Simone nods. “Yeah, we’ve been best friends since middle school.”
“Ugh!” Lani dramatically sighs, throwing herself back onto the last empty bed. “Now I’m jealous. I’mtotallygonna be the third wheel around here.”
“No way!” I say quickly.
Simone shakes her head with mock seriousness. “Absolutely not. Are you crazy? We’re all roomies, so by default, we’reallbest friends now.”
Lani tilts her head, amused. “Really?”
“Yup,” Simone says, shrugging. “I didn’t make the rules. They just are what they are.”
I hear Simone’s parents laugh over on the other side of the room. They know their daughter, and they know she could make friends with the wall if she wanted to.
I chuckle softly and look toward Lani. “Honestly, that’s how she got me. She just told me we were best friends the first time we met, and then boom, inseparable ever since.”
Lani stares at us for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips. “Okay, love that.”
We laugh together, and then Lani stands from her bed. “I’m gonna grab the rest of my stuff,” she says, moving towards the door.
“Oh, are your parents here? Do you need any help?” Simone asks casually.
Lani’s expression fallsslightly, a hint of sadness in her eyes at the mention of her parents. “Nah, I flew in from Cali alone. My parents couldn’t really come with me, so…it’s just me. My brother is on campus too, but his schedule was packed today.”
My chest tightens as I watch her. I can’t tell if the look she gives is from a strained relationship or from missing her parents.
My own emptiness feels glaring again. Most days, I would tell you losing my parents didn’t affect me as much as everything else in my life probably has. But most days I’d probably be a liar. I shake off the dip in my mood from the reminder of where and who I came from, not wanting anyone to notice the shift.
Simone quickly gestures toward her parents, standing quietly near her bed. “Well, Lani, this is my mom and dad. They’ve been helping us unpack a little. We all road-tripped here together from North Carolina.”
Lani lights up again, shaking their hands and greeting them with a smile before turning back to us. “So cool! That’s crazy, we’re literally from opposite sides of the country!”
Simone’s parents smile gently and tell us they’re going to grab the rest of the bags from the car. As they step out, Simone loops her arm through mine, and Lani leads us out into the hallway.
“You guys really don’t have to help,” Lani starts, but Simone cuts her off playfully.
“Oh, hush. That’s what roomies do!”
As we walk slightly behind Lani, Simone leans over to me, whispering, “How are you feeling? You good?”
I take a deep breath, taking it all in. “Actually…yeah. I’m good—really good.”
II
Part Two
We are stronger, gentler, more resilient, and more beautiful than any of us imagine.
-Mark Nepo
34
Bash
A Little Over A Year Ago
“You’re a sophomore in college, Sebastian…You’ve gotta figure out what you want to do. Don’t waste your education partying. You’re too smart to throw away your future.”
My dad’s words play on a loop in my mind as I try to find my bearings. I look around the room I’m in, but I can barely focus with the pounding headache I have—no doubt from getting blacked out last night. I groan and shift on the mattress, trying to piece together where I am. My head feels like it’s been stomped on by a herd of elephants, and the taste of something bitter and stale stuck in my mouth makes me almost gag. I blink against the sun coming in from the window, wincing as the throbbing behind my eyes gets worse, and then I look down at the pink floral sheets wrapped around my body.
