Lemonade (WLGYL #2)

Chapter 23-Past

Jessie's shoulder was pressed against my chin, her hair tickling my cheek. We were stuffed into the tiny elevator in her dorm building with her parents, Caleb, and the majority of her belongings.

    We were moving Jessie into college--a week before I would fly out to California--and when I left, I wouldn't see her again until Thanksgiving. This would be the first time Jessie and I would be apart for that long since we had met. I was prepared to ball my eyes out.

    When the elevator dinged open, Jessie led the charge to the left, to room 406. Two paper leaves adorned the door with "Jessie" and "Savannah," her new roommate, written on them.

    "I hope there aren't cockroaches," Jessie said, her arms clutching three boxes haphazardly stacked. "I read some horror stories on Reddit."

    Caleb rolled his eyes. He was on mini fridge duty, and he made it look way too easy. "You're dramatic." It was hard to reconcile 10-year-old scrawny Caleb with the strong man he was now. He had grown up while I wasn't looking, while I had always been too focused on Mason. Mason. He wasn't here; he was already back at school for his junior year, his first college year single.

    "You sound surprised."

    I giggled, and Jessie finally opened the door. She was moving in first, so the dorm room was bare bones. Two desks, two nightstands, two lofted beds, two mattresses, two dressers, and two closets. A blank slate. I knew Jessie was beyond excited to make it her own. We had been planning out our future dorm rooms for the past year — color schemes, decor, additional furniture.

    "Which side is yours?" Mrs. Masterson asked, prepared to put down the sunshine-yellow comforter she was holding.

    "Um, the left side. I think that's what Savannah and I decided." Jessie said, following her mom into the room.

    Savannah and I. Like they were best friends already. I knew Jessie and I would meet other people at college and make new friends, but a small part of me was still jealous, still hurt, that a new person could find a place in Jessie's heart. A place I'd always known as partly mine.

    "Where is this going?" Caleb huffed, the weight of the mini fridge finally showing itself on his face.

    "Over here, Captain America." Jessie pointed to a patch of empty space in the center of the room, between the two beds.

    Caleb looked grateful, placing the new mini fridge down on the gray carpet.

    Jessie's dorm was an older building at the school, the most recent to have air conditioning installed in the rooms. Jessie slept in subzero temperatures, so I know she was appreciative of the newfound addition. The hallways were lit with fluorescents, the walls everywhere were popcorned a creamy beige, and the carpets were flattened with use. Her work cut out for her, Jessie stood at the edge of her bed, her hands on her hips, directing us where she wanted each of her belongings to go. I had no doubt that she would make the room her own.

    In my own college dorm experience, my mother was there every step of the way. She helped me decide what to bring, what to buy, what colors would work well together: light blue and white. Jessie, on the other hand, was never one to need help. Mrs. Masterson played a supporting role in the Jessie-college-saga, assisting her when needed, but never overbearing. Her daughter was the one who liked to take control.

    Two hours later we had emptied out the minivan; everything was now in Jessie's room in piles, broken down cardboard and full boxes littering around. Luckily for us, Jessie's roommate wasn't coming for another hour, so we had time to make things a little more organized.