Poison Ivy League

Chapter 1

Chapter Soundtrack

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Quesidilla - Walk the Moon

I heard the cab coming to a screeching halt, my head thrown forward, the seat belt straining around me. The trunks in the taxi were thrown forward, thumping against the wall that separated my back and my luggage. Scavenging for my wallet, I handed the driver his standard fare and got out, the brisk yet damp August air molding around me. The car trunk popped open and I pulled out my suitcases, dense as they were and the driver closed the trunk, spending no time abandoning me in the middle of the road in front of the University. Cars whizzed by, pedestrians looked at me, but I didn't move. I was admiring the towering school, its ornate architecture overwhelming my eyes. Traffic screeched and honked in the road. Finally I moved forward towards the registration building. 

I remember believing that this was my only chance. This is my only chance. The inheritance from my grandmother was running out and my parents used most of it for paying off debts, leaving me to struggle with the looming prospect of college. Years of double-shifts at the supermarket and the occasional shift at the pet market finally allowed me to scrape up some money and with it I applied to Oxford and bought a one-way ticket up here. 

My family was never poor. There was always enough food, always enough clothes, but sometimes we had to cut back on things: nice restaurants, buying unneeded items. My mom worked as a hospital receptionist, my dad as a carpenter. We had some money, but no always what we needed. 

"Ma'am? Your papers?" I shook myself out of my dazed state. Extracting the papers from my purse, I heard the buzz of new students, the same words from the receptionists. The lady that was attending to me handed me some papers, a schedule, and a room key. 

"You are going to be in the Vandenburg house in Room 402." I took the key graciously and proceeded out of the building, drenched in cold and damp air once more. I hopped on the bus, showing the driver my papers, and I sat next to some blonde kid with his headphones in.l

One stop. The kid still had his earphones in. 

Two stops. The kid moved from his position of staring out the window to slumping in his seat, emptily gazing at the back of the chair in front of him. His eyes were a mixture of gold and blue. specks of black were sprinkled onto his irises. 

Three stops. I was supposed to get out on the next one. The kid resorted to looking at his phone, scrolling through pictures on his social media. I tapped on my legs, the monotonous drone of the air conditioning humming in my ears. I heard the breaks start to screech and everyone covered their ears and cringed. A couple more people trickled off of the vehicle. 

Four stops. I got up, my suitcases jumbled around me in a cluster of chaos. The kid stared at me, his hand running through his hair. After causing a traffic jam in the slim aisle of the bus, he finally got up, grabbing two of the trunks. I finally could move, the kid rolling the trunks behind me. The wheels bumped against the steps of the bus and smacked against the pavement. 

The kid emerged from the bud doors and you could hear the whoosh of air as the doors closed. The bus driver drove off, the diesel exhaust making me cough hysterically. 

"Thanks," I said, out of breath. I held my hand out to take the cases, but he shook his head.

"Let me help you with that." He had an interesting voice, an American boy with a thin film of a British accent. He smirked at me, my eyes holding a small emotion of disbelief. With a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders I turned and found my way to the dorm, grass covered in dew and sidewalk covered with patches of water. The kid scanned the surroundings, the birds chirping. It felt like Spring in the middle of Autumn. There was a small breeze, my brown hair tousled by the wind. Finally I found the dorm, "VANDENBURG" written in bold letters on the door. I looked at the flight of stairs, thinking about the trek I would have to make, but the kid started carrying the luggage up without waiting for me to say anything. I started to walk up too, the wheels clanging against the metal foot holders on each step. 

Finally I made it to the fourth floor, taking the key out of my back pocket and unlocking the door. 

"Thanks, again." I gave him a light smile and propped the door open with one of the cases, taking the two from him. He smiled back at me. 

"I'm Leo." 

"I'm Emma." My pale hand reach out to shake his outstretched one. 

"Well I hope I'll see you around Emma." I nodded at him, replying that I hope to see him as well, and I wheeled the cases through the halls towards my room. 

~

I'm sorry that there was such terrible character development!

So Emma Reeves has just entered Oxford! You will learn a bit more about her back story as well as the back story of Leo as we progress through the story. If you enjoyed this please feel free to comment and vote for this story! I am working on the next chapter and again I apologize for this dumb thing. I needed it to work towards getting to the point. Again thanks for reading :) I will be posting the next chapter soon.