Southern Sunshine

Walker University

AN: Ohhhh my goodness. Thank you so much to @pluere for the beautiful cover. I'm in love with it *0*

I hope y'all enjoy this chapter - I'm super excited about it tbh.

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Eight hours, a switch of drivers, and another six hour drive later, they had finally reached Arlington. Texas was hot this time of year, and Ainsley fanned herself, blanching at the difference in weather from back home. She would certainly miss the cold, especially if it was going to be anything like this all year round. A heavy sigh and a small grunt of effort, and she was out of the car, landing lightly on her feet and stretching upward, working the kinks out of her muscles. The sun was blinding, and her hand went almost automatically to her face to shield her bright blue eyes. The shadowy outlines of buildings towered before her, and she gaped. 

In all honesty, she'd only ever visited Walker University once. It was expensive, travelling all over to look at colleges, so she and her father had swung through when they were in Texas for a family wedding. She'd also forgotten how expansive the private university was. The buildings were a mix of old and new, a solid combination of the two. Huge, beautiful old houses peppered the blocks around the campus, some of them with Greek letters, others with the insignia of sports teams on them. A soft sigh filtered from her mouth, and Ainsley's heart felt full. She didn't know what it was about this place, but it already felt like home. 

Pulling a small piece of paper from her pocket, she checked the name of the dorm that she'd scribbled on it. Windsor. While it wasn't the nicest dorm on campus, it sure was an amazing one. Or at least that's what the pictures online had led Ainsley to believe. The walkway was brick, a deep red that radiated heat. She traipsed on ahead with two suitcases and her father followed behind - they would retrieve the remainder of her belongings later. For now, Ainsley just wanted to see her new home. 

As they reached the third floor, where she would be staying, Ainsley's nerves grew. What if she didn't like her roommates? What if her roommates didn't like her? She swallowed deeply as they neared the door to room 341, a quad dorm at the end of the hall. Theoretically one of the more spacious ones as well. She took in a deep breath and let it out, along with some of her nerves. The key she received from the front desk at the student center they'd swung through before coming here jangled in her hand. She lifted it to the lock, and suddenly it was like everything was going in slow-motion. This was the start of the rest of her life that she was about to open, and part of her was terrified. 

Before she could turn the key, the door flung open and there stood a curvy blonde. Gorgeous. Ainsley thought, with perhaps a tinge of jealousy. The girl's skin was tanned and her hazel-green eyes sparkled with excitement. She wore a white tank top with a striped maxi skirt, something that Ainsley could tell was a staple in this girl's wardrobe.

"You must be Ainsley!" The girl's voice was a little husky, but the excitement in it was quite clear.

"Yeah and you are...?" She trailed off, realizing she didn't actually know what any of her roommates looked like - just their names.

"Shiloh!" She grinned, her perfectly white teeth almost a little blinding. The girl grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. "Come on, let's meet everyone else." A warmth settled in the pit of Ainsley's stomach, ridding her of the nervousness. She glanced behind her at a positively stupefied-looking father who shuffled in after her, as if he didn't know if he was invited as well. She just grinned and turned forward again, absorbing everything that was coming into view.

The first thing Ainsley saw was a kitchen - a fully furnished kitchen. It even had a damn Keurig. One that didn't belong to any of the people living here. Everything was stainless steel - except the counter tops, those looked like those were actual granite. There was a little breakfast bar, and a small table for the girls to sit around, and it melded seamlessly into the living room area. Complete with a huge TV for the size of the area, storage, two chairs and a long couch with ottomans, it looked like something out of a catalog. Everything was bright, modern, and perfect.

In the two chairs sat two other girls, a girl with hair dyed a pale reddish color, and the other with tannish skin, a short dirty blonde hairstyle and a nose ring. The latter of the two was positively adorable. Ainsley waved a little wave and the other two girls smiled, the red-head a small smile, and the other blonde a huge grin. "I'm Sera, and this is Halley." The girl with the short hair pointed at herself and then the other girl who grinned and gave a nod.

"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Ainsley." Her voice was quiet. As boisterous as Ainsley was around her friends, it took her a while to become accustom to new people and feel comfortable around them.

"We can talk more later, for now, let's go to our room, Ains. We'll be sharing one." Shiloh grinned widely and tugged Ainsley off down the hall, a startled noise echoing after them.