17 DATES

CHAPTER 1: the wrong way to start uni

Ruby was familiar with the feeling of loss. She had lost many men in her family to alcohol, most were still alive, but it didn't feel that way. She was afraid to be locked away in a partnership with a person, who turned out to be someone who was going to hurt her. Hurt people hurt people, that was what her mother kept telling her every time they got into a fight. She didn't want anyone to destroy her. She felt like every man was dirty, ready to take everything about her and shape her into someone new. Because her father didn't like her the way she was, why would any other man?

Anton was filled with pain and fixed it by drinking himself to memory loss every night. It reminded her too much of her father, which was why she needed to stay away from him.

The following week, Anton kept on asking her what happened and she kept denying him any memories that he willingly forgot. Soon, she was sitting by herself at every lesson and the bridges she burnt crumbled, leaving her stranded in a new place alone.

She dumped her things in her room by her desk, which was littered with essays, books and study material.

"What is going on? Your outfit is too comely for you to be mentally stable," Olivia watched from the doorway, while Peggy pushed her way into the room with a bucket of potato chips in her arms.

Olivia was an Art history major with silky black hair to her bottom and full pink lips. She smelt like peaches and spice, hiding in her room with her many boyfriends or simply studying. Most of the time, Peggy and Ruby spent their girls' night alone or made lunch in their shared kitchen, only to find out Olivia was never coming out of her room.

While Olivia hid herself away from the world to pursue her dreams and lovers, Peggy enjoyed sharing her time with other students and chatting until night turned into day. With an airy personality and a cheeky grin, she attracted a lot of friends, but always tried to include her roommates in her adventures. Her ashy blonde hair was often pulled into a braided crown. which was perfected with a different ribbon every time. She majored in psychology, but Ruby never would have guessed it.

"Shut up. I always love her outfits," Peggy threw a potato chip at Olivia. It bounced off of her and fell to the carpeted floor. Phoebe glared at the food, she hated when there was anything out of place in her room, "but what's going on babe?"

There was a small voice in her head that tried to convince her it was a bad idea to tell them what bothered her. If she told them about Will and Mia, they could turn out as the mentioned girl and land her in a similar situation. If she told them about Anton, they would definitely say something to someone. Her roommates were big gossips and she loved them for it. But sometimes, it got hard to trust them.

A small sigh left her mouth before she surrendered to her fate. Trusting people didn't come easily to her, but if she always closed herself off, she would have ended up alone. The whole situation that happened to her with Mia and Will then later with Anton, weighted on her heart. She hadn't told anyone about what happened and a month had already gone by.

"I think Mia and Will started dating."

"Yeah, I've seen them hanging out a lot. They're kind of cute," Olivia shrugged nonchalantly, as if the news hadn't shocked her. She wasn't good at reading feelings. Peggy on the other hand observed her roommate, the way her eyes shifted to the side and her bitten lip.

"She hadn't told me she liked him."

"That's not a big deal, right? Friends don't tell each other everything."

Peggy turned and fixed her glare on Olivia. "Yes they do!"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the blonde, feigning an expression that told the girl she didn't believe her.