New Starts

Chapter 2

Unlocking the door, I pushed it open, entering the dorm room. It was reasonably sized and empty. Well except for two beds, two chest of drawers, a desk and a bookshelf. Where was my new roommate? She probably just hadn't arrived yet. I wheeled my suitcase into the room and dropped it onto the floor, I threw my duffle on the left bed and collapsed next to it. I sighed contently, I actually did it! I'm in bloody America!

Staring up at the ceiling, I followed a crack in the plaster. It branched into three trails which slowly faded into nothing. I could feel the jet lag starting to kick in, so I decided to unpack before I fell asleep. I reached for the suitcase at my feet and lifted it onto my lap running my fingers over the many stickers I had collected through out my whole life. Yeah, that's right. Me and this suitcase have been through a lot together (i.e. my WHOLE life).

I grinned as I remembered all of the family holidays I had had. We used to have massive family holidays where we went with all of our cousins as well. But all that had all changed four years ago, everyone just stopped going. They drifted away from us, which, to tell you the truth started as soon as I went to a private high school. All of my cousins liked to tease me if I ever got something wrong, saying what's the point of me going to a private school if I couldn't get anything right. To tell you the truth, most of my school fees were paid for by the scholarship that I had got, but of course my cousins didn't want to hear it. My mum always used to say that they were just jealous and that I was the youngest so they had to tease me. Yeah right, mum.

A pang of nostalgia hit me hard and I sat motionless for what must have been ten minutes, stuck in memories long gone. Before I had a chance to stop it, a lone tear streaked down my cheek. That brought me back to reality. I stood up quickly and wiped it away, I shook my head as if to get rid of the memories, then I turned round to my suitcase. Unzipping the suitcase and letting the top rest against the wall, I started to pull out clothes. The chest of drawers I had was small but looked like it could easily hold all of my clothes in there.

After storing all of my clothes into the drawers, I moved onto the toiletries. I grabbed my toiletry bag and headed towards the bathroom. Thank God that they have bathrooms in the dorms, I would not have been able to handle sharing with the whole corridor. I shuddered at the thought. Looking around the bathroom I realised it was a bit on the small side, the toilet and shower both squeezed onto the same wall and the sink was crammed right next to the door.

I looked at myself in the mirror above the sink, I look a right state. Travelling all day had not done anything for my appearance, my hair had literally millions of fly aways and I stank. I ran out of the bathroom to collect my towel, sweats (I wasn't planning on going anywhere else today), iPod and mini speaker. Can't get in the shower without music playing, otherwise it's just plain boring. Walking back into the bathroom, locking the door behind me, I closed the toilet lid so I could put my clothes and iPod on it. I quickly stripped out of my clothes and chucked them on the lid, turned my music on and got into the shower.

One thing I hate about getting showers away from home is that I never have any idea how to work them. The one in front of me had three knobs (ha, sorry immature...) which weren't labeled. I turned the one on the left first; shit shit shit, it was boiling hot. I turned that one off as soon as the water hit me. The song that was playing just so happened to be Girl on fire by Alicia keys, the Gods are mocking me. I rolled my eyes and tried the knob (sorry) in the middle - nothing happened, I turned it all the way round and the shower head just made a squeaking sound. That left only the right knob (...), which would surely be freezing cold. When I was just wondering how to work the bloody shower, an idea popped into my head: if I turned the hot and cold knob (last time, promise) at the exact same time the temperature of the water should be equal. I'm so smart....

I'm not smart! I'm not smart! I'm not smart! Turning them on at the same time did nothing. I'm only feeling the fucking cold water. In a hurry I started twisting all the knobs (ok, I lied, don't get your knickers in a twist - life's full of disappointments... like this shower for instance) and finally the right temperature rained down on me. I smiled and started to sing along to the song playing, Immortals by Fall Out Boy. Such a good song! I washed my hair then my body, then after I'd finished I turned the water off and got out of the shower. I wrapped my towel around me and dried myself off, I pulled on my joggers then my vest top and finished the look off with a hoodie. Classy, I know. I picked up my iPod and continued back into the bedroom/living area.

I was expecting an empty room that I would be able to relax in until my new roomie showed up. What I wasn't expecting was pink. It was everywhere, I was so surprised I just stood in the doorway of the bathroom looking like an idiot for a few seconds.

"Thank God she's out! If she hadn't been out within the next minute I'd have broke the door down so I could pee!" A very high voice said, but I'm sure it sounded like a guy.

"Billy, like you would have been able to break down a door. You can hardly open a bottle of nail polish without help." Replied an even higher feminine voice.

"Oh shut up Tilly!" The guy - Billy - said.

"Both of you should shut up!" Another voice entered (well more like ended) the conversation. That's when a girl came into my line of vision. Bloody hell, what have I done in my life to deserve this? The girl was wearing a mini skirt, two sizes too small and a crop top that basically looked like a bra. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and her blue eyes stood out from her pale skin. Oh, and don't forget more make-up than clothes. Oh no, she's looking at me, what do I do? Before I got the chance to smile at her she said,
"You should close your mouth honey, you're attracting flies." Her voice was fake, just like the rest of her. It sounded like she was trying too hard, but something was off with the way she looked at me. I mean after she had already gave me a once over and had shrivelled her nose in disgust at my outfit, must not be showing enough skin, she made eye contact and something in her eyes screamed WARNING! I didn't want to live with someone who hated me so I smiled at her and stuck out my hand, "Hi, Eliza Hood."

She stared at my hand whilst I heard sniggers behind me, she hesitated but finally shook my hand, let go just as quickly mind, and said in her fake voice, "Karma MacBride?" Karma's voice always seemed to go up at the end of a sentence, making everything she said sound like a question. She started to talk about something but I wasn't listening. Karma, seriously? Do her parents hate her or something? And what is she wearing? It just screams 'Hey I'm a slut, wanna bang me?'

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Karma's annoying voice broke through my thoughts, she didn't wait for me to answer before continuing, "Anyway these are my friends, Billy, Tilly and Milly. Say hi guys." They all waved when Karma said their names, the three of them looked like they were waving at a pile of shit. Ooh, I'm really starting to hate them and I don't even know them. Billy raised his hand like he was going to ask his teacher something. Karma saw this, "What, Billy?"

"Can I go to the bathroom now? I'm desperate." He asked. Karma nodded her head and Billy pushed past me into the bathroom. Jesus Christ, he can't even go to the bathroom without permission! I walked over and sat on my bed, trying not to be awkward, but that is a hard task to accomplish when there are three she demons staring at you.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Oh no, we were just admiring you suitcase. Lovely colour by the way. Where'd you get it? Barf 'r' us?" Milly and Tilly cackled at their masters attempted joke. I stood up, pushed my suitcase under the bed and said, "Actually I got it from Harrods," a complete lie, "and I was trying to find the same shade as your tan," I said the word tan whilst making bunny ears with my fingers, "but couldn't find one as orange, sadly." I walked towards the door with a confident stride, knowing I'd left the bitches speechless but just as I was about to open the door karma spoke again, "Nice singing by the way." Sarcasm dripped from her words. I opened the door but before I left I turned around and looked her right in the eye, "Bitch I don't sing in the shower, I perform." With that I walked out the room, closing the door with a bang.