𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞|| 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐱𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝

1.

As Willow got out of the car with her mother after moving into their new community, she scanned the small but cozy house from the outside and smiled to herself. Inside, movers were frantically carrying furniture into the house. It had a small kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms.

Miss Dalia tapped Willow on her shoulder, feeling a knot forming in her chest. She wanted to provide more for Willow — the life she deserved. "Willow, baby," Dalia said, "I know it isn't much..."

"It's more than enough, Momma," Willow reassured her. "Everything is more than enough."

"I just wish I could give you more," Dalia replied, her voice tinged with sadness.

"You've already given so much, Momma," Willow said, trying to reassure her. "Try not to stress yourself, alright?"

"Willow, I'm not stressing," Dalia insisted, but Willow knew deep down that her mother was more than stressed — filled with sadness. Miss Dalia tried to be okay, but she wasn't, and Willow did her best to provide for her mother.

Willow shook her head. "I think I'm going to get a job soon, just to help out with stuff," she said.

"Willow, you don't have to. I've got it all taken care of, alright? You just turned 17. Just go and make some friends," Dalia replied.

"Alright, Momma," Willow said, "but I'm still getting that job. I want to be more independent," she added, trying to reassure her mother as she placed a box down.

"Maybe this is a new beginning," Willow thought. She was just glad that she and her mom had gotten away from that abusive bastard.

*9 months ago December *

"Willow!" he screamed. "Where is your mother?" The man stumbled in, drunk, shouting, "I'm gonna fucking kill her!" He threw the bottle, and it shattered on the floor. Willow just stood there in the living room, too scared to move, too scared to even fight back...

"Willow, answer me!" the man screamed again, becoming more and more  impatient.

"I don't know. She told me she have gone to the store" Willow whispered, tears streaming down Willow's  face as he got closer. 

Just then, Dalia walked in, groceries in her hands.

The man  turned toward her. "Where the fuck were you, Dalia?" he screamed.

"I just went to get some groceries, okay?" Dalia said, showing him the bags.

"That's not what happened!" the man yelled, shoving her to the ground. He started punching Miss Dalia. She just lay there, too afraid to fight back, too scared to do anything — she just wanted it to end. Willow couldn't take it anymore. It was always the same, every day they lived in this torture.

Willow walked over to the man, standing five inches taller than him. "Don't you fucking touch my mother!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. All the anger, all the torture, all the pain — she let it all out on him, hoping he'd feel what she felt.

He shoved her, and Willow snapped. She punched him in the face repeatedly, over and over again, as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Willow, come on! You're just standing there, child," Dalia said, snapping her back to reality.

"Oh, sorry," Willow said.

"Let me show you to your room," Dalia offered. As willow scanned the place and noticed, It was painted an ugly brown color.

"We can get some paint to fix this," Dalia suggested. trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," Willow  said, scanning my room, trying to figure out where to put my stuff. The movers entered and started bringing in the furniture.

As Miss Dalia walked out of Willow's room.

"Coming!" Willow  screamed back.

"On the way, I saw a new Chinese restaurant down the street. You want to try it? I don't feel like cooking today," Dalia said.

"Okay," Willow replied as she heard her phone buzz with the list. Dalia handed her some money, and Willow headed out. She noticed her old skateboard hanging on the porch. Maybe tomorrow I'll see what's up with it, Willow thought.

As Willow walked down the street, she scanned her new neighborhood. It's ghetto as fuck, but I mean, it's alright, she thought.

She continued walking until she saw Andy's Chinese store glowing in the distance. As she approached, she noticed a group of people skating, but one person immediately drew her attention. A girl  Reese  stood out. She wore a graphic t-shirt, and thick twists framed her taper fade. Her amber eyes were sharp and cold, almost like they could see right through you. Her deep honey skin tone seemed to glow in the light, but there was an edge to her that made Willow's heart race.

Reese made direct eye contact with Willow, who was staring at her like a lost puppy. She smirked and rode away with her friends.

She's a stud, Willow thought, reminding herself that studs aren't supposed to like other studs. But she couldn't look away. Reese's intensity left Willow feeling exposed, like Reese had already figured her out with just one look.

Willow got the food and noticed a grocery store nearby. She realized she had enough money to buy some soda and sweets.

Sprite, Coke, or Dr. Pepper? Willow thought, staring at the refrigerated drinks. As she stood there, Reese noticed her. Willow's shoulder-length dark locks were tucked under a durag, and she wore sweatpants, an oversized shirt, and Crocs. Her deep chocolate skin glowed under the store's harsh lights, and her chocolate-brown eyes looked confused as she scanned the options. Reese rolled her eyes, growing impatient.

"Can you move the fuck out of the way?" Reese snapped, trying to sound as annoyed as possible.

Willow's heart skipped a beat at the sound of Reese's rough, raspy voice, and then she felt irritation bubbling up. "You could have asked me more politely," Willow said, stepping aside as she grabbed a bottle of water.

"And you did move, yeah," Reese replied, staring directly into Willow's dark eyes, her expression unreadable.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Willow grabbed two Sprites from the refrigerator, realizing this was the same girl she'd seen outside earlier.

"Yo, you new around here?" Reese asked, her tone more curious than before.

"Yeah," Willow answered, turning to face Reese's intense amber eyes.

Reese leaned in slightly. "Next time, you don't know who the fuck you're talking to, so have a little respect when someone's speaking to you," she warned, her voice low and threatening.

 "Well, next time, have some fucking manners when you speak to somebody," she shot back, deliberately bumping Reese's shoulder as she walked past.

A small smirk appeared on Reese's face, her amber eyes watching Willow intently. Both of them marked each other faces, knowing they will never forget......

A/N :How are y'all feeling? I decided to switch it up a bit to make it sound more realistic and give both Reese and Willow's characters more background and development. I hope y'all are fw it ! And I'm open to all criticism, so please share your thots— I mean thoughts and don't be boring!