Sleeping With the Professor

2

"We're here!" My dads booming voice woke me from my slumber. The drive from our Nevada home to UCLA wasn't short. So instead of thinking about how much I'm going to miss Sarge, I napped to avoid the tears. Now it's all hitting me.

Both my parents turn in the seats, nervously smiling at me as I stare back. "Lillian?" My mom questions my blank stare.

"Are you ready?" My father asks, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel in anticipation.

"I guess," opening the car door, I'm met with the humidity of sunny California. My dad brought me to the orientation a few weeks ago so I already knew what dorm I was in. The only uncertainty left was my roommate.

We all unload my things out of the back of our old Ford Explorer. The thing is held together by dirt. Literally. But it's all we can afford.

"What was the name of your dorm called again?" My mom asks me whilst we start walking onto campus.

"Dorothy Hall," I sigh as I struggle to pull the two heavy suitcases behind me. My mother holds a few plastic bags filled with the basic necessities I'll need to get started and my dad is pushing a cart with a mini fridge and a few totes full of my things.

Dorothy Hall is a decent walk so by the time the three of us arrive we are drenched with sweat. "Have fun in this heat dear," dad laughs and pats my back as swipe my entrance card to the building. The door unlocks and we head into the air conditioned room, sighing in contempt.

"It wasn't exactly cool back home dad," I say while pressing the elevator button.

"There's a drought," he shrugs. "The humidity here is worse." Dad tries to explain his logic as Mom and I give him pointed looks. The sound of the elevator ends the conversation and we all pile inside.

"Floor 4," I say to my Mom and she presses the button for the fourth floor. As we climb the stories my anxiety worsens. My parents will be riding down without me. I don't live at home anymore. When the doors open we rush out like wild animals. "This way," I point to the right of us and my parents follow my lead. Just a few doors down lays my room, number 424.

Using the same key card, I insert it into the scanner attached to the lock. With a successful click I open the door and am met with four beautiful people.

"Hi!" The girl, who I assume my roommate is,
yells. "I'm Rebecca," she approaches me and envelopes me in a hug. I drop my bags at my feet and hug her back.

"Lillian," I smile at her gesture and pull away.

"That's a beautiful name," the woman behind her says. The two women are practically identical. Rebecca is just lacking a few wrinkles and her eyes are just a shade lighter. "I'm her Mom," she says whilst hugging me as well.

I move on to greet her father and little brother while my parents meet Rebecca. Left to myself, I look around the room to see her half is already pretty much finished. A tap on my shoulder snaps me out of my daydream.

Turning, I find Rebecca grinning a me. Her fiery red hair is a match for her mother's. It's wavy and hits the middle of her back. The orange of her hair is mimicked by the slight freckles on her cheeks. Her hazel eyes stare into my blue ones and her smile grows wider. She leans forward and whispers in my ear, "Thank God you're pretty."

I sigh in relief, "I was just thinking the same thing."

We giggle amongst ourselves and she helps me start unpacking. "I was so nervous that my roommate would be smelly or something."

"Girls!" Rebecca's mother says over our loud conversation. "We are going into the hallway to get out of your way."

"Okay," Rebecca and I say in almost complete unison. After the door clicks shut our conversation continues. "Please call me Becca," she touches my shoulder gingerly.