Young Folks (Ross Lynch AU)

one.

"Hey!" a cheery blonde greeted from inside my dorm. "I'm Nina. And you must be..." she trailed off before looking down at a sheet she held in her hand, "Aspen!"

"That's me," I chuckled. "I'm assuming we're roommates?"

"Correcto mundo," Nina grinned.

"Sweet," I smiled and walked further into the small room. There were two elevated beds on either side of the room with a desk and chair slid nearly underneath. A mini fridge was placed in the far right corner and a flat screen TV was bolted to the wall next to the door.

"Oh shit," I muttered to myself.

"What's wrong?" Nina asked sincerely.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just, uh, afraid of heights," I stated awkwardly, referring to the sleeping arrangement set up by the school.

"Oh my goodness! Um, I doubt there is anything we can do to change the room arrangements, but I can make your bed for you and put up any decorations of any sort you have. How does that sound?" Nina smiled.

"Fantastic. Thank you so much!" I grinned.

"No problem! Just remember, there are barriers so you won't fall off, and the floor really isn't that far. And I'm always just across the room if you need anything, alright?"

I nodded, thankful that this generous girl would be my roommate for the rest of the school year.

As I looked around, I noticed that the right side of the room was already decorated with various posters of musicians, dancers, and inspirational quotes. The bed was made up and the closet was full of clothing. It looked as though Nina had been here for a while.

"Is your family coming to help you get settled in?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head in the process. "They should be here any se-"

I was interrupted by a knock at the door, and in walked my father and younger brother.

"Alright, Aspen, here is the microwave. Where do you want it?" My dad asked.

"Uh, just set it on top of the mini fridge for now," I instructed. He made his was over to the far right corner and set it down where he was told.

"Hi," he greeted, turning around to look at Nina. "I'm Chris, Aspen's father. And you must be her roommate."

"That's me! I'm Nina. It's great to meet you. And who might you be, little dude?" Nina asked, turning towards my brother.

"I'm Hunter," he grumbled. He was at that age where he was still young, but wanted to be treated like an adult.

"Sweetie, is the sleeping arrangement going to be okay?" My dad whispered.

"It'll be fine, Dad. I'll get over it quickly. Besides, Nina is helping me get everything up there are ready to go, so that helps a lot," I smiled at her, silently thanking her once again.

"Well that's very kind of you, Nina. Thank you," he shot her a smile. "Is there anything else you want us to do, Aspen?"

"Um, I think I'm fine, thanks," I smiled sadly.

"Alrighty then. Stay safe, pumpkin, okay?" my dad instructed, embracing me in a hug. I nodded and buried my face in his neck as I wrapped my arms around his torso. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too, Dad," I muttered, tears threatening to spill over.

"Don't cry. We'll see you before you know it. College is going to be a great experience for you. You'll love it."

"I'll miss you," I whispered.

"I'll miss you, too, pumpkin. Just remember that I'm only a call away, yeah? I love you," my dad said and kissed my head once more before pulling away from our hug.

"Don't stay here, Aspen. Come home with us," Hunter pleaded with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry, buddy, I can't. I have to stay here. But we can Skype as often as you want, alright?" I smiled weakly.

"Okay," Hunter said quietly. He then ran up to me as I bent down to his height and he wrapped his small arms around me. Seeing as he was only 8, I knew he was having a really rough time with me leaving. But he knew that this was what I wanted, and, as much as he hated it, I had to go.

"I love you, Aspen," he whispered.

"I love you, too, buddy," I smiled. "You can call any time and I'll be there, yeah?"

"Alright," he smiled sadly and went back over to our father.

"Bye, Aspen," they said in unison, waved, and then they left.

I heard sniffling behind me, and I turned around to see Nina with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"That was just too cute and sad at the same time!" She cried out, laughing.

"Idiot," I muttered jokingly and chuckled along with her.

I could tell that this was going to be a great year.

Yo bitches go check out my Riker fanfic Photograph I'm fucking desperate for reads and votes on that one

And the photo is kinda what the beds are set up like. They aren't that fancy bc I mean, college dorm. Hello. But yeah that's the idea

Shoutout to me (AKA Ed Sheeran (long story)) for writing that fucking awesome song "Nina"