The Boy

Thank you Tigerssman for help with the editing for this story.

*****

"What's up dude?! I am Dean, a freshman at a lame university my parents sent me to. I do not make friends well, I guess I am too frank with people. I tend to answer the question asked instead of what the person 'meant' to say.

The University is more than two miles above sea level. I think the thin air causes people to have short tempers. That is a problem I intend to test today. My roommate Jack and his girlfriend Jill are sort of friends. Jill is always around, not that I mind much, but sometimes it is too much."

My test is be nice and see her reaction. I welcomed Jill warmly, for a drink she opted for hot cocoa.

I took her hat, coat and gloves and put them in the closet. Then as expected, (which is why I had the test in the first place), she got mad and madder at me. I just grabbed my stuff including both of my transit passes and left. I was fuming by the time I passed Jack in the hallway.

Jack was confused when he entered the room, Jill was in tears. "What did he do to you honey?"

Through her sniffles she said, "Nothing, he was a perfect gentleman. He welcomed me, put my coat away and made me some cocoa. Then I lit into him for no reason, then he left his own dorm room without saying a word. I feel terrible."

Jack said, "He said he was planning a test for you."

Jill said, "If that was the test, then I failed. I mean saying 'Greetings' and 'Would you like something to drink' can hardly be a basis for what I did to him."

Jack says, "He has a theory about that. I could explain it, but the full effect is better seen in real time."

Later that night Jack had a talk with me. "How did you know she would act that way?"

"Predictability, if someone wants to keep hold of you or someone wants to get a hold of you their message is always consistent. They bang away at the same drum. There are always more than one message, ten fingers holds better than one. If you see an inconsistency, be wary, that may be another attack."

Jack said, "Jill told me you only said seven words to her. It was almost as if she was mad at you because you were here, in your dorm room."

Dean said, "I don't think people realize how much they hurt each other. Have Jill make a list of nine people of her choosing that would not act the way she did. I will do the same thing I did with Jill, I will only answer direct questions."

Jill quickly wrote down eight names, the ninth one would be her ace in the hole. She was still mad at herself.

Over the next ten days, the first eight names were tested, all eight failed. Tonight was the final one, Jill was sure of herself.

The last one was much different than the others. Before she crossed the threshold the cat claws came out, yelling and screaming as well as cursing. Two wrestlers had to come down the hall to restrain her. Jack told her to leave immediately and that she earned the right to walk back to her dorm in the blizzard. "Just think how warm your dorm room will feel after walking a mile in -10 degree wind chill." The guards did not like disruptive behavior so they did not disagree with Jack's assessment.

She considered herself as having good taste in high end fashion. Every once in a while she stepped in a pool of ice water higher than her shoe, she regretted her pick of an open toe, four inch stiletto heels. Her mink had buttons instead of a zipper so the cold and snow just poured in. Her wardrobe was ruined, she hope they could save her mink.

Jill asked Dean, "Dean, Jack said you had some theory as why people treat you like they do. What is it?"

Dean said, "Jill I do not know about those people on your list as I do not know them. The theory is in a relationship both parties have baggage. As it grows the relationship gets worse. From time to time there is a juicy bit of baggage that people use to manipulate the other. At some point, it then becomes a 'Toxic level,' by then there is plenty of mistrust to go around. After you pass that level, you reach 'Critical Mass' that is where your friendship goes into a 'Meltdown,' only 'Divine Revelation' helps then."

After all that, Dean went to his safety spot, the trains. The bus drivers and conductors knew him well and the conductors on the train saved him a seat with an AC outlet for his hotspot and computer. Dean found a website that he could download most of his textbooks, which he put on external hard drive so he could study on the train.

Tonight was different. It was well past his normal study time and he did not have his backpack with him. Dean had a bewildered look on his face, staring off into space, but not able to see the seat in front of him.

One of the conductors went to the engineer and said, "Can you radio the next train Dean would get on to keep an eye on him, he is not himself and clearly does not want to talk about anything."

However, Dean did not get on that train. He took the super cheap out of state rail line; he had three and a half days free.

The train was a multiple day trip. Most people added the sleeper car option to their ticket. The female steward knew something was wrong with Dean. She really had no reason to bother him, he was not a disruptive passenger; he was the 'Perfect passenger' who wanted to talk as little as possible.

Dean had two unopened bottles of water in front of him; he never ate the entire trip.

Back at school people were worried. Dean had his phone turned off, all of his things were still there including his backpack; Dean never went anywhere without his backpack. Jack found out from the station master that Dean was not acting like himself on Thursday night.

Jack and Jill surmised that Dean was safe. Everyone who rode or worked on the local public transit system knew Dean, he made the most of his passes. They would know if Dean was hurt.

Jill came into Jack's room with bags under her eyes, "Jack, I can't sleep or concentrate on schoolwork, I got an 'F-'on my first test. My teacher asked me if I wanted to continue, it would drag my normal grade down by at least one grade. She can't retest me, it would be unfair to the others. I had to drop out of the course, and it was for my major. They will not offer that class in the spring; I need to wait until fall."

All during his trip Dean was consumed with the idea about transferring to another school. He decided to ask the Dean of Students when he got back. With that, he fell into a deep sleep.

The steward on the train, was worried about Dean. She could not figure him out. He had no luggage even though this was a multi-day trip. He could only have time to wash his hands and splash some water on his face during a stopover while people stretched their legs. She never saw him on a mobile phone and he had not said a word since she collected his ticket.

As he disembarked Dean said, "Thank you," this surprised her, as he had not said a dozen words in two days' time.

Dean decided to see the sights, tourist traps was the thing he needed. Later that day while buying his tickets for the following day, he saw a girl who was out of her element. Dean offered his services to help out the young woman who was traveling alone. It turned out that she was going on the same train and same car as Dean.

She was flustered over the day's activities so Dean asked her if she would like to go out to dinner, and only dinner. She accepted. Before dinner they each got a room at a cozy inn.

Dinner was lovely; she picked out a nice steak and ale house near the inn. She almost drooled over the sixteen ounce, one inch thick slab of prime rib steak with all the trimmings. He got the more modest eight ounce sirloin with all the trimmings. We shared a nice bottle of Petite Sirah wine. I am no wine expert, but I have a mobile phone to pick the best one. It tasted great.

As soon as my friend saw me on the train the following day, a matronly woman sat down next to her and started 'Talking her ear off.' I sat in my cubbyhole and fell fast asleep. All too soon, it was my stop, and I waved to my friend. Everyone welcomed me back when I got on the local. I made it to class just in time.

The next day I talked to the Dean of Students. He said, "Transferring to another school is too late and would cost twice as much. Transferring rooms may be possible."

I said, "Sir, could you please check for me?"

He came back chuckling, "You are not going to like it."

We took a short walk and we were now on Greek row. "There she is."

He pointed to a converted hay loft. The hay door was now a pane of good insulated glass. We walked upstairs and saw a small window on the other side. The loft was huge, they did a great job fixing it up. It would stand up to our cold winter days.

The down side was it was on the grounds of the best sorority on campus.

I said, "Dean I have a few security issues. What do you think about these?"

The Dean recognized the Loft was far less secure than the house was. The changes were minor and reasonable. "Done."

More than a few faces were staring out their windows to figure out what was going on. Now came the fun part, the meeting with the girls.

The Dean rang the front doorbell and asked for a meeting with the girls. All the girls flocked to the main room to find out what was going on.

The Dean said, "I never thought of it before so this may sound odd. I, the Dean of Students, want to introduce you to Dean, who will be living in your loft."

I said, "Ladies don't worry, I will not be looking into your windows. I am the one with the huge pane of glass, I don't want you ladies or passersby's looking in. I will have thick drapes and two or three privacy screens, not to mention the HD camera doorbell.

I am no sex fiend, and you are way out of my league. I have pledged that I will leave school if I mistreat your girls. Matron, I am making several security upgrades, some of which I will go over with you in a week or so."

That Saturday I was moving my stuff. I asked the Dean not to tell my friends where I was living. Late in the afternoon there was a big commotion, all the officers' were 'Falling all over themselves' for this one person. I thought she was a big wig of the sorority checking up on things.

I asked, "Is that someone high up in the sorority?"

Only the President and Vice President knew who she was.

That night was the big conference Skype call. The woman whispered into the President's ear; soon my doorbell rang with an invitation to the meeting.

When she got back you heard the common yell, "Boy on the floor."

The conference call was a split screen with CA under one and NY under the other; and us of course.

The CA President started. "All of you rushes know we delayed rush week by one week. None of you knows why. Not to worry, only a select few knew why.

Our sorority has a rush. She is extraordinary. She has three universities fighting over her."

I am thinking, "Why am I here, and does this person have superpowers, she is only a rush."

Apparently, this was a big deal. 'A big feather in one's cap' you might say.

A woman in our room got up and approached the front of the room.

"First of all, I want to say that all the universities are first rate and would fit my major perfectly. You all gave perfect presentations and tours of your campuses. It was a dead heat and I didn't know who I was going to rush."

Then the woman held out her hand to me and sororities from three states were eyeballing me.

"Ladies, this is Dean. I think he would help someone in need and just make their day a little better. I know he is off limits and all that, but I feel safe with him nearby."

You guessed it, it was the girl at the ticket counter.

The two sororities on the screen groaned, and could not believe they lost their prized rush to a boy.

Our sorority started to celebrate, I headed to my loft as fast as possible.

The Matron asked the President, "Where is Dean, I want to thank him."

The President said, "He took off before the party started."

The next day Jill came to see Jack; Dean's side of the room was all changed.

Jack said, "I got a new roommate. The Dean talked Dean out of transferring out. He changed dorms."

Jill said to Jack, "I guess his test either failed or worked better than expected. What was the matter with that woman? She wanted to tear Dean's face off before he said 'Hello.' She seemed rational when I had lunch with her.

Do you think you can talk to him sometime? He made me promise for every woman who failed the test I would delete his phone contact number and defriend him on Facebook and set his settings to friends only. I was the only one that happened to because he did not know the others.

Why is he like that Jack?"

Jack said to Jill, "Survival instinct. Things have to be clear cut to him. You will have to think about what you are going to say to him, then find the best way to word it. It is hard at first; soon you will be an expert and make quick progressions.

I think he deemed his family as not good communicators. So he listens intensely and tries to form a crystal clear response to the exact question asked."

Jill said, "I have noticed that. Sometimes he gives two answers if it can be interpreted more than one way. It is annoying sometimes, maybe because I can't do that.

I just say whatever comes out of my mouth. I start forming what I am going to say before the person talks. Knowing what the question is, is the key. How can I give a good answer if I don't stop listening to me talk instead of listening to the other person talk once in a while?"

Jack said to Jill, "Then you start associating things to people. When you ask them for an update from something they said months ago, it impresses the hell out of them. I hate when Dean does that to me, then I realize he cared enough about me to remember and then ask me about it."

During the sorority meeting Dean found out his friend's name was Mary. He vowed never to ask her why she was so special; he did not see why he needed to know.

It did not take long before Mary heard stories all over campus about Dean. He was a hermit. The most social life he had was on busses and trains. She was going to get her passes soon.

True to his word, he showed Matron some of the security updates. He upgraded the security on her phone and he also put an alert on her phone. When activated, she could see four camera views of the loft. It was for a burglar or a naughty sister.

Dean was hopeless around women. He finished his business and left, he never stayed and socialized. Jill was about the only woman people could remember him being with. After Jill's rant, she was on the outs with him and she did not blame him. She kept playing the scene in her head and could not figure out why she said it. Was their relationship getting closer to the 'Toxic Level?'

Jill was thinking: "What drove Dean over the edge that night? Did it happen all at once or was it building over time? Where did he go? Why is he binding everyone to secrecy as to where he lives? Why did he transfer dorms? Could I redeem my friendship with him?"

Jill had a lot of questions and no answers.

Then there was a break, Jack had a Dean sighting and ran to get a face to face with him.

Dean said, "It was an awkward situation about having visitors where I live. The subject never came up." He did not tell Jack that the girls had a 10:00 PM curfew, unless they had permission. Dean tried to conform to such rules. He was not bound by them.

Mary was becoming more attracted to Dean, she now had a crush on him. Dean did not get the subtle cues.

On the first day they sold next month's passes, Mary was at by the station at 3:00 AM so she could get the first one, even though she could not use it for a week. She asked the Station Master, "I am getting this pass so I can see more of Dean. Do you know what route he takes, time and car when he studies? I know he likes to hide behind doors." She got the information.

The Station Master knew Mary was on a mission; Dean did not stand a chance. He would enjoy the ride. The Station Master hoped it would be a lifelong ride.

Matron sat down with Mary. "Mary, everyone except Dean knows you have it bad for him and it will just grow. Now, I am not against young love. As Matron, I have the right to bend a few of our long standing rules. However, sex is a deal breaker. Moreover, he has taken a pledge that he will not mistreat any of my girls. If you love him, you can't make him break it. Let me know when he studies on the train and for how long. Then we can set up a schedule.

Several sisters have had enough. They met Dean at the quad on campus.

The spokesperson said, "Dean, Mary has it bad for you and you don't even know it. She probably is measuring for curtains for the nursery already. Take her to dinner, walks in the park, Art shows, or dancing.

Dean asked, "Mary, are you free at 5:00 PM on Friday?" This caught Mary off guard, but she had no plans for Friday; she accepted.

Dean asked for permission from Matron for him, Mary and another couple, who had driver's licenses to go to a special restaurant. The restaurant was two hours away plus dinner and dancing and traffic we might be home late. With a glistening of her eye she agreed.

Mary didn't know where she was going and was confused when they got on the highway.

It was a fancy, elegant restaurant. Dean told them they needed to dress to the 'nines' tonight.

Each couple had their own table. After they sat down Dean said, "They have the best prime rib in the state."

Mary gave up a laugh and gave Dean a nice kiss on the lips. She was 'Head over heels in love with him.'

Now Dean may be a little slow on some sexual cues, but he knew kissing on the lips was in the top five.

The other couple, whose table was thirty feet away, could not believe what they were seeing. This was their friend 'Dean, the hermit; awkward with women Dean.'

They even ordered the same food. They asked the waiter if they had a light colored non-alcoholic drink he could put in wine glasses. The waiter knew the bartender had some white grape juice.

The waiter talked to the chef about some information, the chef nodded.

As the waiter was clearing the dishes he said, "The house wants to give you dessert. May I suggest a Raspberry Fool? It is a nice, romantic, light dish. As neither had eaten it before they both agreed.

Mary giggled as she put a dab of whipped cream on the tip of Dean's nose, then kissed his nose several times.

After dinner, the brass band mounted the stage. Dean and Mary only danced to the slow, more intimate tunes. Every time Mary accepted Dean's invitation to a dance Dean kissed her knuckles.

The percentage of slow tunes went up as the night progressed.

The woman of the other couple punched her date in the arm, "That's so romantic, why have you never done that for me... and you had to learn it from Dean of all people?!"

Everyone got home extremely late. Mary and Dean were beat; after Mary fell asleep everyone snuck down to the kitchen. Matron allowed this violation; she was just as curious as everyone else.

When asked about the details the sister said, "It was sickening, they ordered the same food; given an off menu romantic dessert. Mary dabbed some whipped cream on his nose and kissed it off. When Dean invited her to dance he kissed her knuckles.

They only danced to slow tunes, the fast ones were almost nonexistent except when the band thought they needed a breather. They must have played a double or triple set. It was sickening I tell you. Matron, I suggest you give Mary's parent's phone number to Dean; he will need to have a chat with Dad in the very near future.

On top of that, he picked this place out because it has the best prime rib in the state. I doubt he asked her what foods she likes since she has been here, so how and when did he know. He is too much of a gentlemen to ever tell."