twenty by three

one

Hello loves! Welcome to the first chapter of twenty by three. This chapter is told by Julia's POV and she'll be the narrator every three chapters.

As the story goes, I'll post mood boards based on the characters or songs. When pondering on who would be a good visual for Julia, it was hard because I was so set on what she looked like in my mind. Thankfully though, I found Yara Shahidi, whom I think embodies Julia very well. However, feel free to imagine her any way you like :)

Happy reading~

/ / chapter one / /

Finals week. Also known as the worst week of the semester. At least during midterms week, you could always cling onto the hope that finals week would be better. Papers, tests, presentations, projects, everything starts piling up until your ability to think straight is ripped away and the only thing left to do is just cry in your dorm. The only light at the end of the tunnel was once you got through this week, freedom awaited you. Even if it's just for winter break, it's better than nothing.

Thankfully, I only had one more day before all the stress was over and I could finally breathe again. Trust me, running on nothing but espresso, Red Bull and 5-hour energy drinks for the past week basically turned me into a walking zombie. I just needed to hold on a little longer. Once I finished my last two papers, I'd be done for the semester.

My heart yearned for some relaxation. Just a little break. I knew that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the entire winter break since I had my internship, but I only needed a few days to recharge and then I'd be good as new.

A soft knock sounded on the door, disturbing my daydreaming. My eyes glanced upon hearing it creek open, barely registering the freckled face that had peered into the room. "What's up, Aria?" I asked my roommate while continuing to vigorously type away on my laptop.

"Sorry to bug you, Julia," she started hesitantly. "I know it's finals week and everything, but I'm literally about to go crazy. I need your help with Dev."

My fingers paused as I turned my head to quirk an eyebrow at her request. "What do you mean?" I asked with an edge to my tone. Surely whatever it was could wait.

But as I got a better look at her, I wanted to retract my words. The dark circles under her eyes significantly contrasted with her pale skin, giving me the impression that she, too, was having just as long and exhausting of a week as I was. In fact, I couldn't count how many times I had even spoken to either of my roommates this past week.

"Sorry," I said quickly, "it's been a rough week."

She shook her head with a small, understanding smile. "No worries, I totally get it." Her big, blue eyes glanced back towards the living room before she added, "Dev's been..." her words died down with the sound of our other roommate's obnoxious sobbing, which could probably be heard all throughout Brooklyn.

Already sensing that my schedule would most likely be pushed back an hour, at least, I pinched the skin between my eyebrows in a moment of frustration. After a few seconds, I composed myself and made sure to save all my current progress on my paper before swiveling in my computer chair to fully face Aria. Although it was annoying that I'd have to take longer to finish writing my papers, I couldn't completely ignore a friend in need.

Even one as dramatic as Devika Narang.

"What happened this time?" I asked with a sigh. "Did she fail one of her finals or something?"

"No..." Aria began, her blue eyes now glued to the floor. She started to twirl a lock of her bright, red hair between her fingers, seemingly trying to find the right words to say. Her hesitation made it clear to me that whatever she was about to tell me would be ridiculous no matter how she worded it.