The Stars Are So Beautiful Tonight || A KotLC College AU

Chapter One

A large beat up box containing Sophie's things rested in her arms as she carried it up the third flight of stairs. Sweat dripped from her brow and she gritted her teeth.

"Five...more...steps..." She gasped for breath. It was 93 degrees in the middle of August, and she couldn't wait for the heat to go away.

Sophie reached her apartment door, dropping her box with a thud. Her arms felt like they were going to fall off and her feet ached. She wiped her forehead, catching her breath.

The front door cracked open, revealing an eye thick with eyeliner and mascara. "Who are you?" A feminine voice came through the door with an accusing tone.

"Uh...S-Sophie Foster...?" She would have expected her to have known that. "I'm supposed to be sharing this apartment with a...Biana Vacker?"

A loud groan came from the other side. The door was thrown open, revealing a petite girl with a tightly woven braid over her shoulder. Her face had been caked with makeup, not to the point where it made her look bad, but to the point where you knew it was too much.

Biana simply crossed her arms and spun around, walking away and leaving the door open. Sophie--confused by the meeting--picked up her box and stepped inside. It wasn't a large apartment, but it wasn't terribly small either.

Immediately to the left was a decent sized kitchen, and in front was a combined living room/dining room area. A little past the kitchen was a short hallway with a bathroom and two small bedrooms.

Sophie walked down and peeked into the first one, able to tell by the glittery and pink filled room that it was Biana's. She went to the other one, shocked to find it cluttered with garbage and boxes.

"Uh--" She called through the apartment. "Is this supposed to be my room?"

"Oh no," Biana laughed, coming up behind Sophie. "That's my storage room."

"Then where do I sleep...?"

"The living room has a couch, duh." She looked at the box in Sophie's hands disdainfully. "Is that all you brought?"

"I have a smaller box in my car," she replied. "That has all my schoolbooks. But yeah, this is the necessities."

"I see..." Biana looked at it for a moment longer before turning her back and going back into her room.

Sophie brought her things back into the living room, setting them on the couch. She sighed, plopping down. College classes didn't start until Monday, and it was only Saturday. She had wanted to spend the rest of that time getting to know her new roommate, but Biana didn't seem very interested.

She scrolled through her phone, looking for a good place to eat out or grab a cup of coffee. She noticed a cafe called 'Slurps and Burps' a couple miles away. It didn't sound too appealing, but it was nearby so she decided to give it a try.

Sophie got into her little beat-up yellow buggy and drove to the cafe. It was a small building with a very strange outward appearance she couldn't really explain. She stepped inside and could practically hear crickets chirping. There was no one inside.

Suddenly she heard a loud yell that rang throughout the tiny building. "Dad! My first customer!"

A boy with strawberry blonde hair stood at the front counter, wearing a purple apron and a name tag that read "Dex."

"Hi," Sophie laughed awkwardly.

"Hi!" Dex grinned. "I just started working for my dad, and this place has been deader than my Great Aunt Kathy."

"Okay then...."

He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Sorry, guess I should take your order. What can I get for you?"

"I'll take a large iced mocha, four shots of espresso and extra whip. Also a blueberry muffin."

"Dang, you got to stay up late for something?" He asked, writing the order down on a slip of paper.

"Nah," she laughed. "It's just been a tiring day. I just moved into my apartment."

"Ah, makes sense." He handed the paper to a man who looked just like him. "Starting college?"

"Yep." She added sarcastically, "it's exciting, I know."

After a few minutes of Dex making awkward conversation, he handed her her order. She took a sip from her mocha, her eyes widening.

"This is so good!" She licked whipped cream from her lip. "Why isn't this place packed when the drinks are this good?"

"Who knows?" He shrugged. "It's probably because of the strange outward interior. My dad wanted to make it weird, but maybe he made it too weird."

"Expect me back here tomorrow morning," Sophie said taking another sip of her drink.

"Yes!" Dex pumped his fist. "My first day and I've already got a regular."

Sophie laughed as she walked toward the door. She waved to Dex before heading out the door. He was nice, she thought.

As she drove back to her apartment and quickly sipping from her drink, she bobbed her head to the music coming from the speakers. She was jamming out so hard she didn't even realize that as she turned the corner she was about to run over some poor boy.