THE ELEVATED DORM'S LAUNDRY MAN

It was six o'clock on a cold Saturday morning in the presidential dormitory, where the elites and VIP students lived in the St Psalm Institute of Alternative Medicines, the most prestigious university in Oakland.

Despite being the early hours of the day, the dorm was rather too loud as the students carried over the groove from last night. Some were hanging on the bonnets of their expensive cars with their lovers, while some just got back from the club, still drenched in smoke and hard liquor. However, some serious-minded students were already set to hit the gym and prepare for the day.

And there was Sebastian Stone, a handsome and tall brunette, very muscular with a stern look. He was a guy of little words, the only time you could catch him smile was when he was around his girlfriend, Marilyn, or his roommate, Steve. He was an embodiment of charisma, even though he was just the Dorm's laundry guy.

Sebastian was a final-year medical student at the institute and the only student who passed the Trust fund scholarship in his set. Despite his tuition fees being catered for by the institution, he still had to work very hard to cover his nonacademic expenses. So he opted for being a laundry guy after he carried out a survey and noticed how lazy and carefree some rich students were.

Sebastian had been up since five am, picking up dirty laundry from his clients in the VIP dorm. The pains in his eyes and gritted teeth were a hint of how much his back hurt from excessive clothing that filled his voluminous backpack.

"Knock knock! It's Sebastian the Laundry guy..." Sebastian's Voice rang off on his last client's door, while he patiently waited for a response.

"Hold the fuck on!" A husky and cranky male voice thundered, his tone piercing through the loud vibrational R&B music playing out of his expensive boom box speaker.

The bass wave trembled on the ground and almost blew out the roof. After all, it was the Presidential Dorm, they never got queried or disciplined for misbehaving or breaking the rules, because their parents were highly involved financially in the school's activities.

Sebastian in no time was mesmerized by the rhythm of the song as he nodded his head and muttered the lyrics, while he waited for his client to open up the door or rather toss the clothes from the window as usual.

After five minutes of standing without a response, Sebastian began feeling agitated, his eyes narrowed in annoyance as the music slowly turned into noise pollution. He raised his hand in anger with a tightened fist yet he still gave a gentle knock, so he didn't portray rudeness.

"Hello??? I'm still here!!!" His voice echoed calmly even though his irritation was burning through his gray eyes. The weight of the bag hanging on his shoulder was making him feel a sharp below his chest whenever he breathed due to his asthmatic history.

"Get the hell out of you can't wait!" Donald's voice emanated sharply again, irritation palpable in his tone.

Donald Rowland was fond of being an asshole and never regarded anyone's time irrespective of your person. He was a final-year student of the Institute, a respecter of none!

He could pass as the top two richest students and the most sought-after male in St Psalms Institute. Donald drove the most exotic cars in school, making girls and even some lecturers dance to his tunes for favoritism and gifts.

Solely because his father, John Rowland was among the richest in the region and also had the highest awards by the institution due to his contributions. Donald felt it was okay to trample on people's feelings and rights without being questioned. Well, he never got questioned after all.

"You have been standing there for some minutes now, I'm sure Donald is busy screwing his whore! You should go back and check on him later, Laudary guy!" Another student stated with mockery in his tone, making Sebastian's anger boil even more.

Annoyingly, fifteen minutes had gone by already, Sebastian exhaled deeply, anger palpable in his countenance as he turned to take his leave, but the unlock sound from the door made him halt momentarily. A sigh of relief escaped from his lips as he turned to face the door, but the sight he caught when he settled his gaze shattered his world completely.

"Here you go, Laundryman..." A feminine voice uttered, tossing the dirty clothes on his face. She was almost half naked with scattered hair, her droopy eyes and her alcohol-laced breath could tell she was high as hell. Her white towel almost left her chest, begging to be freed as it clung to her nipple alone.

She gave Sebastian a sultry look, before brushing her dark tattered hair behind her ears. Sebastian blinked continuously and cleaned his eyes to ensure that wasn't Marilyn, his girlfriend. Or could it be her look-alike? No.

"Marilyn????" Sebastian's eyes hooded as he called out in shock, but before he could say Jack, Marilyn glared at him from head to toe, a mighty sigh escaped her lips before she slammed the door on his face causing him to jerk abruptly to reality, his heart beating faster than usual as he felt emptiness in his soul.

Marilyn Cooper was part of his strength, they had been in a secret relationship for the past two years and he had planned on taking their relationship to the next level immediately after they left college.

Even though Marilyn was gorgeous and petite, she still caught the eyes of many elite students on campus. Although Marilyn always reassured him and urged him to trust her whenever he felt insecure due to their class difference.

However, in the past months, she became very demanding and compared him to other elite students despite knowing his struggles. Sebastian tripled his hustle and took extra shifts at the cafeteria after lectures so he could at least see to her needs and also help himself, but it never seemed to be enough for the lady.

"She hated Donald Rowland, she always told me she hated his guts!.... Why on earth...? She smokes too?" Sabestians uttered openly, his heart dripping with undiluted pain, one he had never felt in his existence.

Sabestian's job was primary and he had a target to meet up with his clients. As a man, he tried to brush the feelings aside and continued with his duties, despite dying in silence. He strolled down to the laundry room to continue his job even though his whole body system had changed and he was unable to concentrate on his menial job.

*****

"Holy shitttt!!!" Sebastian exclaimed, jolting back to reality when he perceived the smoke emanating out of Donald's designer's jacket.

"Not again!!!." He mumbled while trying to see if he could fix the burn and ruffle on the Jacket, but the more he tried, the more the Jacket got torn.

The last time Sebastian ruined Donald's shirt was two years back, Donald influenced the school into giving him an extra year, He locked him up in the basement and made him play tag with his dogs all weekend.

Sebastian had never forgiven Donald ever since, he was nothing but a rich bully and Sebastian never stood up to him because of the fear of losing his scholarship. Donald had the whole school in his control and dictated who stayed or left.

Sebastian quickly browsed the price of the Jacket online to see if it was something he could refund, but the cost he saw almost paralyzed him and sucked the air out of his lungs.

A whopping 80,000 dollars for an Alexander Weng Jacket! He had never seen five percent of that Income at once in his entire life, how would he now pay for this mess?

Ring!!!!!

"Donald is calling? Does he have a sixth sense?" Sebastian uttered with utmost frustration as he clung to his cell phone.

Sebastian exhaled deeply, and his palms suddenly became sweaty as tension built up. He clenched hard to his cell phone, staring at the caller ID before picking up the call.

Donald usually calls him during the day to send him on minor errands, so he wasn't shocked to see his call, but the circumstances he found himself in made him very tense and scared the hell out of him.

"H... Hello." His voice dripped with anxiety but he managed to remain calm, even though he was still very heartbroken from the sight he caught earlier.

"Hey, Laundryman, it's past noon already. Send my items to my room at once! but bring my Alexandra Weng jacket to me at the basketball court immediately, you know where to find me." Donald stated from the other end of the line, his command making Sebastian anxious.

How would he convey the heart-trenching news about his Jacket?

"Hold on a minute, Donald. I have to tell..."

The abrupt beep from Sebastian's cell phone indicated that the call had been disconnected. He punched hard into thin air, his heart heavy from assumptions.

Five years in the institution he had always been careful not to trample or step on Donald's toes. He had heard various stories from the past on how he influenced some students' rustication from the institute unprovoked.

The crazy part was that the students in question were also wealthy, with just a snap of his finger, he could easily get thrown out of the school premises. Darn!

As he approached the basket hall court, he heard unusual laughter and noticed some students were staring in his direction, side talks emanating from every angle.

Everyone's attention seemed to be glued to their smartphone and also on him for some weird reasons, making him ponder what he was missing, but who cares? The mess he was in already, made him care less about whatever exciting thing that was hovering in the air.

"Sebastian! Sebastian!! Dude!!" A known male voice called out to him, he quickly turned and shifted his gaze just to see his roommate running and panting towards him like he was being chased by the school security dogs.

"Steve? What is it buddy, why are you panting?" Sebastian asked with furrowed brows as he watched Steve try to balance his breath.

"H... have you gone online today?" Steve stuttered, his eyes laced with so much pity as he tapped his hands on Sebastian's shoulders. It was as if he was trying to console him, whereas he was the one looking restless.

"You know how busy my Saturdays are, I haven't had that time to surf the net. Why are you fidgeting?" He asked again, tension already building up in his voice. "Speak, Steve... I don't have all day." His voice rang off, irritation evident in his tone.

"Bro! I don't even know how..." Steve took in a deep breath, it was obvious the weight of his revelation was too heavy for him to let out. He swallowed loudly before eventually spilling the tea.

"It's your girlfriend Marilyn...."

Sebastian let out a loud sigh, his eyes brimming with disgust as he walked out on Steve. The wound was still fresh in his heart and he guessed Donald had made the relationship with his girlfriend public hence Steve's concerns. At least nobody except Steve knew they were in a relationship, that would help curb the stigma to an extent.

"Ohh! I guess you have seen the video already then. Donald is a real scum and I hope someone man enough stands up to him someday." Steve stated nonchalantly, shaking his head in annoyance as he walked behind Sebastian.

"Hold a damn minute! What video are you on about?" Sebastian spat, his eyes widening in anticipation as he suddenly retraced his step back to meet Steve.

"Huh? I thought you knew hence your reaction. Well, the Bully leaked a sex video of Marilyn, in the video she moaned loudly and also confessed to how wack you were in bed while Donald hammered aggressively into her," Steve stated, unable to even maintain eye contact with Sebastian because he presumed he must be very embarrassed.

"He did what?!" Sebastian's eyes narrowed, his eyes brimming with shock as he looked at Steve.

But Steve nodded and gave him an equal glance too, his gaze laced with pity because he knew how much Sebastian loved Marilyn.

"I have never been intimate with Marilyn, ever! She claimed to be a virgin and I respected that." Sebastian stated.

"Wait what!?" Steve's mouth dropped in shock, he found it hard to believe but Sebastian never lied, he was just too straightforward.

Sebastian's jaw clenched as he nodded. He gritted his teeth trying to suppress his emotions, but the side giggles and random fingers pointing at him almost turned him into a beast.

At that moment, he forgot the mess he was in and was ready to give up everything so he could give Donald a fair dose of his own medicine.

"How dare he humiliate Marilyn like that?" His anger tripled, "No one deserves such!" His emotion was a mixture of jealousy and pain, he didn't even think of his humiliation but that of Marilyn's.

"Hey, laundry man!"

Yes! That was Donald's annoying and triggering voice. Sebastian's fist clenched tightly when he recognized the voice, the rage burning through his eyes was evident as his chest pumped up and down in anger.

He raised his head slightly to meet the bully's gaze but his heart dropped drastically when he saw Marilyn still clinging tightly to Donald's muscular arms. Didn't she see the video of herself or is she just dumb and blinded by his influence and riches?

Disregarding Donald's presence, he shifted his narrowed gaze to meet Marilyn's and their eyes locked for a moment. Unable to suppress his emotions anymore, he spoke softly but in anger.

"What are you still doing in the hands of the man who had ruined your reputation? Don't you have any dignity left?" He asked quietly, his eyes glistening with tears threatening to spill, thinking she hadn't seen the clip.

"Oh, Sebastian... Don't get too walked up, it's not that deep." She replied shamelessly, disregarding the mocking smirk on Donald's face. "After all, it was only a mistake, he already apologized to me so move on."

Sebastian's brows furrowed in shock with his half-dilated lips, hearing Marilyn defend Donald's disgusting act was a huge blow on his face. His eyes turned red and he felt his soul would leave his body any moment as he heard students laughing at him.

"You don't know what you're doing Marilyn," Sebastian stated.

"Trust me laundry guy I do! And who are you to dictate what I do with my life? Because we had a one-minute mistake of wack sex you feel you own me?"

"Laundry guy?" Sebastian scoffed, his eyes heavy with tears, but he would never let it spill.

He glared at her with so much pain in his eyes till his countenance softened when he noticed the emerald necklace sitting pretty on her neck, the same he had been saving to get her. She had been murmuring about her badly she needed one, no wonder she wasted zero time in spreading her legs open for that nonentity beside her.

"Ah, what are staring at? Aren't you the laundry guy? Did I say something wrong?" She mocked, her words filled with venom piercing deep into Sebastian's heart. No wonder she begged him to keep the relationship a secret.

Sebastian watched disdainfully as Donald held tightly to Marilyn's waist and gave her a little spank on her ass, something he had been dying to do but was never given the chance.

"Hey, loser! Stop the lecture. We are all adults and we all do the nasties, or are you just pained the whole school now knows how badly you suck in bed?" Donald ridiculed Sebastian, accompanied by tormenting and demeaning laughter that echoed loudly.

Donald reached out to his pocket and brought out a ten-dollar bill, he gave it too his dog and asked Sebastian to play tag again with his dog before he got his pay. Donald was highly agitated as he began panting. "Here is your fee, laundry man, chase the dog!!"

But his joy was cut short when Sebastian quickly removed his backpack, he had lost it completely and was ready to face the music this time. He ran towards Donald and gave him a heavy kick on his neck, the weight and force of the Kick made Donald tumble to the ground.

Everyone present let out an involuntary gasp, their heads turning in shock as they muttered lowly in absolute shock.

After that heavy kick, Sebastian pounced heavily on Donald, he punched his guts so hard and gave him a hard nod on his lips. He had never unleashed so much anger on someone in his entire life, and for some weird reason, it was oddly satisfying he was unleashing it on Donald Rowland!

"Get off me, you bastard!" Donald growled from the floor, unable to even throw back a single punch. His heart raced fast as he tried pushing Sebastian from his body, but Sebastian's body mass and strength overpowered him.

"You.... will pay so dearly..... I promise!" Donald stated under his breath, while he used his hands to block and dodge punches thrown at him.

Sebastian snarled and tightened his knuckle till it turned white, before unleashing it on his jaw this time,

"How dare you spread lies about me with your girlfriend?!!!" Sebastian's voice thundered, glaring deep into his eyes as he pulled him by his collar.

For all the time he tossed his dirty clothes on his face, for all the time he made him play tag with his dog disrespectfully, and most importantly, for making him have an extra year in school. Sabestian retaliated bravely, not minding the consequences of his actions. He made sure he didn't stop, till he saw blood rolling out from the corner of his mouth.

"Sebastian!!!! You would kill him!" Marilyn cried out from a distance, flapping her hands like a damsel in distress. She knew quite well not to get close to the scene so she didn't get her share. So she quickly turned away to find help, while other students were busy with their phones, making sure they caught every hot scene on video.

Donald's hands quivered as he tried reaching into his pocket for his phone, he needed to call his friends to save him from that godforsaken humiliation before he passed out. But Sebastian noticed and brushed it off his hands.

Gasps and voices echoed around the scene, but guess they were all enjoying the scene as nobody dared to pull Sebastian off Donald's body. A well-deserved comeback indeed.

Sebastian was never violent, he had always been in his lane even when he was bullied long ago in the orphanage where he grew up. He had developed a survival skill and had learned to stand up for himself since he didn't have anyone to do that for him.

However, Donald was just a big-mouthed bully, despite having muscles and six packs, he couldn't even lift a finger when Sebastian was punching deeply into his face. His saving grace was Marilyn who had rushed to call his best friends and partners in crimes, Zack and Jaden.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sebastian froze with widened eyes when he felt a heavy hit on his head and back, he felt paralyzed for a moment as he slowly fell on his back. He could feel a warm liquid gushing down to his neck, he instantly knew he was bleeding when the metallic smell of blood struck his nose.

At that moment, Donald was expecting Sabestian to be on his knees begging to be pardoned, but the smirk on Sabestian face angered Donald the more, satisfaction and fulfillment gleamed over his face. At least both of them had sustained injuries and that was enough for him.

"Raise him!" Donald barked, ordering his puppets. His veins became prominent as he tightened his fist, wiggling his sore neck in agitation, trying to wade off the shame Sabestian had inflicted on him earlier.

Zack and Jaden lifted Sebastian to his feet, holding him tightly by his arm. They needed to act fast before the school authorities got to the scene, they didn't want to get in any trouble or have an extra year due to their action.

Before Sebastian would realize it, he felt numerous heavy punches in his guts, making him groan inwardly. He felt physical pain, but his demeanor was emotionless, casting a cloud of defeat on Donald.

"He would kill him!"

"Damn! Sebastian, the Laundry guy is so strong!"

"True! Never knew anyone could stand up to Donald.."

"That must be some strong guts, Sabestian possesses."

"I hope this fight doesn't rip him off his scholarship..."

Numerous voices kept echoing from the crowd, from their utterances, one could tell they were oddly satisfied about Donald's defeat. They were secretly in support of Sabestian, but of course, they didn't have the guts to declare their support openly.

"Wait a damn minute!" Donald stated, ogling distinctly in the opposite direction. "Is that My Alexander Weng jacket lying on the floor?" Donald's eyes darkened, his chest pumped heavily in his chest making it rise and drop in motion.

With a reflective rage, Donald gave Sabestian another heavy blow when he concurred it was indeed his jacket lying on the floor. If he was that agitated by the jacket on the floor, how would he feel when he realized it was burnt and ruined?

"Speak! Is that my jacket on the bare floor? My eighty thousand dollars?" Donald asked again, his gaze piercing deep into Sabestian eyes. But Sabestian turned his gaze away and nodded 'yes.'

Everyone gasped, as the air suddenly became tight. They knew it was about to get messy, knowing fully well Donald never joked with his luxury items.

Donald took some steps backward, flexing his muscles while he picked up his jacket that had managed to slip out of Sabestian's unzipped bag. He glanced at it thoroughly, holding it by its collar to find any fault, of course, it was white and the tiniest fault could easily be noted.

His mouth dropped and he narrowed his eyes when he sighted the ruffled and torn part on the jacket, it was squeezed and ashy even a baby could tell it was caused by a hot pressing iron. He swallowed painfully, sharing equal glances between Sebastian and his ruined jacket.

"You're good as dead, Laundry guy!" Donald stated, picking up his phone from Zack to call the police.

He walked closer to Sebastian and whispered in his ears, "You're going to choose between your scholarship or replacing my Jacket! Next time, you won't try to be a hero."

Reality kicked in and that was when Sebastian knew he was screwed. He had allowed his emotions to overpower him once again.

In no time, the police came down to the scene, they were very conversant with Donald so they were biased and didn't act professionally. They didn't care to ask any questions before bundling Sebastian into their van.

"I will ruin you!" That was the last words he read on Donald's lips as the police took him away. Marilyn, on the other hand, was busy doing a nurse's job on Donald, cleaning off his wound and blowing cozy air to soothe the pain, refusing to spare Sebastian a single glance. How cruel?

He was in this situation all because of her and may eventually lose his scholarship after four years of fighting relentlessly. His heart was full of anguish, reflecting through the tears in his eyes as he blinked it away. He was alone and was okay to be vulnerable.

*******

A DAY LATER,

"Hi... Hi officer, my name is Steve Green and I'm here to see Sebastian Stone, he was brought in yesterday from St psalms Institute," Steve stated, urgency laced in his tone as he scanned around to see if he would see Seb.

"Ohhh, the criminal charged for physical abuse, assault, and destruction of properties worth thousands?" The officer mocked, an evil smirk playing on his lips. It was obvious he was affiliated with the Donald family because if they were charging Sabestian for assault, Donald was also guilty of assault and defamation of character, but no! It had been swept under the carpet as usual.

"Sebastian Stone!" The officer called out in a sharp tone while unlocking the cell gate.

"You have a visitor." He stated, ushering him out to the reception where Steve was already wallowing in his tears.

Sabestian emotion was unreadable, well he always had such demeanor and expression. One could rarely tell if he was happy or sad.

"Sebastian!! My God!" Steve called as he saw Sebastian, he wasted no time giving him a warm hug, even when he knew Sebastian hated hugs.

"Hi, Steve, as you can see I'm fine, so why the tears?" Sebastian stated, his tone laced with concern as he humbly pulled out of the hug.

His head was still banging from the hit, thank goodness they didn't touch his face.

Steve glanced at him for a second, before blinking away the tears that had welled up again in his lids. He swallowed loudly before uttering, "I'm afraid you're in trouble, Sebastian." His voice was cranky and his lips quivered.