Delaware in Colorado

Chapter One
The Wager

         It had been a long day for Delaware Johnson and it unfortunately was only almost noon. He had thus far found out he was failing his math class, locked his keys in his car, and was late to the very same class because he locked his keys in his car. He felt as though there was no hope. Feeling defeated, he hung his head in shame and shuffled listlessly across the campus of the University of Northern Colorado. He had to deliver a monologue today and he just knew it wasn't going to go well. He had spent almost all of the past week studying for his math test and had almost completely ignored his monologue except for a few disinterested read-throughs during class.
         He walked through the doors into the lobby of the performing arts building, which weren't propped open like usual, and into the lobby. Normally, the lobby was full of music majors laughing and having a general good time and maybe one or two quietly practicing a song in the corner, but both the choir and the classical band had gone to a local community college to perform so it was completely empty. Delaware was relieved; he didn't want to go into the green room, which was sure to be packed full of theatre majors, all of whom spend most of their time being obnoxious.
         Delaware dropped into a chair with a dramatic huff and put his bag on the floor. He unzipped it and reached in for the play his monologue was from. He found it to be very much not there. This only served to further plunge Delaware into listlessness and his futile extended search plunged him further and further. After a moment he gave up, sure there was nothing to be gained from today by staying anywhere but his bed. He leaned back in his chair and let his head hit the wall. "Dammit." was his only reply. He wallowed in his despair for a moment before deciding that staying at school was a complete waste of time. He zipped his backpack up, stood up, put it on one shoulder and was about to walk out the door when his professor sauntered into the lobby.
         "Good afternoon, Delaware!" Dr. Charlie Sarandon chirped, chipper as ever. Despair bloomed in Delaware's chest. Dr. Sarandon was in his mid fifties with stylishly grayed black hair and a lithe body that, coupled with his edgy style of dress and short stature, almost seemed like it could cut you. He had a childish playfulness in his eyes and laugh lines and crows feet that betrayed the playful nature beneath his serious appearance.
         "Good afternoon, Charlie...," Delaware responded. He knew that now that Charlie had seen him, he wasn't going to be able to skip class and that he had to go make a fool of himself in front of everyone now.
         "Class is in five minutes, Delaware, so I hope you don't plan on going anywhere," Charlie said. Charlie had a talent for sounding completely playful when really he was giving a dangerous warning: Do what I say or die a social death. "Anyway! Just on my way to the coke machine. Don't be late," he said as he sauntered out to go exactly where he said he was going. Delaware suppressed a large sigh and accepted his fate as he trudged out of the lobby, down the hall to the drama department, and into the theatre itself. Since he wasn't paying attention at all, he was greeted by an abrupt abundance of squishiness.
         Delaware stumbled back into the closing door in shock and then looked up at Trent Walwood. "You should watch where you're going, Del," Trent said playfully.
         Although he would never admit it to anyone, Delaware found Trent incredibly attractive. Just being in Trent's presence excited places that ought not to be excited in polite company. Trent was of average height, with sandy blond hair carefully coiffed into an almost-but-not-quite faux hawk. He had, in Delaware's opinion, the most beautiful blue eyes in the world and a tenor voice to silence the heavens. Now, Delaware's issue with not admitting his attraction to Trent wasn't that he was attracted to another guy--Delaware was out to everyone--but that he was attracted to a guy that was so, well, large. When Trent first arrived at UNC's theatre department one year after Delaware, he was muscular and fit and every girl's (and guy's) dream. He knew it and used it to his advantage, as he would frequently charm people to get them to do things or just for fun. Ever since then, however, he had begun to pack on the pounds: the Freshman 15, except Trent put on something more like the Freshman 40 instead, going from dreamy 180 pounds of pure muscle to 220 pounds of blubber and belly. No one knew why he let himself go, but everyone was disappointed with it. The girls and most of the guys lost their eye candy, the rest of the guys lost their sports buddy, and Charlie was out a male lead. Still, halfway through next year's fall semester and Trent was still ballooning, having easily put on 20 pounds since the start of the semester two months ago. Delaware wondered how he put it all on that fast, but ignored the thought and shoved it to the back of his mind. Trent's burgeoning weight also put stress on his wardrobe. His clothes were frequently too small, but not excessively so, though if one was looking in the right place at the right time, one could see his belly poking out of the bottom of his shirt.
         "Yeah, sorry, Trent," Delaware said. Delaware was always afraid to look Trent in the eye, lest he betray his attraction to Trent, and so resigned himself to fiddling with his backpack's strap.
         "A couple of us are going to get lunch after class. Wanna come?"
         "Oh yeah, love to!" Delaware felt his enthusiasm fell short of what he wanted to portray and loomed dangerously close to sounding sarcastic.
         Trent smiled and put his arm around Delaware's shoulder. "Come on then," he chirped. "Don't wanna be late for class, do we?"