You Again

Book 1: Part 1

August 2013

Astrid walked down the hallway of her dorm and stopped in front of the closed door as her parents followed closely behind with a cart of her belongings. "414. It's your room," her father said. "Open the door". Astrid toyed with the key and slowly put the key in the lock. She turned the key and opened the door. Her roommate was sitting on her bed and looked up at Astrid and her parents. "Hi," she beamed. "I'm Gia". She hopped off her bed and shook the hands of Astrid's parents. Gia wrapped Astrid in a hug and smiled at her. "I'm going to go to The Hub and let you guys get settled. If you need me, I'm down the hall". Gia scrunched her face as she smiled and walked out the room.

"That's who you're rooming with?" her mother asked as they walked to the cart that had Astrid's belongings on it. "I guess so," she said. "The roommate matching system said we would be a good match based on a questionnaire so I didn't question it. You can always rely on a possibly faulty algorithm" Astrid said as she observed her bed and the blue pad that was her mattress. "Well let's get your room set up," her mother said. They first took out the sheets and put them on the mattress. Astrid's father pulled the dresser from under the lofted bed and lined it up to be directly under the frame. He handed her the suitcases that were filled with her clothes. She and her mother began to take out her clothes and neatly place them in the dresser. 

Once that was done, they started to hang up the decorations. First was a dry erase white board calendar where Astrid would mark all her important dates and any upcoming events. Next were the inspirational quotes she had found at Walmart. They were printed on small frames and they hung them up. Her father put a teddy bear on her bed and she handed it back to him. "Dad!" she groaned. "What? You like this one," he said. "I can't have a stuffed animal here at college. People will laugh at me". Her father looked down at the bear. "You need something to hold for when college gets to be too much. Your mother and I won't be here, so keep this". Astrid rolled her eyes and opened the bottom drawer of her dresser. "Put it in here," she compromised.

Her father smiled as he placed the teddy bear into the drawer. She closed it and looked at her completed side of the room. "We have guest passes for the dining hall so let's see what you'll be eating," her father said. "Invite your roommate," her mother said with a smile. "I would like to get to know who you're rooming with". They walked out the room and Astrid walked into The Hub. It was a small common area on each floor of the dorms. It had three couches, a mounted television, and a table with four chairs. Perfect for group study sessions or binging shows with the people on your floor. "Gia," Astrid said as Gia looked over. "We're heading down to the dining hall before my parents go. Did you want to come with us?". 

Gia smiled widely and stood up. "I'd love to come". Since the elevators were in use by people who needed to bring their carts up to their rooms, they were forced to walk down four flights of stairs which tired Astrid's mother. They walked the short distance to the dining hall and Astrid looked around at the crowded place. People of many walks of life congregated here and it was truly a sight to take in for the girl who lived under her parents protective wings. "They put the menu online but I know someone who works in the kitchen that can get you things that aren't on the menu for the day," Gia says with a cocky smile. They put buttered noodles, Salisbury steak, and broccoli on their plates and sat a table in the main dining area. 

"What's that room for?" Astrid asks about the dining room behind doors. "For the losers," Gia sneered. Astrid's parents exchanged glances with each other and Gia took notice. "Not losers," she said quickly. "It's the quiet room. A lot of people that eat alone or study while they eat sit in there," she said cleaning up her initial statement. "So when did you come?" Astrid asked. "Two days ago," Gia said as she poked at her food. "You moved in the first day they offered?" Astrid said. "Yeah. I guess you could say I was excited for the college experience".

After they finished up eating, Astrid and her parents walked back to the dorm where they hugged and kissed her goodbye. Astrid cried as most do when they realize they're on their own for the first time in their lives. When the tears had stopped, her mother smiled at her and leaned into her ear. "We're always a phone call away," she assured her only child. Astrid smiled as her father looked back at Gia to make sure she wasn't listening. "And watch that roommate of yours. She seems like she may be a bad influence on you". Astrid looked back at Gia and then her parents. "Don't worry dad. I have tunnel vision. I know what I came to do". Her parents hugged her once more before leaving.

 Gia closed the door and looked at Astrid. "Done crying?" she bitched. "What?" Astrid said slightly confused. "I said are you done crying," she reiterated. "You have the freedom to do whatever you want so you should be excited!". Gia walked past her and looked at the mirror over the sink in their room. Astrid huffed at her roommates attitude and sat on her bed.

"I'm being harsh," she said as she tousled her hair. "You're allowed to cry but you need to get it all out because class starts on Monday and there's a party tonight. You don't want to be known as the girl that cries". Astrid looked over at her and looked confused yet again. "I don't go to parties," she said. "Ok well you're going to one tonight," Gia chirped. "Who's throwing it?" Astrid asked. "Some basketball players. My cousin is getting us into the party so don't ruin it by crying. Do you have an outfit?" Gia asked as she walked over to Astrid. "I have plenty of outfits," she said as Gia opened her dresser drawers. "Don't go through my stuff," Astrid yelped as she jumped down from her bed.

"Oh my fucking god relax," Gia chuckled as she made a mess of the clothes in her drawer. "You don't have outfits," Gia said with her face turned up. "Uhh yeah I do," she said. "You have clothes for class. Not parties," Gia hissed. "Well I told you I don't party," Astrid said with a bit of frustration. "What size are you? I can probably have my cousin let you borrow some of her clothes," she said as she eyed Astrid. "I don't like borrowing people's clothes," Astrid made known. Gia didn't listen as she was already texting her cousin. "She lives off campus so it might take her a second to get here," she said as she sent the text.

"Do you wear makeup?" Gia asked. "Light makeup," Astrid responded. "How light?".

"Just eyeliner and mascara," she said. "You have nice skin so we don't have to worry about foundation but I do want to put some lipstick on you," Gia said before she sucked her teeth. "What about shoes?" she asked as she pulled back the curtain of Astrid's closet. She looked on her shoe rack and said, "Oh my god girl". She whipped her head around to face Astrid. "Your shoes are tragic. Only flats," she gasped. "They're functional," Astrid said. "I just met you and you are just nitpicking everything about me," she groaned. "It's not nitpicking. You want to be cool right?" Gia asked her.

"I just want to graduate if I'm being completely honest," Astrid said. "Ok well you should also want to make college an experience. You're my roomie and I'm not going to let you just sit in here and collect dust while you study. I'm a party girl who likes to have fun and I want to extend that fun to you. It's only right," Gia smirked. It was the most genuine thing she had said to Astrid since they met earlier in the day. "While we wait for my cousin to come, let's just talk," Gia suggested. "We can do that," Astrid sighed.

"So are you from Tuscon?" Gia asked. "Scottsdale," Astrid replied. "Oh I love it there! I'm from Tolleson. Real piece of shit town," she laughed. "I'll tell you straight up why I am the way I am. My family is poor as shit and me and my cousin are the first ones to go to college. My cousin is dating a guy who got drafted to the NBA and her life has changed substantially so I want the same for myself. The floor above us is the floor for the school's basketball team. I had to fight like hell to get this room. I need to get noticed by one of these guys so I can improve my circumstances". Astrid sympathized with Gia. She sounded like a girl with a plan, but it seemed desperate.

"Why don't you just make your own money? You are in college after all," Astrid said. "I plan on making my own money but having someone else's money doesn't hurt either," Gia laughed.