Soul Crushed

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

          I've never liked being alone.
          I'm the type of girl who hangs around with every group at school. Whether it be the nerds, theatre kids, jocks, gamers, or any other social group, I've always fit in. College just started, and here I am, freshman year again. I don't feel like I fit in anymore. Everyone's already found their lifelong partner.

           This might sound crazy, but our government has this policy. Back around 2020, there was this sickness going around. Our population declined rapidly, and a lot of people struggled to find a partner. A program was soon invented, where if you aren't with someone before you're 20, you are paired up with someone and married without a choice. Divorces are illegal, cheating is illegal and non-governmental relationships after the age of 20 are illegal. The scary thing is, I'm only 2 months away from my birthday, and if I don't find my soulmate soon, I'll be paired up with someone who's 'thought' to be my soulmate.

            Soul mates are considered a very real thing where I live. Everyone is supposed to cross paths with there's before the age of 20. Not everyone knows when that happens though. The government practically assigns your soulmate after 20 if you aren't married yet. It really sucks.

            I put down my diary and turned my lamp off. This is my 5th night staying in my dorm. Life just feels so different now that people have love. I remember in middle school; we didn't worry about that kinda stuff. In high school, it started appearing more, but it wasn't as bad as it is now. Almost everyone here is over 20, so they've all found their mate. My roommate is included in this. I rolled over to the wall and closed my eyes. Just as I did, the door swung open.

            "Alex, you awake?" my roommate, Zoey, whispered as she quietly walked into the room. She's always been the stereotypical party girl. She' maybe about 5'5" 5'6", blond hair, green eyes. Very smart girl... she just gets influenced easily.

           "I'm awake now," I respond in a funny but sarcastic way. "What's up, you okay?" she asked as she sat next to me. "I just keep thinking, how do you KNOW when you've found your soul connection? I mean, I know you and Max have known each other since elementary school, but how did you know?" I asked shamefully, knowing I should know this. Max was Zoey's soul mate. I don't think she could ask for anyone better. He was tall, lots of freckles, curly ginger hair, and blue eyes. It's kinda rare to find a ginger with blue eyes nowadays too. Max really was one of a kind.

           "Well, you just get a feeling. For example, we where best friends until one day, we were sitting on a park bench eating ice-cream and it just clicked. Not just for me, but for both of us," she responded as if trying to think back to that very moment, almost like being sucked into it. I thought about it and she went to the bathroom to change. I laid back, some part of me hoping that I find my soul mate before my 20th, but a part of me also wants to be different and follow my own crowd.

            Next thing I knew, it was morning. I woke up to my 8:00 AM alarm. I looked at the calendar and realized we don't have class today. I got up, put on some sweatpants, a tee-shirt, hair in a bun, and some eyeshadow. I looked at myself in the mirror. I look like a college girl. Everyone admires my dirty blond hair and hazel colored eyes. I guess you could call me a bit curvy. I'm about 6'0" which to me, that's tall for a girl. And before you ask, no I don't play basketball.

           I started walking out but tripped and fell. My roommate jumped up. Probably because I scared the shit outa her. "Where are you going so early?" she asked, as she started crawling outa bed. "I'm going to get some coffee, you wanna-," before I could even finish, she was already dragging me out the door.

           It was a quiet walk, but we got there after about 10 minutes. The place wasn't too crowded, but there was still a line. We gave our orders after the wait and got our coffee. We sat in silence for about 5 minutes as we drank our coffee. "Okay, I'm awake now," she said in a husky voice. "Ha, you seemed awake enough during that walk." "Just shut up and let me have my coffee," she said playfully. We talked for what seemed like an hour. "I'll be right back," Zoey said as she went to the bathroom. I sat, drinking my frappe, playing games on my phone. I became so zoned into my game, to be startled by a hand on my shoulder.