Everything comes back to you -J.MARIANO

[2.01]

ꪻhe day she had received the acceptance letter, Taryn had cried and ran to Tas' computer to cancel all the classes she had signed up for. The family ran around like chickens without heads, hurrying to collect and buy everything she would need for the next few years of her life in New York. Thankfully, given that her course had picked its students so late in the year, she didn't have to worry about finding housing as dorms on the colleges' campus had been saved for them. It was a wild goose chase. Her two weeks leading up to the starting date of her course were filled with several trips to shopping centers, a tearful goodbye to Tas as he set off for Harvard, final meals at Luke's and various shops within town. But, through it all, she could instantly say it was all worth it the second she had dropped her first bags within her dorm room.

"Are you sure you have everything?" her Dad asked as the family stood in Taryn's newly decorated dorm room, empty boxes in hand. Her dads had simply refused to leave until she was fully unpacked and ready to go, in case she 'needed help moving something' or 'didn't know where to place a specific item.' She humored them through it all, making sure to frequently ask their opinions and ensure that they were having fun whilst unpacking all of her belongings into a room that did not feel like home.

"Yes Dad I'm sure," she laughed softly, moving to hug him to help sooth away some of the anxiousness he clearly felt about leaving her alone.

^Promise you'll be safe?^

^I promise Da.^

After another long entire family hug, they shared a smile and her parents turned to leave. Taryn walked them through her dorm and to the car, waving goodbye from the sidewalk as the taxi drove away. She could just tell that her parents were sobbing profusely and she wouldn't lie to herself and ignore the pricking of tears within her eyes. Choosing to ignore the tears, she turned and headed back to her bedroom.

Once inside her room, she collapsed onto the bed. Laying on top of the covers, she sighed softly to herself and listened to the silence of her new home. The more she lay there alone, the more she worried. She worried she would not be good enough for the course, she worried that people would not be able to communicate at all times, she worried about losing her processors and never being able to find them through the large unfamiliar space of her bedroom. She had no distractions from these thoughts, since no one else in her room had arrived yet. Taryn had wanted to get the moving done and out of the way as quickly as possible, plus this way she managed to secure the only single bedroom within the dorm that housed four other girls. She was the one closest to the kitchen but for her the noise factor didn't particularly matter, she could just turn off her hearing if it all got too loud.

She sat up quickly and placed her socked feet atop the rug that Tas had brought her as a congratulations present the day before he had left for Harvard. With nothing better to do, she plucked a book from the shelf above her bed and moved to her comfy chair by the closet. Taryn opened the first page and froze, her gaze fixed upon Jess' inky handwriting. She hadn't realized he had ever touched this particular one and the note in the first place was enough to tug at her heart profusely. She sighed to herself and turned over the page, choosing to fall into the story instead of her life.

-

Taryn reached the end of her book by the time the clocks struck one in the afternoon. She had been slightly surprised to realize that no roommates had arrived yet and for a moment wondered whether she had gotten the move in date completely incorrect and was far too early. She placed her book back onto the shelf and ventured out into the kitchen, looking forward to finding something good to eat for lunch. As she pulled open a squeaky door to one of the cupboards, a key entered the front door and it swung open. She watched as someone entered, lugging their rather large and heavy suitcase into the main area of the dorm.

"Need a hand?" Taryn asked the girl as she came out from the kitchen and noticed how much of a struggle lugging this one particular bag happened to be. The girl laughed in such a way that Taryn knew meant she needed way more than a hand. Collectively, they managed to drag the suitcase towards the two doors of the remaining bedrooms and stopped just outside.

"Are the rooms all taken?" the girl asked, her voice heavy with stolen air.

"Not yet, you're the second here. I'd pick this one though," she paused, gesturing to the door on the right hand side of the living area. "Bigger bedroom with a bay window."

Following her recommendation, the girl headed towards the bigger bedroom and took a quick look around. Taryn stood at the bag and watched as she looked around the bigger room then quickly stuck her head in the smaller room, instantly agreeing that the first was the better bedroom. "Aria, by the way," she smiled as she placed her hand back atop the suitcase handle. "But my friends call me Ri."

"Taryn," she introduced with a smile whilst they continued to drag the suitcase into the room. They dumped it in the middle of the room and Aria pushed it over and the clattering that followed let Taryn know what was actually within the suitcase. Books and shoes.

"I don't suppose you'd want to help me bring in the rest of my stuff from the car? I'll buy you a pizza..."

"Sold," Taryn agreed instantly, figuring that this would be a good way to make a friend whilst also not having to figure out her own dinner that evening. They walked outside together and got to talking, awkward small talk that didn;t amount to much but a brief background story and a quick description of how her choclears worked. "Is this your car?" she asked as Aria stopped next to a tiny car (filled to the brim with boxes and various other suitcases) that was most definitely parked illegally.

"I had to drive it without actually being able to see out the back,"she nodded whilst beginning to pull things from the back of the car, creating a small stack in Taryn 's arms. "Too much stuff, too little of a car. I was going to have help but the help turned out to be a dick and a waste of my time. I hate men."

Taryn laughed softly, "Same."

Aria turned from the car, brow cocked as she responded, "Do tell?"

And Taryn told her everything and listened as she vented about her ex-boyfriend as they slowly but surely unpacked Aria's tiny car and moved it to the small student car park miles away from the actual dorms. But she had no other option and Aria didn't seem bothered by the walk. They bonded incredibly over their past relationships and Taryn quickly found that it was a little too easy to talk to her and feel that any information was a secret between them.

They ended the night sat on Taryn's bedroom floor, both eating pizza whilst trying to figure out the other three roommates through the smallest crack between the door and the floor. Upon meeting the person who took the second bed in Ri's room, Taryn promised that her floor or comfy chair would always be available for her to use if she got too much. Aria was undoubtedly a morning person with a sunshiny attitude and a love for all things nature related, her roommate was the complete antithesis of that and was definitely the night type.

It did, however, create a rather interesting dynamic.