Us

Chapter 1

Convincing my mom to let me leave Pittsburgh was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. She's always had me so far under her wing I was suffocating. Being the oldest isn't all it's cracked up to be, yeah I get to drive first, and I get the college savings, but I also have to watch the kids and take them everywhere. That's why I needed to get away, I don't know who I am.

I found Angelwood online, I thought the campus was so beautiful and the weather in LA is always so perfect, I knew I had to be out there. My mom refused the minute I told her, she said I was too young to be that far away from home. It was my dad who helped. He told her to give me a semester and if I wanted to come home I would. She still refused. Though when my dad applied for me online and paid for everything, it seemed like my mother had no other choice. She hated being ganged up on but she also hated seeing me sad.

I left for Angelwood the first day of September. Classes didn't start until the 15th but I couldn't wait. It's my junior year, and spending my first two years of high school in Pittsburgh was a complete headache. Everyone was such a plain Jane, no parties, no music, no fun, just sports, books, and movies.

I drove to Los Angeles in my red Kia, stuffed with school supplies, clothes, and stuff for my room. The trip took forever but I barely stopped, I wanted to get there as fast as I could. After two and a half of driving I finally pulled up to the Angelwood campus. The shiny white buildings seemed to go on for miles.

When I looked at myself in the mirror i could practically hear it breaking. My hair was disheveled from sleeping in my car, my eyes had bags that had bags, I probably smell like the inside of a boy's locker room, and I am starting to sweat through my sweatpants and sweatshirt due to the crazy Los Angeles temperatures.

I dug through my stuff until I found a brush and I brushed my greasy hair out. I found a bottle of perfume and I practically poured the bottle on myself to mask my showerless odor. I pulled up to Berkshire hall, my dormitory, and got out. A little booth was set up by the door so students could get their room assignments and schedules. I grabbed a large cart they leave out to help students get their stuff inside and I start to unload what I can into the cart before the it overflows.

I walk over to the booth and the short brunette behind it stares up at me.

"Welcome to Berkshire Hall, I'm Brooke your DA, can I get your name?" She smiles

"Chloe Lukasiak."

"You're right here, room 221, your sharing with my sister." She hands me my room key

"Great, thanks." I drag my cart down the never ending maze of hallways until I get to room 221.

A tall blonde girl sits on one of the beds when I open the door. She has massive headphones on and doesn't even seem to notice that I've walked in. I push my cart in, shutting the door behind me. I tap the girl on her shoulder and she jumps, slapping her hand over her heart when she sees it's just me.

She removes her headphones "Are you trying to give someone a heart attack!"

"No, sorry, I just didn't know how else to get your attention." I extend my hand "I'm Chloe Lukasiak."

"Paige Hyland." She shakes it

"Is this your first year?" I ask

"No, I've been going here since 9th grade, my parents don't live too far from here but they insisted my sister and I go to boarding school so we could like gain some independence or some crap like that." She sits up on her bed "I had a roommate last year but she died."

"Seriously! That's horrible!"

"Nah I'm just messing with you, her family moved to Guatemala. I had her for freshman year too but when barely spoke to each other, I don't even remember her last name." She shrugs

Paige is so different than the kids back home, nobody ever messes around like her, and Paige's sense of style is different too. Her converse go all the way up to her knees, her hair is in two braids and her eye makeup is so detailed, at home everyone just wears one shade of eyeshadow and a straight line of eyeliner.

"So where you from?" She asks

"Pittsburgh."

"Cool, I've never been anywhere outside of California." She sighs

"Who'd ever want to leave, California's like a dream."

"For tourists, but it gets old." She shrugs and gets off her bed "Everyone usually just brings their stuff into their rooms then goes to check out the campus and see their friends."

"Okay, well I have a couple more things in the car." I start unloading the cart

"Just give me your keys I'll go get the rest of your stuff."

Without even thinking I hand her my keys. What if she's a thief and steals my car, well she lives here so she'd have to come back.

Paige comes back with the rest of my stuff "You've packed a lot."

"My mom wanted to make sure I wouldn't need anything." I sigh

"Okay, well wash up, cause you're smelling a little ripe." She pinches her nose.

I laugh a little and dig out a towel and my toiletry bag. The bathroom is empty when I get there. I assumed the showers would just have curtains but instead they have translucent glass sliding doors that lock from the inside. I wash myself up and brush my teeth. I put on a little concealer to hide my sleep deprived under eyes then head back to the room.

I dress up in shorts and a tank top before heading out with Paige. The campus is so alive, people talking, eating, reading, playing music, it all seems so foreign.

A colorful dome at the center of the campus has the words Student Lounge painted across the top. I didn't see that on the website, but it looks so amazing.

"Nobody really hangs in the student lounge except Us." Paige catches me staring

"Us?"

"My crowd, people who like the same stuff I do. We all hang in there but not all of us are friends, we're just a bunch of little groups under one name." Paige started towards the student lounge

Music plays once you open the door and the smell of popcorn and hotdogs smack you in the face.

"Chloe come on!" I look and notice Paige has already descended towards her friends.

Two boys sit on the couch in the corner, both wearing similar massive headphones just like Paige's.

"Chloe these are my last resorts." Paige sits on a chair across from the couch

One boy notices me and removes his headphones "oh Hey, I'm Chris."

"Chloe." I nod

Chris looks over at the other boy who still hasn't noticed me and elbows him.

"Oww man, what the hell!" He slaps Chris before noticing me, his eyes soften "Oh, hi, I'm Ricky."

"I'm Chloe."

"And my bruised!" Chris rubs the red hand mark on his arm

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That concludes chapter 1 hope you like it