a oneshot of a thing that is definitely not going to be just a series of oneshots. stay tuned...
"You must be Tessa!"
Tessa started and spun around, finding a short, bronze-skinned girl surging through the entrance to her room. There was a big smile on her freckled face, and before Tessa could protest, the girl had enveloped her in a surprisingly strong embrace for her size.
"It's so nice to meet you!" The girl said, her voice muffled against Tessa. She pulled away, still smiling. "I'm Dale! Your roommate."
"Oh," Tessa said, remembering the other bedroom on the opposite side of their suite. It had been so neatly arranged, with succulents and art books along the shelves and fitted comforters and sheets on the bed, that she'd hardly noticed her roommate had already moved in. "It's nice to meet you too."
Dale was silent for a moment, rocking forward on the tips of her beaten-up Converse. As her roommate fumbled for something to say, Tessa took that time to take in everything she could about Dale. Her caramel-colored hair had been tied into an impressive fishtail braid, with a few wispy strands escaping from the structure. She was wearing cut-off shorts, a yellow tank top, and a black hooded sweatshirt that seemed to be a man's; although, then again, Dale was so slight that anything larger than her could have been a man's size. Although most startling of all were Dale's eyes: a luminous gold so bright that Tessa wondered if she was wearing contacts.
"So!" Dale clapped, striding over to her desk chair. In one swift movement, she pulled it out, spun it around, and flopped into it so that her legs came out from either side of the back. She lowered her arms over the top of the chair and rested her chin atop them. "You're from Chicago, right?"
Tessa nodded. "Born and raised."
"That's really cool! I always wanted to visit Chicago," Dale marveled.
"Where are you from?" Tessa asked. She peered around the room for a moment, wondering where to sit. She elected her bed, perching on the edge of it precariously.
Dale began inspecting her nails. "I'm from California, although my dad was Peruvian and my mom was Australian, so I've got a little bit of both accents in me."
Tessa blinked. She hadn't noticed it at first, but there were definitely traces of a foreign lilt to Dale's words.
Before Tessa could ask more, Dale sprang to her feet, slipping her phone from her back pocket. "Did you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
Immediately, Tessa's attention snapped to her luggage, still heaped into the corner of her spacious room. Classes didn't start for another two days, so it's not like she didn't have time to unpack them all but...
Tessa turned back to Dale, a casual smile on her lips. "None."
Dale beamed a smile nearly as bright as her golden eyes. "Come on! There's some people I want you to meet."
Dale bounded down the corridor, leaving Tessa to follow. "How do you know some people already?"
As they emerged out of their door and into the hall, Dale waved a hand at Tessa, as if dismissing the thought. "There are group chats."
"Group chats?" Tessa asked in bewilderment as Dale led her down the hall and up the flight of stairs. "I thought this school was for..."
