NEWHALL UNIVERSITY ISN'T exactly famous for its athletic program.

The women's judo team has consistently bagged gold medals for some time now, but other than that, they've only been gaining ground on chess and tennis, with hit or miss wins here and there. They haven't had the same luck in the sports people are often hyped about.

And so, when the men's basketball team bags an unexpected win after a twenty-year dry spell, the whole campus erupts.

"This is crazy," Drew had said to Colin. "Is this for real?"

The news was announced via intercom in the middle of class hours. There was silence at first as people tried to make out the words over the static. Those who didn't understand just paid it no mind, and those who did understand were convinced they'd heard wrong.

But then one person decided to check Twitter and confirmed the news for everyone: The men's basketball team had won a game.

Even Professor Nguyen, who was previously trying her best to get everyone's attention, had given it to the excitement. She clicked out of her slides to confirm the news for herself, and everyone watched as she skimmed over an article by the university paper. Then they spent the rest of the class watching a highlight reel of the game on the projector screen.

The atmosphere was contagious. Even Colin, who isn't a big fan of basketball, had ended up cheering for the team as they watched.

It's not really a season-changing game. They've incurred far too many losses for this win to make a dent and bump them up the season's rankings. For anyone else, it's really just one small win.

But for students of Newhall, it's everything.

It has literally been two decades--two whole decades--since the men's basketball team had won a game. For twenty years, the team had suffered loss after loss after loss, to the point that their record-breaking losing streak was almost too comical to be real.

News of the win quickly spreads. Not a lot of people were able to watch live because Newhall students rarely ever watch any of the games live. The stands would always be dominated by supporters of the opposing team.

It became so bad that the university came up with a PE class called cheerleading. Not cheerdancing, but cheerleading. The only requirement was for the students to memorize the chants and show up at games to fill up the stands.

"I don't know about you, Colin, but I am ready to party." Drew wraps an arm around Colin's shoulder as they exit the auditorium, waving goodbye to some of their classmates. "I'm going to get drunk tonight, my good friend. I am gonna get so drunk that--"

"Oh, boy."

"--you'll have to haul my--"

"Drew, please don't even--"

"--drunk ass all the way back to the apartment. It's gonna be fun!"

It is not gonna be fun.

◇

But as the day drags on, it becomes clear that everyone is in really good spirits, and it's impossible not to get swept up with it. Colin had been on edge for the whole week. Between managing his classes and looking after Sadie, the stress has been immense.

It wouldn't hurt to loosen up and enjoy himself.

Partying on a Friday sounds exactly like the kind of distraction he needs. The day passes by quickly, and professors seem just as ecstatic as everyone over the unexpected win. One of them even spent the whole period reminiscing about his days as a Newhall student, when the men's basketball team actually dominated each season.

"He looks like he might cry," Drew had whispered in Colin's ear.

"Isn't he already crying?"

The class ends quickly, with half the students listening out of curiosity and the other half discussing which houses are planning to hold a party for the win. There seems to be a lot, despite the last-minute preparations, and everyone seems eager to celebrate.

After class, Drew and Colin hurry home and return to the apartment to find Perry taking selfies near the window. He doesn't even stop when they come in.

"Did you hear?" Drew asks him.

Perry keeps his eyes on his phone, angling his head to the side. "About the win?"

"About the win!"

"I couldn't believe it at first," Perry says, still preoccupied with his selfies. He lifts one hand to his chin, looks out the window, and snaps a photo.

Colin shakes his head and heads to the fridge to get himself some water.

"I'm gonna go take a nap," Drew announces. "Wake me up when it's time to go. I need all the energy I can get."

"He's gonna get drunk and pass out again," Perry says when Drew disappears into their room, scowling.

Colin fights a smile at the sight and tips his head back, drinking his water in one gulp.

"He's gonna get drunk and vomit everywhere and then he'll curl up on the floor like the dumb fuck that he is. I can already see it. Tell me, we are gonna leave him if he does, right?"

"I don't see why not."

Perry, done with his self-supported photoshoot, walks over to the counter and plucks the glass from Colin's hand, pouring water for himself. When he's done drinking, he holds out his phone to Colin. "Help me choose. I've narrowed it down to these. Which one's better?"

Perry swipes between two photos. Colin squints at the screen. "Aren't they the same?"

"No, look, this one shows my jawline better, but this one kinda showcases my lashes more."

Rolling his eyes, Colin reaches over and taps on the Delete button. Perry jumps back in horror, cradling his phone to his chest.

Colin laughs.

"I wasn't actually going to delete it."

Perry continues glaring at him. "I'm gonna tell Sadie."

The smile slides off Colin's face. "What does this have to do with her?"

"I'm gonna tell her that her new boyfriend is a--"

"I am not her--" he cuts Perry off, but finds himself incapable of saying the rest of the sentence. "I am not her anything."

"Then why'd you buy all the strawberries? Why does she sleep in your room? How many babies are you planning to have?"

Colin lunges for Perry's phone. Yelping out of the way, Perry runs all the way to the other side of the room.

"Just hook up already!" Perry plows on. "There's obviously something there."

"There's nothing. What the fuck are you on?"

"Oh, Colin." Perry lets out a dramatic sigh. "You have so much to learn."

Colin lunges again, taking big strides. Perry's quick, though, and he immediately scrambles to the room he shares with Drew. Colin arrives just as the door slams, the lock immediately put in place.

He pounds on the door. "Get your ass back here, you little shit."

"I'm gonna tell Sadie!"

"Fine! Don't you even for one second think about stepping out of that room."

Inside, Colin hears Drew's voice, muffled by the closed door. "What happened? Did he find out about the watch?"

Colin stills.

He thinks he hears Perry shushing Drew.

"Watch?" Colin says. "Perry, what watch?"

"Nothing! Drew's just talking in his sleep!"

"Perry!"

◇

"I'll pay you back, okay? I swear."

Colin lets out a defeated sigh. "Forget it."

"Look, I didn't mean to lose it. I'll replace it."

"I said forget it."

Colin isn't sure how long it had taken for Perry to finally re-emerge from the bedroom, but he eventually does, albeit involuntarily. He was kicked out by Drew for getting in the way of his nap.

"No, really," Perry says, "I'll pay for it. Was it expensive?"

"It's fine." Colin stands up. "I don't really wear that anyway."

It was a gift from Clark. He had given it to Colin on his seventeenth birthday.

Colin stopped wearing it two years ago, when he'd entered Newhall as a freshman, and Clark left instead of finishing his degree. He hadn't meant to bring it here, but his mom probably packed it with his stuff when he left for the semester after summer break.

Perry does not know this, but still insists on dramatically begging for forgiveness.

Sadie arrives to find them in a standoff in the common area. Colin has his arms crossed over his chest. Perry, on the other hand, has his hands clasped together.

If Colin remembers correctly, Sadie had a PE class today. She's wearing leggings and a loose white shirt with a neckline so wide, it drops down one shoulder, revealing the thick strap of her black sports bra.

Not that Colin is looking.

"Hey, there. What are you up to?" Sadie bends over to remove her shoes.

"I'm offering my firstborn to Colin," Perry replies. "He's mad at me so I must appease him."

"He's always mad," Sadie says. "Don't take it to heart."

This immediately sends a scowl to Colin's face.

"See?" Sadie says, as if this proves her point.

"What about you?" Perry, the smooth motherfucker, turns to Sadie. "Would you like to have my firstborn?"

Colin kicks him in the shin.

"That's for losing my watch," Colin says, already turning away.

Perry opens his mouth to say something but opts not to. Good, Colin thinks, as he heads toward his room. He shuts the door and heads to bed, thinking he'd follow Drew's example and take a nap until they have to go.

From inside, he hears Perry say, "We'll be swinging by Greek Row later. What about you? You coming with?"

"Maybe. If you behave."

They talk some more, but the rest of their conversation is lost on Colin.

He doesn't know how to feel about the missing watch. It used to be important to him. A gift from Clark, before he left for college. Colin wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it took a while to get used to his brother's absence. Clark has always been the mood-maker in the family, smoothing out everyone's differences, making sure they were all comfortable.

It was only when he'd left for college did everyone realize how different the house was without his steady, reliable presence.

When news of him dropping out reached them, the effect had been instantaneous. His parents were shocked--Cindy even more so. It angered Colin, the way he'd disappeared on them, and he should have thrown out the watch when he had the chance.

Now it's gone.

It shouldn't affect him, but a small part of him says otherwise. He ignores it though, wishing Perry would stop making a big deal out of it.

His thoughts come to a halt when Sadie enters the room. He immediately picks his phone up, scrolling through his Youtube recs to give himself something to do. Feeling self-conscious, he clicks on a random Buzzfeed video and puts his earphones on.

But instead of leaving him alone like he'd hoped she would, she says, "What was that about?"

"What?"

"I don't know. Something about Perry losing your watch."

"It's none of your business."

"Is it the one you got from Clark?"

Colin looks up, surprised. "How do you know that?"

"I just noticed," Sadie replies. "You, um, haven't been wearing it. You used to wear it all the time."

She doesn't look at him when she says this. Colin can't help but stare, though, his thoughts stumbling over one another.

Why does she remember this? Does it make sense for her to remember this? He used to wear that watch every day back in high school, but even so, it doesn't make sense for her to remember.

Unless she'd watched him closely.

Tugging at his collar, he forces himself to look away. He says nothing and instead turns toward the wall, refusing to entertain this line of thought. Behind him, he can feel her moving around the room and moments later, she leaves, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Colin risks a glance.

She's on her way to the bathroom, a towel draped over her shoulder.

Colin exhales, feeling like the room is suddenly so much more spacious than it had been five seconds ago. Relieved, he shoves his thoughts away and looks down at his phone.

It takes a moment for it to register, but when it does, he flings the device away in surprise.

Jesus fucking Christ.

He'd been watching guys try ladies' underwear on this whole time.

◇◇◇

a / n : 

In case you didn't know, I don't live in the US. I don't know much about US universities, nor do I know much about US collegiate sports. I do my best to research but I know that's not always enough so I'm also writing most of this based on how my university worked. If some things aren't the same or if some things seem strange to you, please just overlook it and think of Newhall (completely fictional) as unique instead because I believe the best way to make this as realistic as possible is to write what I personally know.

In any case, I hope this doesn't deter you from reading the rest of the story! This chapter was originally longer but I had to split it in two to keep chapter lengths even, as well as to pace my writing better. I don't want to run out of chapters and leave you guys hanging (again). Enjoy and look forward to the next one!

Love, always,

Sam