Episode 2: Company {Joshua}

INTO THE NOTHING

LEAVE ME AT THE BOTTOM WHERE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT

Brendon remained seated at the top of the stairs with his head lowered, one arm resting across his knees and the other propped with his hand resting against the back of his neck. He lost track of the time as he remained where he was his gaze listlessly staring out at nothing in particular. He allowed the sounds of rainfall to take over and become the focal point of his senses. Every so often the sky would illuminate in a brilliant show of light as lightning streaked across the sky… and the booming distant call of thunder echoed seconds later.

Eventually his peace would be broken. Inevitably his solitude would be shattered. It was quite sometime later when a bluish gray Ford Escape rolled to a park directly in front of the dormitory building. The driver’s car door opened and an umbrella popped to life as a female stepped out, closing the door behind her. Brendon’s features hardened somewhat and he purposely diverted his gaze. He focused on a large oak tree nearby and the way the rain hit the leaves, causing the branches to shudder and sway during the storm.

The young woman had popped her trunk open and after retrieving a suitcase she had made her way up the walkway, the steps, and to the front door. The doors creaked and groaned as she propped one open and wheeled her suitcase inside. But, when she returned she very blatantly paused beside him and gave him a nosy and inquisitive look over.

“Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?” She asked him rather casually and began to tell her tale, motioning toward her SUV while her other hand still gripped the handle of her umbrella. “I have a few more suitcases and I’d really appreciate if you could help me.”

Brendon’s expression hardened and the look he sent her wasn’t in the slightest bit friendly. However, in one swift motion he moved forward—and right into the rain to go and retrieve her luggage. The sandy haired blond quickly rushed in order to catch up to him and hold her umbrella up over the both of them.

“Oh come on, did you really think I meant to get soaked?” She chastised him but didn’t actually appear to be too effected by his callous attitude. “We can both fit underneath my umbrella. Thank you, though, I really do appreciate the help.”

She offered him a wide and happy smile before the two of them stopped in front of her trunk. Brendon pulled the first suitcase down and handed it to her before he retrieved the next.

“Oh, can you reach back there and get my bag too?”

Brendon sent her another brief look but leaned forward to stretch his arm out and catch the strap of the large purse-like bag tucked away at the very back of her trunk. He stuffed it between one arm and began to haul one of the suitcases with the other. The female quickly closed the door of her trunk, beeped the alarm active on her car, and rushed forward to follow his lead.

BRENDON & JOSHUA || outfit: Link

INTO THE NOTHING

LEAVE ME AT THE BOTTOM WHERE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT

“Would you actually mind if I asked for another teensy-weensy little favor?” The sandy haired blond asked him in a slightly higher pitched voice as she pinched her forefinger and thumb together and gave him a combined look of guilt but also expectation.

“You want me to help bring the suitcases to your room,” Brendon stated dryly—and the female actually let out a hearty laugh in response to his dry humor. Her expression lit up as she tapped off the excess water from her umbrella, closed, and fastened it all up.

“Egad—he speaks,” She teased him before reaching forward for one of the suitcases before holding out her hand expectantly for her bag. Brendon pulled it from under his arm and handed it over to her. “But yes, would you? I’d really appreciate it—and, besides, by the looks of things you need to get out of those wet clothes.”

Brendon slowly glanced down at himself and his mostly soaked pajama shirt. He hadn’t cared… and even now he didn’t.

“Well… whatever…,” He returned with nonexistent enthusiasm and turned to grasp onto the remaining two wheeled suitcases.

“The words spoken from a true hero.” The female laughed with sheer amusement and Brendon sent her another glare before the two of them started inside the dormitory.

BRENDON & JOSHUA || outfit: Link

INTO THE NOTHING

LEAVE ME AT THE BOTTOM WHERE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT

“And this would be my room right here,” The female told him as she stopped before room fifty-five and motioned toward the door. Brendon unconsciously slowed his advance down the hallway and brought his amber gaze toward room fifty-two. It was ironic… that her dorm room was two doors down from their own. They—as in him and Joshua. Had he really just referred to his dorm room as theirs? How irritating.

“You can just leave the luggage right here,” She went on and motioned beside her door. Brendon stepped forward and brought the suitcase ahead of him to park it alongside the wall. “Thanks again for the help. I’m Stephanie by the way.”

She actually held her hand out for a formal handshake—and Brendon reluctantly reached forward to shake her hand. For a moment silence occupied the hallway as Stephanie purposely waited for his name in return—and again, to which Brendon gave… reluctantly.

“…Brendon,” He mumbled and glanced away from her, retracting his hand from the handshake. Stephanie, unbeknownst to him, perceived his action as ‘cute’ and even giggled in response.

“I’m a junior this year at Regency. What about you?”

Brendon had been borderline compliant toward this girl until now… but she was seriously pressing her luck by this point. He was becoming moody and could feel himself closing off as he no longer wanted to engage in conversation with her. He didn’t want casual talk.

“My guess would be sophomore,” She piped in when he didn’t provide her with the answer. And, even worse, just went on… to continue casually speaking to him without him actually even needing to be a part of the conversation. “Not many kids here have their own car—mostly because of age issues and ‘blah, blah, blah’. But, as you saw out there, I’ve got myself a ride and a license meaning if you ever need a free ride I’ll be your go-to girl, deal?”

Her smile broadened as she added, “It’s my way of thanking you for the help. Like I said, I really appreciated it. It just got so nasty out there tonight with the storm rolling through and everything.”

BRENDON & JOSHUA || outfit: Link

INTO THE NOTHING

LEAVE ME AT THE BOTTOM WHERE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT

“… I don’t really need anything from you,” Brendon finally spoke up in return and the tone of his voice was low and stiff. He began to step back and away from the female, her dorm, and her luggage. He neatly shoved his hands back into the front pockets of his jeans and had every intention of heading back outside.

“Well, all right,” Stephanie replied simply to his retreating back, but did holler after him to say, “It was nice meeting you, Brendon”, before she used her room key to open her dorm room door.

Brendon made it all the way down the hallway and pushed the front door open in order to step back outside. The sound of the pouring rain masked out everything else—with the exception of the thunder that now cracked and boomed from a short distance away. The storm was getting closer and the wind had picked up, whipping through the campus grounds and causing the trees to sway a tad violently.

While it had been warm before there was now an obvious drop in temperature, and his soaked shirt left a chill through his body. The feeling was unpleasant and Brendon begrudgingly realized that he wouldn’t be able to stay out here in the same manner as before. He would become too cold and uncomfortable.

A deep sigh escaped him but his attention was soon drawn back to the front door when Stephanie unexpectedly walked out. She appeared shocked for a moment to see him but her expression quickly changed to almost chastising.

“Hey now, you need to get out of those wet clothes,” She told him in the midst of unfastening her umbrella and popping it back open so she could make the journey back to her car. “I don’t want you getting sick weighing on my conscious. I didn’t ask you to walk through the rain!”

Brendon merely stared at her with a somewhat aggravated expression. But, to his surprise… and irritation, she actually paused after taking a few steps down into the rain in order to turn around and purposely wait for him to go back inside.

“I mean it. Go flipping change. It’ll take a whopping five minutes out of your day.”

Irritation pricked at his nerves but in the end he decided that was what he needed to do anyway. “…Fine,” He returned tersely and Stephanie was immediately smiling in response and shooing him away. But, after he turned around and grasped onto the door to pull it open he was stopped once more by the female as she quickly interjected in another afterthought:

“Oh, Brendon!” She quickly turned around, now standing beside the driver’s door of her car. “Room number?”

“…,” Brendon… very… begrudgingly turned around to stare hard across the way at her. She stared back expectantly. He almost did it. He almost gave it to her but then at the last moment he clenched his jaw tight and simply proceeded to jerk the door open and stalk away inside.

“Jerk…!” He could hear her calling from outside seconds before the door closed behind him.

BRENDON & JOSHUA || outfit: Link