University Days: Season One

Going Home (1/3)

Sarah

Having a random stranger live and sleep in the same room Emily and I painted together felt so wrong. I admittedly missed my rude sister a lot more than I acted like when we had to see each other in class. I still sat with her, as I was scared of getting called on or working with other people.

I hadn't exactly tried to talk to her, but I still needed her around and she got the unspoken message. Emily had tried talking to me a few times, but I gave her annoyed looks and stayed quiet unless we had to work together.

My new roommate was nice enough. Her name was Olivia, and she did her best to be friendly to me.

This weird reality only lasted a week, however, as I was made aware by a spam of messages that blew up my phone. That new virus was a lot more serious than everyone thought because now all the classes were going to be online video calls and we were being evacuated from the dorms.

A literal evacuation order.

The anxiety ate me raw, but I was determined not to run to my sister and cry about it like a scaredy cat. I was trying to stay mad at her, the things she said during our fight were just... I couldn't believe she tried to hurt me like that. Of course she tried to apologize via text the first day, but I was still extremely angry.

Now I was going to be stuck going home with her and living in the same room anyways.

"Oh gosh," I muttered to Olivia as I scrolled through my phone, trying not to let my voice break, "We have to move back to our homes. That means I have to talk to Emily. I haven't really seen or talked to her since we fought. I've been ignoring her."

Was it oversharing? I thought it might be, but she seemed to be fine with it.

I watched her pick up the cheap pink half-heart necklace Emily probably dropped under her bed, then grab my blue one off my desk. She clicked them together, smiling with satisfaction when they connected.

"Hey, these necklaces are magnetic! Anyway, didn't you say she tried to apologize?" Olivia asked curiously, glancing back at me.

I shrugged, trying not to start crying. I did miss Em a lot, but what if she didn't even want to deal with me anymore?

"Maybe if you two talk it out, you'll feel better. She seems nice," she added, gently placing both necklaces back on my desk.

I kept my eye on the necklaces, scared I'd see the pity in her expression. Olivia somehow hadn't gotten this close to seeing me cry before, and I hadn't planned on letting that start now.

"She is, but..." I glanced back down at my phone, unsure if I should text my sister, "I don't know."

Our last few classes, she'd given up trying to talk to me. Emily was more than likely just done.

* * *

Emily

So we were going home today.

Seeing as my boyfriend and co-ed roommate, Calvin, was friends with the room advisor on our floor, he'd gotten warned that there was a meeting this morning talking about the possibility of the virus shutting everything down: the school, the dorms, food halls, etc.

I'd considered warning Sarah it was a possibility, but she was so freaking mad at me, I was sure it'd send her into a whole four hour gym session's worth of irritated. I decided to let the room advisor do the honors if it was really true we would have to go back home.

It turned out to be true anyways, as it was made clear via a group messaging app our R.A. made.

Calvin had already started packing this morning, just in case. His parents were terrified with the news and wanted him home as quickly as possible, but I was heartbroken to see him go. We'd gotten so close over this past semester, and especially within the past week we'd lived together.

How could we just act like we weren't a whole heart being ripped apart and made to live in different states for who knows how long? I just wanted to wake up and see him in the same room, have hugging access everyday, and kisses whenever I felt.

I could tell he'd gotten choked up after I helped him tape up the last box. "There you go, cuteness."

The moment I saw his eyes glaze over with tears, I ran to give him the tightest possible hug.

"I can't believe I won't be seeing you all the time!" Calvin tried to laugh, pulling his arms around me.

"We can video-chat all the time!" I tried to offer, but only being able to see each other on a phone screen was going to kill me.

"Just come with me, stay in quarantine at my wackadoodle house," he begged, letting me go.

Oh, what I would've given to stay with him all that time in that moment. Looking into his glassy gorgeous green eyes, my own eyes grew misty. My heart burned. It was so... just, amazing that he felt comfortable enough to show emotion with me.

I squeezed his hand, "You know I wish I could! I've left Rosie with Mom long enough, and Sarah definitely won't survive there by herself."

"Call as often as you want," he told me, looking at me seriously. "I don't care if it's thirty thousand times a day, or what it's about. Just... let me hear your voice as often as you want me to."