though I was accepted in Harvard, but I really wanted to play hardcore hockey before stopping and I wanted something for me. My whole family goes to Harvard law and at least my undergrad I wanted something different. My sister Summer probably will do something completely different, given she isn’t academically gifted like me and my brother Nick.
“Do you guys have siblings? And what about your families?”
I ask without knowing why. Probably just trying to get to know the guys that I will spend the next four years of my life with. Garrett and Tucker shake their heads.
“Nope no siblings and raised by my single mama, after my dad died shortly after I was born.”
We offer condolences to Tuck, but he just shrugs. G looks uncomfortable but answers.
“No siblings and only my father.”
I nod and we look at Logan who shrugs.
“Parents are divorced, mums new husband is nice but boring as fuck and an older brother Jeff, who works for our pops. You?”
He points his chin at me.
“My parents are both lawyers and still married and kinda disgustingly in love. They met in law school. Then there is my older brother Nick, who is four years older and my younger sister Summer who is 16.”
They nod and I am glad none of them asks about Summer, I love her but I don’t want to hear comments. We finish breakfast and it definitely did all of us good but especially Garrett, who finally looks like he is an actual human being. At practice it shows he still hasn't overcome the hangover though. He skates like he just got his first Bauers.