Dragging up what little strength I have left, I carry the two suitcases up the flight of stairs, the other guys trudging behind me to wait at the door for the girl with the keys.
“S’cuse me.” The girl squeezes her way through the hallway past the guys carrying her boxes. She looks like she’s trying to become as small as possible, her shoulders hunching as she winds her way to the door.
The guys do their best to let her through, though admittedly it’s pretty difficult when you have ten collegiate baseball players carrying tubs in a narrow hallway.
She manages to get to her door and we awkwardly stand there as she fits the key in the lock and flings the door wide for us to bring stuff in.
It’s clear to see that there’s already someone living in this room. Bright purple…everything… is covering the occupied bed,desk, and furniture. Pick any random object from this room and you’ve a one hundred percent chance that that item is purple.
Heading to the undecorated side, I place the cases on the empty bed before leaving the room to make space for the other guys.
“Anything left?” Smacking my palm on Sam’s shoulder, the last guy gives me a quick shake of his head.
“Nah, got it all in one trip.”
Thank fuck.
Tilting my head towards the full dorm room, I say, “Let the other guys know that they’re free to go once they drop her stuff off.” Sam nods his head before going into the room to drop off his haul.
I’m out of here.
More guys follow me down the hallway to the stairwell after dropping off their boxes and tubs. Pushing against the door, a high-pitched voice rings out from the other end of the hall, making us all pause and turn to see where the noise came from.
“Thank you!”
Turning, I see the girl, her long hair dangling over a shoulder with her head sticking out of the doorway. For the love of Christ, I just want to get out of this place.
I offer a quick smile and wave before finally making my exit.
Chapter Two
Candi
So much purple.
The guys who brought in my belongings left in a frenzy and now the purple walls are closing in. The RA at the front desk mentioned that I would have a roommate, but I can’t remember her name. I’m lucky I was able to remember my room number after bumping into that guy.
He was just so tall and warm. I swear, I completely lost all capability to form coherent thoughts when he pulled me into him to keep us steady. I’m sure he thought nothing of it though. I tend to go a bit overboard with turning something insignificant into something more. It’s a side-effect of all the novels I read—having tiny, insignificant moments and reading into them.
My stuff is everywhere in the room that will be my home for the next five months. As far as dorms go, this one is quite roomy. There’s a large window between the two extra-long twin beds, we both have desks and dressers and a small living space right inside the doorway. My new roommate has a small purple loveseat, a cute fuzzy purple rug, and string lights dangling from the ceiling. Hence so much purple.
Surprisingly, we also have our own bathroom off to the side of the living space. Liberty had communal bathrooms for each floor, so I won’t miss having to carry all my things with me just to take a shower.
Needing to get started somewhere, I locate my suitcases and start the tedious job of unpacking. Considering I don’t have that much stuff, unpacking and organizing go rather quickly. Placing my hair products on the wire rack in the bathroom I hear a gentle squeak of the door being opened.
“Oh my gosh, you’re here!” A loud, deafening squeal that rivals my mother is let out by my new roommate who rushes into the bathroom. A ball of energy seems to follow her as she flings herself onto me in a giant hug. “I’m so excited to meet you!”
I don’t make it a habit of hugging complete strangers, but seeing as this is the second time I find myself in the embrace of a stranger, I might as well give in. I can’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm as I give her a quick hug back before politely extracting myself.
Holding my hand out, I introduce myself. “I’m Candi. I’m guessing you’ve been expecting me?”
“Oh my gosh, I love your name! Like that Aaron Carter song?” She grasps my hand while she talks a mile a minute. “My name’s Polly.”
Polly’s raven-black hair has streaks of vibrant purple that frame her face and she has the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen on a person. Her whole face practically beams joy and with the personality to match. She has incredibly dark brown eyes and sandy brown skin that seems to glow. She’s easily one of the prettiest people I’ve ever met—the complete opposite of me.
Being completely objective, I know I’m no stunner. My hair is a nondescript shade of brown. My face is delicate with large brown eyes and too-large lips that should be seen as conventionally attractive but somehow don’t have the same effect as they do on Amanda Seyfried. I’ve got one lone dimple on my right cheek that throws everything on my face off balance. I’m not too tall and I’m not too skinny. I’m just…me.Plain ‘ole Candi.
Sure, I think I’m pretty, who wants to travel through their whole life thinking they’re not? But it’s difficult to think of yourself as pretty to others when a non-existent dating life and no romantic prospects support that fact.
