Infamy

Chapter 1

    Lola rolled over in her sleep and reached out for her phone.  Squinting with one eye out from under her arm to the bright light from the screen. 6:45 am, that was sleeping in for her. No nightmares either maybe coming here was the right decision after all she considered.
There was still another week until classes were to actually start, but she was in no position to stay in bed any longer than she had to. This might not be the life she had chosen or expected, but it was the one she had been given, and she couldn't mourn her old one forever. She got up and started collecting her things together for her shower. She briefly considered how group showers were a concept she would probably take some time to get used to. With all her essentials neatly tucked in her basket she set out down the hallway to the shower area her pink Nike slides flopping against her heels noisily.
Once inside she selected the middle stall, last night she had over heard a few of the girls mention it got the best water pressure. She slipped her robe on the back of a chair sitting outside the curtain. She took her long sandy hair down out of its messy bun and placed the silky scrunchi on top of her robe, as she glanced at it she remembered the day she bought it, she had been at the mall with Mila, Conor, and a few other friends. It has come in a pack of 4 and her very best frenemy Nicole with no h had commented that the 90s had called and wanted their hair accessories back. To the credit of her friends not one of them laughed, not even a giggle. Without missing a beat Conor replied what the 90s want back is that lame ass joke. He rolled his eyes at the would be bully, Mila burst into fits of giggles as their other friends laughed slightly. What Mila knew that the others didn't, what caused her to laugh so hard was that Nicole had an unrequited crush on Conor, it's why she came for Lola every chance she got. Lola had just awkwardly stood there smiling slightly trying to hide her delight. Not wanting to call attention or challenge the other girl, she never actually caught on or understood until much later why Nicole had turned on her, being as though they used to be so close. A hot tear slid down her cheek as she realized she never got a chance to thank Conor for always defending her so diligently. If they were in medieval times she had every confidence he would have slayed 1,000 dragons for her. In the end it's what got him killed.
Two girls strolled in talking excitedly breaking her free of her memories. She slid behind the curtain and turned the water on without waiting for it to warm up. She let out a tiny squeak as the icy cold water hit her shoulders first then slid down the rest of her body. That will wake me up she thought, the water gradually warmed up as she went through the motions of her shower. Feeling refreshed she climbed back out, wrapped her hair in her towel dried off a little, put her robe back on and slid her feet into her slides. Walking over to the long mirror over the row of sinks to her left she wiped away the condensation that had accumulated during her shower with her hand. She brushed her teeth quickly, took her hair down out of the fluffy towel, brushed it out, and put a little of her moroccan oil product on her palms then rubbing them together she slid them down each strand of her hair to disperse the product evenly throughout. With that she was ready to start her day, but where to begin she thought.
Mila had always talked about this moment, their first day at college. How much there was to do around the campus. She vaguely remembered a hiking trail her friend mentioned that ran from Jamestown settlement all the way to Richmond but that didn't sound like something she would be up for today. Maybe she would start with breakfast and go from there.
Once back in her dorm room she opened her box of granola bars grabbed one along with a banana. She then reached into her small fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She sat down at her desk, laid a paper towel down as a placemat, and began eating her little breakfast, which took all of 5 minutes. What now? She thought. Maybe a nap, or a walk across campus. She always had trouble sleeping at night so she had already unpacked and set everything up. She looked around the room slowly taking it all in. She had ordered the bedding with Mila out of a catalog that came to her grandma's house where the other girl had always lived. Mila's mother would sometimes visit but her father she never knew, her grandmother had always said that was for the best but Lola was never quite sure. Who could be better off without a daddy? She wiped away the tears that betrayed her and snuck their way down her freshly washed face. She had made the right decision to pay so much extra for a single room. No one should have to see this. He got herself back together and decided the library was the best place for someone in such a mood as she was today. Reading a good book always made her feel better. Who could stay depressed while being transported to another world birthed from someone's imagination and brought to life by words on a page, the concept had always fascinated her. She hurriedly dressed and started out her door. Upon exiting the building she immediately understood why the boy mentioned her being lucky on account of the air conditioning, it was barely 9 am at this point and noticeably warm. She started across the campus in direction of the library. After walking for about 7 minutes she noticed there was some kind of gathering of students up ahead as she walked closer she realized it was football practice. Of course, she rolled her eyes the only things that would get college students out this early when classes weren't even in session were sports. Conor played football, she banished the thought as quickly as it had come.
"Lola!!! Hey, Lola!" She thought she heard her name being yelled but how? She didn't know anyone here. She broke out of her daze to see Mason from her first day arrival sitting in the grass beckoning to her. She strolled over to where the young man was sitting with his legs out watching the others run drills. "Hey," she said casually as she approached him. He motioned for her to join him, "thanks, but I was just heading to the library." She said.
"It will still be there after practice." He said looking at her perplexed he was clearly not used to girls who weren't necessarily obsessed with football players. Now that she was closer she could see that he was wearing a practice uniform and sweat glistened along his hairline.
"Not playing today?" She wondered out loud
" my knee." He gestured towards the ice pack she was just now noticing.
Oh he's hurt she thought to herself and she instinctively sat down next to him. There was something inside of her that could never walk away from someone who was hurting. She never quite understood it. Even people who had done horrible things, unfathomable things, she couldn't ignore their pain no matter how badly she wanted to.
"So, she started... her thoughts trailing off. "You ok?" The boy asked quizzically after a few seconds, looking genuinely concerned for her. She realized she was thinking about things she shouldn't and snapped out of it.
"Sorry, I got distracted for a second, what I meant to say was, what are you guys doing after this?" She gestured out to the field.
"That's easy, getting ready for the party tonight at the phi house. How about you?"
"Probably just go to the library and explore campus a bit."
"Oh, that's not going to work for me. You have to come to the party."
"I don't know, I wasn't even invited."
"I'm inviting you now. Come on won't you say you'll go? It will make my knee better." He made a cute face with his bottom lip out.
Lola could never resist such antics. She was a softy, she agreed to come with a giggle. She picked a chunk of grass and threw him, "you play dirty." She said "I could never resist sad lip syndrome."
He laughed "sad lip syndrome, I like that, makes it sound more official than " pouting"" they laughed together playing in the grass until the other boys in his clique Shaun and Austin ran over to them breathing hard and sweaty.
"Your knee doesn't look too hurt anymore." Austin quipped with a tad bit of a bite in his tone, like he was trying to sound joking but was legitimately annoyed. She couldn't help but to think how nice it must be to live these boys lives, never having lived through anything truly messed up, she felt a twinge of jealousy.
Suddenly feeling out of place in the midst of all this camaraderie, Lola stood up to excuse herself, told them it was nice to see them again and started walking away. Mason called back to her "you're coming to the party right?"
"Sure." She called back still wondering if she was the type of girl to go to parties, only to think quietly to herself she could be any type of girl she wanted at this point. She stuck her arms out at her sides and spun around until she was dizzy at the realization. Giddy with excitement at the possibilities that lie before her. This was it, the beginning of her new life. The old Lola had died with her loved ones.