Fire & Desire

Colllege Dues

Naomi's POV

"Are you sure you have everything?" My older brother Jai speaks worriedly into the receiver. I roll my eyes and smile.

"Yes I'm sure."

"Are you positive?"

"As positive as I possibly can be."

"100%?"

"Jai!" I laugh. My brother has always been a fatherly figure to me ever since I was little, even before my father passed away.

"Sorry Mimi, I know I can be a burden at times but I just want to make sure your safe and sound. I've already lost dad, I don't want to lose you too." I hear him sigh deeply.

"It's ok Jai, I understand where you're coming from. You know you're welcome to come visit me anytime big bro."

"You know I'll take you up on that offer sis. I have to go now before my boss chews me out for not doing anything for the past hour. I love you."

"I love you too." I blow a kiss into the phone and hang up, tossing it on the naked mattress. I have finally made enough money to pay down payment for my college dorm and some of the fees from the various amounts of tips I get from working at the Grenade. I take a step back and study my room. The walls are a pale baby blue with a few bruises of black here and there, but still doable nonetheless. There is one twin sized bed snuggled comfortably against the wall and a computer desk against the other. I walk out of the room and into the small living room and kitchen which both have oak flooring. The living room consists of a flatscreen tv perched on the wall and a few ice white, stainless couches. I walk to the bathroom and study my appearance in the mirror.

My curly dark brown hair has become frizzed from the humidity and my emerald eyes look tired, but that's only because I'm exhausted from the car ride with my mother.

Ugh. My mother.

She's one of the reasons I chose to go to college away from home. The other reason is...

I walk over to the lone picture I had already set up on the computer desk in my room. The girl in the picture looks so happy and carefree next to her father, a man who cared about everyone and everything, a man who saw the world not in black in white, but in neon colors, a man who's life was taken by a senseless act of violence. I feel the tears swell up in my eyes as I look at the picture of my father and I. He's holding me on his shoulders, smiling brightly at me while I hold a fish on a line in my hand.

"Two years." I say quietly as I let a lone tear streak down my face and onto the frame.

"Um...Am I interrupting anything?" A thick British accent brings me out of my sentimental thoughts and I immediately turn around. A chocolate colored girl gives me a worried look. Her hair is puffed into a curly Afro that sits on top of her head with a red bandana tied around it.

"No, no it's okay. Did you need anything?" I wipe my eyes and sniffle as quietly as I can.

"I'm your new roommate. I just wanted to introduce myself, but I can see you're busy I can come back later." She gives me a look of genuine sympathy.

"It's fine, really, I'm Naomi Walker, but you can call me Hazel if you'd like." I hold out my dry hand for her to shake.

"I'm Effie. Are you new to the school?" She takes my hand.

"Yea, just got here not too long ago actually. This place is very comfortable."

"Yea it's comfortable alright," she laughs. "But, this is just the freshman building; just wait till next year the buildings for the upperclassmen are way better."