First love hurts

Prologue

Anguish and emptiness. Viola couldn't find any other words that better described her state of mind at the moment. Sitting on the bed of that dormitory for university students, she stared intently at the green bedspread without actually seeing it: her eyes felt full of tears and a lump in her throat almost prevented her from breathing or making the slightest movement. Yet he had been doing quite well a moment ago. She had greeted her parents with a smile on her lips, she had reassured them that everything was fine, she seemed happy and excited about that new adventure in a city as big as Rome. What are we kidding, city? It was in the capital, the City, with its seven hills and thousands of wonderful monuments...But inexplicably the enthusiasm had suddenly vanished as soon as the door of her room had closed behind her, leaving her immersed in silence. Now he felt only disorientation and loneliness. In reality she wasn't the only occupant of that room: another girl would arrive in a few days, an unknown girl from who knows what part of Italy. But for now she was alone. Completely alone, for the first time in her life. Although it seemed to her that she had already been in there for years, in reality no more than ten minutes had passed when a cheerful "knock...knock" suddenly made her jump out of bed in the grip of a new panic attack. She felt terribly stupid. Who could she possibly be, if not a nun? It was not for nothing that he was in the college of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Lorenzo. But to her delight, she wasn't a nun all bundled up: there was a girl in front of her. At first glance, Viola thought she was nice: she smiled in an open and inviting way.

_"Hi! Are you coming up? We're all in Veronica's room."

This one isn't one for much ceremony... she thought as he observed the stranger with long raven hair. Viola, although quite intimidated by this initiative, nodded her head and, taking the key to her room, closed the door behind her to follow her new companion. As they walked quickly through the mirrored corridor on the first floor, the girl turned to Viola again.
_"Anyway, my name is Lisa...are you?"

_"Purple, like the flower..."

Why had he added that stupid little note?
She wants to punch herself, she just can't keep from looking like a loser all the time. _"Beautiful name!" replied the other, who hadn't even noticed the famous "note". Viola looked at her sideways, but no ironic expression was painted on Lisa's face. Well, perhaps the girls here were fewer geese than in the provinces, she mused to herself while, satisfied and heartened, she trotted along almost happy behind that mass of waving black hair. Veronica's room was on the second floor; the same one that shortly afterwards Viola labeled as "the plan of the naughty girls", while where they had placed her (to her great disappointment) there were only girls ready for the Vocation. Evidently she seemed suited to monastic life to the nuns. We urgently needed to make them think again. He was in Rome because he aimed high, but not that high. As soon as she finished the stairs, she was hit by a chorus of excited voices: the bedroom door was only ajar, and inside there were half a dozen girls her age who seemed to be having a blast. She was curious to know them all, but one of them, in particular, caught her attention.

She stood out quite a bit in the midst of the jovial group. A girl was leaning idly against the doorframe. She was pretty but had a strange expression, somewhere between shy and arrogant. Curious mix, Viola thought. She wore her shiny brown hair wrapped in a messy bun and her eyes were an iridescent color from brown to hazel. Light, low-waisted jeans and a pink sweater highlighted her slender figure, although a little hunched over by an obvious scoliosis that was never corrected.
_"Nice to meet you, I'm Sara."

She introduced herself immediately, perhaps equally impressed; Viola limited herself to shaking her hand slightly, somewhat intimidated. For a moment neither of them spoke as they studied each other in silence.

_"Now, tell us all about yourself! We know each other by now, we've been here for a good week already!" The strategic intervention of Lisa, who perhaps had noticed that mysterious silence suddenly created between the girls, made Viola, certainly the shyer of the two, breathe a sigh of relief. _"Well, I come from the province, I'm the only child of separated parents and I chose Literature and Philosophy, I will attend the Classical Philology course... there's not much else to say..." He had spoken almost without breathing, as if he wanted to make the brief account of his life as uninteresting as possible so as not to receive further questions. He hated answering personal questions. His life up until then had been so unbearable and sad that it wasn't entirely painless to talk about it. Instead, she loved discussing films, books, music... and then manga: she could proudly define herself as an otaku.

_"Oh, another classicist! Are you happy Sara? You will be classmates!"

Veronica exclaimed from the bed, while Sara, with a reticence that was evidently habitual to her, glared at her and simply asked Viola if she would like to go with her to the Faculty the next day.
_"Yes of course...it would be fantastic!"

Viola smiled shyly but was very happy. It was amazing how suddenly his mood could change that day. She felt like she was on a roller coaster. In fact, the sadness of just before, thanks to the new company, was already a distant memory.