Clouded Hearts

one

It's a sunny Monday morning, my first day at Westville College, and I'm already running late.

It's not my fault, though. I mean, sure, I was on the phone with my sister for almost two hours, but it's not my fault that my wardrobe refused to work with me. And it's certainly not my fault that after wasting an hour on trying to find a decent outfit, I eventually settled for the most basic outfit in the world.

A white t-shirt and blue jeans.

I am just a girl.

My shoulders bump into people as I jog down the street leading to the campus. I can feel them throbbing, but if I stop, I'll have to explain to my mother why my name won't be on the attendance sheet that'll be sent to her.

I'd rather eat bacon—I hate it—than do that.

So I jog faster.

By the time I get to campus, I'm out of breath. My chest rises and falls as I speed walk down the spiral pathway, ignoring the curious looks my peers are giving me.

I'm about to step into the building when I crash into someone. I hiss, my eyes closing as I reach up to caress my shoulder.

Today is not my day.

The sound of the warning bell makes my eyes snap open. As I push past whoever I crashed into, yelling a "sorry!" over my shoulder, I swear I hear my name being whispered.

By a very familiar voice.

Pushing that to the back of my mind, I pull out my phone, checking for my timetable.

Anatomy, class 7G.

I quickly head up the stairs, remembering that I saw that class during the tour my parents and I were given.

"7G, 7G," I mumble, glancing at the golden labels on every frosted glass door I pass.

A smile tugs at my lips when I spot it, but it falls when my momentum throws me forward, making me slam the door open.

Everyone's eyes fall on me, but I'm not bothered by that. I'm focused on the brunette woman writing on the whiteboard. She turns towards me, raising an amused eyebrow before capping the blue marker in her hand.

"Well," she says, her heterochromic eyes glancing at the digital clock at the back of the class. "You're one minute late. I'll allow it."

The relief I feel must show on my face because she smiles widely.

"Welcome to Westville College."

✯✯✯

"Hey, Mom. I sent you a message, but you didn't reply. You're probably at church or something. I just wanted you to know that I'm done with my classes for the day, and I'm heading home now. Text me when you're free. I love you."

After hanging up, I put my phone into my pocket, pushing my tote bag so that its straps rest higher on my shoulder.

Cars whiz pass me as I walk down the sidewalk, admiring the pink and orange hues of the setting sun.

I ended up having two classes after Anatomy, both of which I got lost on the way to. Now I'm exhausted, my feet are killing me, and I'm craving a chicken burger and a chocolate milkshake.

Today is definitely not my day.

I release my hair from the messy bun it's been in all day, allowing the gentle breeze to play with the thick curls.

The black gates of my apartment building come into view, and I feel my legs move faster.

My parents couldn't afford to have me live on campus, so they rented an apartment nearby. It's not too much, but it's polished enough to have its residents sign in and out.

I smile at the girl sitting behind the front desk, grabbing a pen from the plastic pen holder and ticking the box beside my name on the register.

"How were today's classes?" the girl asks as I sign in.

"They were great. You?" I say because I saw her in my Biology class.

"Peachy," she shrugs.

When I'm done, I place the pen back into its spot in the pen holder, then wave at the girl before heading to the stairway.

Having my apartment on the seventh floor has shown me that I'm way out of shape. However, I'm not going to be visiting the gym anytime soon because climbing these stairs is all the workout I need.

Thank God for girl math.

Getting to my floor, I start to pull out my keys, but stop when I see boxes in front of my ajar door.

I frown, trying to make sense of the voices and the smell of food coming from inside. I push the door open, my jaw dropping at the sight before me.

Two girls, a blonde and an Asian, sitting comfortably in the middle of my apartment, with takeout boxes perched in front of them.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment?" I question, taking in the boxes that are littered about the apartment. I notice that they're just like the ones outside.

The girls freeze, their eyes widening. I watch them have a silent conversation with each other, one clearly more panicked than the other.

I clear my throat, raising an impatient eyebrow. On another day, this would be funny. But right now, I'm hungry, and the ramen noodles I can smell in those takeout boxes are not helping.

"Hey! You must be Heaven," the Asian turns to me with a nervous wave. "I'm Naomi, and this is Ophelia. We're your roomies."

"Roomies?" I voice out my thought.

"Yeah. When did you move in?" she quizzes, tilting her head to the side.

"Two days ago," I mumble, trying to remember if my mom told me I'd be having roommates. She must have, but the past few months leading up to my college enrollment have not been easy.

Mentally, physically, and most especially, emotionally.

"We were supposed to move in on that day, too, but we got preoccupied with some stuff." Naomi says, pushing her bangs out of her face.

I nod, closing the door behind me as I step into the apartment. I'm about to ask for some more information when Ophelia slurps very loudly.

Naomi turns to her, giving her a look that says are you kidding me? Ophelia ignores her and looks at me, noodles hanging off her chopsticks.

"You look hungry," she smirks, shaking her takeout box. "We have an extra box."

Instead of replying, I grin like an idiot.

hey'all! i apologize for being slow with updates. i've just been going through a lot lately. i hope this chapter makes up for it. let me know what you think!

xo, dara.