Chapter five: now a freshman

Many weeks had passed, and tomorrow was the day for my registration and screening before I could start attending classes. It was 8 PM, and I lay on my bed, listening to Drake. The room was dimly lit by a multicolored light that didn’t shine too brightly. My mind wandered, imagining what college life would be like. The stories my uncle had told me only fueled my curiosity. I couldn’t wait to explore, maybe even fall in love.

I had been in multiple relationships, but I had never truly loved any of the girls I dated. At times, I thought maybe intimacy would make me fall in love, so I had sex with some of them. Instead of growing closer, I found myself pulling away. I had decided that in college, I wouldn't get into any relationship unless I genuinely fell in love. I had spent my life chasing love and never found it—maybe it was time love chased me.

I closed my eyes, trying to sleep, but the excitement wouldn’t let me. I felt like a child waiting to travel the next day. After struggling for a while, I finally drifted off.

By 5 AM, I was already awake. I didn’t want to go downstairs because I knew my uncle would tease me for being overly excited. I could already imagine him laughing and making fun of me. I waited for 6 AM, which felt like forever. As soon as the clock hit six, I jumped into the shower, brushed my teeth, and changed into some corporate clothes. When I finally went downstairs for breakfast, my uncle took one look at me and burst into laughter.

“Why… why are you dressed like a banker?” he asked between fits of laughter.

I couldn’t make out half of what he was saying, but I knew he was making fun of my clothes.

“The clothes are fine; they’re not that bad,” my dad said as he entered the house from his morning workout.

“I can never escape you, can I?” I said, shaking my head at my uncle.

“Don’t listen to your dad. Wear something casual, a bit flashy,” my uncle advised.

I went back upstairs, changed into cargo pants, a t-shirt, and Nike sneakers, and returned downstairs.

“That’s more like it,” my uncle said. “Not like how you dressed up for work,” he added, laughing again.

“Allow me, please,” I muttered, starting to feel irritated.

After breakfast, my dad handed me a new credit card. “Use it wisely,” he said. “Enjoy school, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, okay?”

“Okay, Dad,” I replied.

We hugged. “I love you, son,” he said, his eyes filled with warmth.

“I love you too, Dad.”

He left for work, and shortly after, my uncle and I left for school. It was only an hour’s drive, which was why Dad and I had chosen it. I didn’t want to be too far from home, and Dad wanted to be able to see me anytime. My uncle, on the other hand, thought I should go farther away to experience true freedom. Freedom? I've experienced freedom already, maybe only a few adult things are left for me to do, but things like sex, having a girlfriend, partying I've done that.

I had graduated from high school at seventeen, three years ago. Over the past two years, I had been exploring relationships. I had dated about seven girls and slept with four of them. My first time was at eighteen. A former classmate introduced me to a girl, and we had been talking online for months. We only met in person three times because she lived far away. Then, on Christmas Day, she came over.

Dad and my uncle were out celebrating, and I had lied about not feeling well so I could stay home. When she arrived, she looked around in surprise.

“I didn’t know you were rich,” she said.

“Well, you know now. What do you wanna do?” I asked.

“Anything.”

“How about N*****x?”

“That’d be perfect,” she said excitedly.

I had spent weeks preparing for this moment, watching different erotic movies to find the best one. I put one on, grabbed some snacks from the freezer, and we sat on the couch. She leaned on my shoulder as we watched. I started stroking her hair, then slowly moved my hand to her waist. My heart pounded, but when she didn’t move, I took it as a good sign. Encouraged, I tried to go further, but I hesitated.

“Is this your first time?” she asked, catching me off guard.

“No,” I lied.

“So why are you scared to touch me?” she teased.

That was all the motivation I needed. I kissed her, and things escalated from there. One thing led to another, and we had sex. I remember how exhilarating it felt—better than winning a battle royale in COD or completing a tough mission in GTA.

We had sex a few more times before drifting apart when she got admitted to university. I was relieved because it meant I could stop pretending to care.

Finally, we arrived at school—Royalty College. The campus looked like a palace, living up to its name. My uncle pulled up and reversed the car, ready to drive off.

“Find your way around. I can’t help you do everything,” he said.

I didn’t want him to leave. I needed someone to guide me through my first day, but I knew he would tease me about it, so I said, “You only brought me to school; you didn’t help me do anything. I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Suit yourself,” he replied and drove off.

I pulled out my phone, opened the school’s app, checked the map, and started walking around. I eventually found my departmental building, which had ‘Aquaculture’ written on it. I walked in, expecting some sort of welcome, but no one paid attention to me. Unlike high school, where seniors or teachers would guide new students, here, everyone minded their own business. I had a hard time finding the screening office because I refused to ask for help. When I finally found it, I completed my screening and received my matriculation number.

“Why are you coming for screening now?” the officer asked.

“I traveled and had some delays,” I lied.

“Well, all the freshmen have already started lectures. You’re two weeks behind. I think you have one at 1 PM.”

I checked my phone—it was 12:46.

“Where can I attend the lecture, sir?” I asked politely.

“Go to the Faculty of Science. There’s a big hall where all the freshmen in science courses attend lectures.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said before heading out.

now I have to look for faculty of science