ALL OR NOTHING~ Dalton Lambert

PILOT

Just a few more minutes until Shiloh would arrive officially at college, however she wasn't feeling nervous. She was smart, had a strong vocabulary, and would be entering a very specific, very advanced art class with one of the best teachers.

She wasn't the type to flaunt her talents but to wait for someone to find them, she didn't feel sick at the thought of rooming with a stranger, but she was afraid of what she was running from.
That is what holds her down, what stops her from being vulnerable and empathetic, all because no one she's met has really understood and or seen just how bad things can get.

She was relieved to see the beautiful building that was now her home stand in front of her, families hugging and a few crying, frat house advertising on every corner. She was ready to do this all by herself, she was quick to shut off her car and immediately stepped out and scoffed at how hot it was.

She put her clothes that were neatly on hangers into a big blue storage tub and shoves shoes and books into it. She drove nearly 1,000 miles in her 2009 honda accord by herself, packed up her life into the car and came to this damn liberal art school for a reason.
She carried the tub and decided to ignore the many flyers being shoved in her face, trying her hardest to not drop the heaving bin in her arms when an older man ran right past.

Bumping right into her arm causing her to  nearly drop everything, she stopped and looked back at the man who seemed on edge so she figured he was just emotional from saying goodbye to his child.

She pushed her way through the crowded hallways and made it to her dorm, slowly opening the door to find a girl on the right side of the room.
Shiloh  first noticed her outfit which consisted of a large Janis Joplin shirt and long baggy shorts, she had wavy light brown hair and once she realized someone had entered the room, Shiloh was met with soft blue eyes.

"Shiloh, right?" her brow arched and a finger pointing at the girl in front of her, "in the flesh, your Ezi?" she stated, slightly out of breath. Shiloh dropped her belongings on the bed and sat down to test the mattress, not really sure what to say next. "I like your decorations by the way," first conversations really weren't Shilohs specialty but she wanted to start off well with Ezi.

"Thank you," she smiled. " I love your name by the way; Shiloh-Moone, it's truly gorgeous." Ezi did not make eye contact with the girl, too occupied with untangling some string light to look over her shoulder.
Shiloh said a simple 'thank you' and told her roommate she'd be black and headed back out the building to her car to bring in everything from the car while she still had the energy.

Once everything was inside she set a heavy rock to hold the door open to let some cool air in and connected her phone to the bluetooth speaker on the desk and pressed play on the playlist that spotify made for her, consisting of her favorite songs. It turns out that Shiloh and Ezi have very similar music taste, giving them this moment to connect in that way.

'Petals' by Hole was playing and the two girls were in their own world, setting up their own sides in the room when a gentle knock snapped them both back to reality, turning their heads in unison. "Hey strangers," Shiloh smiled at the girl that stood in her doorway, "I'm Chris, I'm across the hall."
The girl had no troubles coming into the room, observing the decor and stopping behind Shiloh. Staring at the many pictures and posters on her side of the room but Chris was amazed at the painting and drawings Shiloh was hanging up.

"Your art, it's really beautiful" she began, "thank you, I'm Shiloh by the way." She smiled at Chris who smiled and shook her head, Ezi finally turned down the music to introduce herself and the three began talking.
"What song is this?" Chris asked, looking at Shiloh. "Decode. It's by Paramore," she simply replied and went back to organizing her things and hummed softly to the music while Ezi and Chris were talking about their classes.

Chris was going on and on about her ideas on being a math major and playfully arguing with Ezi about how the roommate seemed smart enough for just about anything. Shiloh observed them, how quickly they got along and hoped to be seeing more of Chris.

Shiloh was leaning against the desk with her arms folded and talking to the girls about her excitement for her art class, going into specific detail about how hard it was to get the teacher she desired.
Just when she began explaining her art work, a boy peeked his head through the door frame quickly before leaving.
Less than five seconds later he was back, this time sighing and leaning against the door frame.
Shiloh straightened her posture and all three in the room turned their attention to the stranger, "Chris, hey."

"Oh guys this is my dorm mate, Dalton!" She stood up quickly, "Roomie, this is Ezi and Shiloh." He looked over at Shiloh who simply nodded at him while Ezi gave a small wave. His eyes moved from hers to the wall on her left, observing her work. "Dude.. don't be weird, say hi?" Chris nudged him, giving him a look and he seemed to snap out of his thoughts.
"Right, sorry, I'm Dalton," his voice was rough, Shiloh stood silent; really taking in what he looks like.

"Hey" Shiloh said, she let her eyes roam down his body, his hands, and back up to his blue eyes. While we're looking directly at her, he tightens his jaw before saying something to Chris.
Shiloh didn't pay attention to anyone in the room anymore, she felt a different presence with her.
It wasn't necessarily Dalton but something surrounding him, she couldn't tell if it was pulling to her but the hairs on her neck stood and suddenly she felt uncomfortable.

"Come on in," Ezi broke the silence and walked over to the desk and leaned against it with Shiloh.
Chris and Ezi went back to their convention from before, leaving Shiloh and Dalton to sit awkwardly.
"I like your art," He looked down at her, "thanks." It was almost like a statement which cause him to laugh softly,
"Are you taking any art classes?" He pushed his brows together and waited for the answer, "I am actually." She kept her eyes on the picture she hung up, "you?"

"Yeah I got into Armagan's class," She smiled proudly, "No way me too." He smiled and her expression dropped, now she knew she had some competition.
"Look, I have some art of my own down in my dorm- would you wanna come check it out real quick?" He folded his arms, he knew the question sounded creepy as hell but he took interest in Shiloh.
"Maybe another day, hey Chris it's getting a little late and me and Ezi have a lot to do tonight." She said, sending a hint to everyone in the small room. Dalton simply nodded at her response, pushed himself off the desk and walked out with Chris not too far behind.

"Talk about tension," Ezi said sarcastically, shaking her head and laughing at her roommate's behavior. Shiloh rolled her eyes and turned up the music and continued to unpack, wanting to just fall asleep already.