The Ties That Bind

Chapter 16

     Life at the university was considerably different than life in high school; for one thing, it was much more difficult. Kasden had always been at the top of his class, but now he often felt out of his depth. There were so many more students here at the university, and they all seemed to be way smarter, and more accomplished than he was. Sometimes he felt like he was a lot less smart than he'd always thought he was, it was depressing.

   Thankfully he had developed good study habits in high school, and those habits translated over to the university. His grades didn't suffer and, in fact, although he couldn't see it himself, he was among the top students in his classes. Being a top student didn't make his unusual feelings any easier though.

     If it weren't for the support of his friends, Kasden was afraid he might have felt like giving up. They all felt the same way he did, and all of them were now taking their studies more seriously than they ever had before, even Davy.

     The library was starting to feel like a second home, they spent so much time in it. If it weren't for their part-time jobs, Kasden and Luke would have probably spent even more time there. Luke was aiming to get accepted into the college of Engineering by sophomore year, and he was doing everything he could to make that happen. Penny and Davy attended practices every day, but they all agreed to a study schedule and, so far, they'd managed to stick to it.

     Along with his improved study habits, Davy hadn't dated a single girl since they'd arrived, as a point of fact, he seemed more settled, and even more mature than ever before. He still flirted shamelessly with any girl he met, but he wasn't chasing after any of them all the time like he'd done in the past. And while his dorm held regular parties, and more than once his friends had all gone to them, he wasn't drinking to the point of having a hangover the next morning. Kasden, who wasn't a fan of waking up with a hangover himself, usually stopped at one beer, or on the rare occasion, two. Luke wasn't a drinker either, so the pair was well matched in that regard; surprisingly, it was Bernice who let loose at the parties more than the others, and surprisingly, she was able to handle alcohol better than any of them. She could seemingly drink all night and not be affected more than a little.

   "How long have we been studying now? I think my brain is fried." Davy sighed, pushing his chair back from the table. It had been another afternoon spent in the library. "I've read the same line five times and it still isn't making any sense."

     "Why did I ever think going to university was a good idea? Oh right, it was the parentals idea; I shouldn't have to listen to them." He threw a hand over his forehead, pretending to swoon.

     "Drama queen much?" Bernice laughed her friend's antics. "I swear, you should go into theater instead of physical therapy."

     Davy waggled his eyebrows back at the girl. "I'll have you know drama was going to be my minor (not really), but my real love is PT, now you've slain the dream. Woe is me; woe is me."

     He had everyone at the table laughing now, and the librarian shushed them from her desk across the room. They promptly quieted, not wanting to be kicked out while they still had studying to do, but for the rest of the afternoon, Davy kept trying to make the others laugh, and, as a result very little actual studying got done.

---

     Luke climbed into bed and snuggled up against his sleeping boyfriend. He'd had a very long day; the grocery store where he worked had been busy from the time he got there until closing time. Other than a short break, he'd been on his feet for the entire shift, and his legs and feet ached abominably; adding to that, he was cold from the changing weather outside - he'd forgotten to take a jacket with him earlier. The walk home from work, though it wasn't far from the apartment, was enough to leave him chilled now that fall was coming. The warmth from Kasden's sleeping form gradually warmed him as he lay there, easing at least one minor discomfort if not the others.

     "You're home?" Kasden said sleepily, rolling onto his side and wrapping his arm around Luke, pulling him closer. "Did you eat anything before you came home? There's some left-over pasta in the fridge if you're hungry."

     "I'm good." Luke told his boyfriend. "I'm just really tired; I doubt I could stay awake long enough to eat even if I was hungry. Go back to sleep, Kas, I didn't mean to wake you up."

     "S'all right." Kasden murmured. "I meant to wait up for you, but I fell asleep, I didn't realize that I was that tired."

     Luke was going to say something about Kasden not needing to wait up, but soft snores from the other boy told him that he was already sleeping again. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about the aches in his lower extremities as he, too, drifted into a deep, dreamless slumber.

---

     The next few weeks passed with the same daily routine; attend classes, study, work, study some more, and sleep. They usually ate their lunches at the school's student union building, or, not as often, at the little diner they'd discovered during their early days on campus. The occasional dorm party was the only thing to interrupt their busy schedules.

     The two athletes in the group were spending more time at practice; they'd both made their respective teams, so they were late to study group more and more often when practice went longer than usual and overflowed into their study time. With the help of the others, though, they were able to keep up and not fall behind.

     The change was gradual, and they didn't notice it much, but once they'd adjusted to university life, it became less difficult, and they no longer found themselves fretting about not doing well enough, or not being able to succeed at university. They discovered that they fit in and were no different than most of the other students they met, who had experienced all the same misgivings. It was nice knowing they weren't alone in their insecurities, that they were just like any other student.

  One other notable development occurred during this time; Davy and Bernice became an item. None of the group was really surprised by the blossoming relationship, the attraction between the two friends had been there for years; they'd just never acted on it. In the end, it was Bernice who made a move on Davy at one of the dormitory parties. They'd both had a few beers, enough to give them a slight buzz, and while they were talking in the kitchen, she'd kissed him. Davy had kissed her back and they couldn't seem to get enough of one another ever since.

---

     Early one Sunday morning Kasden was feeling out of sorts for no reason that he could understand. He slid out of bed, doing his best to not wake Luke; the poor guy had had another closing shift at the store, and he needed his sleep.

     After showering, he fixed himself a bowl of cold cereal, and added milk to their shopping list since the jug was down to less than a quarter full. He'd washed, and dried the cereal bowl, but eating breakfast hadn't improved his mood.

     Sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, he paused on one where some random televangelist was preaching hellfire and damnation. He realized that it was Sunday morning, and that he had not attended any services since he'd moved to the city. Mass had always been special to him, and was a calming influence, so he set about finding a nearby church where he could attend a service.

     He quickly dressed in his best suit (he only had two), did a quick search on his phone for local Catholic churches and their schedules, and luckily, he found one that was within walking distance of the apartment. If he walked fast (maybe if he ran a little), he could make their morning services.

     "I've gone to Mass, be back in a while." He left a note informing Luke where he had gone. He doubted that the other boy would wake up before he was back, but he left the note just in case.

     It turned out that Mass was exactly what he needed, and by the time it was over his mood was back to normal. As he was walking back to the apartment, he promised himself he'd would make more of an effort to attend more often. He knew that he wouldn't be able to go every Sunday, due to work or studies, but he wanted to make the effort to go when he could; it was something he felt he needed to do.