Running Hearts

Chapter 2

Now

Is this real? This is my first thought as soon as I get out of the car. This place looks well...exactly like it's picture. However, what I am feeling right now is beyond words.

The sweet man, Deven, who drove me here, gets down, too. I had a pretty engaging conversation with him along the way, given that the ride was long. "So here it is, Avanti. I've already unloaded your luggage. Do you want me to carry them for you, or will you take it from here?" Deven raises his eyebrows.

"Nahh. I think I got it from here. Thanks a lot for everything. You can take your leave now if you want to."

"Well if you are so sure. I'm gonna go now. Good luck for everything, and don't worry, everything is going to be fine."I wave to him before saying goodbye.

Here goes nothing. As soon as I reach the on-campus dorm, I'm terrified. Jokes apart, this place is overcrowded. I did say I want to be alone and independent, but this is definitely not what I had in mind. Maybe all the girls thought today was a good idea to move in because I keep bumping into people while trying to find my room.

When I finally reach my room, without wasting any time I enter it and close the door. I lean on the door and close my eyes for a few seconds. "What are you doing?" A voice startles me.

A gasp involuntarily leaves my mouth as I stare at the blonde girl in front of me. She examines me from head to toe. I am pretty sure I do not miss the judgmental look in her eyes. I look at myself as well. I know I'm not built like a model, but I am okay with my brown skin and dark hair and I know I don't work out but I do yoga every morning.

"I was just overwhelmed by so many people. I needed a moment. Is it supposed to be this many people every time?" I narrow my eyes.

"Yeah...why are you asking? It's not even that many people. Are you like the antisocial type of person?" she snarks.

"No. I'm not. I didn't expect so many people at one go. That's it. Anyway, starting afresh, I'm Avantika Mathur. Nice to meet you. And you are?"I give her the best smile I can.

"I'm Stacy. Likewise." She cuts it short and goes back to scrolling on her phone.

Rude. I think to myself. I'd rather not judge someone since we just met. But I like to think that first impressions last for a long time. And this is a lesson on how you should never leave a first impression on someone.

I take my bags and start to unpack on my side. I cannot rest until I've at least removed my clothes and organized them in my closet. When I get to the closet, on the other side, there is just a pile of clothes which I try my best to ignore. I look back at my new roommate and see the mess she has made on her bed. I internally cringe.

This is not going to be easy. I pray it gets better though.

............................................................

Two hours later, I'm lying on my bed and wondering what I can do for the rest of the day. I am really bored and classes start in two days. I usually do not have much free time by myself. I wanted to bond with Stacy. However, I get the vibe that she is not very fond of me. Well, you're not my favorite person on this planet as well, Stacy.

"Yeah. This is not working. Let's go for a walk around campus." I whisper to myself before taking my cardigan and keys with me.

Something was really eating me up. It was my worry of not making any friends. I survived high school. The keyword is survived. The brown girl is usually ignored, but I was a brown girl who had boundaries of fun. People regarded that as lame. High school was filled with shallow teenagers. I did not fit in with neither the girls nor the boys. I admit it was some kind of my fault since my parents were the 'if you have fun today, you can't have fun tomorrow' parents. So I did miss a lot of fun. This is college. It is different. There are going to be every kind of students here. I'm sure I'll find one I like. Right?