My name is Oliver Santino. People in my life always knew me as a naughty boy. My mother loved calling me that. She never believed I was fully grown, even though I was already twenty three. At college, my friends had a different name for me. They called me a Playboy.
Girls seemed to like me too much. Sometimes it felt like a blessing, but most times it felt like trouble. They liked my body and the way I carried myself. My phone was always busy with calls and messages. Social media never rested either. At some point I even bought a private number just to get some peace.
I suppose I had lucky genes. Dating girls was never difficult for me. Some guys struggled for months just to get one date. For me it could happen without even trying. But people never understood something. All that attention was tiring. Girls would whisper their numbers into my ear in corridors. Some slipped notes into my pocket. Others waited for me outside the hostel gate. The worst part was that I hated disappointing people. If a girl liked me, I usually gave her a chance. That weakness was the beginning of my problems.
The situation at Rockline College became worse when some girls started fighting over me. At first it sounded funny. Later it became embarrassing. One afternoon two girls almost tore each other apart outside a lecture hall. The dean heard about it and he was furious.
I tried explaining myself, but he never gave me a chance. I already had too many written warnings. I stood in his office while he wrote my expulsion letter with a red pen. That red ink looked like blood to me. In that moment my pride disappeared. When I stepped outside his office with the letter in my hand, I felt exposed. Everyone seemed to know what had happened. My enemies were smiling like people celebrating victory.
Going home was the hardest part. I knew my father was going to hear about it.
When I arrived, I found him trimming his strange white hair in the bathroom. People in our town sometimes joked and called him a wizard because of it. His hair was pure white even though he was not very old. Even his eyebrows were white, curving above his sharp blue eyes. Against his deep black skin, those features made him look very unusual. My father had a strong face and a heavy jaw. When he looked at you, it felt like he could see everything you were hiding.
He saw me through the mirror. He slowly turned his head and looked straight at me.
"What were you thinking?" he asked calmly.
My heart started beating faster. I removed the letter from my blazer and handed it to him. My hands were shaking and he could see my fear. He took the letter but did not open it. Instead we walked to the living room and sat on the sofa. I waited for him to shout or lose his temper, but he only sighed.
"Son," he said quietly, "you need to change."
Then he stood up and walked outside the house, leaving me alone on the sofa. His reaction confused me. I expected anger, not silence. I sat there thinking about his words. Maybe he was right. I needed to change.
A few minutes later he returned, picked up his bag and left again. It was the bag he always carried to the restaurant. My parents owned a small restaurant in Rockline City. It was not big, but people loved the food. Both of them worked there almost every day.
When I showed my mother the expulsion letter, she did not react much. She simply told me that my father would find a solution. She looked like a caring mother, but we were never very close. We hardly talked. Maybe it was because she spent most of her time working at the restaurant. Maybe college life had created distance between us since I only visited home during holidays.
That night I waited for my father to come back, but he never did. My mother told me he had travelled to the city. I already knew what that meant. He was trying to find another college for me.
There was only one major college in the city. Skyling College. Many students dreamed about studying there, but for me it was just another classroom. To be honest, school was never my favourite thing. It bored me most of the time. If my father had given me the chance to choose my own path, I would probably be working with him at the restaurant already.
But my father believed strongly in education. Since I was young he pushed me to study hard. That was why I was trying to finish my diploma in anatomy. I wanted to make him proud, even though my playboy nature always dragged me into trouble.
Running the restaurant was not easy for my parents. The money they earned was barely enough to support my studies. The only reason I stayed in college was my writing scholarship. Sometimes I wondered what my life would look like without it. Maybe I would already be working full time at the restaurant.
The next afternoon my father returned home and handed me another letter. It was an admission letter. He simply told me to pack my bags. I looked at him, hoping to see a smile, but his face remained serious.
Still, I felt relief. I hugged him and promised that I would make him proud this time. He nodded and hugged me back.
"This is your farewell," he said quietly.
He had already arranged everything. My classes at Skyling College were starting the very next day. We packed my bags together while he gave me advice. He warned me to stay away from trouble and to behave properly in the city.
After that he left for the restaurant again. I called my mother and told her I was leaving. She wished me a safe journey over the phone. I assumed she was busy at the restaurant.
Soon a transport van arrived outside our house. I put on my red cap and greeted the driver, Mr Solo. He helped me load my bags into the van and we started the journey.
Goodbye Rockline City.
I leaned against the window as we drove away. I was going to miss my friends and the crazy drama at the college. Skyling College was about one hundred kilometres away. The distance was not a problem. The real problem was the road. It looked like it had not been repaired for many years. Potholes covered almost every lane.
Mr Solo knew the road well and drove carefully. Soft music played in the van and slowly my thoughts drifted back to my old friend Chris Daniel. Chris was almost as crazy as I was, but he was extremely intelligent. Teachers loved him because he always had the best grades. Outside the classroom he was my partner in crime.
Thinking about our high school adventures made me smile. Then another thought bothered me. My parents once warned me to stay away from Chris. So why were they sending me back to the same college as him? That question did not make sense to me.
Mr Solo suddenly stopped the van outside an ice cream shop and woke me from my thoughts. He told me to use the restroom while he went inside the shop. I decided to stay in the van. A minute later he returned carrying ice cream and pizza. He handed them to me like I was still a young boy.
Many adults treated me that way. Maybe it was because I behaved calmly around elders. They had no idea how unpredictable I could be.
Suddenly the weather changed. Strong wind lifted dust from the road while dark clouds covered the sky. It looked like heavy rain was coming. Mr Solo quickly started the engine and drove faster than before. Soon we reached a river crossing without a proper bridge. That was when I realised he was trying to cross before the rain raised the water level.
Luckily we crossed safely.
After that the wind calmed down, but the sky remained dark with clouds. Not long after, I saw a road sign pointing to Skyling City. I smiled when I realised we were only a few kilometres away.
The road soon became smooth and wide as we climbed a steep hill. Slowly the city appeared before us. Tall skyscrapers stretched into the sky like giant towers. They looked like they were touching the clouds. The air even felt different in my nose. Everything looked busy, bright and new.
It had been years since I last visited Skyling City, even though my parents owned a small house there. They preferred living in Rockline because life was quieter. My father grew up there, while my mother originally came from Skyling.
Soon we arrived at the entrance gate of Skyling College. Mr Solo helped remove my bags and we said goodbye. I dragged my luggage toward the admission office where they gave me my room number and directions to the dormitories.
The dorm building had many floors. By the time I reached the stairs my arms were already tired from carrying my bags. As I turned a corner halfway up the stairs, I suddenly froze.
Standing in front of me was someone I did not expect to see.
"Chris!" I shouted in surprise.
He stared at me for a moment before his face lit up with excitement.
"Oliver? No way!" he shouted, jumping forward to hug me.
I laughed as we embraced.
"It looks like trouble has found us again," I said.
Chris grinned widely. "This year is going to be crazy."
I shook my head. "Not for me. Rockline College expelled me. This is my second chance. I need to behave and finish my diploma."
Chris laughed loudly. "Bro, this is our final year. The season finale. We must make it legendary."
Then he looked at the paper in my hand. "Wait. What's your room number?"
Before I could answer, he jumped again with excitement.
We had been assigned the same room.
Chris grabbed one of my bags and smiled mischievously.
"Come on, partner in crime."
Together we walked toward our room, ready to start a new chapter at Skyling College.
I had no idea then that my life was about to become far more complicated than before.