"You have everything?" my father asks, as I bring my final box into my room. When I got here the room was filled with boxes on one side, and a suitcase on the bed. I assume it's Carmen's, but she's nowhere in sight. I brush off the curiosity to where she is, and tell my father everything is good to go.
"Alright Dad, i'm going to miss you!" I say, as I pull him into a long embrace. I was going to miss his hugs, advice, and amazing tofu. The heartfelt moment is broken by the door opening. We pull away, and standing in the doorway is a beautiful blonde. She's tall, and very slim. Her neon orange shirt compliments her tanned skin, obviously from her Orlando life. Her shorts fit perfectly and she is generally beautiful.
"Sorry to interrut your goodbyes! I'm Carmen, your roomate!" She says, coming up to shake mine and my father's hand. "You're Baby?" She asks, and I nod.
My father walks to the door and says, "This is my queue to leave, wonderful meeting you Carmen, love you, Baby!"
I look over at Carmen begginging to unpack, and I do the same. She is literally so beautiful, and that begins to make me self concious in my NYU sweater and thrifted high waist shorts. She looks over and smiles at me, obviously aware I was staring.
"So, Baby. Tell me about yourself! I want to know the oregion of your name and why it's Baby." she says, and I put down my box of books and sit down on the single matress.
"Alright. So my real name is Arabella, but you or anybody else is NOT allowed to call me that." I begin. "I have an older brother and when I was born my parents couldn't think of a name for me so the first year of my life they just called me Baby. When I got older it just kind of stuck and i've loved it ever since." I explain, and she looks quite fascinated. "How about you?"
"Alright, well my name is Carmen, and I grew up in orlando, florida. Before you ask, i've never been to disney world, and I have a younger brother, two moms and an amazing boyfriend." She says proudly. I take in that she has two mothers, and I think thats wonderful.
"Aw, what are all their names and what are they like?" I ask curiously. She tells me about her moms, Caroline and Jennifer, and how they used a sperm donor and her mom Caroline gave birth to her. I smile at the thought of it. Her little brother's name is Matt, and her boyfriends name is Daniel. Daniel goes to Harvard Law, and he is very smart.
"So, that's basically me. What music do you like?" She asks, putting a numerous amount of books on our shelf. "Oh! You like books?" She asks, changing the question, I nod, and she looks at my book collection. It consists of John Green, JK Rowling, The Great Gatsby, and books by Nicholas Sparks. I keep it simple. "I love these!" Carmen says, and I smile.
"Wow, you have some pretty nice books too!" I say, looking through her disorganized pile of old books. She has classics such as 'To kill a mockingbird' and 'Lord of the Flies.' They are two books I have previously read in High School.
"So, Baby. Do you have a boyfriend? I mean, you're stunnig, and look at all these romance novels..." She says, looking at me with a smirk. To be honest, I have never had a boyfriend, and I planned on finding somebody in university. I looked at her, and by the heat rushing to my cheeks she knew I was single, and had been for a long time. "Oh, don't look like that! We'll find you a cute college boy, alright?" She says, and I nod, smiling at the offer.
We spend the next couple hours blasting music, unpacking, and sharing little details with eachother. We speak about relationships, family, and courses we're taking this semester. I have learned that Carmen is majoring in Psychology and taking a side philosophy course. I have no classes with her, as I am taking Religion, Literature, Co-Ed PE, and Dance.
"Hey! Do you want to grab a coffee in the morning and walk around campus?" She asks, and I nod, wanting to explore the campus of my new home of education. I look over at the time and it's already 11:30.
"I'm going to fall asleep any second!" I exclaim, crawling under the warm sheets of my new bed. I was expecting an uncomfortable bed and a shitty dorm, but I was lucky to get such a nice living area.
"Alright." Carmen says, as I shut off the light. "We'll grab coffee in the morning and explore!" I nod, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it, and I close my eyes, dreaming about college boys and new memories.
***
I wake early in the morning, and look over at Carmen. She is fast asleep with her hair on her face. I smile, and grab my clothes and a towel to go to the showers. I get in a stall and undress, placing my clothes over the edge of the stall. I hear the door open and my breath hitches.
"Who's there?" I ask nervously. I then remember that in university you share a bathroom with about 10 other girls.
"Uh, my name is Emily." She says, and I apoligize. I finish my shower, and dry myself off. My belly button piercing gets caught on my towel and it gives it a light tug, causing me to grunt in pain. This is not my ideal morning. By the time i'm dressed and back in my room, Carmen is ready to go.
"There's a second cup right on campus!" She says cheerfully, and I grab my bag, heading out of the dorm. The sun blinds me for a moment, taking in the beautiful sight of campus.
"Where's second cup?" I ask, walking around a few small roads and corners. Carmen shrugs, and we turn a corner, finding the small coffee shop.
As we walk in, the scent of fresh coffee and sweets fills our nostrils, making my tastebuds melt. We walk to the counter, and are greeted by a kind old lady ready to serve us.
"What would you young ladies like?" She says kindly, and we order two coffees and a blueberry muffin to share between us.
"Are you guys new?" A voice asks beside us, and we turn to see a young male. He had a lovely jaw structure, and nice eyes. Carmen nudged me with her elbow and smirked, obviously aware of my attraction to him.
"Yeah, we're new... why?" I ask, curious to know why this handsome boy is talking to me and my roomate.
"Well, the frat house is throwing a huge party, and you two are really cute so I think you guys should come! We don't normally invite freshman, but I think the boys will like you..." He says. I blush, and Carmen says yes. I agree to go too and a little bit of excitement rushes though me. "By the way, my name is Jake." He says, and we exchange numbers for details.
"We'll be there!" I repeat, as he smiles and walks away. Soon as the tiny bell on the door stops ringing from the door closing, Carmen shakes me, almost making me spill my coffee.
"Holy shit! We've been here less than a day and we got invited to a party! Who are 'the boys'? They sound badass... we need to look hot!" She rambled on for about 5 minutes as we sat down and finished our muffin.
"I don't know, but if all the boys in college look like he did, then this is going to be the best years of my life." I say, and we both giggle.
