"We are in LA."
"Yes." I assured with a gigantic smile on my face.
My best friend and I were standing in front of Willow Creek University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
This place was going to be our heaven and hell for the next few years.
"You both have grown so much. I am so proud of you, girls." Dani's mom wrapped us both in a hug, I could already see her tear up.
"Thank you so much, mom."
"Thank you for being here, Lauren." I hugged her back.
"Okay, let's get you settled in your dorms." Lauren said, pushing both of us towards the dorm building.
Reaching the dorm building, we walked towards the receptionist. The said building was spacious and well decorated. From the glass door to the glass windows, it gave off very modern and pristine vibes.
"Good Morning. Welcome to Willow Creek University." The woman behind the desk smiled. Her low bun highlighted her beautiful face and smile.
"Hi, I am Iris Reed and, this is Danielle Ainsley." I smiled at her.
"Right. Let me just check." She said typing something on her laptop.
"Okay, so both of you are sharing a three-person dorm. It's dorm number 430 A on the fourth floor. Here are the keys. You'll also have a duplicate of the key. You are to report to the office if you lose the key for safety reasons." She informed, handing us the keys.
"Alright. Thank you." Danielle smiled.
There were girls around the lobby. Some of them were running around getting things done while some were talking to their friends filled with excitement, others were bidding goodbye to their loved ones. You couldn't even account for all the emotions flying in this room.
Walking inside the steel elevator with six other people, I waited anxiously for the elevator to beep and reach our floor.
"Okay, now we gotta look for our room. Easy peasy." Dani mocked as we stepped off the elevator, looking at the vast lobby filled with at least fifty rooms on one side and the plain wall on the other.
I chuckled at her chippy behavior. She was tired.
"We'll find it. Relax." I assured her.
After a few minutes of looking around, we finally found our dorm.
"This is the moment," Dani said dramatically, as she inserted the key in the lock.
"Oh, for god's sake. These bags are heavy, Dani." I snapped, rolling my eyes.
"Okay, okay. Geez."
The dorm was beautiful. It was furnished and decorated, but there was still enough space to add some personalized pieces.
"Looks like we gotta thank Mr. and Mrs. Reed for this one," Dani said, twirling in the center of the room.
"They are not here. This is to make up for it." I scoffed.
"It's okay, my love," Lauren said in a soft voice, squeezing my shoulder.
I nodded in reply.
As soon as you enter the dorm, there was a couch in the center of the room with a beautiful center table and a tv in front of it. Behind the couch was an open kitchen, equipped with all the things we might ever need. To the far left of the room was a dining table that could easily accommodate six people. There were three doors on the right wall, which I rightly assume are the rooms. Towards the end, there was a glass door leading to a small but cozy balcony.
"I am going to have so much fun decorating my room." Dani barged into my room.
The rooms were pretty plain. All the furniture was white. There was a bed in the center of the room with a bookshelf in the corner of the right wall. There was a full-length mirror in front of the bed with a closet beside it. Towards the left of the bed was a study desk with a very comfortable-looking chair. There was also a door beside the closet, which I assume led to the ensuite.
"Me too." I smiled at her.
"Let's get unpacking then."
After a few hours, we were all done with the unpacking. I would still need a few things to decorate my room with.
"This shit is tiring." Dani sighed, collapsing on the couch.
"Tell me about it." I agreed.
"Okay girls, it's all done. I have to leave now. Come here." Lauren said, emerging from Dani's room.
Both of us made our way to her and wrapped our arms around her.
"I am going to miss you both so, so much." She said pulling back.
"We are going to miss you too. Take care of yourself." I smiled sadly at her.
"Don't worry about me. You are here to study and have fun but please don't have too much fun, I don't want grandkids right now." She said in a stern voice.
"No promises." Dani joked, but Lauren simply rolled her eyes.
"I am so proud of you both. You have grown into such beautiful human beings. I couldn't have asked for more." She said cupping our cheeks.
"Thank you so much, mom." Dani hugged her.
Lauren has always been a mother figure to me. When my mother couldn't be a mom, Lauren stepped up. The last few years were exceptionally hard, but I was glad to have Lauren by my side. She always treated me like she treated Dani, as her daughter.
Pulling back from Dani, Lauren brought me in for my hug.
"You are a beautiful person, Iris. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She whispered in my ear, squeezing me.
"Thank you for everything, Lauren. Everything." I squeezed her back, wiping my tears away.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the main door. Dani moved forward to open the door. I could already hear loud voices coming from the other side of the door.
"Yes, mom! Oh god mom, not here. Yes, I'll use the damn protection. Please stay quiet now." I heard the girl on the side say embarrassed.
"Oh, hi." The girl said perking up once Dani opened the door.
"Hi." Dani smiled.
"Let me help you with that." Dani offered, taking one of her bags, and placed it beside the door of her room.
"Thank you so much. I can't tell how fucking heavy that was." She smiled in relief.
"Hi," I said, walking around Lauren. "I am Iris."
"Hi, I am... What the fuck!" She said in shock, looking around the room.
"How is this furnished and decorated?" She asked, still looking around in shock.
"Um... That would be my parents." I shrugged.
"Wow. Oh shit! I am so sorry. I am Riley." Her eyes widening as she realized she completely went off the track.
"It's alright." I chuckled, waving it off. I understood her shock.
"Well, could you thank your parents for me? I understand they did this for you but still..."
"Don't worry about it."
"I am sorry, my name is Danielle," Dani said, hugging her.
"Riley." She hugged her back.
"This is my mom, Elizabeth Knight."
Elizabeth was a very gorgeous woman. She is one of those women who befriended their age. She looked so elegant and so motherly at the same time.
"Hello." She smiled at us.
"Hi. Nice to meet you. This is my mom, Lauren Ainsley." As soon as Dani introduced her mom, both women started chatting away like long-lost best friends.
"Looks like they are getting along," Dani said, smiling.
"I have this feeling, you know, that we'll get along like a house on fire," Riley remarked with confidence.
"I hope so." I smiled.
"I hope you don't mind, we already chose our rooms." Dani said, looking at her apologetically.
"Oh, it's alright." Riley waved it off like nothing.
"Are you sure? I can change with you." I wanted her to be comfortable. Dani and I were childhood friends, but I don't want Riley to feel sidelined.
"It's fine. I would have chosen the same room."
"Looks like we're already getting along." Dani announced.
"Come, we'll help you unpack."
It was almost noon when we finally sat down on my bed, done with everything. The mothers had left the dorm half an hour ago, after a lot more tears and affirmations.
We spent the last half an hour getting to know each other, well getting to know Riley, since I already knew Dani.
"So, what's the plan?" Riley enquired.
"The plan?" I raised an eyebrow, asking her what she meant.
"Yeah, the plan for tonight." She said looking at me and Dani.
"Oh, the plan." It was a lightbulb moment for Dani.
"Would anyone explain to me what we are even talking about?" I said, raising my hands.
"Well, it's our first official night here. We can't just sit here and do nothing." Riley made a face like even the idea of doing nothing sounded horrible to her.
"I second that." Looks like Dani agrees.
"So, what are we supposed to do?"
"My brother and his friends are having this party tonight. It's like the official opening party or something. It'll be cool." Riley informed us.
Riley has a brother who is a senior here and also a part of the basketball team. That's all I know.
"Okay then. It's a plan." Dani hollered.
"It's the plan." Riley corrected her.
I am not usually a party person, but I don't mind them too much. It's fun to let loose once in a while and the first night of college looks like the perfect opportunity to let loose.
"Come on, let's get ready."
⤎❁⤏
Hey guys! So, here it is, the first chapter of 'Overcoming'. I am really excited to officially begin this journey and I am glad to have you here with me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Update Schedule: I plan on updating twice a week. There won't any fixed days because I think it'll create confusion with different time zones and everything but rest assured, you will get two updates every week.