Emma POV
I was standing in my dorm room with a small smile on my face.
The room was very cozy. On my left, there was a nice closet. It was big enough to fit everything I had. Next to the closet, there was a bed with a nightstand on the right. On my right, there was a huge window overlooking the forest. Under the window, there were a desk and a chair.
The other side of the room mirrored mine, except for all the stuff that had already been neatly put away.
Mrs. Porter, the teacher who accompanied me to my room, told me my new roommate’s name, but I was so nervous I didn’t really listen to her.
Just as I was trying to remember my roommate’s name, the door to the room opened and a girl walked inside. A huge smile spread across her face as soon as she saw me.
“Hi!” she exclaimed, closing the distance between us and reaching out for my hand. “You must be my new roomie! My name is Hazel.”
Hazel! Right.
“Hi.” I smiled, taking her hand in mine and shaking it. “Emma.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Emma.” she smiled and looked behind me at my bags. “Do you need help unpacking?”
“It’s okay, thank you.” I smiled. “I would rather have you tell me something about this place while I put my things away. Is it nice?”
“Well, most of the time.” she sighed, sitting down at my desk. “The teachers are nice, and the work is not that hard if you study regularly. We have popular kids, bitchy girls, jocks, nerds. You know the drill.”
“I do.” I chuckled, unzipping my bag. “Where do you belong?”
“Oh, I am a quiet girl who loves to read.” she grinned. “I guess that would make me a nerd.”
Oh, thank God. That makes the two of us.
She studied my face for a second and laughed. “You look relieved.”
“I am.” I laughed. “I’m a quiet girl who loves to read too. I was afraid you were popular.”
“Nope.” she chuckled. “You are safe.”
I started folding my clothing and putting it in my closet.
“So, how come you joined Forest Lake Boarding School in your senior year?” Hazel asked me, checking the titles of some books I brought with me.
I gulped and tried to think of a reason. The real one was that my mom and my stepfather wanted to get rid of me. My mom stopped being the wonderful mother she was the moment she divorced my dad. She became cold and disinterested, and I often wondered why she took me with her if she clearly didn’t want me. I thought that things would get better when she married my stepfather, but they’ve only gotten worse.
My stepfather never wanted children, so my mother decided to act like I didn’t exist. They were either working or traveling without me. For the past 6 years, I’ve been alone. I taught myself how to do everything. She didn’t even want to help me when I got my first period. YouTube taught me how to put on a pad and which one to buy.
Three months ago, my mother told me she and my stepfather were moving to Europe because of work. They didn’t want to take me with them, and they couldn’t leave me alone at home. The principal of my old school was already getting suspicious of them because they missed every important school event, and my mom was afraid they would send Child Protective Services to check on us. She couldn’t allow that to happen, of course. She would lose a lot of friends and a lot of important business partners if they found out she was a negligent mother.
So, their solution was to ship me off to a boarding school. I did not complain much. At least I won’t be alone all the time. And the school was really nice. It was on an island in the middle of a big forest. It looked like Hogwarts, and I’ve always loved Harry Potter. Also, this school will look great on college applications. But again, my mom and my stepfather didn’t do it for me. I knew they would rather leave me at home or send me to some school that still uses physical punishment, but it would look bad in front of their friends and business partners. So, I get the best. Not for me, but for their image.
I cleared my throat, realizing I should probably answer Hazel’s question.
“They had to move to Europe for work.” I said, deciding to tell some of the truth. “They couldn’t take me with them, and they didn’t want me to be alone at home. Also, this school looks great on college applications, and my mom wanted to give me the best.”
“That’s nice.” Hazel smiled. “Where in Europe are they?”
I don’t know. They never told me. I don’t even have their numbers. I’m alone.
“Germany.” I said the first country I could think of.
“That’s nice.” Hazel smiled again as she looked down on my admission papers.
She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at me again. “Your last name is Richardson?”
“Yes.” I nodded, confused. “Why?”
“You have the same last name as one of the school’s most popular boys.” she said, looking back at the papers again.
My heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be…
Richardson is a common last name.
“What is his name?” I asked, trying to ignore the lump in my throat and the erratic beating of my heart.
“Mason.” she said and looked up at me.
I almost fainted.
Hazel jumped up and ran to me, grabbing me by my shoulders.
“Emma?” she called me. “Oh, God, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine.” I managed to mumble, sitting down on my bed.
Shit. Oh, shit. It’s him.
He hates me. He doesn’t want to see me. He will be so angry that I’m here.
My heart was beating so fast that I thought it would jump out of my body. My palms were sweating, and the lump in my throat made it impossibly hard for me to breathe.
Suddenly, I didn’t care if this place looked like Hogwarts. I didn’t mind being alone at home. I wanted to leave.
“Emma?” Hazel said, crouching in front of me. “What’s wrong? Do you know Mason?”
Should I tell her? I should. She seems like a nice person. She is my roommate. I won’t be able to hide it from her. Maybe she could help me avoid him, if that would even be possible.
“I do.” I nodded, wiping my sweaty hands on my jeans. “He is my brother.”
Her eyes widened comically. I almost laughed.
“Brother?” she repeated. “How? What?”
“Our parents divorced when we were 9 years old.” I said, my voice trembling. “My mom got custody of me, and Mason stayed with our dad.”
Talking about it made my heart break all over again. I missed Mason. He was my twin, my other half. I still remember how hard we cried when the day came, and I had to move away from him. I still remember how tight we held on to each other. We promised to talk, and we promised to visit. But he never responded to my messages or my calls. I’ve even tried sending him letters, but I’ve never gotten anything back. So, I came to the only conclusion I could. He hates me, and he doesn’t want anything to do with me.
“Why are you so scared?” Hazel asked softly.
“We haven’t talked ever since I moved away with my mom.” I gulped, looking down at my lap. “I’ve tried, but he never responded. I don’t think he would want me to be here. He will be angry when he sees me.”
“Well, tough.” Hazel said, frowning. “You are here, and you are not leaving. He will have to deal with it, Emma.”
I looked up at her and gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” she smiled and took my hand in hers, pulling me up. “Now, come on, I’ll help you unpack, and we are going to go to the dining hall to get something to eat.”
“Can you help me avoid him, though?” I sighed. “I’m not really ready to see him yet.”
“I got your back, girl.” she said, smiling and grabbing a handful of my clothes.