Unrequited love

2»Entrance Ceremony

My roommates arrived early morning the next day. Like, three in the morning early, so naturally I woke up and we bonded as I helped her unpack. There was a family emergency which is why she came late- or early -and why her parents couldn't make it.

She was beautiful with waist length blonde curles and warm, big, round chocolate brown eyes. She and I had the same figure, except she was shorter and had wider hips. I was tall and stood at a height of 5'7" in comparison to her 5'0". I also had broarder shoulders.

We spent the whole night unpacking and packing her things while playing Ali Gatie's album, 'All The Things I Wish I Said.'

By the time morning came, she was on her eleventh cup of coffee while I was surviving on sheer will alone.

Her name was Nicole Murray, and it turned out our dads were old friends.

My father, Adrian Ballencia, was the CEO and owner of Empire Industries, a company worth billions of dollars and got my father the award for Businessman Of The Year.

After we finished, we found ourselves with an hour to get ready for the entrance ceremony.

We hurried through our showers since we had to reach the Dining Hall where we're served lunch. Did I mention that our room had a kitchen area too? Yeah, it did. Once you left the extra door on Nicolette's side of the bedroom, but we had only discovered it in the morning.

"You have very pretty eyes," Nicci told me.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile, though I was weary of trusting her after what Reina did to me. Funny how even after an entire year plus a few months, his name was yet to fade from the abyss of my heart.

"You too," I said. "They remind me of the sea. I love the sea," I said.

We both hurried back to our respective closets.

One of the biggest problems yet awaited me.

Picking out clothes.

Mom had organized my wardrobe well.

I opened a drawer labelled Victoria's secret and found a red lacey bra with matching underwear which I hurriedly put on. I then located a pair of cream coloured baggy cargos with a white cropped top that put my toned belly on display and then a beige flannel shirt which I left open. I finished with black and white converse sneakers. My hair was naturally straight, so I did it in a french braid.

I all but ran out of the closet then grabbed my satchel and shoved my Literature textbook and my copy of Ortello, one of Shakespeare's masterpieces plus my copy of the script along with two notebooks, my pencil case, some pocket money and a whole lot of eclairs because I loved them that much. My phone went in my pocket, but not the back one. People stole.

"You ready?" Nicci asked as she stepped out of her closet.

She looked beautiful in a checkered knee length free flow skirt with biker tights beneath it, then a white button down shirt under a black sweater. Her white calve length socks matched her white high soled sneakers, and her curls were straightened and flowed down her back.

"Yeah, how about you?" I asked, though the answer was obvious.

"I was born ready."

She was visibly nervous though.

Not like Reina though. Reina was too confident.

"It's okay, I'm nervous too," I said gently.

"You sure don't show it," she said.

"Don't give people a reason to destroy you," I said simply.

"But they'll find a reason to talk anyway," she whispered, and I could tell that she too had a missing piece, though for me it wasn't singular.

"That's the funny thing about people," I said as I locked the door behind us. "They'll always find something or someone else to talk about because it keeps them from the reality of facing the mess their own lives have become. They're just like Satan; they refuse to go down alone and do everything in their power to bring others down with them. But all you have to do is stand tall with your head held high like the queen you were born to be. The queen God created you to be. You are Christian, right?"

"Yes, I am," she responded.

We both said Amen at the same time after that.

*·.•°•.·*•.·°•*.•°**:.·°•.*°.*•.·°•.·*•.°•*•'*.·•°'*.·•°'*·..·°'*•..

"Dear Pupils, old and new of the University," the director, Norman Blaise, began.

We were seated on chairs on the lawn in front of the university. I didn't get why they chose this specific one when every piece of land on campus had only well maintained grass. What was the difference?

Nicole and I sat next to each other in the back. Nicole was on my right while Cyan was on my left, his right hand intertwined with my left one. The director of IUSTEM stood on a raised platform as he delivered his speech.

"We welcome you to the International University of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Your high school days are well behind you, and so is your childhood. You've made friends and companions, you've faced the troubles that come with growing up but you have made it! You've tripped, you have stumbled, you've made mistakes, and you have fallen, but what matters is that you have picked yourself up. That's what success is all about. Success is not the act of walking in a straight line to reach your goal, neither is it a trophy you attain after crossing hardships. Success, dear learners, is not an act. It is not an action. It is a light at the end of that tunnel of darkness you find yourself in.

"Success is not the journey, but the prize you achieve at the end of that road. Succession is not simply given to you! It won't be handed to you on a silver platter because if it is, then that is not success. That is failure! It means you have FAILED to climb that rope by yourself. It means you were incapable of arriving at your destination on your own, and have instead resorted to unethically leech of another person in order to get to the top. Success is EARNED! It's something you work for and an achievement you attain. Do not allow someone to steer you off your path. There will be those that will try to tear you down, but if you stand firm and tall, they will NEVER prevail. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

"Lastly, the world will throw hurdles your way, but it is up to you to decide how you tackle them. A friend of mine once gave me some advice he got from his twin children. It goes something like this: "The future awaits you with open arms...so embrace it with all and who that you are. Thank you."

Cyan and I looked at each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

Dad.

The friend that the director spoke of was our dad.

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Hello lovely readers!

I'm in a bit of a dilemma about exactly where to base this book. I want a place that's bustling, but not too much, and it should be a green town/city. I'm thinking Boston, or... Oklahoma? What about Washington DC or even Seattle.

Yeah, I'm stuck.

How do you like the book so far?

Spoiler alert:

A blast from Scarlett's past is exploding into her present.

You sure you wanna miss out?

Please hit that comment section. Blow it up if you have to.

Please vote too.

Danko!

Valhala out.