Differences Make Us Beautiful

An En-deer-ing Acquaintance

During his last year of High School, Rami had accepted his passion for science. He kept thinking back to that one conversation with his Biology teacher. He loved the outdoors, and he wanted to do something with his life, that allowed him to be outside as much as possible.

Botany, the science of plants. This was the best choice for him. Not only could he be with nature, but he could see scientifically what actually makes each little plant and flower unique and beautiful.

Back at home, he was working with his parents on what to bring with him. He will be living at the school, so he needed a lot of things to make sure he can live relatively comfortable. His dad actually bought a little miniature refrigerator.

"Daaaaad." he chuckled. "What will I use this for? All my food is non-perishable."

James shrugged. "You never know. You can keep your water in there, I guess. Also you will need milk for that cereal you got."

He loved his parents, but sometimes they could be hardheaded. They packed up the mini fridge in Rami's little car. Surprisingly, they were able to pack everything just fine. Sadly, though, they couldn't come with him to help him unpack, but they trusted that he'd be able to pull it off no problem.

After everything was packed and ready, Rami hugged his parents. He only lived like an hour from the school, so it's not like he wouldn't visit on weekends. He got into his car and started driving up to the university where he would embark on the next chapter in his life.

* * * * *

Rami stood in his dorm room. He could feel the sweat building under his fur. Walking over to the thermostat, he clicked it on. Gotta cool down the room a bit. It's still summer outside, and him running back and forth from his car to the room over and over again doesn't help.

He opened his suitcase, and began hanging up his shirts. Not too long after he hung his last shirt on the hanger, he heard a knock at his room door. He looked over to see who it was, and saw a deer standing in the doorway.

"Helloooooo~" he said playfully. "Your roomie has arrived."

Rami looks at him and gives a friendly smile. "Hi there!"

He walks in and looks around the room. The deer was a little taller than he was. His fur was gray in color, and had two light-gray rings around each wrist and ankle. The antlers were white and polished. His ears were a dark maroon color, and he had white around his muzzle with a stripe leading up between his two fiery red eyes.

He seems to peek inside my little cabinet and see's the food I have stored. "Oh. My. God." He said.

"What? What's wrong?" Rami asked.

"You ... have a mini fridge." He pointed to the little fridge at the bottom of the cabinet.

"I do!" The goat walked over and opened it up. "Although I won't use it for a lot, but my parents insisted that I bring it. Do you have one?"

The deer shook his head. "Can't afford one."

"Well, you can use mine. There's plenty of room." Rami placed his paws on his hips.

He smiled. "I like you already." He stuck his paw out for Rami to shake. "Oh, jeez, I forgot. My name is Reid. I'm a Junior."

They shook paws. "I'm Rami, I'm actually a freshman. What's your degree?" the goat asked.

"Culinary science." Reid stated. "And welcome to the university. I'm positive you'll do well here."

"Ooooo that sounds nice. And thank you. I think I can cook pretty well, but I got my own passions. I am studying botany. I want to work with plant life, be out in nature, all kinds of boring stuff." he giggled.

"That's not boring!" Reid said. "I love nature!" he gave a wide smile.

They sat and talked for a minute. This deer seems very nice. Reminds him a lot of Oli, actually, though he quickly shakes his head and re-focuses back on the deer in front of him. Once the small talk was out of the way, Rami stood up.

"Alright, I should help you with your things."

Reid furrowed his brow. "Huh? Noooo, you don't have to. I think I can handle."

Rami waved his paw. "No worries. I'm almost completely unpacked. It would be rude of me to sit here and watch you bring everything up. C'mon! Let's get going!"

Rami walked with Reid down to his car. He seemed to pack pretty light. It only took two trips to completely empty out his car. The goat gave his tips on storing the food, and allowed Reid to keep some of his perishable foods in his little refrigerator.

Once they were both done unpacking, Rami grabbed a set of clean clothes.

"I think I will take a shower. I can feel my fur sticking to itself." the two laughed.

Reid did the same. "I think that's a good idea. Luckily, the showers here are pretty clean. And they are individual. We're at a college, not a prison." he winked.

The two walked together to the communal bathrooms. People were still moving in, so the showers weren't really being used yet. There were 8 individual shower stalls. Reid got inside one, and Rami claimed one where there was a shower in between them.

After they were both clean, dry, and dressed, they went back to the room. Reid had a separate bag for his dirty clothing, which Rami felt was a good idea.

"Hey." Reid said. "You said you were a freshman, right?"

Rami nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You hungry?"

"Uhhh, yeah, a bit. I'll probably just heat up some Ramen-"

Reid lifted a paw. "Don't worry about that. I wanna show you The Barn. Little burger joint down the road. All the students like going there, it's THE hangout spot off-campus. My treat."

"Y-You sure?"

"Of course! You helped me unpack, so I wanna pay for lunch. C'mon, I'll drive. It's only 4 minutes away." Reid turned and grabbed his keys.

The two went down to the restaurant and had a good lunch. Rami was impressed by the quality of the food, and they talked with each other. Reid told him about the different traditions on campus, and the best spots to study, and even the best party spots, if that's your thing.

Rami has only known this new deer for a few hours, and already, he could feel some sort of connection. Something about Reid just stood out. A friendly face. The goat felt like this is where he needs to be. He felt safe, and that feeling didn't come very easily. There was only one other animal, outside of family, that could make him feel this way.

He looked at Reid's face and saw his old friend. Someone who stood by him when it was needed most. The fact they are both deer had nothing to do with the relation. But the way Reid talked, and carried himself. Rami had a feeling in his gut that there was something special developing.

College was going to be a blast, he can already tell, and Rami cannot wait to get his life started.