Difficult

Prologue

She heard a sniffle from the front door as she loaded the last box into her car. She looked around the car and saw her mother looking small and meek, clutching a tissue as her eyes watered.

"Ah, mom, please don't cry. You're gonna make me cry!" Maya White ran up to her mother and embraced her tightly. Maya was taller than her mother, but this is the first time in awhile that her mother felt so small. She was broken, upset over her only child finally leaving.

Her mother sniffled once again and laid her head on Maya's bare shoulder. "I know honey, its just hard to see you go." She sighed heavily and pulled from the hug, her tears left behind on Maya's shoulder. "Especially since your father left a few years ago."

When Maya was a freshmen in high school, her father died in a car crash on the way to work. It was a difficult time, but they both got through it with the help of each other. Maya and her mother had never been closer.

Maya rubbed her shoulders, feeling a chill despite the humid weather. "Are you sure you're okay with me moving, mom? I don't want you to be lonely."

Her mother shook her head and placed her hands on her face. "No, no, no, you go on and don't worry about me. I have Charlie so I'll be perfectly fine."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Mom, Charles is a dog; he's not necessarily the best company anyways." They got Charles after the accident, and they're "replacement" for the man of the house. He had a bad temper, and was always hungry. Despite his flaws, he was an adorable toy poodle, and they showered him in affection when he was in their presence.

"Speak of the devil," Maya's mother muttered when she heard the tapping of nails against wood behind her. She turned around and scurried to the toy poodle standing menacingly in the doorway and lifted him into her arms. She carried him back to Maya, and the dog licked her face as if saying, "farewell" and "good luck." Maya giggled and promptly kissed the dog on his forehead.

Maya hugged her mother one last time and kissed her cheek. She turned and jogged to the side of the car. The key went perfectly into the ignition and started with the flick of her wrist. She put the car into gear smoothly and sighed at the new car smell. She thanked her part-time job silently and began to pull out of the driveway.

Just as she was on the street, her mother called after her, "Find someone nice, male or female!" Maya blushed at her shouting and honked before pulling off and down the street.

Maya's college was two hours north. The last thing she wanted was to move away from her fragile mother, but the college was exactly what she needed. Her mother was fine with the idea, and said they could call everyday, and she'd visit during the holidays. Maya agreed reluctantly, and it hurt to leave the place she'd grown up in.

But there was no turning back now. A dull ache settled in her stomach as she accelerated onto the highway. She turned on her radio and settled comfortably into the seat. Two hours was a long time.

She arrived at the college at six PM, an hour later than schedule because of traffic. She groaned as she stretched, finally standing after so long. She turned around and stared at the large building that she'll be staying in during her years in college. It filled her with both excitement and dread.

Maya locked her car and walked to find her dorm, which was convinentely on the first floor, but at the very back of the building. At least I'll have privacy, she thought as she unlocked the door. An intoxicating smell hit her as she opened the door. She exhaled and directed her attention from the floor to the room. A bed on the opposite side was already occupied, as was the closet and desk.