A New Life

2. A Cloudy Day

It was a very cloudy late afternoon as Sophie and I made it to the dorm room for the first time. I saw many of the girls around me carrying loads of suitcases and bags full of things to put in their dorm rooms. Me? Well, I didn't have much back home in Wisconsin, either. I simply brought a large suitcase and my backpack. Sophie had two suitcases and two bags which she carried seamlessly. We had a very short walk to our dorm, but it was on the third floor. We hauled our bags up the steps and came to our room. Sophie pulled out two keys and handed one to me.

"Thanks!" I chirped.

She carefully slid her key in the slot and we heard the door creak open.

I went in first, taking my bag and suitcase and dropping it in the kitchen area. Then I went to help Sophie with her other bags.

Our dorm was one of the nicer dorms because we were on the top floor. The walls of the living area were painted a powder blue and had pictures of the beautiful campus buildings hanging on the walls. We had very large windows with a window seat and a scenic view of the campus below. I went over and peered outside; I noticed it had begun to rain.

"So which room do you want?" asked Sophie, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Well, I don't really mind either way, so you can have the bigger one, if you want," I said, thinking she has more stuff than I do anyway.

"Are you sure? I mean, I want you to be happy, too," she said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure! They're about the same size anyway."

We agreed and I took my stuff from the kitchen to my new room. This room was powder green with one large window and an average sized closet. It was perfect: my comforter and sheets all had this shade of green in them. I liked my new room; it was simple, kind of like me.

I began unpacking my suitcase, and I unfolded and hung some of my clothes in my new closet. After a while, I found one of my favorite shirts that I loved wearing back in Wisconsin. Ellie had always said she liked that shirt the best on me. The shirt was short-sleeved and had purple flowers printed on it. As I pulled it out, I noticed a folded sheet of paper flutter to the floor. I picked it up curiously and began to unfold it. Then I noticed whom it was from.

"Dear Lauren,

I miss you so much. I can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving. Mittens misses you too.

Love, Ellie"

Tears began forming in my eyes. I knew Tyler had helped Ellie write the note because I could tell his handwriting. Mittens was the stray cat Ellie and I used to take care of and we would give any extra food that we could to her. It made me sad to know that Tyler and Ellie were alone at my aunt and uncle's house, but I knew I was here for them too. As I flipped the note over, I noticed a personal letter from Tyler.

"Dear Lauren,

I miss you already, too. Ellie keeps asking about you every five minutes and I can tell she's really proud of you. We both are. I am making enough money for Ellie and I to live off of for the time being. I love you so much, and we are always here for you when you need us. I know we don't have a phone but I asked the mailman to personally deliver any letters from you because I know that Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Fred will just throw them away without reading them. I love you and I can't wait to see you soon.

Love, Tyler"

I was really sobbing now. I had the most thoughtful sister and cousin. The tears were steadily flowing and that's when I heard a soft knock on the door from Sophie to come in.

"Hey do you know where--Oh my goodness, are you alright?"

I have never been happier to talk to someone in my life. We sat on my bed and I told her everything: the sad story of my parents' plane accident, our living situation at home, and most of all Ellie and Tyler and how they counted on me to do well in school, so we could all have a new life. She just listened. That was what I needed, too, someone who would just listen. My tears were steadily flowing again, and she just hugged me.

We talked a little more, and then we both realized the time. It was 5:30pm. Dinner was at 6. Sophie went back to her room to get ready and I put Ellie's favorite shirt on, as I ran to my bathroom to take off the makeup that was smeared on my face and put on some fresh makeup. I quickly put my hair in a braid and grabbed my phone and key on the way out. Sophie and I came out at the same time and began floating down the stairs. It had stopped raining, but it was still cloudy and there were puddles still on the ground. Sophie then realized she forgot her phone in her room so she went back up to grab it. As I was standing outside, I looked at the dorm facing ours. The outside looked about the same as ours, three stories and brick. As my eyes scanned up to the third floor I noticed the same blonde-haired boy looking out his window at me. He saw me see him, smiled, and closed his curtain. "Well, isn't this mysterious," I thought.

A/N: Hey, you kept reading! :) I'm so glad you did! What do you think of the characters so far? I'd love for you to vote and comment on anything, too, if you'd like. Many thanks! :) Elizabeth