The girl lifts her eyes. She is gorgeous in a very in-your-face kind of way, with long, brunette waves, crystal-blue eyes and smooth, pale skin. I realise we are wearing an almost identical outfit: Vans and a black t-shirt tucked into ripped jeans.
‘Sorry,’ I say quickly. ‘I get excited when I see someone reading.’
She smiles, and I feel my shoulders relax a little. The run-in with Mason this morning has rattled me, and I don’t need to make an idiot of myself in front of this stranger to top it off, but thankfully, she seems friendly.
‘Bookworms are the best type of people.’
‘Definitely. May I?’ I ask, gesturing to the empty seat.
She nods, clicking her kindle off and taking a sip of her drink.
‘I’m Anya,’ I say, dropping into the seat and flicking my long hair over my shoulders. It’s way overdue for a cut. Dylan used to pester me about it and say I should cut it off, so now I want to grow it outreally, reallylong.
‘Nora,’ she replies. ‘First semester too?’
‘Yeah. I just moved here.’
‘Oh, me too!’ Nora replies, perking up. ‘I’m living on campus.’
‘How are you liking it?’
‘I live with four other people who I didn’t know before I moved in. It’s definitely going to be a party apartment.’
‘Are they nice at least?’ I ask, and briefly wonder if I should investigate on-campus housing. Last I checked it was full, but maybe there is a cancellation list they can put me on. People drop out of uni all the time. I’m sure something would pop up eventually.
‘I’ve made friends with one of the girls. She’s coming to this too, but she’ll be late. She’s late to everything.’
‘I just moved in with my brother and his best friend. I was meant to move into a share house, but my stupid ex-boyfriend screwed that up for me.’ I let out a huff at her curious eyebrow raise. ‘Long story.’
‘I’d love to hear about it one day.’
‘Maybe we could have dinner later,’ I say, wanting any reason to avoid the house and Mason, then I laugh at myself. ‘Wow, that felt like I just asked you out on a date.’
‘Sounded like it.’ She smiles, two splotches of red appearing on her cheeks. ‘I’d love to go to dinner.’
A few other people are starting to arrive now. A guy who doesn’t look much older than us calls out, asking everyone to gather around him. Nora and I head over to where he is, and a girl rushes up to us, her hair covering her face. She hastily throws it over her shoulders as she does her lipstick.
‘You made it!’ Nora exclaims, looking relieved that the girl turned up on time. ‘Cami, this is Anya.’
‘Hey!’ she says brightly. ‘I’m Camilla.’
Camilla towers over both of us, with long tanned legs that seem to never end. She is stunning in every single way. Her dark complexion and features are striking, only enhanced by the red top she is wearing. Dainty gold jewellery glitters on her wrists and fingers. She has more earrings in one ear than Nora and I have combined.
‘Nice to meet you,’ I say.
‘Anya just moved here too,’ Nora explains.
We fall into a brief conversation. I start to feel at ease the more we talk. They both seem kind and genuine, which is exactly what I need right now. The guy commands our attention once more and the group falls silent.
‘Hey everyone. I’m Jeremiah. I’m going to give you a campus tour to show you the ins and outs. Hopefully you’ll meet some new people along the way.’ He beams, clasping his hands together. ‘Let’s get started.’
My mother once told me that one good friend is worth a thousand bad ones. After spending the last few hours with Nora and Cami, I’ve decided there’s some truth to that. Already I feel so at home with these girls compared to my friend group back home.
We’ve been talking nonstop for hours about anything and everything. A day like this was something I desperately needed. We have been taking advantage of Happy Hour at the uni bar. I feel warm and floaty as I follow the girls down the busy walkway through town. Cami has taken us off-campus, to show us the other place a lot of students go to, since the uni bar can get quite crowded.
‘And here it is,’ Cami says, gesturing towards the building with a wide sweep of her hand. A bright-orange neon sign flashes above the door: The Illusion.
‘Looks swanky,’ Nora observes.
