Phoenix

Peculiar

Gillian wasn't exactly sure what she had been expecting to find in her dorm. It had been up in the air, an idea not quite formed. However, she was pretty sure it was not the sight that did greet her. The walls were adorned in musical symbols—clefs, staves, and other musical things. On the walls hung pictures supporting different a cappella groups. Gilly let out a sigh. If this person was loud too, she was going to the dean and demanding a new dorm. Screw socialization, she thought, I want privacy.

Nevertheless, she slid her bag off her shoulder onto the floor by her bed. From her bag were pulled sheets and a pillow, and she proceeded to dress the mattress in shades of cerulean and white. After that, she unpacked her clothes, organized her desk, and shelved the large collection of books she had on the small shelf she was provided. Like her art, Gilly found reading a calming experience and frequently turned to it when she had nothing to draw.

When finished, she sunk onto her bed, thinking. Her side of the room had been made hers as much as it could, even if the walls remained bare. She let her mind wander to what her roommate would be like—especially how much of a bother they would be to the peace and quiet she so wished for. She steeled herself for the questions that would inevitably come. Like peanut butter, Gilly hated questions, especially ones directed to her past. Her philosophy was that as long as it didn't affect their relationship, it didn't need to be asked.

When the door creaked and clicked, Gilly was jarred from her thoughts. She put on a passive face, even if it didn't matter if she made a good impression or not—at least if she didn't, she wouldn't have to share a room anymore. Her eyes took in the woman who entered and sighed again; her prospects weren't looking too good for getting on well. The smile on the ginger's face was one that seemed to blind her, and Gilly mentally begged some higher power to strike her down right there.

"Oh, hello!" the woman greeted, sitting down opposite Gilly on her own bed.

"Hello," Gilly said as invitingly as she could.

"My name's Chloe. Chloe Beale." Preppy name for a prep person. I bet she's going to ask a bunch of questions.

"Gillian Conners."

"Nice to meet you," Chloe said. Her blue eyes lifted to the ceiling before meeting the honey ones. "So, what are you studying?"

Ha! Called it! "I'm an art major," Gilly replied indifferently.

"That's cool! I'm trying to get into vet school, but I've been working on music till I get in." Gilly furrowed her brow, the words catching her off-guard. Why did it sound like Chloe had been here for a couple of years? "I'm a senior," Chloe added, effectively confusing the blue-haired girl more. Why was she sharing with a senior?

"Then why are we sharing a dorm?" Gilly blurted. She silently rebuked herself, she needed to get better control of her words.

"Well, my best friend is rooming with someone else down the hall, and there is an uneven amount of freshman, so I was like 'sure why not,' and signed up. Plus, you sounded pretty cool from your survey." Gilly rolled her eyes—she hadn't exactly been honest on said survey. "But even though I'm a senior, I hope we can be good friends," Chloe said, leaning forward in anticipation.

"I'll think about it." Chloe's hopeful expression died but was quickly replaced once again. Gilly, seeing an opening, grabbed her sketchbook and pencil, beginning to draw before Chloe could start talking again. Drawing was more than just a putting a pencil to paper, it was an escape from the cruel grasp of reality.

Gilly heard Chloe getting up and moving around but chose to ignore it, too absorbed in the drawing she was making—a feather falling from a bird, which, if you were to look back in her sketchbook, was a frequent subject. The thought never occurred to her though, so she kept drawing the same thing over and over, getting better each time.

Chloe left the room multiple times but always returned, even if Gilly never noticed. When she was finished with her drawing, she was surprised to see Chloe in there and even more so to see that the sun was clinging to the waking world with its last rays. She had arrived late to school, yes, but she didn't expect her first day to go by so quickly.

Gilly thought Chloe would be off partying, with a boyfriend, or both. However, Chloe watching her draw was not what she expected. "You're really good at drawing," Chloe said, and Gilly jumped out of instinct. Her breathing leveled out quickly, but voices still surprised her out of the blue.

"Thank you."

"How do you choose what to draw?" Geez, will this woman ever leave me alone? Gilly wondered. But Gilly answered with a shrug.

"I just draw, whatever comes out is what I get."

"Okay." Chloe thought for a second. "So, where are you from?"

Gilly rolled her eyes internally. "Boston. I taxi-hopped between cities."

"Didn't your parents drive you?"

"Nope," Gilly replied, popping the 'p.'

"Oh. Any reason why?"

"Not that I'm sharing," she said coldly. Chloe seemed unfazed.

"So, is the blue hair for any reason?" Chloe asked, changing the subject.

"It looked cool."

"And it does." Chloe checked her watch. "Excuse me, I gotta go." Gilly silently praised the heavens above for relief from this cruel interrogation and laid back on her bed as Chloe left, shutting the door behind her. She seriously doubted that she'd be able to make it through the year with this ginger as her roommate.

Sitting up, Gilly pulled a notebook out of her bag. She flipped through the pages, checking her watch as she reached a new day. She wrote down the time and described her day. She honestly didn't know why she journaled, but it had been a habit since she was young and needed a person to talk. The journal, dubbed 'Ellie' had been that for her, and despite how childish the idea was, she'd stuck with it. Her entire past was collected in these journals, walking hand in hand with her sketchbooks. Although she never read them, 'Ellie' was proof that she was strong enough to hold her own against whatever came her way. After all, if she could escape, she could do almost anything.

She finished quickly, knowing that time was valuable. She shoved some earbuds in her ears upon hiding the journal away, turning on her music, drifting off to sleep still in her clothes from the day.

When Chloe returned late, she smiled to see her roommate at peace. Despite the girl's demeanor, she had liked her. It was like a platonic crush of wanting her to be her friend. Chloe flipped off the lights, letting the girl sleep, knowing she'd need it for the upcoming year.

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Hi! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you would, please comment and vote; it means a lot. As usual, the next chapter will be up next Wednesday.