I follow my mother who is walking frantically through the aisles while we look for things I am going to need for my dorm room. The cart is already nearly full with stuff she threw in, and I am getting to the point where I want to just leave.
I walk away from her to look at towels, pulling my phone out to text my dad to see how things were going with my car repairs. Perfect time for my car to decide it needs everything fixed. Expecting to see my father's name on my phone in response to my previous message, I am kind of surprised when I see the group chat I have with my two room mates.
I got their contact information when they did room assignments and we've kept in touch a little since then. The three of us would be sharing the only triple in the building we were assigned.
I can't lie, I kind of wanted a single, but decided maybe it would be better to have a roommate, now two, and since I started getting to know them, I am almost positive they will keep good company and we will have fun.
Allison: i'm almost to campus, i'll let y'all know how the room is!
Amaya gave her message a thumbs up, as did I and I put my phone back in my pocket.
I grab an arm full of towels and bring them back to my mother to put in the cart. She double checks the list once more to make sure we aren't forgetting anything, and we head to the front of the store.
We start putting stuff on the counter and the cashier starts making small talk.
"College Shopping?" he asks.
"Yep, W&M freshman!" my mom says excitedly.
"Well, congratulations!" he tells me with a smile.
I smile at him, and organize the bags in the cart while my mom continues talking to him. My phone rings and it's my dad.
"Hey, your car is done, I'm heading over to the store with it now." He said quickly.
"Ok, we are checking out now. Thank you!" I tell him, feeling a little less stressed than I did before.
We gather the rest of the stuff and head out to load some of it in their car. We fit about half of the stuff we bought in their car with the other stuff I brought with me, and as we finish loading theirs, my dad pulls in with my car.
It's a small SUV, but it has done me well the last year. He hops out of the drivers seat and hands me the keys.
"There you go, all fresh and new." he says.
"Thanks again, I don't understand why it had to break down TODAY, of all days." I say and shake my head.
We both laugh and grab the rest of the stuff from the cart. I load it into my car with more stuff brought from home, and climb in behind the wheel.
I stop to text the group that I'm on my way, since we still haven't heard from Allison about the room. I set my phone down after choosing music to listen to and start heading in the direction the GPS is taking me.
After driving for a few minutes, we pull up in front of my building. The sign out front reads "Richmond Hall." There are students all over the place lugging bags and small pieces of furniture up and down stairs. I put my car in park and wait for my parents to park as well.
I get out, still watching the craziness that is move in day, and walk up to the people at the table waiting to check people in. I notice they have Greek letters on their shirts.
"Hi, uh I'm in room 200, my name's Serena."
"Ah yes! Nice to meet you Serena, I'm Mikey and this is Rye, we're here to help out or answer any questions you might have today. Here's the key to your room, I think both of your roommates are already in the room getting situated so if you guys need anything, you know where to find us!" He says, his accent strong.
"Nice to meet you too, Mikey!" I say and look to his friend next to him, "and you too Rye."
I grab my key from Mikey and head up the stairs to find my room before we start unpacking. I find the room with the door labeled 200, and its cracked open just a little bit. I can hear people talking inside, so I knock on it, pushing it a little bit.
"Come in!" I hear someone yell, must be Allison, she has a little bit of a southern accent.
I push it open the rest of the way, and see her and Amaya both in the middle of making their beds. There's stuff strewn all around the room including half built furniture.
"HI!" Amaya greets me, and Allison waves from her bed.
"Serena! Nice to finally meet you in person!!" Allison half yells.
"Nice to meet you both, too! I am gonna go get my parent's and start bringing stuff in." I let them know.
As I walk out the door, someone's dad comes around the corner with a mini fridge and heads into our room.
I find my way back to the car and tell my parents where to start bringing stuff. We haul my stuff in within a few trips, and I start getting things put away alongside Amaya and Allison.
"Do you want us to stick around and help put stuff together or do you think you got it?" my dad asks, checking the time. It's already 3pm and they have to drive all the way back home tonight.
"I should be fine, I'll walk you guys out to the car." I say, setting down the shirt I was folding and standing up. I grab my keys and head out with them, deciding to move my car into a lot instead of where I left it.
"I'll be home before you know it for the holidays!" I say, hugging them. "I love you guys. Text me when you get home and tell Jason I love him for me."
"We will. Love you too, Seem." my mom says as she pulls away, teary eyed.
"Love ya, kid. You're gonna do great things. Have fun!" my dad tells me.
I watch them get into the car and drive off, wiping the tears I have away. I hop in my car and move it to the lot nearby, before I head back to my room.
When I get back, Allison and Amaya are laying sprawled out on their beds.
"Dude, is it hot in here or am I losing it??" Allison asks aloud, to no one in particular.
"It is hot, and I thought it would be cooler here than it is at home." Amaya says fanning herself.
"Did anyone bring a fan?" I ask either of them.
They both sit up, looking at one another and me.
"Nope..." they say together, and we all start laughing.
"How about we finish setting everything up, and we can head over to the store and grab a fan, or two?" I ask them.
We agree to hit the store after we get done, and quickly get back to work.
After about an hour and a half, I finish making my bed, and everything is finally done. We freshen up a little bit and run to the nearest store, grabbing two fans, one for each end of the room, and head back to campus.
"So, you guys wanna get commons for dinner? or should we go somewhere or make something here?" Amaya asks us as we realize the time.
"Comms works for me." I say, and Allison nods in agreement. We make the somewhat long walk to the dining hall and get food. While we eat, we talk about our schedules, and they both envy the fact that I somehow ended up with no classes on Wednesdays, so when classes start in a couple days, I will have the whole first day to do whatever.
Amaya and I have a couple of classes together, Allison not so much since she has a totally different major.
After we finish eating, we walk around campus, just getting to know the place a little more. We head back to the room, and I decide to shower before I relax for the night. They're going to have us doing some stuff over the next few days so we get used to campus and finding places, and they also want us doing team building.
Once I'm done showering, I jump in bed and open my laptop to catch up on the new season of "Never Have I Ever" on Netflix. I watch a couple episodes before I start feeling sleepy, and decide to head to bed. Before I sleep, I make a tweet ready to document the next four years of my life.
"w&m, i hope youre ready for us"
I hit send and plug in my phone before I roll over and pull the blanket over my head.
