three

On each floor, there were four shower cubicles, two in each of the bathrooms. On their side of the ground floor corridor, Dave and Frank were first into the showers, much to Natalie's annoyance. Gradually, each of the occupants of the rooms on the ground floor managed to get a shower. Dylan was one of the last, and with time getting on, he knew he had to rush. He had heard many tales about showers in Student halls and they were all terrifying. Stories of temperature controls that didn't work, dirty cubicles, rat runs and worse. On entering the bathroom, Dylan heard of one of the two showers running.

He called to the occupant, "Who's in there?"

"It's Mark, who's that?"

"Dylan. What the showers like?"

"Not bad, actually. I was expecting them to be awful. You've probably heard the same sort of stories. But this is really warm, and surprisingly clean. It's nothing like the power shower we've got at home, but I'm sure I can live with it."

Dylan showered and then went back to his room to shave. He put on his best black Levi's and a blue denim shirt, unbuttoned over a white T-shirt, then propped open the his door and settled down in front of his TV to play Nintendo again. It was half past six, half an hour before he had to be in the TV room. One by one, the rest of the boys joined him, all of them trying to beat him at 'Street Fighter.' None of them succeeded.

At five to seven, Natalie politely knocked on Dylan's open door and peeked inside. Mark was challenging Dylan, with Dave, Frank, Richie and Andy shouting encouragement and cheering Mark on. He was closer than any of them had been to beating Dylan, whose character was down to his last energy reserves in the deciding bout of three.

"Are you guys ready?" Natalie was wearing tight, black jeans and a pale blue crop-top.

"Nearly," said Frank. "We're just waiting for someone to finally beat Dylan."

Mark's character moved in for the kill, but Dylan saw the danger and countered with a string of special moves which knocked out Mark's on-screen alter-ego. The lads groaned and Dylan punched the air.

"Yes! Undefeated! World Champion! Street Fighter King! Come on!"

"Does that mean we can go now?"

The five boys locked their rooms and then met Natalie at the stairwell. A group of four girls were coming down the stairs.

"Oh. Hi," said one of them. "Are you all coming down to the TV room?"

"Sure are," said Andy.

"Have you all got tickets for the disco tonight?" Another of the girls asked.

"You need tickets?" Rich asked.

"Yeah," Dylan said. "Didn't you get the fresher's pack from the Guild?"

"Maybe. They sent so much junk, I ignored most of it."

"Shame. You might be able to pay on the door though," said Frank. "Still, I wouldn't risk it for the other events this week. Some of them look really good; you should try to get tickets tomorrow."

"Thanks. Will do."

The TV room was roughly three times the size of the student's rooms. At the far end from the entrance was a table filled with cans of beer. To the side of the table was a large-screen television and video recorder on a mobile stand. All around the edge of the room there were chairs. Most of them were occupied and most of the students who occupied them had a can of beer in each hand.

The hall committee were standing by the table with the beer. Dylan and the rest of the lads made a bee-line for them. Natalie had joined the queue for the telephone booth, which was opposite the TV room. She wanted to call her parents before it got too late. The girls that they had met on the stairs stood by the entrance looking unsure about what to do next

Phil greeted the boys with a grin. "Everyone grab a beer. They're free."

"Oh, that's good of ya," said Rich.

"Not really. We used what was left of last years hall levy fund to buy as much as we could. We'll be around for your hall levy later this week, so think of this as beer on credit," said Chris.

"Introduce yourselves, then," Phil said.

"I'm Dylan, Dylan Thomas."

"Shit. Get the fuck out of here?" said Jez from behind the makeshift bar.

"And I'm from Swansea, if you can believe that."

"Some parents are just cruel," Jez replied.

"You're all from the ground floor aren't you?" asked Phil.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" Andy replied.

"Nothing. We just need to know so we can keep an eye on you, that's all."

"What are you implying, mate?"

"Well, you might not know this, I didn't when I first came here, but the ground floor has always been all male. Last year, that was where the druggies hung out. Bunch of fucking night owls, I don't think I ever saw any of them in daylight. They were like fucking vampires or something. You boys have a lot to live up to."

Chris chuckled then said, "Ah, but this year they have the steadying influence of a woman on the floor. You haven't met Natalie yet have you, Phil?"

"No. Why?"

"Put it this way, if the floor meeting earlier had been any longer, we'd have been able to fill our own swimming pool with the fucking drool on the floor."

"You need talk," said Dylan. "You couldn't take your eyes off her tits either."

"I know, they're fucking amazing aren't they?"

They all broke into a fit of laughter, until Chris indicated that Natalie was approaching. Phil and Jez stared at her. The crop top she wore barely contained her chest, and showed off her flat stomach.

"Hey, Natalie," Dylan said. "We were just talking about you."

"Really, what... ?" Natalie looked dumbstruck as if she was trying to work out what was going on.

Andy said, "Nat, this is Phil, our hall chairman. He said he was looking forward to meeting the girl who had to put up with a floor full of boys."

"That's right," said Phil. "I wanted to offer you some advice."

"What's that then?"

"It's where someone tells you something that might be useful to you later on," replied Phil.

Everyone but Natalie started laughing. The joke going completely over her head only made the rest laugh harder. Just in time to save Natalie from any more jokes, Joanne and her neighbours arrived. After a few more minutes of chat between the assembled group, Phil climbed on a chair and addressed the residents of the hall.

"Can I have everyone's attention please," he called loudly. "Just a couple of secs, don't want lose anyone on the first night."

The room fell silent. "We're gonna be visiting the campus bars this evening. We'll spend about three-quarters of an hour in each – that'll still give you plenty of time at the disco in The Union should you feel that way inclined. First stop is the Student Village bar. Jez, mate, lead the way."

People started to follow Jez out of the room, up the stairs and out of the hall. Last out were the boys from the ground floor, Phil and Chris. Jez had led the group up the hill, past Thomas Charles Edwards and Ifor Evans halls. The train of bodies was heading for a foot-bridge over the main road which ran alongside the campus.

"Where are going?" Frank asked.

"Pentre Jane Morgan," said Chris.

"Otherwise known as the student village," said Phil. "The university has spent a shit load of money on this place. They it's to provide high quality accommodation, but I just reckon they're pissed about missing out on rents to private landlords in town."

"Why'd they call it a village?"

"Cause that's what it's like. Self-contained houses set around the central facilities. You'll see."

Halfway across the bridge Mark had a revelation. "Guys, does this make sense to you? We are at the back of this bunch of plebs, yeah? So we will be the last to get to the pub, right? So we will be last at the bar, and last to get served."

"Fucking good point man," said Rich, who had already started to speed up. "Anyone joining me at the front?"

Rich, Andy and Mark set off at a gallop, rushing past the mass of humanity in front of them.

"You coming?" Dylan asked Frank and Dave.

"No, I'll stay here thanks," said Dave. Frank shook his head.

"Fair enough. Shall I get the beers when I get there?"

"No, mate," said Frank. "You're alright."

"I'll have a vodka and orange please," said Natalie.

Dylan sped off after the three ahead of him, apologising to people as he pushed passed them. He caught up just as the footbridge cleared the road and turned into a path which peeled off to the right. It led through a landscaped woodland area with trees, bushes and a small stream. At the end of this path was the Student Village.

"Is that the bar?" Richie asked. "That big building in the middle?"

"That's it," said Jez. "First door on the right when you get in."

Mark was first through the door and headed straight for the bar. Dylan and the others followed. Dylan ordered drinks for himself and Natalie then he and Mark went to have a go on the quiz machine by the entrance. The bar wasn't empty when they arrived, but there were plenty on empty tables and chairs. By the time Natalie, Frank and Dave were the last to walk in, most of the tables had been taken by Davies Bryan residents.

Dave and Frank went to the bar. Natalie stayed by the quiz machine with Dyaln and Mark. She leaned across the screen to take her drink from Dylan's hand. Mark smiled, and didn't try and avoid looking straight down Nat's blue crop-top.

By the time that Frank and Dave joined the other three at the quiz, they had narrowly lost out on the five-pound jackpot.

"Let's go again," said Nat. "Who's got a pound coin?"

Dylan obliged her, and dropped the coin into the slot. Second time around they were more sucsessful, and the combined trivia knowledge of the group won them the prize.

"I'll get a round in with this shall I?"

"Good call, Dylan," said Mark. "But save it for the next bar."

They joined Rich and Andy at a table where they had lined up several drinks each. Nat seemed preoccupied.

"What's the matter, Nat?" Frank asked.

"I've lost Jo. She was with us when we left the hall."

"She and those other two have just walked in. They're at the bar." Dylan pointed.

"Oh, yeah," said Nat. She called to Jo and waved her over to join them. "Where did you get to?" Nat asked as Jo approached.

"I went to the loo. Is that okay?"

"Of course, I was worried, s'all."

"Well, don't. I'm fine."

Jo sat down next to Dylan. She flashed him a smile. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself. Does she always get on your case like that?"

Jo scrunched her nose and shook her head. "No, she just worries too much."

Jo was wearing a tight red top and a pair of black jeans. Her hair hung in a perfect black bob, and eyes shone a vibrant blue, enhanced by her contact lenses. Her make-up was subtle, except for her lips, which were the same vivid red as her top.