Dorm Room 210 [Rewrite]

Chapter 5

Monday arrives with preparation and the entire campus swamps with eager students and staff. My first class doesn't start until tomorrow, allowing me time to really get my proper bearings around the school. Maybe it's why I opt for the cafeteria today.

Big mistake.

Voices knot together, one conversation blending with the other, making it difficult to focus. The silver square tables line up and spread evenly out in a neat fashion, with red cushioned booths drilled beside the walls, filling the large and spacious cafeteria like it would for a shopping centre. The small oval lights hanging from the boxed ceiling emit a brilliant blue, matching the floor and reflection that bounce off Building D beside us, and the large windows surrounding the cafeteria give off an open space feeling. The amount of people lining up and seated in the chairs keeps my mind clear from triggering claustrophobia. It doesn't, however, stop the silent sweating under my armpits despite the fans tucked tight in the boxed ceiling.

I order scallop potatoes and a salad packed in a plastic container, then find an empty seat towards the far corner where a handful of people sit with their laptops and books, headphones on and faint music playing in the background, the wild buzz of conversation now just hindering background noise.

While I eat my lunch, I check through my school emails to see if there are any important notices I need to be on the lookout for. When that's over, I jump on social media, browse around and leave a few likes. I leave a comment to a gorgeous model wearing an off-the-shoulder floral dress with three-dimensional flowers stitched to one side, then click on the link to find the exact dress online. I chew onto a cherry tomato, debating if I should purchase it.

"Lillian?"

My entire body snaps attention at the sound of my name. Standing there in a plain black t-shirt and ripped jean shorts is Nikki with a large smile on her face, her pink leather tote bag on her shoulder, her matching wallet out.

"I thought I saw you in the back here," she continues. "It's so good to see you again. How's everything? Did you settle in your dorm easily? Cil and I were thinking about you. She's in line grabbing something to eat."

I stare up at her, curious etching in my words. "You were?"

"Duh," she says like it's the most obvious thing. She points at the empty chair in front of me. "Is someone sitting with you?"

"No."

"Sweet." She scrapes the chair back slightly and slides in. "I'll just send Cil a message to tell her you're here."

As she texts her friend, I can't help but wonder why she'd think about me. After going our separate ways, I would've thought we'd never see each other again. I try to remember the events of move-in day, but all that spring to mind are the attack in the bathroom and the milkshake spillage.

Cold sweat fans throughout my body. Of course, I'd be seeing her again — she's Noah's girlfriend! Obviously, she knows about my situation with her boyfriend. That must be the reason she'll be thinking about me. Has she come to set me straight? Threaten me to behave? The thought alone makes me tighten my hold on the phone.

"You okay?"

I force a smile onto my face and relax my grip. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

She visibly relaxes. "Cil is almost done ordering, but we have a table near the front where the rest of our friends are. I was actually coming here to ask if you wanted to hang with us." 

The kindness from Nikki catches me off guard. Even after our first random encounter, she's happily inviting me to join her. A sudden rise of emotion catches my throat. I clear it, shaking it away. Now is not the time to be visibly crying.