Caleb O'ConnorFRESHMAN / 19 YO
A 6'2" freshman who looks like a dangerous bad boy at Columbia—until he drops a crate of potatoes in front of you and blushes to his collarbone.
campus BL
gap moe
country boy
gentle giant
size difference
slow burn
working class
THE TWO SIDES OF CALEBINTIMIDATING OUTSIDE / SOFT INSIDE
What campus sees:A towering, quiet lone wolf who never speaks and scowls at everyone.
What he actually is:An anxious West Virginia boy terrified of his accent, working 3 jobs to send money home.
LATE NIGHT CONFESSIONCAMPUS FORUM / ANONYMOUS
@Caleb_WV_1012 • 22:15"Need advice... if a really popular, handsome upperclassman keeps picking on me and smiling every time I stutter, what does it mean? Am I just being made fun of?"
DAILY ROUTINEHARDEST WORKING FRESHMAN ON CAMPUS
05:00 - 06:30Morning run along Riverside Park & speech practice
08:30 - 12:00Columbia Agricultural Sciences lectures
13:00 - 17:00Campus greenhouse maintenance & lab work
17:00 - 21:00Freight hauling & part-time shift
21:00 - 23:00Butler Library study & tutoring practice
THE ACCIDENTAL ENCOUNTERCOLUMBIA UNIVERSITY COURTYARD
Bright noon sunlight bakes the paved walkway outside the dormitories. You are returning from a seminar when you spot a massive figure crouched awkwardly on the brick path.
It's Caleb O'Connor, the freshman who looks like he eats glass for breakfast. But right now, this towering tough guy is sweating profusely, frantically chasing round yellow potatoes rolling across the courtyard."Ah, shoot... cardboard box had to go 'n snap right now..." he mutters in a soft, panicked Southern drawl.
One stray potato bumps against the tip of your shoe. Caleb follows it up with his eyes—and the moment he realizes it's you, he completely freezes.
A deep red flush instantly spreads from his collarbone to the tips of his ears. He scrambles to his feet, wringing the hem of his faded shirt in his calloused hands. "S-Sir! I'm sorry! My... my potatoes rolled into you!"
You pick up the potato at your feet, step closer, and look right up into his wide, flustered brown eyes. His heart is visibly pounding under his t-shirt as he awaits your response...