I nodded.
“I’ll be heading back there after graduation. So if you need anything or just want a buddy to complain about traffic with, hit me up. Maybe I can introduce you to my dad.”
I smiled at her, pressing my lips tight together to keep from shrieking with excitement at the prospect.
A minute later, we were on the top floor, and Jenny led us down a short hallway, stopping at a door near the very end. She drummed her fingers lightly against the wood instead of knocking, then turned the knob.
I’d heard people say college dorm rooms were small, but I still wasn’t prepared. Mom and I didn’t live in a big house by any means, but my bedroom, for just me, was the size of the room Eden and her roommate shared. There was hardly an inch of wall left uncovered. The decor was a mix of posters featuring different country music artists, anime wall scrolls, what looked like a few old protest signs, and drawings that I recognized as being done by Eden.
There were two beds—both neatly made—two dressers, and two desks. Sitting at one of them, her eyes transfixed on a laptop screen, was a tall girl with dark blond hair. Eden stood behind her, chewing her nails.
Neither of them looked up when we entered. I remembered Jenny saying Eden was working on something, so I didn’t interrupt. Instead, I just stood by the door, unsure of where I should go. While I could guess which of these roommates had chosen what decor (Eden had talked about Misty, the country music–loving activist, several times in our emails), it was spread pretty evenly around the square box of a room, making it impossible to know which side belonged to which.
I’d initially planned to follow Jenny’s cue, but she was no help. She’d moved to stand next to Eden, clearly reading the laptop screen over the other girl’s shoulder.
After a second, the blond girl, who I could only guess was Misty, sat back in her chair. “It’s good.”
“Yeah?” Eden asked. “I don’t know …”
“Well, I do,” Misty said. “It’s a solid presentation. I have a few tweaks—mostly just what order you go over everything in. And there’s some new research that was just published about gun violence that I think you could work in. But I can make those edits tonight, if you want. Overall, I think this is even better than your usual presentation. It’s really powerful.”
Eden didn’t sound like she was excited about this, though. “Thanks, Misty.”
“I’m sure it’s great,” I said. “Your presentations always are.”
She glanced over at me and gave a small smile.
For the past few months, Eden’s been giving speeches at colleges around Indiana and Illinois. Her focus is usually on campus safety and gun control, though of course she weaves in discussion of the shooting, too. A couple of her speeches have been filmed and are online, so you might have seen them.
I stumbled on a recording of one of her speeches one night when I was googling the massacre. It was strange to watch her stand on a stage and speak so calmly, so directly, about the shooting. Eden had always been quiet and uncomfortable with too much attention on her. But with an audience in front of her and a PowerPoint presentation projected behind her, she became a different Eden.
It seemed like she’d come such a long way in the last three years. Like she had it all together.
“Come on,” Jenny said. “You can worry about the presentation another time. Lee is here.”
“She’s right,” Misty said. “I’m staying in to work on some homework tonight. I’ll make the edits and you can take a look later.” She turned to me then and gave a quick wave. “Sorry. We’re being rude. I’m—”
“Misty,” I said. “I figured. I’m Lee.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “So what do y’all have planned for tonight?”
“Antonio—that friend I told you about from my freshman seminar—he’s having a party at his house. Just off campus,” Eden said, walking over to one of the dressers and sliding open the second drawer.
I noticed Misty and Jenny exchange a quick glance.
“Really?” Jenny asked. “I was thinking maybe we could stay on campus. Give Lee a taste of college life. There’s a two-dollar movie playing in one of the auditoriums. And I think one of the independent theater groups is doing a show. I know you like theater, Lee.”
“The campus newspaper gave it bad reviews,” Eden said. She was still rummaging through the dresser drawer. “And the movie … it’s one of those midnight movie things, right? We can go to the party first, then go to the movie after. I promised Antonio I’d at least stop by. We don’t have to stay long.” She pulled a cute dark green shirt from the drawer. “Is that okay, Lee?”
“I’m fine with whatever,” I said, even though I really would have preferred to stay in this dorm room and just spend the evening catching up with my friend. We hadn’t seen each other since Christmas. But I also didn’t want to be the one to say no. “I don’t really have any cute clothes with me.”
“It’s okay,” Eden said. “Most people will be dressed like you. I’m only changing because I have ink stains on this shirt.”
Jenny grinned at her. “Like any true artist,” she said.
Eden ducked her head, looking embarrassed but pleased. She pulled off her T-shirt and replaced it with the green top. Then she adjusted her glasses and shook out her wavy black hair. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks for helping with the presentation, Misty.”
“Anytime. You guys have fun,” Misty said, and I noticed she looked meaningfully at Jenny when she added, “And call me if you need anything.”
