When In Doubt - Freshman Year

Chapter 16

Jared

Classes didn't actually begin until January 22nd, but Jared had still returned back to UW-Stout on the 3rd, because the Track and Field season was going to officially begin a couple days later. His winter break was being cut short, but he honestly hadn't minded since Jared could only stand to be at home for short amounts of time anymore. Besides, he'd also noticed the strange feeling how his home actually hardly felt like his home any longer too. He'd first noticed it back during Thanksgiving break, but it'd felt like he was a stranger in his own childhood home, and his dorm in HKMC was his new oasis. 

During his drive back to the UW-Stout campus through the Midwestern tundra in the beginning of January, Jared stopped at a local grocery store because the commons was going to be closed until classes started up again, and the MSC was only open during winter break when he was scheduled to be at practice in the field house, so that wasn't really an option either.

The campus was a freakin' ghost town.

One good thing about being back was the fact that he'd be able to walk around on the floor in nothing but his underwear without having to care if anyone saw him. Hell, he could scratch himself and readjust himself without a second thought, and for a guy, that was such a small but pivotal freedom to be able to enjoy. All day long, he'd laze around in his dorm in just his boxer briefs; he'd switched back and forth between movies to playing whatever games Brayden had kept there over break with his Xbox.

All the idle free time led his mind to wander back towards the very subject he'd wanted to forget about: Leah. He'd been so angry when she'd decided to end things, and Brayden hadn't even found a house that night, so they'd resorted to staying in and drunkenly played video games together. They'd free roamed around the city in Grand Theft Auto, and Jared angrily ran over any female civilian he'd happened across with whatever car he'd stolen.

He'd known that was kind of fucked up, but he'd been drunk and upset, and it was just a video game. Boomers didn't know shit about any of that video game violence bullshit they spewed out whenever they got the chance.

While he'd put on a Jason Statham movie, Jared wondered if Madison was back at school yet. As if on cue, there was a knock on his door, so without bothering to put any clothes on, he'd answered the door. Madison stood in his doorway, and his eyes widened as she'd looked down his entire body on full display for her.

"Jared! Put some clothes on when you answer the door!" She'd yelled, but broke out in laughter afterwards.

Jared smirked as he'd leaned against his doorway. "What? Can't handle all this perfection in front of you?"

"No, there's nothing I haven't seen before, but at least warn a girl when you decide to not wear any clothes," Madison shot back, but Jared enjoyed the fact that her eyes couldn't help but once again wander down his impressive torso.

Yeah, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before either...

"That's too bad, because not wearing clothes is one of my favorite things to do," he winked. Madison scoffed as she'd crossed her arms as he'd stretched his back like a cat and raised his arms high above himself. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to see if you were back or not, then if you were maybe interested in doing anything tonight?" Madison asked. "It would feel weird if we both just stayed in our rooms when we're the only people here, and we're sort of friends, so..."

Jared thought it was kinda cute that she was so obviously nervous, but tried to hide it. Hanging out alone in his room would just make him sit there and continue to mope around about his lady problems, get drunk and think about it even more...