𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

Chapter One

Nothing felt as good as the rain falling into your face after a long drive in a sweaty, muffy cab. No offense to the driver, of course, who had just been very comfortable in his white wife beater and White Sox cap to notice the scorching heat inside the small space.

The end of October wasn't supposed to be this hot in Illinois, but for some reason, the heat had decided to visit the last weekend of the month before retreating to the south.

As I looked up at the building I was going to call my home for the next year, the raindrops got bigger and came down on me faster, undoubtedly drenching me if I didn't go inside soon.

I didn't know why I was so hesitant. Maybe because it was way quieter on campus than I would've expected, or because it was the weekend before Halloween. While not being Usually, I wasn't one to believe in superstitions, but my gut was telling me this wasn't a good sign.

This university looked to have been here for a while, with several imposingvarious buildings looking like they had served as historical sights before getting transformed into lecture halls. High arches led towards big wooden doors, and even in the dark, I could see the marble adorning the walls.

A shiver ran up my spine and I grabbed my luggage, ready to make my way inside. I checked my phone for my floor and room number, nerves trickling in my stomach as I thought about who was waiting inside. I wasn't particularly excited to meet new people, especially since I found my spot at home. It wasn't like I had a hard time making new friends, it was just difficult to trust just anyone. Not all people who had been my 'friend' turned out to have good intentions. So, I cursed my parents for insisting that I transferred to a college further away. Their motive: a fresh start.

I hated how they still had so much power over me; over my life. Even more so because this was my final year, anyway.

The hallways inside were just as empty as campus had been, apart from one or two students who didn't as much as look at me as I passed, and the occasional Halloween decoration.

When I finally made it to the right floor and found my room, I took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping in.

"Thank god," I breathed out, seeing that it was empty, and I looked around. I was surprised to see three beds instead of the usual two, and I took in my surroundings as I made my way to the bed in the only corner that wasn't decorated.

Before I started to unpack, I plopped on the white sheets with a creak of the bedframe and studied the two other beds in the room. Maybe I could learn a little about my roommates before I'd meet them.

One side looked neat, clean, and a little fancy—bottles and small pots with cold caps sitting perfectly placed on the bedside table—while the other was decorated in fall colors, rows of books covering the wall above the bed. Clearly, two very different people were living here, and instead of calming me down, it made me more anxious.

Were they friends? Would they want to be friends with me? Better yet, would I want to be friends with them? I guess in the end it didn't really matter. I was here to study. To show my parents and me that I was enough. Even though I wouldn't be top of my class.

Growing up, I didn't have much trouble with school, but college had proven to be very different. I had struggled everyfor years, and even though my parents hadn't always been presenthome to see me, they always had much to say.

In a way, I should be glad to be living further away.

My head shot up when I heard shuffling on the other side of the door.

"Penny won't be here for another hour," I heard, holding my breath when the door opened and a couple came stumbling in. Their lips werelooked to be glued together and they were pulling at each other's clothes as they made their way into the room, neither one of them noticing me.