Free The Story Begins by Modou Fye

His disdain for humanity grew to a degree where he began having difficulty differentiating between the truly depraved souls that had initially invoked such hatred, and the kind-hearted people, such as friends, who meant him no harm.
    And while anger had blinded his eyes and darkened his heart, a knack for deception enabled him to conceal the nature he had now assumed from his friends, for even they were worth no more than the company they afforded him. He neither valued nor appreciated their companionship beyond that, with the exception of his best friend Alex. Jaden was conflicted. His heart knew that Alex was a friend most dear to him; however, because of his recalcitrance and general lack of faith in humanity, he was determined not to allow himself be swayed by his heart but rather approach life, as best he could, from perspectives that were not influenced by positive emotions in the least.
    Jaden believed that all who held any notion of a God with loving attributes were hopeless fools and because he had hardly any tolerance for the concept of a caring God, he found it rather interesting that he had for himself a roommate for whom God was everything. The irony of life.
    Kevin was a Theology major, and though very open minded and considerate of others’ views, he was very passionate about his own. They had been roommates long enough for Jaden to know that nine times out of ten, when Kevin had a long day it was because he had been wholly engrossed in a theological debate, usually with fellow students of differing beliefs, and had expended most of his energy in the engagement. Jaden had watched him a couple of times and marveled at the whole lot of them. He found it amazing that as animated as they all would become, no one ever lost their temper. It was not uncommon for tempers to flare and people to even kill each other over politics and religion, but not Kevin and his peers. The debates were lively, to say the least, but they always kept their composure, and this always amazed him. Given his roommate’s predisposition, it was inevitable that God become a subject of discussion between them.
    Their debate about God was ongoing, each arguing why the other’s beliefs were utterly foolish and unfounded; Jaden arguing in favor of a Deist God while Kevin that of the Judeo-Christian God. Kevin, at times, even argued other faiths’ perspectives of God but Jaden simply could not be convinced, regardless of whichever perspective Kevin chose in his unending attempts to convince Jaden of faith. It was always a stalemate; neither party could ever convince the other. What both found inexplicable was that it was all too certain that neither one would ever convince the other yet the subject of God somehow always found its way between them. Often, lighthearted conversations about absolutely nothing sooner or later became about God. Kevin was almost always the initiator. If ever Jaden brought up the subject, it was usually in a most unflattering manner as he’d heap endless curses and insults upon God and label Him callous and cruel. Such outbursts were usually roused by something heartrending he had either seen when Kevin had the television on or an occurrence he had witnessed on the streets of Commonwealth Avenue; for instance, a homeless person he had seen sleeping out on the streets right in front of the campus chapel in the dead of winter; a few days later, he saw the same individual rummaging through garbage for leftovers discarded by others while some students, he was certain, were trashing food that they had barely touched in the food court.
    During his tirades he’d always bring that up and ask Kevin how he could possibly believe that God is aware of anything in the world if He missed the homeless guy right outside a chapel. Kevin never had an answer to such questions and Jaden wasn’t sold on the phrase ‘God has a plan for everybody.’
    “That’s a crock of shit! Why the hell do people always make up excuses to try to