In the Woods Somewhere

Chapter 1

 I attend a small community college located at the edge of a small town. You could say that freshman move in day was the best day of my life. I loaded my brand new piece of shit car with my bare necessities, and drove from mid-Missouri to mid-Kansas.

Boundary University was located in the teensy town of Peculiar. I chose it for its remote location, and its reputation (or lack thereof). My parents, high income millionaires with razor thin budgets, and an eye for detail, begged me to attend an Ivy League school as a fifth generation legacy, or at least a better known state college.

But I was enrolled in Boundary before they could forbid me, and I bought the car (lovingly named Peggy) before they could complain.

I didn't really need their money. I, myself, was heiress to a small fortune of my own, passed down to me from my late grandmother, Peggy Sue Carter, a coarse, uncivil old woman stuck in the ways of the past. I grew up a shy, docile creature, and was the only member of the family that did not earn her ire. While the rest of my relatives were angily scribbled out of her will, until it was only a small slip of a page that bequeathed me a million whole dollars. Upon Peggy's death, I inherited the entire Carter Estate at the age of twelve years old.

I had only been able to access the money since February, on the day of my eighteenth birthday, and though I loathed the woman as much as the rest of my hateful family did, she had been the only member to actually give me the freedom that I so craved. Which is why my car was named after her.

They were both similar, my car and my maternal grandmother. Both unattractive, reeking of chemically crafted floral perfume. They were both unreliable, and broke down at the worst of times. However, they both got me places I needed to go, despite the ugliness.

-

I mentioned before that Boundary University didn't have much of a reputation. The place had a small website, mostly dedicated to the sights of the beautiful grounds. It boasted an old, well kept forest on its east side, and the campus was home to a mere thousand students. No one has really heard of the school, which was fine by me. I was looking forward to falling off the grid for my college career, hopefully even the rest of my life.

No more having to pretend to be perfect. I would be a mediocre girl with a mediocre life. I would make friends, wear ugly clothes, gain fifteen pounds, and never wear makeup again.

I pulled into the student parking lot, and snagged a space under a tree. I unloaded my suitcase and my duffle bag, then slammed the trunk shut with the necessary amount of force to get it to close.

I took in a deep breath. The stagnant Kansas air smelled of sweltering heat, and of freedom.

-

My dorm was on the third floor, room 303. I unlocked the door with the key I got from the front desk downstairs. It seemed I was the first one to arrive, as the suite was dark and empty. I flicked on the lightswitch, and went into the bedroom.

I had two other roommates. Best friends who demanded to be put in the same room together. They seemed nice through text message, but our conversations left a lot to be desired. It was mostly questions about color schemes, and who would bring the TV. I was lucky though, they let me have the single bed while they shared the bunk bed.

Their names were Navdeep and Imani. According to Instagram, Navdeep was a heavy set Indian girl with gorgeous hazel eyes, and Imani was an African American slip of a girl, with dainty features, and natural hair. In almost all of their pictures they were together, smiling radiant white smiles, it was enough to make me jealous.

But jealousy wouldn't make me very many friends, so my first goal as a college student was to make a best friend, then maybe the four of us could have girls nights out together.

I was putting the sheets on my bed when a racket of voices and laughter and in came the two girls in question.

They spotted me, and almost as if they were one unit, immediately enveloped me in a four armed hug.

"It is so nice to meet you Cara!" Navdeep said first, as the hug came to an end.

"Yeah!" Imani agreed, "We've been psyched all summer! We were actually worried about you, you never update your instagram."

"We thought you were dead," Navdeep burst, and Imani laughed.

I smiled, "Nope, I'm not very active on social media."

"We could tell," Navdeep snorted. Imani elbowed her a bit.

"Not that it's a bad thing, it gave you an aura of mystery," Imani said.

"Awesome, maybe I can write that on my resumes after college. Bachelor's Degree in Education, and an 'aura of mystery'."

Navdeep and Imani laughed at that, and that's about when I figured everything would be okay.

-

Hello guys! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance! This is not my first story on Wattpad, it is, however, my first story on this account! All votes are appreciated, and I will make sure to update again soon! I hope you all enjoy!