Conditional Love

2. Suitcase

Michael

Jane and I crouch to peer over Cynthia's shoulders at her laptop screen. She quickly scrolls through some rough designs she's come up with over the summer. The university's newspaper, The Green and Gold is desperately overdue for a revamp. The design hasn't been changed in decades and is almost painful to look at. I don't know about you, but I don't want to read from something that looks like it's about to tell me about world wars and famines.

"So?" Cynthia turns around and looks at us expectantly. "Any thoughts?"

"I like the last three, but it's your final say, Jane," I chuckle.

"O-oh right." Jane nods and chews on her nails, looking a bit embarrassed. "I keep forgetting that it's... me in charge now."

I give her a pat on the shoulder. I've been trying to be a good sport about it, but god, I definitely deserve the position as editor-in-chief more than Jane does. She's nice and whatnot, but Mason definitely passed down the position to her just because he had a thing for her. That idiot ended up getting rejected by her anyway. Skill-wise, I'm much better in nearly every relevant aspect.

"I think we should go with the last one," Jane says with a small nod.

We suddenly hear loud, excited shouting and talking. I walk over to the window and curiously peek outside. The sidewalk is cluttered with people dragging their luggage along, all noisily chattering. They collectively create a deep, low rumbling with the wheels on all of their suitcases rolling over the bumpy pavement. It sounds as if they're a traveling earthquake.

Straining my head further out the window, I see most of them are headed towards Vanda Residence, the shitty run-down dorm building the university shoves all the freshmen in. I roll my eyes and shut the window, muffling their cheerful, chirpy tones. I give them one semester at most before the reality of university hits them and they're as exhausted and sullen as the rest of us.

Before I can even get back to work, my phone begins ringing. "Sorry, give me a sec," I murmur. I slip out of the library's meeting room and stand by the stairway.

"Andrea? What's up?"

"Hey Michael, I need a big favour! My sister is moving in today and needs help bringing up her luggage. Can you believe her dorm's elevator is broken?"

"That sounds like a you problem."

I hear her groan. "C'mon, please? You still owe me, remember?"

I roll my eyes and tiredly drag my hand down my face. Accepting favours from Andrea rarely come without consequences. "Ok, fine."

-----

"Alright, that's everything," I sigh in relief as I get Carmen's last bag through the door. My arms feel limp and weak like overcooked spaghetti. Her room just had to be on the highest floor of the building.

I don't understand why she brought this much stuff. Did she just pack up her entire life? When I moved here, I brought one suitcase and a backpack; I'm still doing fine. Her luggage is so fucking obnoxious too. Everything is neon pink and glittery - is she eighteen or eight? I swear the only possible explanation for her absurdly stark contrast to Andrea is that one of them is adopted.

"Yup! Thanks Michael!" she chirps and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Uh, yeah, no problem." I awkwardly pat her back. I admittedly still feel a bit uncomfortable around her. The last time I saw her was last Christmas before Andrea and I had broken up. We stayed with her family, and Carmen walked in on us. That was one of the very few times I've seen Carmen put a hold on her seemingly endless stream of chatter and legitimately shut up.