It Was Always You

1

ELLIE

My alarm went off around 6:30 in the morning.  I rolled out of bed and looked at the moving boxes sprawled across my bedroom floor.  

Sophomore year, I thought to myself excitedly.  I couldn't believe it was my second year of college and second year living with Jack.

Jack and I had a unique friendship. We grew up next door to each other; our parents were good friends, and we got along from the moment we met. Jack knew my cycle, and avoided me at all costs during it, and I knew when Jack lost his virginity in high school. I also helped him get over the girl he banged when she didn't want anything more than sex. Jack's always been the romantic type, which is why I warned him about Missy Roberts, but that's a story for another time.

Jack and I just knew each other to the point where we loved living in the same condo and being roommates.

"El, you up?" My dad called from downstairs.  "We have to get on the road, let's get a move on it."

"I'm up dad," I called back before finally getting out of bed.

Making my way to the bathroom I grab the clothes I laid out the night before.  My favorite pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt.  

I contemplated on showering again, but figured the one I took last night sufficed.  After putting on my moisturizer and a little bit of mascara, I looked at myself in the mirror.

I grew up with very little self-confidence, which is weird considering I look at my parents, brothers and sister as if they were models.  I guess the attractiveness gene skipped the second born child.  

But looking at myself right now, I'm not so self conscious. Over the summer I began lightening my hair, from mousy brown to an ashy blonde.  It made my green eyes stand out more, and the freckles on the bridge of my nose more prominent.  Living in Rhode Island, I spent most of the summer at the docks, so my tan skin also helped my appearance at the moment.

I grabbed a hairbrush and an elastic and put my hair into a messy bun with a few loose strands framing my face.  I quickly brushed my teeth and ran downstairs to greet my parents in the kitchen.

"Sweetie, don't you think you should wear something more presentable?" My mom asked as I grabbed a bagel off of the counter.

I laughed, taking a bite of the bagel.  "No," I responded with a curtsy causing my dad to chuckle.

"Oh stop it Michael, why do you encourage her?" My mom said slapping my father's arm.

"She's just like her dad, what can I say?" My dad responded winking in my direction.

My dad was right; even if I didn't have his jet black hair and striking blue eyes, I did get his sarcasm.  My looks were more like my mother's side of the family, whereas my siblings all take after my dad.

"Billie, did you remind Ben to put Ellie's stuff in the car?" My dad asked my mother, to which she nodded taking a sip of her coffee.

After a few more minutes of chit-chat with the best parents around, we got into their SUV and made our way to New York.

***

We quickly stopped by campus so I could collect everything I needed for the semester, then made our way to my apartment.  Jack spent the entire summer in New York so I haven't seen him much, but we text or talk on the phone every day.

We pulled up to the apartment building and it was beautiful, not too far from campus at all.  I had my key already; Jack mailed it to me a few weeks ago.