Letters by Her [Book 2]

Chapter 2

Dusty excused herself to shower while Ashley finished unpacking. When Dusty returned to their room, her blonde, wet hair wrapped firmly in a towel, completely transforming her look. Strings of fairy lights hung above both beds and across the window that looked out on to the main campus.

Ashley covered her bed in bright pink bed linen and dozens of scatter cushions in matching hues of the same shade. In the center of the room was a white, faux-fur rug, and all over the walls were pictures of anything and everything from Disney Princesses, to Hello Kitty to Maroon 5.

"I'm sorry if I've gone a little overboard," Ashley said as she noticed Dusty taking in all the changes. "I was just so nervous about being away from home and wanted the room to feel familiar."

Dusty took it all in, the chic girly touches and scented candles lined across the windowsill. The beauty and femininity of of it all reminded her of her old bedroom. "I love it." Dusty smiled. "It feels like home."

"Yay." Ashley embraced her new friend. "I've got to go shower and get ready for the party. Be back in a bit." In her new, improved dorm room, Dusty sat down at her desk. She noticed that on Ashley's desk there was now the latest model MacBook. Dusty didn't have a computer; she'd have to rely on using the computers in the campus library.

All she had were notebooks and paper. Seizing the moment alone, she took out a blank sheet of paper and decided to write to Valentine.

She'd been at the forefront of her mind ever since Ashley had asked if she had a someone back home.

Dear Valentine,

I hope you're okay. I'm just settling in here at Princeton. My new roommate, Ashley, is from L.A., and I anticipate that she will be a whole lot of fun! She's already turned our dorm room into a certified pink palace! I'm scared of what awaits me in college, but thanks to you, I'm ready for the challenge.

I owe you so much that sometimes it overwhelms me. Everything and everyone here is new. It's a chance for me to be my real self and embrace my past rather than hide it.

Thank you for coming to the train station. I wish I'd seen you sooner, before I'd boarded, so we could have properly said goodbye. But seeing you is better than nothing.

Know that I miss you, that I think of you almost every moment. It pains me to be away from you. But in the grand scheme of a lifetime, four years really is nothing. Don't forget me, and write back soon!

Love,

Dusty Xoxo

P.S. My roommate hates Paramore, so I may have to invest in some headphones!

Dusty shoved the completed letter into an envelope and sealed it shut. She paused for a moment, looking at it and the address she'd neatly written on the front, wondering whether she should send it. She wanted Valentine to believe she was having fun and settling in, she didn't want to come across as clingy.

Before she could reconsider sending the letter, Ashley burst through the door, her hair tied up in a towel as Dusty's had been earlier. "I do not like sharing showers," she declared, her exposed skin beyond the towel still glistening with moisture.

"There was someone in there singing away, and they sounded like a dying whale. Honest to God, Dusty, a dying whale." Dusty couldn't help but laugh at the description. Both girls began laughing hard until their jaws ached. "I'd tell you to go listen, but I shouldn't expose you to that horror." Ashley coughed as her laughter subsided, wiping at the tears that formed in her eyes.

"Was it really so bad?" Dusty asked.

"Horrific," Ashley declared. As Ashley stood dripping on her fur mat, she spotted the letter on Dusty's desk. "You got a letter to mail?" she asked. Dusty flushed as she looked down at the white envelope on her desk, but Ashley didn't notice her reddened cheeks. She was preoccupied within the closet that was now bursting at the seams, barely able to contain their joint clothes. Dusty had hardly anything, but Ashley had mountains of clothes with her. All of them designer and exquisite. "We'll mail it on our way out." Ashley waved her free hand as she used her other to flip through the rail of outfits be- fore her. "What are you planning on wearing?" she asked Dusty without turning around. "I don't know," Dusty admitted.

"Maybe jeans and a T-shirt?" "This would look great on you." Ashley turned, clutching a dark blue shirt-dress that looked expensive. "I can never really pull it off, but you've got such gorgeous, blonde hair, you'd set the blue off perfectly." Dusty eyed the dress extended toward her. It was beautiful and just her style. She went to touch it but then pulled her hand back. "I can't wear your dress," she answered, getting flustered. "Of course you can," Ashley almost ordered. "It's one of the perks of being roommates. We get to share everything."

Ashley threw the dress across to Dusty's bed, refusing to take no for an answer. She'd also noticed as she unpacked her wealth of belongings that Dusty had next to none. In the closet, she'd lined up a few items of clothing, not even taking up a quarter of the space.

Ashley had grown up wealthy, always having whatever she wanted, from the latest designer hand- bags to backstage tickets to see her favorite band. But growing up privileged hadn't desensitized her to plight of those less fortunate. If anything, it had made her more determined to use her position in life to help others; it was a big part of her desire to go into politics. Ashley had been lucky, but many people weren't. She could see that Dusty did not come from money, and Ashley had made it her personal mission to help her roommate in any way she could. "Thank you, it's a beautiful dress," Dusty replied. "And you're going to look gorgeous in it," Ashley said with conviction. "Now let's go get ready to party."