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Definitely not in the Midwest, where the grocers remember everything you tell them and constantly ask for updates on your sick dog. That actually just happened before I went to my dorm. It was shocking to me too.
I stopped to grab a bottle of water and the cashier at the small grocery store was asking the woman in front of me how her dog is doing. He even knew the dog by name! I tried to keep my head down as I checked out, not being too kind or too rude. I should have stopped at a store closer to campus. It’s too late for that now. At least I know better for next time.
Now here I am parked outside of the Crest hall dormitory on the campus of Sweeney University on a Tuesday afternoon. For just a little south of five thousand dollars, I got a shared room and an all-you-can-eat dining pass for the semester. It doesn’t hurt that the college is located right on the north shore of Lake Superior, so the views are nice.
My mother’s family was well off and she left her trust to me when I turned eighteen. I didn’t think that was enough protection, so I laundered it through one of our competitor’s businesses (you’ve just got to love mattress stores) before routing the money through several untraceable offshore accounts and transferring it to the account under my new identity.
Thankfully, even after all the fees, I still have three hundred thousand dollars in my account. About eighty thousand of that will cover my tuition, housing, and meal plan for the next four years. I’ll be able to stay on campus through winter and I can rent a room through the summer. I figured everything out, so on paper everything should be perfect. I just need to make sure I get along with my roommate. Which should be fine, since I picked her for a reason.
Straightening my shoulders, I raise my chin. One thing my dad taught me that is actually useful is to never let your insecurities show.As long as you look and act confident, nobody will think otherwise.
The short brick building stares back at me mockingly. The doors are propped open for move-in day as I make my way inside. There areparents and other students milling around with bags and boxes. I find my room—313. The number is labeled right across the door. I knock quickly before using my key to open the door. Before I get it open all the way, a pretty girl pulls the door open.
Sandra Brown is a beautiful girl. She’s taller than me at my five-foot-two and a half inches.The half inch really does matter!
Where I’m curvy, she has the figure of a dancer, and the posture too. Or more accurately, a figure skater. Sandra Brown came to this university because of its figure skating club. She’s won a bunch of awards throughout her childhood and teenage years.
Not that she knows I know any of this. I hacked into the school information system to look into my assigned roommate, then may have possibly assigned myself to a new one who was actually interesting. I wanted to make sure they were safe and wouldn’t ask too many questions. She’s under the impression that neither of us even knows the other’s name until this moment.
I hold my hand out with an easy grin that took me years to perfect. “I’m Viv Russo.”
Sandra scoffs at my hand and pulls me into a tight hug. “It’s great to meet you. I’m Sandy Brown. I’m sure we’re going to have a load of fun this semester!” She holds me at arm’s length to beam a grin at me.
I have to blink a moment to make sure I haven’t been blinded. “It’s good to meet you too.” I’m finally able to step fully into the room and close the door behind me.
I saw the photos on the website. The rooms aren’t huge. There are mirrored areas for clothes on either side of the door with a dresser, a bar above to hang clothes, and a shelf above that for storage. Past that, further into the room, there are just two beds with one long desk with two chairs side by side between them. There’s a shelf above the desk with two cubbies and one window to let in light. There’s a mini fridge on one side of the closets and three trashcans on the other side.
The reason I picked this dorm is that it’s only one floor. I’m a light sleeper and any noise will wake me up. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in one of the larger dorm buildings. While I have the money to rent an apartment for four years, I really want the whole college experience, so this will just have to do. Sandy seems nice enough, soliving with her shouldn’t be an issue. Plus, I didn’t find anything troubling in the deep dive I did into her past and family.
I walk in and put my stuff on the unmade bed on the right side of the room. Sandy already has her bed made in frilly pink blankets with a set of figure skates set on the end of her bed. She’s quiet as I make my bed in my soothing sage green blankets and unpack my things into the closet. On her side, she has pictures and mementos from home, and on my side, there is nothing but my clothes and blankets. I didn’t bring anything but a bag full of the clothes—mostly what Enzo purchased me over the years and the untraceable laptop he got me. Well, a few other things too, but we won’t talk about those just yet.
Enzo’s like a cool uncle. My dad always bought me expensive clothes that made me look like a doll and were extremely uncomfortable, whereas Enzo would buy me hoodies with my favorite bands across the front and a comfortable collection of leggings from Victoria’s Secret. The things he got me were more practical for everyday use, rather than the formal proper things my dad tended to get for me.
I sit on my bed with an exhausted sigh, finally turning my attention to Sandy. She smiles at me and we sit there for a little while in silence. “This is kinda awkward, huh?” She breaks the silence first.
“Yeah. I guess it is. I’ve never shared a room with someone before,” I admit, giving her a wan smile.
“Me neither. Well, unless you count sleepovers and staying in hotels with my parents.” Sandy shrugs like those are normal things.
Honestly, I’ve never had a sleepover. Sure, I’ve seen movies and TV shows where the main character has them, but I’ve never experienced it myself.
As for staying in hotels? Laughable. We rotated between my family’s villa and mansion, and on the off chance we had to stay in a hotel, my father reserved the penthouse with multiple rooms.
“Yeah,” I agreed awkwardly, because I can’t say any of that to her. She’ll probably think I’m a spoiled brat.
We go silent again. “Is there anything I should know about you? Like medical conditions or things to avoid?” she asks.
I think on that for a moment before nodding. “Never shake me awake. If you need to wake me up for any reason, calling my nameshould be enough. Also, never grab me from behind.” Those are two things I’ll need to ease her into complying with. I really don’t want to stab my new roommate accidentally. “Anything about you?”
She nods. “I’m highly allergic to bananas. I’ve got an EpiPen in my pen holder over there.” She points to a pink mesh metal pen cup. “And I’ve always got one in my purse.”
I raise my brows at that. I’m not sure how I missed that in my look into her personal files. “How does the campus handle that with the dining hall?”
She frowns and tilts her head to the side. “Well, they mark foods with common allergies, but banana isn’t that common. I just have to be careful and ask the staff if I’m unsure. Luckily, it’s not a usual ingredient like milk and eggs.”
“Okay. I’ll make sure not to bring anything with bananas in it to the dorm room.” I’ve never had a friend before, and if this is going to work, I need to keep from accidentally killing her or purposefully killing her. That would be bad too.
Sandy gives me a smile. “I really appreciate that. Do you mind if I head out? I’m kind of dying to check out the rink.” Her hand lands on the well-worn skates next to her.
