Michigan State had never been Ophelia's first choice - it wasn't even in her top five. Yet, somehow, the blonde found herself carrying the last of her packing boxes into Landon Hall. As she studied the faces around her - some new, some familiar - she wondered if maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she initially thought. She had done everything in her power to avoid this university. What she really wanted was to move to a different state, and make a new life for herself; start over. She wished she had realized earlier that, financially, moving to a different state was completely unrealistic. She eventually settled on the idea of coming to Michigan State, understanding it was her only way of escaping her hometown, even if it was only an hour away.
She let out a huff as she dropped the last box onto the floor beside her bed, pushing the hair that had fallen from her loose ponytail back out of her face. The room wasn't much, just a mixture of blue walls and tan carpet. Her side was completely bare apart from the boxes she had placed strategically on the ground, her bed, and her desk. Her roommates side mirrored hers, but since she had been there since last semester, it was decked out with whatever she desired. The walls were splattered with rock posters, and her desk was covered in different colored crystals, succulents, and books. There was barely an inch on her entire side of the room that wasn't decorated.
Ophelia smiled to herself as she took in the sight. Her living situation had never been great, but she had a feeling moving in with her life-long best friend could change that. "Sorry my side is a mess. I'm still getting moved back in." Jessie's voice breaks the silence in the room, nearly making Ophelia jump out of her skin. Jessie grinned when she realized she had scared her, letting out a maniacal laugh before jumping onto her own bed. "So, what do you think?" Jessie waves her hand around the room, as if showing it off. Ophelia takes a breath, glancing around once more, "It's... exactly what I imagined a college dorm would look like." She nods, confident in her answer.
"Yeah, they all look the same. That's why we gotta make the most out of them, right?" The raven-haired girl nods to her posters, giving Ophelia a grin. "Right." She says in agreement, tearing open one of her boxes to start unpacking. "Once you're all settled in," Jessie says, picking up her phone to check the time, "The boys are throwing a party to welcome all the freshmen. You down?" She quirks an eyebrow, pulling herself up into a sitting position. Ophelia begins pulling her clothes from one box, setting them neatly into the wooden dresser. "Ryan was gonna come check out the dorm." She says dismissively, obviously uninterested in the idea.
"Fuck Ryan." Jessie opens up her nightstand, shuffling around before finally landing on her neon green dab pen. "There you are." She kisses the device excitedly before holding it to her lips and taking a long drag. "You're seriously not gonna break up with him?" She blows the smoke out, watching it dissipate into the air. "He helped me out when no one else did, J. He's gonna think I used him if I break up with him the second I move out of his house."
"Who cares? After the shit he put you through, he deserves to be used." Jessie shrugs, and Ophelia turns to her to give her an annoyed look. "Oh, come on. He can come over tomorrow. Tell him that you wanna spend time with me, or something." She takes another drag before offering Ophelia the pen. "I don't know." She mumbles, leaning across the room to take the dab pen. She takes a hit, inhaling for about five seconds before shutting her eyes and letting the smoke coat her lungs. "That's an 'I'm stressed out about my boyfriend' hit." Jessie grins, swatting away the smoke her friend blows directly at her. "One party won't kill you, Lia. Besides, it's a good way to meet people." The girl offers, standing up from her bed to help Ophelia put away her clothes. "Fine. But only because I know you're gonna keep annoying me until I agree to go."
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Ophelia was eternally grateful that Jessie stuck by her side longer than the first five minutes of the party. In high school, she tended to disappear into the crowd by the time the first song ended. The two of them were well into their third drinks, bodies vibrating with the loud rap music playing over the speakers. "See? I told you this would be fun!" Jessie exclaims, and Ophelia gives her a grin. Before she could respond, a voice yelled her friends name. "Jessie! That you?" It was a voice unfamiliar to Ophelia, but Jessie seemed to recognize it immediately. "Max!" She squeaks excitedly, squeezing past Ophelia to hug the brunette.
