Death Experience

Chapter 21: Enjoy The Moment

     College started, college had officially started.  Erin was so nervous.  "What will the teachers be like?  Who will be my roommate?"  Questions overflowed in her brain, knocking off her concentration.  It was one of the first days in which she wasn't wearing the colour black, and it made Erin feel exposed, vulnerable, weak.  North Caroline, she had to admit, wasn't the most tropical place, but it was indeed a very sunny place.  By the time Erin arrived at Duke, she found that her roommate, by the name of Allison Nickolet, was a very typical American, unlike Erin's Japanese blood.  Allison made Erin feel very different, but Allison was a very nice person.  Erin soon found herself fond of Allison.  "I could get used to her," Erin thought to herself.

     The first day of classes was a tedious task.  Finding her way through the school drove Erin insane.  The paranoia of people watching her get lost within the school made Erin very self-conscious of herself.  Luckily, she had help from some of the seniors, and she was able to navigate her way to each class on time.  By the time 4:00pm hit, Erin was exhausted.  Falling into her bed, Erin stared up at the ceiling.  She missed Casmine and Karine.  Then, getting an idea, she picked up her phone and began to type.

     Hey guys!

     First day of classes are done for me.  How are you guys doing?  I'm so bored without you here. I hope you guys are surviving through college like I am!  Anyways, I'll see you guys soon, hopefully.

                                                                        xoxo,

                                                                               Erin

     She forwarded it to Casmine and Karine, then wrote another text to her family.

     Hey dad and mom,

     I miss guys so much!  How is Rian doing?  Tell him I said hi and that I miss him too!  Living without you guys around makes me homesick.  North Caroling is a great, sunny place, I am sure that I will have a great time at Duke!  My roommate, Allison Nickolet, is a great person!  Alright, I'll see you soon!

                                                                              Love,

                                                                                      Erin

     Erin put down her phone and stared out the window.  Knowing that Allison wouldn't be back until after 5:30pm, Erin roamed the room.  The bathroom was very nice, cleaning and organized.  Erin smiled.  "I could truly get used to this," she said to herself.  Erin unpacked some extra pieces of luggage.  It was a tedious job.  But Erin felt a sense of accomplishment afterword.  Finally at 5:45pm, Allison bailed back to their dorm room.  Drenched in sweat, she said a quick hello to Erin and headed for the bathroom.  Twenty-five minutes later, Allison came out of the shower.  She sat down on her bed and chatted with Erin.  It turned out that Allison was a Georgia gal.  The tan she and explained it.  The accent of her voice also told why.  The afternoon went by great.

     At 7:00pm, everyone headed down for dinner.  The lunchroom was crowded with students of all grades, making Erin very self-conscious of herself again, but Allison reassured Erin not to get too worried about the mass of people.  They found a quiet corner for themselves and chatted to each other, "It's nice getting to know people like you, Erin, truly makes me feel fortunate that I understand somethings of which you've been through.  But I'm glad you made it out of there alive.  I envy your strength girl!  You gotta teach me how you got through all of that one day!" Allison said, chewing noisily on her food.  Erin couldn't help but smile.  Only one day had passed and Allison had already become Erin's best friend.  She would definitely miss Allison next year, when Erin would get a new roommate.  Everything would change after that.  But she just had to enjoy the moment, the present, in which she was living in.