"Amelia, you don't have to move in right now. You can stay home, wouldn't it be best because of you know?" Carolyn asked her daughter setting down a box on the dorm bed. She was terrified that her baby was in college, nonetheless recovering from car crash injuries and being newly sober.
"Ma, I'm gonna be okay. And I won't do anything stupid or go to parties it's going to be fine." Amelia tried to reassure her mother.
"How come you have like no stuff? When we all moved in it felt like we had a ton of crap." Derek said dropping a heavy box filled with textbooks him and his sisters had used.
"I don't know, don't need much." Amelia shrugged ripping open a box so she could make her bed.
"You know you can still stay with me." Carolyn reminded her daughter, starting to organize things into piles since her daughter just threw everything into boxes.
"I know, but it's still quite a commute for everyday. I'm gonna be fine mom, don't worry." Amelia smiled.
"Okay, kiddo. I guess we should get going." Carolyn said motioning to Derek.
"Yep." Amelia smiled wearily. She pulled her brother into a hug.
"Stay safe, and don't be dumb." He smiled wiping a tear that fell down his sisters face.
"I love you so much, kiddo." Carolyn pulled her youngest into a hug. "You've got this."
"Love you guys too." Amelia smiled through tears. Once they closed the door behind them, Amelia broke into tears. She went to lay on the bed and let the pillow soak up her tears. She didn't even know why she was crying, she couldn't stand living with her mother, or brother for that matter. After she got all her tears out, she composed herself and went to orientation.
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"Hey, a couple guys invited me to a party, want to come?" Her roommate asked her as she was applying her makeup for the party.
"Ah, I'm good but thanks. Maybe next time." Amelia smiled, flipping through her brothers neuroscience textbook.
"All right, but you are not staying in this dorm for ever. We're gonna get you out there." Her roommate smiled cheerfully as she exited their room.
"Yeah right." Amelia scoffed, she wished more than anything she could do normal people things but she made a decision to do drugs and inevitably get addicted. So now she couldn't have the 'normal' college experience. She went to unpack the last of her boxes to realize she forgot something excruciatingly important. She near ripped up her side of the room looking for her most prized possession. Now with tears in her eyes she picked up the landline and dialed her mothers number. When she finally picked up she was to the point of sobs.
"Amy? What's wrong?" Carolyn asked concerned to hear her daughter in such a state, Amelia never showed her emotions.
"I forgot my-"
"Yep, I know. Derek is on his way with it."
"Really?" Amelia smiled through the phone.
"Didn't I remind you to make sure you had it" Carolyn reprimanded. Amelia hummed in response. "Everything else okay? How's your dorm mate?"
"Good, yeah everything's good. She's nice and all."
"I'm glad. Well goodnight, I love you, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Amelia let her mother know she loved her as well and hung up the phone. A pang of nostalgia ate at her, her mother told that every night but not she had to say talk instead of see. She wasn't sure how she felt about that yet, change wasn't quite her thing. She watched the clock tick, until she heard a knock at the door.
"It's really kind of sad I had to drive up here to give you a stuffed animal." Derek laughed jumping into Amelia's bed tossing her, her stuffed unicorn she had had since forever ago.
"I didn't really need it." Amelia said taking the unicorn into her hands and putting it beside her pillow.
"Yeah, right. I don't believe that for a second."
"Yeah I just got off the phone with mom sobbing about it." Amelia laughed kicking her feet up onto her brothers lap.
"Thought so, you never survived a sleepover without it. Or a night at our place, Addie totally thought it was weird a 17 year old still slept with a stuffed animal." Amelia kicked her brothers thigh in response.
"Thank you for bringing it Derek. It means a lot."
"I know." Derek sadly smiled, she had gotten the unicorn plushie the Christmas after their father died. She never let go of it since. "Well, I gotta go. Addies cooking dinner."
"I didn't know Addie cooked."
"She doesn't." Derek giggled bringing his sister into a hug. "Bye." Derek waved walking out the door.
"Love you!" Amelia shouted as her brother closed the door.
"Love you more!" Amelia heard coming from behind the door. She smiled to herself tightly gripping onto the unicorn before drifting off to sleep.
