When You Least Expect It

2

I still can't believe I'm here. What a stroke of luck huh? The dorm is co-ed, same as the group home, only this one smells nice. It doesn't smell like pee and tortured souls, it smells fresh when I step inside. I have no idea what to expect but so far everyone seems nice enough. Not that many people have even been around. Most everyone is up at the student union hugging and hanging out. I figure I'd be better off getting myself settled here. It's not like I know anyone anyway.

I choose the first room at the top of the stairs on the second floor. It's right next to the bathroom and only has two beds in it. Some of the rooms have three or four beds, been there and no thanks. I can live with one other person. I've never had a bed this nice, it's soft and doesn't creak when I sit down on it. I'm going to sleep well for sure.

Since I don't have much to unpack it doesn't take me long. I'm grateful Paul and his wife Marcy picked me up a couple things before I left, I really owe them. I get my things settled and decide it can't hurt to check out the rest of the place. First stop, the bathroom. It's literally right outside my bedroom door. It's not bad. Four showers, four toilet stalls, four sinks, couple benches in the middle, gives me a locker room vibe. I can deal with this. It's better than one shower for twelve boys. I wonder how this works? Are the bathrooms co-ed too? Or does no one care since we're all technically adults here?

Shrugging my shoulders and chuckling to myself I head out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the common room. Big TV, lots of bean bag chairs and a couple couches. This is nice though I don't plan on spending too much time in here. I can't waste this opportunity I've been given. Although, it would be nice to unwind occasionally I guess.

Next up, the library. Whoa, that is a lot of books. This is awesome. Two rows of desk face each other on one side of the room next to the bookshelves. On the other end of the room four more desks with computers on top. Huh, this place has everything. I wonder how much this runs? It's got to cost a fortune each semester. Man am I ever glad that the sponsor took pity on my story, I'd never be able to afford this.

     Straight down the hall from the front door is the kitchen. Cabinets run along the wall on the left side of the room top and bottom. They follow along the wall in an L shape around to two ovens that sit in front of a huge window. Yeah, I can get used to this.

Two sinks sit opposite the ovens. A big trash can sits in the right corner next to the back door. Just outside the kitchen, in a big open room, set two large tables with six chairs each and four small round tables with four chairs each. Peeking out the back door I spot a couple picnic tables and a pad of concrete with a basketball goal on each end.

The front door opens and a flood of voices take over the silence. I guess the welcoming party is over. I start feeling butterflies, I have no idea who any of these people are. I hope they don't all know each other. That would suck. I would seriously hate to be the outsider. I mean I know this isn't high school but that is kind of what it feels like. The only other people that stayed behind in the dorm have already disappeared into their rooms and I haven't seen them since. I may as well just get it over with now. No sense delaying the inevitable.

I step out of the kitchen and walk back towards the front of the building. A couple of girls giggle as they run up the steps to their rooms.  In the common room, a few guys are flopped down on top of the grey bean bag chairs chatting, one punches another in the arm laughing about a joke I didn't catch. I grin leaning against the wall just watching the chaos. That is until some guy tosses a cushion at me.

"What the hell you smiling about pretty boy?" he laughs when I catch the pillow and toss it back at him.

"Pretty boy? That's funny coming from a dude with that fancy haircut."