Devon, Howie, Nathanial and Scott were just settling in to catch a Packers game on a cold December evening. It was a Tuesday and they were in the middle of finals. Scott had his older brother’s ID so he always bought the beer, and tonight he’d snuck it in his laundry basket. The other guys usually drank Molson Light and PBR or whatever was in the keg, but recently Scott’s girlfriend had introduced him to the finer things in life, like German beer and vibrators. Scott was excited to share his newfound beer pallet with his buddies, but not the sex- toy. They’d probably call him a fag.
Scott’s girlfriend, Miranda, was pretty cool and let the guys watch the game on her 72-inch HD TV; her dad was loaded. She sometimes even scored weed for Scott from her older sister, but this was not something Scott wanted to tell the other guys because they’d probably freak and confront him in Christian love. He’d had a hard enough time convincing them of a few harmless beers. If they got caught with the Amstel in the dorms, they’d all be put on probation, and this was definitely on everyone’s mind. Scott had assured them that Miranda was cool with the R.A. and that it wouldn’t be a problem as long as they kept the noise down and the door locked.
Scott still couldn’t believe that Nathaniel had asked to come. Nathaniel was a Bible major.
Scott: “Dude- I hope it’s cool with you. But like, we’re gonna be havin’ a couple of beers when we watch the game. I mean, nothing too crazy or anything.”
Nathaniel: “Well, um..”
Scott: “Well ‘cause Miranda’s cousin is the R.A. and she already said it was cool, so…”
Nathaniel: “No man, totally. Jesus drank wine, right? I mean, it’s like. As long as we’re creating an environment of Christian fellowship, it’s still honoring God. And we need to honor God in all that we do- whether we’re at Church of not, because redeeming the world isn’t just done in a pew or on your knees it’s---“
Scott: “OK- cool. So I’ll see you later then.”
Devon and Howie didn’t really like Nathaniel, but whatever. Scott and Nathaniel had been friends since the 2nd grade. They’d played doctor together a few times, and Scott had seen Nathaniel’s dad hit his mom a couple of times when he’d slept over at his place, which was super fucked-up since his Dad also preached sermons on Sundays at Grace Covenant. But that wasn’t the only reason they’d remained friends- Nathanial also really liked Sufjan Stevens and Rufus Wainwright, and Scott didn’t know any other guys who did, except the faggot theater people.
Sometimes they would get together in his dorm room and listen to Iron and Wine and burn incense and talk about the merits of Oscar Wilde, but Scott would NEVER admit this to anyone.
Maybe next year they could move off campus and be roommates. They could paint their living room Mauve and make a trip to Ikea in Chicago. Scott also had a hunch that he could convince Nathaniel of the innocence of weed, and that would make their late night music listening parties so fuckin’ cool.
Or maybe a tawny burgundy for the living room. It’d really lighten up the room in the winter.