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Virgil’s two years in a psychology major, english minor and relatively sheltered childhood meant that his experience with drugs until university only expanded as far as the D.A.R.E program in elementary did. But in the school’s attempt to seem ‘woke’ in their curriculum and the changes in views of addiction, Virgil has just finished up a project studying effects of marijuana in youth. Despite having zero real life experience with the substance, the APA cited five page argumentative essay was just uploaded to Canvas and a physical copy printed and ready for Monday’s class. It was getting late, 1a.m. on a Saturday night was the best time to book a study room in the common study building and not have to socialize with people hoping to share the room. With the finished essay Virgil readjusts his headphones and presses play, waving to the security guard on shift as he begins his walk to the shared apartment on the edge of campus. Studying outside the apartment was easiest when the weekend came around as both Patton and Roman were constantly having visitors.
Virgil has three roommates. The first closest to the entrance being Patton, a third year Bachelor of Education student, being an Orientation Leader for the beginning of every year, as well as a peer mentor for the first years, the first aid attendant for the floor, and an all-around friendly guy. Second, closer to the living room and sharing a bathroom with Patton in their hallway was Roman, a second year Theatre major with a cultural studies minor, who was super outgoing and loved to party even though he hates drinking around strangers and was usually the designated driver, but also the Theatre Course Union president, regularly active in other local theatre productions, and his brother who was a former forensic science and theatre student who dropped out after his first year occasionally crashed on their couch. Finally, the third roommate sharing a hallway and bathroom with Virgil, and furthest down the hallway, Logan. He was a quiet guy who often hosted tutoring or study sessions, a third year double major in data science and astronomy. Logan had people visiting almost as rarely as Virgil himself, and often spent his time home in his room. Though, even Logan has taken to using alternative spaces to avoid Roman and his incredibly loud theatre friends.
To Virgil’s surprise when he enters what he expects to be either a dead apartment or a party filled one, he is greeted by soft music coming from the living room and a slight breeze from the open patio door. He creeps further and realizes that Logan is carelessly flopped on the chair in the living room and it seems to be his music playing from the bluetooth speaker Roman provided for the shared space; his head gently bopping to the beat. Virgil was taken by surprise seeing his roommate in what appeared to be a pair of space themed boxer briefs and a worn out t-shirt from some kind of mathletic’s camp, far more casual and careless than he’d ever seen the usually put together man.
Virgil walks past to throw his bags in his room before returning and laying himself over the opposite chair noticing Planet Earth playing muted with subtitles on the television. “Rough night, Lo?” Virgil gently questions noticing Logan’s red rimmed eyes.
“I just didn’t expect anyone to be home. I promise I am fine. What had you out so late?” Logan meets eyes with Virgil and doesnt look away, which is a little unsettling as both males are known for avoiding eye contact
With Logan’s prompt, Virgil begins explaining the assigned essay topics to his roommate. From the chemical buildup of marijuana and the neurotransmitters affected, how they are altered with excessive use during developmental years and how important it is to know your family’s history with psychosis. This lead to a conversation shift towards their own awareness of mental illness in their families. Logan began making points about how some strains of weed are useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders and PTSD that Virgil hadn’t heard much about. Logan and Virgil often had debates due to their vaguely related majors (if you considered all the data analysis courses Virgil had to take for psychology and biochemistry classes Logan took for fun).
Virgil spoke about his anxiety wondering if he should rethink his thesis and Logan took over the conversation again. Slowly Virgil was noticing that Logan was talking about the effects of pot as if he was experienced in it, and had a small smile on his face when Virgil spent long periods of time speaking. It was once started debating the effects of sativa vs indica and strains for anxiety in different forms that Virgil grabbed Logan’s faculty hoodie from the couch between them and didn’t even lift it to his face before he caught a whiff of what was either weed or cat piss, and knowing Patton’s cat allergy; lead Virgil to the answer. Red rimmed eyes, Planet Earth, and casual clothing suddenly making sense.
“Have you been high the entire time we’ve been talking?” He giggled in response at Virgil’s scandalized tone
“You seem like you could use some right now. It’s totally legal now so don’t freak.” Logan assures holding a hand out towards Virgil’s general direction. “I should have another pre-roll in the pocket there, or I could grab my bong?” He offers.
Virgil tries to laugh it off, unsure if Logan is trying to make a joke that he just missed. In curiosity can’t help reach into the pocket to find a perfectly rolled joint and a dark blue lighter. Suddenly, Virgil feel’s like he may have missed a lot more than his friends smoking habits, but want to know more. “Y’know this essay makes me curious, but I’d be worried about just getting paranoid, I hear that that’s a really common high, and I like.. Really haven’t done anything with weed before.” Virgil wanted to make sure that if he does smoke weed with Logan that he doesn’t try to hide his total sheltered child life.
Logan giggles again and rolls off the chair and climbs to his feet to join Virgil in his chair. Taking the joint and lighter while he sits on the arm leaning over the purple haired man. He gently lifts the filter to his mouth and lights the paper on the end softly inhaling, Virgil briefly wonders if they should go outside to the patio but is breathless seeing Logan’s general sophistication translate to this unexpected behaviour. Once Logan gets the joint lit, he tilts it towards Virgil in offering. Virgil’s shaking hand grabs the joint gently mimicking Logan’s hold. He attempts to inhale, but it is quickly followed by a coughing fit where Logan grabs the lit paper to avoid any accidental burns. The older student gives Virgil a sympathetic smile and rubbed his back until the coughing passed, taking a hit or two on his own before speaking, “I kind of didn’t believe that you have never smoked before until I heard that coughing fit, Verge” He chuckled ducking his head into his chest for a moment.
“Ha-ha, if I were gonna try to lie to you about something it’d at least be something cooler.” Virgil’s coughing finally recedes.
“Well there’s another way that might be easier, but it’s up to you?” Logan offered.
“Nothing can be more embarrassing than that ten minutes of dying.” Virgil assures.
“Inhale when I exhale then,” Logan says before taking another hit and leaning inches away from Virgil’s mouth.
Virgil gently opens his mouth but doesn’t lean closer out of fear, taken by surprise by this new side of Logan he gets to meet. This time the smoke is much smoother and within minutes and two more lungfuls of smoke he’s feeling.. Floaty. He finds himself leaning into Logan’s warmth and Logan slowly shifts more and more into Virgil’s lap.
They pass smoke back and forth a few times, on the fourth time Logan brushes Virgil’s bangs off his face turning said face as pink as it’s ever been. Virgil’s mouth gapes and Logan makes eye contact before taking another hit and morning forward a little more than before, leaving less than an inch between their lips, just enough space that Virgil couldn’t stop himself from closing the gap. Despite just destroying any chances of suppressing the crush he had on his roommate, they only gently pull back and continue the process until the roach dies and they’re just cuddling. Logan seems to be wrapped around Virgil to absorb the maximum amount of heat even with Virgil’s thick sweater between them. Virgil acknowledges this floaty feeling makes it harder to focus on the anxiety coming from the conversation they will have tomorrow. It’s easy to just exist in the moment and let the conversation flow.
“You know what Lo, I think you knew what you were talking about” Virgil comments pulling his head into Logan’s chest.
“Of course I did, just because I don’t have a necktie right now doesn’t mean I’m any less serious” Logan smirked accepting Virgil’s cuddle and lifts a hand to the purple dyed hair.