The Light to His Dark

Chapter 4

Sitting back in his seat, Dan bit into his slice of pizza with a smile.  In the last year, he, Arin, Ross, Barry, Suzy, Holly, and the most recent addition, Mark got together on Fridays.  They'd go to a nearby pizza place, and sometimes hit the bar.

Ross was ranting about something in an MMO Dan knew nothing about, Holly occasionally adding in comments.

Dan smiled contentedly, eyes flicking up when the bell of the door rang.  It took him a second to recognize Dr. Wecht, being so used to seeing him in formal wear.  Dan shrunk down in his seat, trying to hide himself as Dr. Wecht passed their table. 

Arin raised an eyebrow.  "That Dr. Asshole?" he asked, a little too loudly. 

Dan kicked him under the table, shushing him.  "Dude, shut up."

Barry looked up over the back of the booth.  "He's not that bad looking."  He nudged Dan lightly as he sat back down normally.  "I can see why you like him so much."

Dan let out a half hearted groan.  "I hate all of you."

Arin grinned, ruffling Dan's hair.  "At least you love me."

Dan chuckled, pushing him away.  "You're pushing it Ar."

Mark rolled his eyes, half waving as Dr. Wecht passed their table again, holding a pizza box.  "Hi, Dr. Wecht."

He smiled a little.  "Evening Mr. Fischbach, Mr. Avidan."

Dan muttered a greeting, keeping his head down as Dr. Wecht left the pizza place.  "Mark, I fucking hate you."

Mark chuckled, sipping his soda.  "Dude, it's not like he didn't see us when he came in."

"So?  You didn't have to draw attention to us."

Suzy raised an eyebrow.  "What do you have against this guy anyway?  Don't tell me you're one of those guys who acts like he hates whoever he has a crush on."

"I don't have a crush on him!  And he's a dick.  Just because I'm a music major, he seems to think I can't do well in his class."

Arin chuckled.  "I'm not sure it's that.  I mean, you kinda slack off from doing work in classes you're not particularly interested in."

"I do not!  Well, maybe a little... But I'm passing his class!"

"Maybe give it a little more effort...."

Dan glared at him, obviously pissed. "Alright, mom."

Holly made an odd squeaking sound, shooting a glare at Suzy.  "She kicked me!"

Suzy smiled innocently.  "I don't know what you're talking about.  I did nothing of the sort."

Holly huffed, shaking her head.  "You're such a... Such a..."

Suzy grinned.  "Bitch?  Whore?  Come on Holly, say it."

"I was gonna say jerk..."

Barry leaned over, whispering to Dan.  "So when did they start dating?"

"I don't know.  They've been eye fucking since they met, so it could've been any time since you guys' freshman year."

Suzy huffed.  "We're- we're not dating."

Ross shrugged.  "Shame.  You two would be pretty cute together."  He shot Holly a pointed look.

Holly just blushed brightly, not saying a word.

Later that night, Dan was sprawled out over his bed, typing up a paper.  His textbook was open in front of him with a sheet of notes next to it. 

Across the dorm, Barry was curled up with Mark, and they were watching a movie on his laptop together. 

Dan's mind was racing, his focus wavering on the task at hand. Honestly, he didn't even know what was going on. He just felt numb. His mind wasn't slowing down, and it was almost agonizing.

He buried his face in his hands, gripping his hair. Finally, he shut his laptop, grabbing his phone. "I'll.. Be back. Going for a walk."

Barry looked up. "It's almost 10... Are you okay?"

Dan shrugged a little. "I'll be back," he repeated. He silently left the dorm, sighing. The hall was empty, and eerily quiet. Heading down the staircase, he tugged on the sweatshirt he'd grabbed on his way out.

The sky was clear, the moon casting light over the whole campus. He looked around, only seeing one or two other people. Hands shoved in his pockets, Dan began walking.

His eyes scanned the sky, picking out a few constellations among the visible stars. He could feel himself grow a little more serene, the only sounds being his soft footsteps on the sidewalk and his soft breaths.

After walking for a bit, he sat on a bench. He was in a more secluded corner of the campus, away from most buildings. Dan pulled out his phone, starting up some music. As the instrumental began, he tapped his foot on the ground. "Welcome to your life..."

By the time the song was coming to a close, he'd stood up and was dancing around a little, his phone lying on the bench. He grinned, pulling up a recording he'd done on his bass the other night, deciding to test some possible lyrics.

"What's up baby, you're a very sexy lady..."

He was stuck after awhile, mind completely on his music. "I need something there that's unexpected," he muttered. "I also need a body... Something for the melody..."

Dan licked his drying lips, deep in thought when his phone rang. He slid the icon, holding it to his ear. "Hello?"

Barry's voice rang through the speaker, sounding relived. "Oh thank god... Where are you? You've been gone for almost two hours?"

Dan's eyes widened. "Shit. I lost track of time. I needed to clear my head, that's why I left. I guess I got kinda caught up... I was working on my music..."

"No, no, it's fine. I was just worried. Are you coming back soon? I can stay up until you get back..."

"I'll start heading back now. I'm not too far." He heard soft snoring in the background and smiled. "Mark still there?"

Barry chuckled softly. "Yeah. He fell asleep halfway through the movie. He's like a boulder. Can't wake him up."

"So are you sometimes. I'm on my way now. See you soon."

"See you soon, Dan."

He smiled, getting up to head back to his dorm. He cast one more glance to the sky. Dan was going to be okay, no matter how crazy his mind was sometimes.