The admissions office was unusually slow for the beginning of a new term and three girls sat next to each other quietly.
The leftmost girl was sat straight up in her seat with her legs crossed. Her light wash jeans contrasting well with a purple cardigan and white tank top. Her hair was a dirty blonde and she wore it in a controlled messy bun. Her glasses hung loose on her nose as she scrolled through her phone. Her sandals and jewelry sparkled on the office's fluorescent lights. Her makeup glittered silver on her eyelids and shone a matte pink on her lips. She sighed, turned her screen off and set her phone in her purse, "So," She smiled, "How's your guys' days going?"
The girl in the middle looked up from her magazine and smiled lightly. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a neat half-up style and she wore no makeup. Her clothes looked comfortable and roomy, unlike the first girl's. It was a baggy green t-shirt and loose jeans with grass stains on them. Her tennis shoes looked brand new and clean, however, and she smelled like fresh cut grass. Her legs were straight as she closed her magazine and turned towards the first girl. She huffed, "Mine's been hectic, honestly. First a long plane ride, then waiting in the admissions office because they forgot to send my housing information. Added onto that, I feel dirty from the never-ending flight." After she was done, they had turned to face the other girl.
She was cramped as she sat cross-legged in her chair. She slowly scrolled down on her phone as her earbuds blared vulgar and loud lyrics into her ears. Her platinum-blonde dyed hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and a black handkerchief was tied around her head. Her outfit was mostly black, besides her shoes. They were almost glowing with how clean and white they were. She typed a message and smiled at her phone, turning the screen off before exhaling happily. She noticed the other two girls looking at her and she took an earbud out, "What? Do I have something on me? Is it a bug? If it is, get it the fuck off please." She looked worried.
The first girl laughed, "There's no bug. We just asked how your day was." The second girl smiled and nodded.
"Oh, ha. Sorry. My day was pretty average. Got on a plane at an ungodly hour and now I feel like I'm back in a principal's office, just like high school." She smiled and put her legs down. They were all turned towards each other, "I'm Savana, by the way." She held out her hand.
The first girl took her hand excitedly, "I'm Lindsay."
The second smiled calmly, "Sierra."
Lindsay giggled, "I can't believe we all came here on a plane. Where are y'all from?"
Sierra spoke first, "I lived on a farm with my Grandma. It's so much different here than at home. I lived in rural Ohio and my grandma loved her farm. After my parents died, I had to live with her and I ended up helping out a lot." She nodded and Savana patted her back in support.
"I'm from North Carolina. My balcony overlooks downtown Charlotte. My dad travels a lot for work, so I get a big 1 bed apartment to myself. He pays the rent, but I have a well-paying job so I can support myself. I think he's in Seoul right now. I miss him, but it's a money maker." She smiled and tried to laugh as tears filled her eyes. She sniffed and relaxed herself. "What about you, Linds?"
Lindsay smiled at the nickname, "I lived with my parents and two brothers in California. They're really supportive and encouraged me to come here for the Benedict Osteler Scholars Program. They're really happy for me and I wouldn't trade them for the world." They all smiled at one another.
Savana furrowed her brows, "I can't shake the feeling that I recognize you guys. I know we're from massively different places and backgrounds, but I don't know. You guys seem very familiar to me."
Sierra smiled, "Have you heard of a business called 'No Longer Listed'?"
Lindsay nodded, "Yeah! They knocked some animals off the Endangered species list and helped repopulate some habitats."
"You're looking at the founder." She leaned forward, "I was on a few magazine covers and I've been all over the U.S. helping wild animals that have been injured or are in danger of becoming extinct."
Savana tapped her feet happily, "I've donated, like, every month! I love what you guys do!"
Sierra shrugged and Lindsay lips curled into a smile, "Now you," Savana pointed at her, "Why do I recognize you?"
"Well, I'm what they call an 'Instagram personality.' I do makeup and hair tutorials for people and post them to Instagram. I get sponsors and a lot of fans donate to my Patreon to keep me going and stuff." She shyly shuffled her feet, "It's not as important as Sierra's job though."
Sierra laughed loudly, "I think I follow you, honestly."
Lindsay leaned to look at Savana, "What's your 'well-paying' job you talked about?"
"I cover songs on YouTube and make music videos for them. I get permission from all the artists I cover. I've been on national news a lot. I've performed on Good Morning America once."
"Oh my gosh!" Lindsay shouted, "I watched that! You were amazing! The creepy makeup you did was amazing! I did a re-creation of it on an Instagram live show."
As the girls went in every direction with their conversation, the door to the conference room opened, "Girls?" A woman asked. All three turned to look at her, "We'd like to discuss your living arrangement, if you would?" Her thick British accent made it hard for them, but they understood nonetheless. They grabbed their bags and walked into the room. They sat next to each other.
"Is there an issue with our housing?" Savana asked as the head of admissions sat down.
He smiled, "No, girls. In fact, you'll be housed together." He smiled as the girls looked at each other ecstatically, "But, you'll be rooming with a few other people. You see, it's a co-ed house for people who have a decent amount of presence in the media. The house has enough rooms to accommodate all twelve of you, and-"
Lindsay stood up, "Wait, twelve? As in, there's going to be 9 other people we're rooming with?"
"Yes, Ms. McWhorter," His smile faded, "Unfortunately, we couldn't find another apartment or housing unit close to the university for the budget we had, so we have one house of twelve people. However, I believe you three with get along with your roommates just fine." He smiled as he handed the girls their house keys, "Follow me, ladies."
The girls followed him reluctantly with their bags. They whispered as they followed the gentleman to the parking lot.
"Why nine others? Couldn't they just say no?" Savana groaned as we stood with the head of admissions.
"Alright, ladies, Here's your ride." He smiled as all three girls looked to see a limousine pulling up beside them. They all got excited, and looked in shock. The head of admissions smiled, "It's the least we could do for filling up a house. I'll see you ladies in class on Monday." He smiled and walked away as they got into the vehicle.
