Chapter Twenty: Roommates
Chapter Twenty: Roommates
"Thanks for helping, Rog." Mark said, flopping out on his bare dorm room bed. "You didn't have to come out here."
"Yeah, well..." Roger set down the last of Mark's boxes and hopped up on his desk. "I'm moving to the City in a week, thought I might as well spend one last day with my soon-to-be over educated best friend." he laughed and ducked as Mark tossed a wad of paper at his head.
"Shut up, okay?" Mark laughed slightly. He wasn't exactly relishing the thought of four more years of school, but... well, his dad had gone to Brown, and Mark was very much expected to follow in his footsteps. So here he was, sharing a room with a Senior because of a shortage of Freshman dorms.
"You sure this is what you want to do?" Roger asked bluntly. Mark glared at him a little.
"Yes. This is what I want to do. This is what I've been planning on since I was, like, ten." Mark made a face at Roger. "Stop asking."
"Okay, okay!" Roger laughed and threw up his hands in defeat and hopped up and stood at the foot of the bed. "I'll stop asking. But just remember if you get sick of it, there'll be... a spot on the floor waiting for you." Mark laughed, and threw a sock towards Roger's head. Roger, being the agile boy he was, ducked, and the sock smacked into the face of the young black man who had just walked in the room.
"Hey, what the hell?" he asked, tossing the sock back at Mark. Mark flushed.
"Um... I'm sorry, god, I didn't expect you to... we were just... I was moving in and... he was being such an ass!" he said finally pointing at Roger. Roger put on an innocent face and shrugged.
"Right..." the guy looked dubiously between them. "So which one of you's my roommate?" Roger pointed at Mark with a smirk.
"The scrawny kid with the yarmulke and the sock." he said. "I'm just the best friend. Speaking of..." he turned to Mark. "I hate to go, but I gotta get in motion if I don't want to drive all night."
"Okay." Mark said, yanking his yarmulke off and stuffing it under the mattress before standing to give Roger a hug. "Call me when you get to the City, all right?"
"Yes, mother." Roger teased and ruffled his hair. "Have fun. Don't annoy your roommate too much." He nodded to said roommate and left. Mark sighed softly and felt his shoulders slump a little.
"Guess you guys are pretty close, huh?" Mark's roommate asked. Mark looked up, startled.
"Huh?"
"You look about how I felt when my best friend went off to college my Junior year." he smiled and held out his hand. "Benjamin Coffin. The third, sadly. You can call me Benny."
"Mark Cohen. Um... the first." Mark replied awkwardly, shaking Benny's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Benny stretched out on his bed. "So, you're Jewish?"
"Oh... yeah." Mark shrugged. "Not really of my own free will... at least my mom can't make me wear the skull cap anymore." he said with a shy grin. "So, um... you're a Senior?"
"Yep. Business major, to keep my dad happy." Benny shrugged. Mark cocked his head.
"So... do you do anything that you like?" he asked tentatively. Benny shifted a little.
"I, um... I'm a dance minor." he said sheepishly. Mark grinned.
"Really? That's cool!"
"You think?" Benny looked bemused at Mark's enthusiasm.
"Yeah. Not many guys would do that, much less admit to it." he shrugged. "I think it's awesome."
"Well, thanks, I guess." Benny grinned. "So what's your major?"
"Oh, I... I haven't decided yet." Mark sighed. "I'd love to do film, but..." he shrugged.
"Parents?"
"Yeah."
"They tend to be troublesome like that."
"Tell me about it."
"Either of your parents alumni?"
"My dad... this course has been plotted since I was born, I think."
"Yeah, my dad flipped when I didn't get into Harvard, but... well, I don't really care."
"Cool." A long silence passed between the two boys.
"I think we're gonna have fun this year."
"You think?"
"I've been here three years already - trust me."
"Thanks for helping, Rog." Mark said, flopping out on his bare dorm room bed. "You didn't have to come out here."
"Yeah, well..." Roger set down the last of Mark's boxes and hopped up on his desk. "I'm moving to the City in a week, thought I might as well spend one last day with my soon-to-be over educated best friend." he laughed and ducked as Mark tossed a wad of paper at his head.
"Shut up, okay?" Mark laughed slightly. He wasn't exactly relishing the thought of four more years of school, but... well, his dad had gone to Brown, and Mark was very much expected to follow in his footsteps. So here he was, sharing a room with a Senior because of a shortage of Freshman dorms.
"You sure this is what you want to do?" Roger asked bluntly. Mark glared at him a little.
"Yes. This is what I want to do. This is what I've been planning on since I was, like, ten." Mark made a face at Roger. "Stop asking."
"Okay, okay!" Roger laughed and threw up his hands in defeat and hopped up and stood at the foot of the bed. "I'll stop asking. But just remember if you get sick of it, there'll be... a spot on the floor waiting for you." Mark laughed, and threw a sock towards Roger's head. Roger, being the agile boy he was, ducked, and the sock smacked into the face of the young black man who had just walked in the room.
"Hey, what the hell?" he asked, tossing the sock back at Mark. Mark flushed.
"Um... I'm sorry, god, I didn't expect you to... we were just... I was moving in and... he was being such an ass!" he said finally pointing at Roger. Roger put on an innocent face and shrugged.
"Right..." the guy looked dubiously between them. "So which one of you's my roommate?" Roger pointed at Mark with a smirk.
"The scrawny kid with the yarmulke and the sock." he said. "I'm just the best friend. Speaking of..." he turned to Mark. "I hate to go, but I gotta get in motion if I don't want to drive all night."
"Okay." Mark said, yanking his yarmulke off and stuffing it under the mattress before standing to give Roger a hug. "Call me when you get to the City, all right?"
"Yes, mother." Roger teased and ruffled his hair. "Have fun. Don't annoy your roommate too much." He nodded to said roommate and left. Mark sighed softly and felt his shoulders slump a little.
"Guess you guys are pretty close, huh?" Mark's roommate asked. Mark looked up, startled.
"Huh?"
"You look about how I felt when my best friend went off to college my Junior year." he smiled and held out his hand. "Benjamin Coffin. The third, sadly. You can call me Benny."
"Mark Cohen. Um... the first." Mark replied awkwardly, shaking Benny's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Benny stretched out on his bed. "So, you're Jewish?"
"Oh... yeah." Mark shrugged. "Not really of my own free will... at least my mom can't make me wear the skull cap anymore." he said with a shy grin. "So, um... you're a Senior?"
"Yep. Business major, to keep my dad happy." Benny shrugged. Mark cocked his head.
"So... do you do anything that you like?" he asked tentatively. Benny shifted a little.
"I, um... I'm a dance minor." he said sheepishly. Mark grinned.
"Really? That's cool!"
"You think?" Benny looked bemused at Mark's enthusiasm.
"Yeah. Not many guys would do that, much less admit to it." he shrugged. "I think it's awesome."
"Well, thanks, I guess." Benny grinned. "So what's your major?"
"Oh, I... I haven't decided yet." Mark sighed. "I'd love to do film, but..." he shrugged.
"Parents?"
"Yeah."
"They tend to be troublesome like that."
"Tell me about it."
"Either of your parents alumni?"
"My dad... this course has been plotted since I was born, I think."
"Yeah, my dad flipped when I didn't get into Harvard, but... well, I don't really care."
"Cool." A long silence passed between the two boys.
"I think we're gonna have fun this year."
"You think?"
"I've been here three years already - trust me."