The day had finally arrived. I was all packed up and we were off. The college was magnificent. Max and I did not get to be roomies as we’d hoped but we were still on the same part of the campus. I was relieved. I was happy that I had my best friend with me; she would be there for me even though we were not doing the same course we would be there for each other. We had to pass through quite a few dorm rooms to get through to my room and boy did I want to hide my head. Everyone that passed by Dad made sure to warn them about coming close to me. He even threatened a cute athletic guy that he was a police and he better have nothing to do with me. I turned my head the other way and sped up hoping that my room was not far ahead. When I had my room all packed mom and dad bade me a teary farewell with mom doing the crying for both dad and herself. Dad said he had something in his eyes but everyone knows that phrase is just a cover up.
My roommate was a petite girl with dark brown hair and a very tricky personality just from looking at her I could tell she was a trickster. Her name was Nina and she was doing degree in Humanities, she wanted to be a dancer. Even if she did not tell me I could have figured it out. Everything thing she did she did it with a glide or a few ballet steps. She was going to make her parents proud. The first time I went to use the washroom I almost barfed because of her. I had gone into the washroom to empty my bladder and had reached for the tissue. I screamed when my hand touched it. Why would I scream? There on top of the tissue was what looked like a fresh heap of poop; it was laid out on top of the tissue so that you had top touch it if you wanted some. I had screamed and ran out into the room where she was laughing her head off. I’’ admit I was angry but eventually we both fell laughing on our beds especially when she told me it was fake and I had her go and remove it.
College seemed long, tedious and stressful but I kept it up, even if I had to beg teachers for an extra credit test I tried it. Maxine made me discover some of the things that my mom had warned me about. There were tons of parties happening all over the place and Maxine seemed to grow into that social circle. I was like an outsider to these events, I felt so alone when I went with her a couple of times that I ditched her a few times by saying I had work. She eventually got the message and stopped begging me to go with her. I sighed eveytime I thought about Max. She was my best friend; she knew everything about me until she met these people who she associated with. I did not go with her but I saw her when she went out to her parties.
There were several late times when she came to meet me on mornings to go for breakfast and she was drunk, drunk I say. I had never thought I’d say like this. Her eyes were black under her eyelids and her cheeks were sucked in a little. I sighed and looked away. That morning was the morning I lost it. I mean she was, is my best friend and this was what she was doing to her self. I pulled her to my room and then quarreled with her, I did not know what else to do, I told her about how we were best friends, how we should look out for each other, what she was doing to herself. She looked at me, listened to everything I said and then told me to leave her alone, she told me I was a nerd and that we could never be friends, she had friends who cared about her having a fun time and that was what she needed. With those words she left. I was never so sad than that day. I remembered crying a bit before leaving for my classes. That was one of my worst days ever. I even contemplated calling mom but shook off the idea.
I continued on my first year. On my second year I came to my dorm room one day to find Max outside my door in the evening. I had just finished doing some research in the library and had come to my dorm and there she was sitting with her back to the door. I walked up and realized that she was drunk. I sighed and unlocked the door before picking her up and carrying her to my bed. All the way she muttered several sorries and a dozen apologies. I smiled and set her down. Nina had not come in yet so I went to take a quick shower before she came back and wanted to use the shower. I came out in time to see Max vomiting her guts out on my bed. I screamed and then realized I could do nothing but help her. I held up her hair and waited as she finished. I helped clean her up and set her on my chair near to my desk. I took off all my bedding and sighed. When Nina came home she helped me carry Max to her dorm and then I came back. That night I remember lying on all my clothes heaped on a pile on my bed frame. Nina had offered to share her bed but our beds were more like camp beds if you know what I mean. So I managed.