Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
College couldn't be that bad, right?
Taylor scrunched her nose. Well, it couldn't be that bad the second time around. Especially not in a big city! She adjusted her grip on the box and walked in through the door of her new dorm room.
It was devastatingly bland—as dormitories were often wont to be. She just hoped her roommate, whoever she might be, was the kind of person to enjoy decorating. The fact that Taylor got there before her made it a bit more freeing—now she could decorate a little bit.
She entered the dorm and let the door shut behind her. It was a pretty standard setup; an entry with a kitchenette complete with a fridge, a sink, some cabinets, a microwave, a mini table with two chairs, and a shared bathroom, and then the room that was to be shared between Taylor and her roommate.
"I'll take the left half," she announced to herself as she happily pranced in with her box of things. She set down her belongings on the bed as she waited for her parents to enter.
Right on cue, the door opened. Taylor turned her head to see both her parents enter. Her dad, Scott, pushed a small cart with her luggage and her mom carried a light blue backpack. Taylor must have left it in the car.
"Why'd you run ahead of us?" Scott asked as he let the cart roll to a stop.
"Sorry, I was just excited to get in," Taylor said with a sheepish smile, taking the backpack from her mom's hands. "My roommate isn't here yet, but according to the paper on the door, her name is Karlie."
"I hope she's a nice girl," Scott responded as he lifted one of the boxes with a heave. "Come on, let's get you unpacked so your mother and I can get out of your hair."
Taylor nodded in agreement and took the box from Scott while Andrea got to making Taylor's bed with light blue sheets decorated with cartoon cats. Taylor inspected the box and noticed the messy Sharpie handwriting that labelled it 'CLOTHES!!!'. She haphazardly dropped it next to the dresser and decided she'd deal with that later. The first order of business was to decorate!
"Hey, hun, could you maybe put those clothes away?" Andrea cut into Taylor's planning. "We don't want your roommate to think you're a slob."
The blonde scoffed and crossed her eyes with feigned offense. "Mom! I'm not a slob!"
"I know, but your roommate won't know that."
Okay, Taylor had to admit that Andrea had a point. For a brief, stubborn moment, Taylor left her arms crossed, but then she gave in and groaned. She threw her arms down in defeat. "I was planning the decorations!"
"Unpacking first," Scott cut in, putting Taylor's suitcase on the bed. "And then you can decorate."
"Fine," Taylor grumbled. She squatted and pulled open the box. The first thing she saw was an old Eagles shirt. The first of many clothes she'd have to organize. She groaned.
*~~~*~~~*
"Okay, that should do it!"
Taylor stepped back and looked at her half of the room with a smile. Suffice it to say, the decorations were on point. Her half of the room was strategically littered with pictures of her cats, her family, her friends, and all the colours of the rainbow. She had also found some fairy lights to string up, which made her incredibly happy. The room, or at least her portion of it, was already looking much less like an asylum and more like a bedroom.
She giggled and clapped her hands happily. "It's really starting to feel like home here."
Andrea put an arm around Taylor's forearms and lightly squeezed her. "You'd think it'd be easier the second time around."
"Aw, don't cry, Mom!" Taylor pleaded, leaning into her mother's embrace. "You'll make me cry and then my roommate will walk in and see me all red-eyed and teary and she'll think I'm a mess and that I'm weird and a freak!"
"You're not a mess, or weird, or a freak."
"I know that, but my roommate won't," Taylor said with a weak smile, using Andrea's own words against her. At the roll of her eyes, Taylor giggled. "Come on, mom! I'm 21, it's normal for me to not be living with you anymore. Who knows! Maybe after I graduate, I'll even find my own place!"
"I'll be proud of you either way, Taylor," Andrea whispered lovingly. "But you're right, I won't get all emotional again. Plus I'm sure your father is just raring to get out of here. You know, he's really the one most torn up about you leaving."
Taylor scoffed with a smile. "You know, that doesn't really surprise me. I'm his little girl," she said, making air quotes with her fingers.
They both shared a look. Taylor had always expressed how overprotective Scott could be, but he never let up. It was cute, to a certain degree. Sometimes, it was just infuriating, but she could understand why he did it. That didn't make it any less annoying. Andrea smiled and rubbed Taylor's arm. She was overprotective, too, but much less obnoxious and controlling about it.
"He loves you, you know," Andrea assured.
"I know. But he doesn't treat Austin like that," she pointed out pointedly.
"That's because you're his girl. It's different, the way a father treats his daughter than he does his son." Andrea let Taylor free from her hold.
"Yeah, I know," Taylor conceded. She couldn't really be mad at him, she guessed. He was just being a dad. "Okay, yeah. Well, tell him that I say bye."
"You're not coming down to see us off?"
Taylor shook her head. "No, I think it's best if I stay here," she admitted. Her eyes drifted to the floor. "Give it all a bit of... finality, you know?"
"Sure, honey." Andrea opened her arms for a hug and Taylor didn't hesitate in meeting her. Andrea tightened her embrace. "I love you, sweet pea."
"I love you too, Mom." Taylor clenched her eyes tightly. No tears. Not when she said she didn't want to cry. After a moment, they separated and Taylor noticed that Andrea, too, was trying to hold back tears. Taylor laughed a sad little guffaw and wiped at her eyes. "No crying."
"No crying," Andrea agreed. She matched Taylor's upturned lips and nodded once. "Okay, hun, I'll be off now. Just let me know how your roommate is, okay?"
Taylor pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "Sure thing."
"Alright. Hopefully she's nicer than..." Andrea drifted off as Taylor's lip twitched. "I'm sure Karlie will be good."
"Dianna was nice," Taylor whispered. "Really, it just... we didn't, um..." She brought her hands together and twiddled her fingers. "We just weren't compatible." Not a lie.
"Sorry, I know it's a bit of a sore subject."
She didn't know the half of it. Taylor waved it off and put on a smile again. "It's okay. How about you just let me know when you're home safe?"
Andrea nodded and gave the room one last look over. She smiled curtly and gave a little wave. Taylor returned the gesture and gently shut the door once her mom had left. Once the doorknob clicked, Taylor let out a sigh and leaned against the frame.
Now she was alone, at least until her roommate showed up. Maybe she could get some reading done or play some songs on her guitar. Yeah, that'd be fun. Taylor padded over to her bed and took her trusty guitar from the corner of the dresser and the wall and brought it up to her lap as she sat on the edge of the bed. Cross-legged, she closed her eyes and picked at the strings, going from playing individual notes to chords with no real plan.
"Karlie, I wonder what kind of a person you are," Taylor mumbled as she strummed the steel strings.
It was moments like these, quiet moments with just her and the guitar, that Taylor wished she had tried harder to pursue her dream of being a musician. Sure, she'd gotten a couple songs out there, but she had been too anxious to try and sign with a label. Her little cult following on MySpace was the only semblance of an audience she had as a teenager, and at some point, she decided to just give up on it all together and go to college. She attempted an English major, but it didn't end up working out.
Taylor frowned and pushed those thoughts away. It didn't matter if she hadn't followed her wish, she could still make music. That's what it was all about. Maybe she could finish her English major this time around and major in music. Maybe she could be a teacher! That was another one of her Plan Bs. Taylor was sure that this time, she could find her place in this world.
She strummed harshly, and her pick snapped in half. Taylor blinked out of her haze and looked in the direction where she had thought the other half of the pick might have flown and, thankfully, she spotted it immediately. On top of the unmade bed in the other (undecorated) half of the room was the second half of the pink guitar pick.
"I didn't even know it could do that," Taylor mused. She lifted the guitar off of her legs and placed it gently on the top of the bed. It creaked as she got up and took the four steps between her bed and the fresh, unclaimed bed.
Just as Taylor reached over to pick up the piece of pink plastic, the main door opened. Surprised, Taylor let out a bit of a yelp and yanked her hand up in what was a measly attempt at self-defense and ended up accidentally throwing the guitar pick across the room. Taylor watched, as if it were in slow motion, as it sailed across the air and hit her new roommate perfectly square between the eyes.
Mortified, Taylor turned to properly apologize but found herself at a loss for words as she took a proper look at her new roommate. Karlie, or at least, she assumed this was Karlie, seemed to stand a solid three or so inches taller than Taylor, who was used to being the tallest girl, or even just the tallest in a group. Taylor swallowed dryly. Karlie's shocked expression trailed onto Taylor and blue eyes met a pair of sharp hazel eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Taylor exclaimed as she stood up straight. She could feel her cheeks growing red. Of course she would make a fool of herself! And as a first impression, too.
The girl seemed to shake off her shocked stillness and rubbed her forehead with a finger. After a couple of seconds, she broke off into laughter. "It's okay. No injuries here."
Taylor scrambled to pick up the guitar pick and get the hell out of Karlie's way, but it seemed Karlie had a similar idea. They both reached down to grab the broken pick at the same time, and for a brief, insanely brief, moment, their fingers touched. Taylor straightened up immediately and took a step back while Karlie slowly followed.
Karlie, clad in a black leather jacket that was certainly well loved, stared back at Taylor. She could tell that the other blonde was probably younger than she was, which made Taylor question, then, why she smelled vaguely of smoke. Her face was almost perfect: high cheekbones, piercing eyes, and a sharp jaw. A smirk ruined the symmetry of her face, but Taylor couldn't help but acknowledge that the action only served to assert Karlie's role as the cool roommate. What did that make her? A dork? Probably.
"Sorry, God, I'm such a klutz," Taylor finally said after deciding she had been staring for too long.
"Hey, relax. Here." Karlie held out the pick for Taylor to take with an earnest smile. "My name is Karlie. I'm guessing you're Taylor?"
Taylor nodded and took the plastic from Karlie and shoved it in her pocket. "Yep, that's me. Your roommate. Who just assaulted you with a guitar pick."
Karlie stuck out her tongue and leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes scanned the room, particularly Taylor's side of it. Her eyes narrowed in what seemed to be amusement. "Well, it was certainly an unforgettable first impression. I see you got here before I did. Cute decorations, by the way! I like cats, too."
Holy crap. Taylor really needed to calm down. She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to act casual. "Thanks. Did you... bring anything?" She raised an eyebrow at Karlie's apparent lack of belongings.
But when the leather-clad girl snorted, Taylor felt dumb for assuming such a thing. "Of course I did, silly! I was just coming up here to make sure I knew how to get here."
"Makes sense," Taylor said, wishing she could just disappear and start the whole day over.
Great, Karlie must think I'm an idiot.
"I told my boyfriend to meet me up here," Karlie continued, pulling out her phone. "He'll be in and out, don't worry. He's just dropping off most of my stuff. I'm not gonna, like, make it all awkward for you."
Boyfriend. Taylor bit her cheek. Of course she has a boyfriend, she's super cool! And I bet her boyfriend is, too. God, how am I ever supposed to live with her?
"Oh, don't worry about me. I can just step out for a bit," Taylor offered. "I've been meaning to call my friend anyway."
"If you want," Karlie responded. "But don't feel like I'm forcing you."
"No, it's okay! I swear." She gave Karlie two thumbs ups and backpedalled toward the door. Karlie returned the thumbs up with one of her own, adding an amused grin to the mix. Taylor turned to let herself out, but just as she grabbed the doorknob, someone else pulled on it, which made Taylor lose her balance. She cursed inwardly as she bumped into someone else.
Taylor took a step back immediately and looked upwards to see the guy who was probably Karlie's boyfriend. He wasn't exactly what Taylor was expecting, though. He wore a simple gray shirt with a black cardigan on top, paired off with some skinny jeans and some name brand runners. Truthfully, he looked like a geek. Definitely not what Taylor was expecting. Still, though, she recovered quickly. "Sorry!"
The man smiled and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, it's my fault! I should have knocked."
From the room, Karlie came running. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Babe! I see you've met my roommate." She turned to Taylor and laid her arm around Taylor's shoulders. Her height made this a comfortable task. "This is Taylor, she's already the best roomie I could have asked for."
"Really? Well, I'm glad to hear it, Karlie." Josh held out a hand and offered it to Taylor. "Nice to meet you, Taylor. My name is Josh."
He was so... different from Karlie. Taylor couldn't help but wonder about the nature of their relationship, but stopped herself before she could think too much about it. No need to be nosy. Before an inappropriate amount of time passed, Taylor decided to shake Josh's hand. "Nice to meet you, too. And again, sorry. I'm kind of a walking disaster right now but," she shot a glance at Karlie, who watched her with sparkling eyes, "I swear I'm not normally like this."
"You gotta stop apologizing, Taylor! It's all you've done since I got here," Karlie scolded her with a teasing smile.
"Sor—I mean, okay!" Taylor fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Um, I'll leave you two to it, I'm gonna go outside for a bit. But have fun decorating!"
"Thanks," Karlie replied with a smile. She gave Taylor a small wave just as the blonde backed out through the door.
She noted a cart full of boxes by the door. They must have been Karlie's things. At least she hadn't done anything to mess that up. Taylor let out a sigh and walked down the hallway. "Well, that's a great start to my stay in New York..."
*~~~*~~~*
A/N:
Hey y'all! OMG! I am so excited to be writing this story. After all the kind comments I got over the snippet that I had first written for this story (admittedly, the middle of this story. It won't come up for a while yet), I had some people BEGGING me to write the actual thing, so here we are! This story has already taken on a new life, one that I wasn't planning. It went from good girl Karlie to "bad girl" Karlie (with a heart of gold, of course), and I'm infinitely more excited to write this now!
I want to say, first and foremost, thank you to the kaylorism group chat on Twitter for your help and support! Thank you to Bella for being my first follower on here, and thank you to everyone who liked and commented on my Twitter post(s) regarding this story! Thank you in advance to any new readers on this story!
Of course, I'd just wanna say this as a disclaimer: I mean no disrespect to any of the people in this story, particularly Taylor Swift or Karlie Kloss. This story is just for fun AU! I'm also going to say in advance that I don't condone any of the less than favourable activities that will take place in this story :P
With all that being said, again, thank you for joining me in this first chapter, and I'll see y'all in the next!