abstracts & him

One

Thank you feufeu15  for the French translations! ❤️

This story is not anyway affiliated to Concordia University and The Grey Nuns Residence.

Beginning.

I tell myself as I look around the busy street of Montréal. This is it, the place where I can fully be who I want myself to be. I've been here for just a few minutes but I can already feel at home.

I'm making my way to Grey Nuns Residence where I'll be staying. I can't help but smile as I pull my suitcase with me. I'm excited but quite nervous. I hope I won't get lost because I'm just following what the "maps" says. I stop in front of a very European style building. Maison Mere Des Soeurs Grises is written in big capital letters on the entrance of the building. I don't have an idea of what it means but I guess it's just the name of the residence. Most of the people here are francophone so signages are also in French.

I stand there for a while as I watch a student get off the car with her mom and dad.

"Call us everyday. Eat thrice a day. No alcohol, no drugs and no boys." I can hear her worried mom from here.

"For the three hundredth time" Her dad teases then laughs. His wife turns to him with deadly stare making him shut up.

"I'll be fine." She hugs her mom and dad before carrying her things with her.

I can't help but feel a little jealous. My mom doesn't support me with this and my dad... I think it's not the right time to talk about it.

There are people wearing maroon shirts who I think are what they call the Resident Assistants. It's a moving-in weekend today so they are very busy.

"Hi!" A sweet looking blonde short haired girl greets me with a huge smile on her face. "Welcome to Grey Nuns! I'm Sabina and he's Ezió." She points to the tall guy beside her.

He looks at me as if he's trying to remember who I am while I try to do the same. He looks familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere but I can't remember where and when or maybe I've never seen him at all. When I smiled at him, he suddenly looks away.

"He'll be escorting you to your room. Feel at home!" She pats my shoulder before approaching another freshman.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. A message from Uryella, daughter of my grandmother's friend in Quebec, appears on my screen. Let's go out later! , it says. I reply with a I'm sorry I can't. Maybe next time :(:

I met her in Sainte Anne de Bellevue—where my grandmother resides. I moved there four months ago from Toronto. I needed a summer job that time so my grandmother asks her mom—who she's friends with—to hire me since there's an open position for a waitress at her café— there's really a perk from having connections. We had the chance to hang out for a couple of times before they went back to Notre Dame. She was just there for a short vacation. Honestly, she is a bratty teen girl but tolerable.

"What's your room number?" I turn to Ezió after hitting the send button.

"207." I said and right after, he presses the number of floor to my room. I follow behind him as I struggle to pull this big suitcase while carrying a medium sized box. He's not even helping me with my things. I watch the other RAs helping newcomers in carrying their things while I got so unfortunate to be assisted by this mean guy.

"Are you from Toronto?" I know I've seen him there so I need a confirmation. I feel like a different person from talking to him. I'm not like this but going here is my beginning. I am no longer who I was.