Secrets

26 | devon

I drop my bags and look around my new temporary home for the rest of the year–studying the four white walls surrounding me, making me feel slightly trapped, as if I've been encased in a small cage.

I survey the room critically. The dorm is split in half in theory, with two twin-sized beds placed on either side of the room. A desk sits in the middle of the room, placed beneath the only window in the area. The desk seems kind of pointless, considering I'll be sharing this space with someone else, and the realization makes me snort aloud.

The left side of the room still remains bare, while the right has already been decorated. My roommate must have arrived sometime earlier, seemingly already unpacked and comfortably settled in. I glance over her things mindlessly, taking a mental note of the bi pride flag hanging on the wall above her bed.

I jump when a voice suddenly exclaims, "Hey!"

I whirl around to face my perpetrator, coming face-to-face with a dark-haired girl with fiery amber eyes. It takes a moment for realization to dawn on me that she must be my roommate.

"Uh, hi," I stammer awkwardly, still trying to regain my composure after being so caught off guard.

"Sorry," the dark-haired girl apologizes sheepishly. She enters the room and extends a hand to me in greeting. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm assuming you're Devon? I'm Audrey. It's nice to meet you."

I accept Audrey's hand and we shake. I pull on a smile as I say, "It's nice to meet you too."

Audrey wanders over to her declared half of the room, taking a seat at the foot of her bed. Gesturing around her belongings with a wave of her hand, Audrey explains, "I totally did not mean to steal this side of the room. It was just closest to the door and my boxes were really heavy."

I exhale an airy laugh. "No, it's totally fine. I'm not picky."

Audrey flashes a white-toothed grin, the brightness of her teeth a stark contrast to her warm brown skin. "Awesome. Do you want some help unpacking?"

I hesitate only briefly before accepting the offer. For the next hour or so, Audrey and I get to know each other while attempting to unpack my things and set up my belongings in their new home. I'm shoving some of my clothes into one of the small dressers placed in the corner of my half of the room while Audrey shuffles through my boxes, laying my things out neatly for me to place where I so choose.

"No way!" Audrey suddenly exclaims, her enthusiasm grasping my attention. I glance at her over my shoulder curiously as Audrey pulls my pride flag out from one of my boxes, grinning ecstatically. "Me too!" She points over to the blue, purple, and pink flag hanging on her side of the room I'd previously noticed.

"Yeah!" I pause on putting away my clothes to give Audrey my full attention. "I noticed earlier. I thought that was cool, too."

"This is such a relief," Audrey admits. "I was worried I might end up rooming with someone who wasn't so accepting, but I see I had nothing to worry about!" Audrey laughs easily. Her amber eyes glitter as she smiles.

"I was worried about the same thing!" I confess, which is true. It had crossed my mind a few times that I might end up being paired to live with someone who could be potentially uncomfortable with my sexuality. Although a lot of people are very accepting of others these days, there are still a few who aren't so kind toward others for ridiculous reasons, such as sexuality or race. I'm glad to know I don't have to worry about being treated any differently for simply being myself.

"It sucks that that's even something we'd have to worry about in this day and age," Audrey mumbles under her breath. "Like, when are people going to start minding their own business and quit hating others over things they can't control?"

I nod my head out of agreement. "Exactly. It's fucking stupid."

"Amen," Audrey sighs. "I remember coming out to my parents when I started dating my first girlfriend. Long story short, they did not take it well."

I purse my lips thoughtfully. "I'm grateful my mom has always been super accepting. But I know how hard that can be . . . I'm sorry you had to go through that." I think back to what Hadley had to go through when her mother found out about her sexuality and shudder. It breaks my heart that members of my community have to face such hardships and torment over simply being who they are. Love should be celebrated, not shamed.

Audrey shrugs dismissively. "It's whatever. Things are better than they were, so that's what really matters."

Audrey and I speak briefly on the topic for a few moments longer before returning to the previous never-ending task: unpacking my things. Conversation flows easily as we work, which I'm grateful for. It's nice to get along with my roommate so well; at least I have already made one friend, which helps me feel a little less alone. Moving across the country to a place where I know no one had been a scary thought at first, though now it doesn't seem too bad.

Audrey beams as we study my designated side of the room once we've finally gotten the majority of my belongings set up and out of boxes. I share her smile as she loops an arm around my shoulders and declares, "You know Devon, I think you and I are going to be great friends."

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a/n: late night update 🥳 and a link to one of my tiktoks bc i use humor to cope w my issues 🤪
edit: sike! the link doesn't seem to work buttt you can still check it too if you want ig 🤷‍♀️