Linda's Story

You Are My Best Friend

"Since my boyfriend is clear across the world, I'm gonna need someone else's muscle," Linda started as she led Joe and his friends up to her room. "I have a lot of stuff."

Linda was finally- finally!- moving out of her mother's house onto the college campus. She couldn't wait to get away from her mother and out of the house to start a new life- a life that was hers, filled with all the love she didn't receive growing up.

In fifteen minutes, the car and trailer she had rented were packed and ready to go to university, twenty minutes away from her home. She had wanted to go some place further away, but after viewing all her options (she had been accepted by all the colleges she applied to), she decided staying in Staten Island would be best.

"CUNY of Staten Island, here I come." Linda muttered as she locked up the house. She took a good look at the nice, peaceful house, knowing that she'd never live there again. She smiled lightly to herself before picking up her suitcases and turning to leave; it was the start of a new beginning, one she would fight for no matter how hard it was.

"Come on, Linda! Let's go!" Joe called from her car.

"Goodbye, old life." She walked towards the car.

***********

"Okay," Joe sighed, almost out of breath. "That's the last box. What do you have in there anyway?"

"Clothes. Shoes, books, scarves, hair tools... tell your friends I really appreciate them taking their Saturday to help me."

"I will." He smiled and waved goodbye to her before leaving to play basketball with his friends.

Linda had noticed her roommate's boxes and bags were already in the dorm; her roommate, however, was no where to be seen. She shrugged, figuring she was checking out the campus, and started to get to work. She had one suitcase unpacked with her clothes neatly laid in folded piles when someone came walking into the room.

"Oh, you must be Linda O'Shee!" The young lady exclaimed. She took Linda's hand and shook it before the blonde knew what was going on.

"It's O'Shea, actually."

"Oh I'm sorry! Linda O'Shea. That's Irish, huh?"

"Technically."

"It either is or it isn't."

"I'm Italian, actually, but somewhere along the way a family member decided it'd be better to fit in with the Irish community. So the very Italian name was changed to a very Irish name."

"I was a Foster. Suppose I still am. But Dad remarried when I was six, so," she shrugged. "Now I'm a Riley."

"Who Riley?"

"Huh?" She turned around to face her pile of boxes and bags.

"What's your first name?"

"Oh! Bridget Anne Foster Riley. But everyone just calls me Brie. What's your name?"

"Linda Rose O'Shea."

"Well, nice to meet you, Linda Rose O'Shea. Your accent is so adorable- I love it!" Brie tossed a few of her shirts onto her bed in a crumpled heap.

"Oh! Um.... thank you. Yours is..."

"I'm from Maine originally. It's a six hour drive from there to here."

"I've lived here all my life." Linda continued to unpack.

"You like it here, then?"

"Mhmm. I spent one summer in the city when I was fourteen... I didn't like that at all. It was too loud, too polluted, and everyone looked like they wanted to hurt me."