Search for some normalcy

A million thoughts raced through my head as I slowly collected my bag and shuffled out of the lecture hall. Ariana Grande had kissed me. Ariana Grande wanted me to join her on tour. Ariana Grande - and the thought was too absurd to even consider - wanted to join the Mile High Club with me.

As I exited the room I found Justin leaning against the hallway outside, flipping through something on his phone. As I emerged, his head snapped up, a broad grin splitting his face. "Dude!" he exclaimed. "What happened in there? I saw Professor Grande leave without you. Usually she’s practically dragging you back to your dorm room.”

I swallowed hard, my face flushing at the implication of his words. "Uh... Ariana had to hop a plane for her concert tonight in New York," I muttered, reeling from the incredible sense of disconnection I was feeling from reality. "She invited me to join her, actually."

Justin's eyebrows shot up high on his forehead. "Oh, is that all?" he said with a laugh. He slapped me on the back, nearly knocking me forward. "You're living the dream, man! Why didn’t you go with her?”

I shrugged, grasping for an answer. The truth was that I was scared. Scared of the power I possessed and the overwhelming unknown it threatened to lead me into. "I guess... I wanted to keep my feet on the ground just a little bit longer," I admitted, fiddling with the strap of my bag.

Justin nodded as if he understood, although I was certain he didn't - at least not fully. He clapped a hand on my shoulder, an encouraging squeeze, “I get it man, so I guess you’ll be headed over to the locker room then? I’m sure since you passed on the Professor you’ll be needing to get your release elsewhere.”

His words hung in the air, an undeniable truth. Going back to the locker room would definitely be one way to relax. Yet despite the enticing offer, I found myself yearning for a different kind of relief. An escape from the mind-bending surreality and into a realm of familiar calm. "Actually," I began tentatively, "I think I'll head back to my dorm for a stint. You know, unwind a bit."

Justin's gaze was astounded before it quickly morphed into concern. Not taking advantage of the locker room was clearly unfathomable to him. His fingers lightly patted my arm as he said, "Hey man, if you ever need to talk about anything...you know we're pals right? Don't keep stuff bottled up.”

I nodded, forcing a thin smile onto my face and assuring him that I was alright. As he ambled away, engrossed in his phone once more, I stood there in the corridor for a moment longer before making my way back to the Williams Building where my dorm room was located.

The transition from the bustling corridor to the quaint dorm room was stark yet soothing. As I entered the room I found Mark there hunched over his desk as usual, headphones plugged in and an intense focus in his eyes. His brow was furrowed with concentration as he scribbled notes into his textbook with one hand, the other fiddling with a pencil.

The relative normalcy of the scene was comforting after the surreal events of the day. I entered my bedroom and dropped my backpack on my bed, letting out a long, weary sigh. The springs creaked under my weight, drawing Mark's attention.

He stood in my doorway and faced me. "Hey man," he greeted, his eyes flickering to the main doorway behind us before settling back on my face. A look of confusion crossed his features. "Where's Professor Grande? Isn't this usually the time she drags you back here to, you know, rock your world?"

I felt my cheeks heat up at his casual mention of my supposed intimate activities with Ariana. In Mark's reality, it was completely normal for our pop star professor to regularly bring me to our dorm room for wild, passionate sex. The thought alone was absolutely dizzying.

"She had a concert in New York," I managed to **** out, avoiding any mention of her lascivious invitation. I kept my gaze strictly on my bag, busying myself with the task of unzipping it and sorting through its contents.

"Oh." His voice was filled with surprise, quickly replaced by concern. "So she left you and you came back here instead of going to the woman’s locker room? Are you okay, man?"

“Yeah,” I lied, forcing another smile onto my face as I turned back to face Mark. “Just really tired.”

Mark nodded sympathetically, his features softening. “Well, just relax then man. But remember, you promised Lisa you’d meet her later to help pick out an outfit for the party tonight. Don’t let her down or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

In all of the euphoria of making out with Ariana Grande, I had completely forgotten about my earlier commitment to Lisa. “Thank you for reminding me. I promise I’ll be there.”

“Thanks man, I appreciate it,” he said and with that, he left me alone in my little corner of the world - my private sanctuary within this crazy warped reality. Curling up on my bed, I closed my eyes and tried to drown out the whispers of temptation, the million and one fantasies that danced just on the other side of my consciousness. I tried to ignore the call of my powers, the moon to my werewolf.

As tempted as I was to explore my abilities further, and believe me, I was tempted, I also did not want to take things too far. If I was going to play loose with the rules, I had to promise myself to keep a degree of normalcy at the same time. If I let things get too out of hand, I might find myself in a reality which I could not escape and from which no one around me would be able to help since they were all oblivious to the changes made.

Trying to distract myself from the craziness, I dove into the realm of podcasts and netflix, both of which were easily the most normal acts I had engaged in since first stepping into the locker room earlier in morning. For this moment, at least, reality wasn’t completely twisted and I could just be myself. It was heaven.