Chasing the Reddened Dream

Chapter 3

They finally arrived to the school. It was a large university that looked like it was straight out of medieval times. It was built like a castle with several turrets. It was one of the largest buildings in the university and had five other small buildings. Dylan liked the look of the outside, but it was the inside that was a mystery to him. 'Things may look flashy on the surface' he thought 'but it's the secrets on the interior that matter.'

They pulled into the parking garage where Dylan left his car. They began to walk to their first class together.

"Hey, Nick?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, man?"

"I've got a question for you."

"Shoot."

"I never asked you, but why exactly do you want to be a psychologist?"

Nick thought about it for a moment and finally said, "Well, first of all I want to help people. I want to feel like I made a difference in somebody's life and we can both go home feeling good." Nick momentarily paused. "There is another reason, but you're going to think I'm foolish."

"Nah, man. No judgments here. I promise."

"Well... I want to be a famous psychologist like Freud or Skinner. I want to revolutionize the world of psychology and make a name for myself. I really want to do something good and contribute a lot to this world. We only go around once and I want to make it worthwhile."

Dylan looked at him. "I think you'll do great, Nick. You're a smart guy. You'll go far."

"Thanks, Dylan. That means a lot."

Dylan just wasn't sure why Nick had such an obsession with being famous or well-known. He knew his heart was in the right place but he thought he was doing it more for eternal glory than anything.

They arrived to their class on time and took their seats. It was a huge lecture hall with very impressive seating. It must have fit about one thousand students. Dylan could only imagine how much money they poured into building it. He looked around the room at his fellow classmates. There was always a wide variety and they came from all different backgrounds. They were all here for the same major and some quality about each of these people brought them here to study. He then began to wonder how many of these people would still be here at the end of the semester or how many of them would end up being successful or even if this major was their choice and were they happy about it.

The teacher shuffled in a few minutes later. Nick turned to Dylan and said "Get a load of him." He was an older professor and was dressed in a very eccentric manner. He wore a tweed jacket with a red shirt, tan khakis and two different color shoes, one red and the other purple. Dylan had read reviews about him and expected this. He was supposedly the wisest teacher at the university and said all of these deep and existential things.

"Good morning, class." he said with his voice echoing throughout the hall via microphone. "Thank you for choosing this intro class so early in the morning. You are the brave souls willing to break the chain of sleep in order to gain knowledge before your other peers do. To start, let's point out the obvious. I am wearing mismatched clothing. I do it because it suits my personality. As a human being, I am often confused and uncertain about my existence and it doesn't always make sense to me. I am caught in a sea of sameness with all of these people wearing the latest fashions and newest brands. The clothes in each style may appear different but if you look at it closely, you'll come to realize that it's the same exact bullshit. They strive for originality even though there is not any present. People buy these things because they want to fit in and are afraid of any signs of individuality. Only, it drives them mad when they figure out they can't keep up and it's all for naught. They jump from fashion to fashion, new trend to new trend, only to come to the crashing realization that this takes them nowhere." He gazed around the room with a subtle, smug look of self-importance as if daring somebody to challenge him. "Which is also way I'm wearing what I am. Unlike a majority of people, I'm not afraid to express my individuality. I do not follow trends nor do I try to blend in like a chameleon. In this course, you will learn about the workings of the human mind and why they stray from individuality, as well as other things. Welcome to my class. Let's make this one hell of a semester."

The rest of the class was just the professor going over the syllabus and preparing them in terms of what to expect for the rest of the semester. When the class ended, a lot of students went up to the teacher and introduced themselves. They marvelled at him like he was an all powerful being. By the look on his face, he absolutely loved it.

Nick and Dylan left the classroom accompanied by Stephanie, a tall hot brunette who Nick talked to within the first few minutes of the class. Stephanie and Nick began to talk about the professor. "He's an absolute genius, isn't he? It's like he understands the way of the world." she said. "Yeah." Nick replied. "It's as if he unlocked the secrets of the universe and are sharing them with us little by little." "I really admire his comfortableness to be an individual and I hope to learn a lot from him." Stephanie said. "You're right, Stephanie. I hope I can learn from him also and be as wise. Or as smart as you for that matter."

Dylan sighed quietly. He knew Nick's routine and compliments were only the first part of the seduction. He had to admit that Nick was quite smooth and he could definitely get her. Then, she'd been gone in a week.

Nick must have heard Dylan because he asked him "What do you think of the professor?"

"If you want to know the truth, I think he is a pretentious bullshitter. He acts like he wants to be individualistic, but he wants to fit in just as bad as anyone. He uses his unique style to attract attention and he eats it up. He's just as scared as anybody else."

"You're just jealous of his wisdom," Stephanie said. "I can't believe a man as smart as him is only teaching an intro class. He could do so much better."

As she looked away, Dylan rolled his eyes. He knew there was no point in arguing because he would be outnumbered. There was no way that Nick was going to agree with him. He knew that he was trying to get invested in Stephanie. Hell, with the speed at which Nick worked, he was practically halfway there.

They were headed to their next class with Nick and Stephanie talking and Dylan thinking. This is how it usually was. He didn't step up to the plate and he also wanted to let Nick do his thing. It was like watching a professional chess player playing a championship game; the strategy was perfect and he was doing everything in his power to come out on top (which was sure to happen in the end.)

As they approached the classroom, Dylan went on ahead. He knew Nick was about to seal the deal and he didn't want to bother him. He knew that Nick would do the same for him if the opportunity ever came.