College is where you learn not to question strange things you see. I’ve seen shirtless men covered in ketchup and other condiments, two people carrying long strings of sleighbells at ten o’clock at night, people in onesies at all times of the day, someone sitting on top of pillars reading a book, and heard full-out dance parties at four in the afternoon, just as a few examples. None of those things were that strange, as I am on a college campus, but one event sticks out as something that would only happen in college that was an absolute blast. A nerf war.
“Walmart’s about to close. We gotta go!” Giggling to themselves, a group of college students paused South Park and packed themselves into two cars. “We’ll let you know the price of yours when we get back.” Twenty minutes later, the room was refilled with eighteen and nineteen-year-olds unboxing their new nerf guns. “This is gonna be sick!” “Woah, yours is so cool!” “I’m gonna shoot that water bottle right now.” The chatter of adults elated by a child’s toy filled the room, and the excitement could be felt in the air. After splitting the group into two teams of three, it was on.
The other team tore out of the room and up the stairs, while we stayed put for a bit, discussing strategy and grabbing extra foam bullets. Once ready, we went into the hallway and crept into the stairwell, staying single-file and struggling not to laugh. Once we entered the second floor, we saw a group of people sitting and chatting in the common room who were not as surprised as one might expect to see a trio of college students holding nerf guns like they were in Call of Duty. As the door closed behind us, we heard footsteps coming down the same stairwell. The fun was about to begin.
As soon as the first foot was visible through the stairwell door’s small window, we pulled the doorknob to keep the opposing team out of the hallway and in the stairs, cornering them. We laughed and taunted each other through the window as they tried to force the door open. On the count of three, we let go and let the harmless bullets fly. All six of us retreated, ready for another round.
I can only imagine what people were thinking when they heard our giddy cheers and frustrated yells. Being a college student is such a unique period of life, and we need to take advantage of that. A nerf gun fight that spans an entire dorm building does not have to be how that happens. You can have a night where everyone has to wear pink, and you cover each other in lipstick prints, or where you watch horrible movies when you are slap-happy. You can never be as ridiculous as you are in college, and no one will judge you for walking around your dorm covered in glitter or wearing the ugliest outfit of all time, because, chances are, they are on their way to do something equally as funny. College is the time to take advantage of the opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime, and not to care about how bizarre you may seem.
