The Invisible Gay

Chapter 1 Moving in day officially commenced the start of the semester, even though classes at Prescott University wouldn’t begin for several more days. Freshmen dorms were a flurry of organized chaos as young men and women lugged their belongings into their new rooms, many of them flanked by over-eager parents huffing up and down the stairs with boxes and knickknacks. RAs lent hands when they weren’t supervising or chatting with any familiar faces they spotted in the crowds. Griffin Herbert had snuck through the throng, momentarily thankful for his short stature and thin physique. A pale young man, he was often able to slip through crowds unnoticed, just as he had managed to slip through high school. Once Griffin received the keys to his new dorm room at the front desk, along with an informational packet to review and sign for the RA, he’d trekked up to the fifth floor and found room 507, one of the many identical dorms throughout the building. His roommate hadn’t arrived yet, so Griffin randomly chose the left side of the room for his own. After three quick trips to his car, he had all of his belongings in his new room, and he set to the task of making it feel like home. Not that the house he’d moved from felt like home. Griffin was excited to start his new life. He had moved out of his step-mother’s house, telling himself he was leaving behind a life of quiet desperation and mediocrity for something new, something better. Since he first realized his attraction for science and male classmates, things had not been easy. Most of the school ostracized him for being a nerd, and the sci-fi nerds acted like he was an alien for liking guys, but Griffin believed it would all change in college where he hoped to find more enlightened people. So far, in the bare dorm room, he found little to be hopeful about. He hung his clothes up in the small closet, rearranged the twin bed on one side of the room, and taped up a poster with the periodic table on one gray wall. He set his toiletries in a dresser and stuffed his socks and boxers in the creaky drawers. He tore open the plain bed sheets he’d bought on the drive to Prescott University and made the bed up fresh. After enjoying the solitude of his room while a cacophony of people passed in the halls, parents lugging items and people squealing with delight, Griffin’s roommate appeared in the doorway with a box under one arm. He was a little over six feet tall, with dirty blond hair and as skinny as a toothpick. “Hey,” he said, a charming smile spread across his handsome face. “I’m Dean.” Griffin propelled himself off his bed and stuck a hand out. “Griffin. Nice to meet you.” Dean shook his hand, firm and sure. Griffin cursed his luck. He’d worried that he would get paired up with a troglodyte, but finding his roommate incredibly handsome was even worse. Why does he have to be so hot? “You look settled in already,” Dean said as he set his box down on the empty bed. He stood with his hands on his slender hips, and Griffin wondered if he could possibly be gay. And would that be a good thing or horrible? “Yeah, I got here about an hour ago,” Griffin explained. “Hope you don’t mind I took this side of the room.” “Nah, they’re identical,” Dean said, flashing a crooked, endearing smile. “I’ve got another five trips of boxes. See you on round two.” “I’ll help,” Griffin said. “You don’t have to, but I’d appreciate it.” “It’s cool.” Griffin practically swooned as he followed Dean out of their room and past excited freshmen. They made small talk as they rode the elevator down and retrieved more boxes from Dean’s car, parked at the far end of the packed lot. “I’m trying out a new skill,” Dead said. “I’m pretty good at guessing people’s majors.” “Okay, shoot.” “I’m going to go with theater.” Great, he thinks I’m gay. But I am gay, so what’s the problem? “Sorry, way off,” Griffin told him. Dean’s smile faltered, and he considered lying. But then he’d have to stick to it for months. “Chemistry. I’m actually on a scholarship, that’s why I chose Prescott.” “Brainiac, cool,” Dean said. “I’m going for my forestry degree.” “I’m not much of a hiker,” Griffin said. “I know some great trails. You bring up some beer, have a fire, smoke some pot. Nothing beats it. I’ll take you camping sometime.” “Okay,” Griffin said, surprised to what he’d agreed to, and that the handsome guy had really invited him. He’s just being nice, don’t read anything into it. They continued talking while they made their second trip, and Griffin sat on his bed, watching Dean put his things away and cozy-up his side of the room. “You mind if I play some music?” Dean asked as he typed on his laptop. “Go for it,” Griffin said, fearful to hear rap or country blaring from the computer. Instead, an acoustic vocalist started playing a pleasant song and Griffin relaxed. He found himself tapping a foot on the floor to the beat and wondering if Dean was perfect while Dean taped up colorful posters on the dull gray walls. “Hey guys,” someone said from the doorway. They turned and found a Latina woman who looked a few years older than them, a clipboard clutched in her hands. “I’m Jenny, your Resident Advisor. We’re going to have a meet and greet today at six with everyone on the floor, so if you go out for dinner, make sure you’re back by then, okay? And save room, I’ve got ice cream sandwiches.” “Sounds good,” Dean said. “See you then.” “Thanks,” Griffin said. She smiled at the two of them and then darted away. After a second, Dean gave Griffin a devilish grin and asked, “You think it’s against the rules to hook up with our RA?” Griffin was disappointed, but he didn’t let it show as he realized Dean wasn’t perfect after all. “Yeah, that’s probably frowned on.” “s**t. She’s hot. Reminds me of these two Spanish girls I hooked up with out in Cali,” Dean said. Griffin was torn between ignoring Dean’s s****l conquests with women and getting turned on by hearing him get excited about the story. “At the same time?” Griffin finally asked. A huge, sheepdog grin crept across Dean’s face, and Griffin settled in for a long, detailed story that simultaneously crushed and aroused him.