7 Sins & Me

[Renin]

College life is complicated enough without being haunted by the 7 Deadly Sins. Or maybe they're hallucinations. It's hard to tell. Either way, I just wanted to get through college as painlessly as possible. Needless to say, that didn't happen. But hopefully you can learn something from my story. I eventually did.

[This is a work in progress, so stop by occasionally to see the latest post!
And feel free to PM me if you liked it, have any constructive criticism, or spot a grammar error.]​

 

[Renin]

Having sat too close to the speakers had started to cause a muffled ringing in my ears. But I didn't mind it too much. Meant most people weren't nearby so they could talk without screaming at each other. I sipped at my lukewarm sprite. It never ceased to amaze me how lonely a person could feel in a room full of people. People I didn't know and would never get to know had gathered in the common area of our dorm floor for a get-together thrown by the RA. A surprisingly small but loud black girl with long, tiny dreadlocks that rattled whenever she moved. She always seemed to be smiling whenever you saw her. Especially now with the freshmen jock she was chatting up.

You know that could be you.

Lust sat on the armrest of the chair I was sitting in. Her curvy figure draped across its frame like a courtesan on a king's throne. Though instead of the typical low cut gown, she simply wore tight jeans and a sweater that was so big the sleeves swallowed her hands and the collar was stretched so that a shoulder was exposed.

"Shut up." I whispered into my drink.

It could. You're a good guy, Will. You just have a hard time showing it. You just need to loosen up. Be yourself. And ACTUALLY talk to someone.

I faked taking another sip. "You know its not that easy. It never is."

Well, some of us are. Though I doubt that's what your looking for.

I gave a wistful smile before wiping it away with an actual drink this time. Lust was surprisingly not that much of a slut. She more often than not simply gave soft nudges and pokes. Pushing me to pursue the opposite sex. But it had a way of building up over time. Making you think what she said was a good idea. But the couple of times I had actually worked up the nerve to follow her advice... well... I was currently sitting in a room full of people, doing everything I could not to interact with anyone.

Why are you even here if you aren't going to talk to someone?

I didn't answer. She slid down and moved so that she sat with her back against my shins. Throwing her head back, she looked at me with those adorable brown eyes, frowning.

Hoping someone will notice the quiet kid and try to befriend him?

I clenched my teeth and looked away.

People aren't going to see you, sweetie, unless you put something out there to see. This isn't some fairy tale or manga where the quiet, yet deserving guy gets the girl by doing nothing. We both know that's not how life really works.

A few minutes passed as Lust people watched and I examined the back of my hand with renewed interest. I felt my stomach rumble. Seemed sprite wasn't going to be enough. It was about then that Lust stood up, dusting off her jeans.

Well, I'm going to go. I can tell when I'm not wanted. Just remember to feed Gluttony, sweetie.

She gave me quick kiss on top of the head before disappearing into the crowd, swaying her hips. I felt Gluttony stirring from my front pocket. Crawling out, he reminded me of me as a toddler from pictures. His blue eyes wide with excitement.

Can we have some ice cream? Please? We haven't had ice cream in forever!

I reached over and scratched the top of his head with a finger. He nuzzled against it almost like a cat. "Sure." I muttered. Gluttony bounced excited as he soon scampered up my shirt to sit on my shoulder expectantly. Sitting up, I could felt Sloth drag his paws against the chair in a weak attempt to keep me sitting. Making my over to the food table, I dished up some chocolate ice cream from the cooler and sat back down. As I slowly ate away at it, Gluttony had crawled onto my plate and begun devouring the ice cream like a ravenous cartoon character. None of it actually disappeared, but he seemed to enjoy the experience. Once I had finished, he asked for more but I ushered him back into his pocket. He did so, although begrudgingly.

As the end of the hour long party drew to an end, people began to disperse back to their rooms. With only a couple of people left, the RA made her way over to the sound system to turn off the music and retrieve her phone. After she did so, I sat forward and wiggled a finger in my ear. She smirked and asked while winding up a cord, "Sat a little too close, did ya?"

"Heh, yeah guess I did." I admitted. I looked around at the mess of empty plastics cups and dirty plates. "Want some help cleaning up?"

She paused briefly before answering, "Sure. What's your name?"

"Will."

"Welcome to AU, Will."

"Thanks."

 

[Renin]

It took some time but I finally found a quiet spot. For some reason working in my dorm room was stifling. I just couldn’t seem to think in such a cramped space. Thankfully, the common area on the 5th floor was deserted most days. Though I found it worrisome that I couldn’t tell whether I liked being in an open area without distractions or that I craved being in a public area while also remaining alone. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to wrestle with that can of worms. I still had schoolwork to do. However, just as I was about to dive back in, I heard the elevator doors open.

A small group of guys and a girl came out carrying bookbags, a folding table, and a large plastic crate. They seemed to be laughing about something. I pulled out an earbud so as to hear what was so funny. Seemed they were talking about some game as they set out the table and began dragging chairs around to sit.

One of which came in my general direction, causing us to accidentally lock eyes. He was tall and awkwardly slim with square framed glasses and a mess of curly brown hair.

“Hey!” he said smiling, “Are we gonna bother you if we play D&D up here?”

“Oh, no. You’re fine.” I smiled, though he seemed to read something from my expression.

“You ever play?” he asked.

“No… But I’ve heard of it. Guess I didn’t realize people still played.”

He let out a laugh. “Oh, you have no idea. I’m Scott, by the way.” He reached out to fistbump me. I obliged, albeit stiffly.

“Will.”

“You interested in playing?” He inquired, nodding back to his friends.

Noticing a couple of heads perk up behind him, I hastily declined. “Uhm, I think I’m good. I appreciate the offer though. I just have no idea how to play and I wouldn’t want to bog y’all down.”

“Okay, man. But if you get a chance, just watch us play for a bit. It’s pretty intuitive.”

“Will do.” I said, giving a polite nod. As he turned back with his chair I went to put my earbud back in. But hesitated. I told him I’d listen in. And now I was stuck in the common area because I told them it wouldn’t be an issue if they played. I was, in a sense, trapped.

Well played, dumbass.

Envy sat up from where he had apparently been curled up beside my chair. I often thought he looked like me if I had decided to go goth. He always wore this large black hoodie and had my normally brown hair dyed black and straightened so that it covered most of his face. At the moment, he was curled up inside the hoodie.

Now we have to sit here and listen to these fuckers. All because you don’t have the balls to-

My pencil clattered against the tile, the sound briefly cutting off all conversation in the room. But whereas the others continued, Envy stopped to look over as I reached for it. “Piss off.” I whispered almost inaudibly.

He sniffed indignantly, but eventually laid back down. Of the seven, Envy was one of two that I refused to listen to. The others would at least try to sugarcoat their words to make themselves sound more reasonable. But Envy… was simply hateful. While they all played on my emotions in times of weakness, Envy and Wrath had the potential to negatively impact others. And while I had already accepted how shitty my life was, I wasn’t going to let them spread their evil to others.

After a few minutes, the other students eventually settled and began their game. And to my shock, the girl looked to be the one in charge of the game as she gave a short recap of what happened in the previous session. With a surprising amount of enthusiasm and vivid imagery, she explained how they had been travelling through this enchanted forest where they had been having a lot of strange encounters. It took me a moment to realize I was staring, having been completely enraptured by her storytelling.

Well, well… what’s this?

Lust sat herself on the armrest opposite where Envy had been. She looked rather amused. I didn’t. Pulling up a new Word document, I typed out:

Can you not pop up everytime I-

Everytime you what? See a girl you like?

She smiled teasingly.

I don’t like her. I don’t even know her.

But she’s cute. Despite not having the chest you typically search for online.

I felt my face flush as I dared another glance at the girl. Lust wasn’t wrong, about her being cute that is. She had large brown eyes with a splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks and dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She also wore a number of earrings that glinted in the setting sun that gave her a slight punkish look.

Okay, she’s cute. So what? Lots of girls are. Doesn’t change anything.

Come on, Will. I’ve told you a thousand times, you’re-

Just stop.

Lust looked mildly annoyed but stopped pushing. Yet she stayed where she was as I continued to listen to the group. From the sound of things they had just found a sign that read “Free Brothel 1 Mile” and one of the players busted into a run. The rest of players ran after him until they reached a 2 story building that looked akin to an inn. Next to the door was a key hanging off a peg, and another sign reading “Free Brothel”. The player quickly fumbled with the key and unlocked the door. Only to have a massive hand the size of his torso reach out and yank him into the building. Apparently the so called “brothel” was mostly hollow on the inside and contained a hungry giant. Who spoke of himself in the third person. With the name Brothel. While the others were freaking out over having to fight a giant, I had to hide a smile.

Cute. Though I have to say, I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get to see an actual brothel.

You and everybody at the table.

Lust chuckled.

Well I am Lust after all. But I have to say… I think you could’ve done it better.

Done what?

That whole “Free Brothel” thing. The way she did it… it just feels like a cheap trick. You could have made it more interesting.

I gave Lust a puzzled look. She tilted her head.

What?

Why do you think so highly of me?

I told you. You’re a good guy, Will. And you deserve to be happy.

I’m fine.

Fine. Not happy.

We stared at each other for what felt like a few minutes.

I doubt sleeping with someone will fix that.

Oh it’ll certainly make you happy, albeit temporarily. But if you want something more permanent I suppose making friends will work. At least you’d be one step closer to sleeping with someone if you’re actually talking to them.

Getting a little blunt, aren’t we?

She gave me a look.

If what I’m trying to do wasn’t obvious by now, I’d have to start worrying about your intelligence.

Fair.

Lust had a good point though. If there was ever a time to try and make friends, it’d be at college. I could at least try and talk to the guys after the game was over.

“Whatcha writing?”

“JESUS!” I yelped, nearly dropping my laptop. Without realizing it, the girl at the table had somehow made it to where Envy had been sitting.

“I actually go by Cleo nowadays, but it’s always nice to meet a fan.” She replied with a sly smirk. I could hear stifled chuckles from the gaming table.

 

[Renin]

“I actually go by Cleo nowadays, but it’s always nice to meet a fan.” She replied with a sly smirk. I could hear stifled chuckles from the gaming table.

“I just… thought you were over there.” I shot a glance towards the table only to notice half the people were gone. “Guess I got a little too focused on what I was doing.”

“Yeah, we’re taking a quick break. They managed to kill the giant a lot faster than I was expecting. Will, was it?” She asked as she plopped into a seat near me.

“Uh… yeah.” I answered realizing she must of heard it from… fuck, what was his name again?

“So what are you writing?” she asked nodding to the laptop, “Doesn’t look like a paper.”

“Oh. I just… tend to write out my thoughts.” I said, starting to regain my composure, “Helps sort them out. Kind of like talking to someone without having to... talk to someone.”

Lust mirrored the groan inside my own head at how lame I just sounded.

“Interesting.” She remarked.

“I guess…”

“You were at the get-together the other night weren’t you? The one sitting by the speakers.”

Shit, shit, shit.

“Uhm, yeah I was. Though I’m sorry, I don’t seem to remember you…”

“Oh I don’t live on your floor. I just swung by for the free food. Though I saw you helping Melissa clean up.”

“Yeah, there was just a lot of trash and stuff to clean up for one person. Figured it was the least I could do.”

“So it wasn’t because you like her?” She asked.

Caught off guard by her blatancy, I stammered, ”Oh, uh… no. I just felt like helping. She’s not really my type…”

“That’s fair.” She said while playing with a strand of her hair. “I’m guessing you’re wondering why I came over.”

“The thought I had crossed my mind...”

“I’m trying to decide whether or not you’re someone I’d want to date.”

WHAT?! Snapped Lust as she toppled over the armrest.

“Wh-what?”

“I’m interviewing you.”

I stared at her dumbfounded while she merely smiled back. Lust popped back up immediately. Watching the conversation keenly.

“I… don’t think I understand.” I said.

“Well you’ve been showing some promising signs. You’re helpful without any apparent underlying motive, which shows your kind. You’re introspective if what you said you’re writing there is true. And while shy you don’t seem to have inept social skills. You’re tall and attractive-“

“You think I’m attractive?” I interjected.

“Ah. Humble too. Or perhaps low self-esteem. Probably the latter. But we can work on that.”

I found myself fumbling for words, “Are you usually this… this…”

“Insightful? Direct? Charming?” She rattled off, still smiling.

“... Yes?” I said at a loss.

She giggled. “Cleo! We’re ready.” Seemed the missing people had returned with arms full of snacks from the vending machine.

“Hey. Don’t leave. I wanna ask you something when we’re done over here.” She patted my hand before leisurely making her way back to the table. Glancing back once as if to make sure I watching. I instinctively looked away as if to stare out the window. At least I would of been if Lust wasn’t staring me dead in eye, grinning like a madman.