Jake sighed, this was not an ideal situation - not an ideal situation at all. He trudged up the driveway, following the university's Dean. Something about this felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He looked over his shoulder at the others trailing behind him. These people were going to be his roommates; boy, girl, tall, short, none alike in any way. Jake turned his gaze to the beaten-down two-storey house. The paint was peeling off the weatherboard with some of the roof tiles broken or missing completely. The gardens were minimal and mostly dead. Jake thought to himself that it must be illegal for the university to house students in a home of such poor quality. He sighed again, frustrated at his lack of options. The group ascended the two steps and gathered on the front porch as they waited for the Dean to find the right key to unlock the door.
"Welcome to Smith House, or as you will all know it: your last resort." Dean Olson turned the key in the rusty lock and gave the door a shove. The house groaned its welcome.
Jake entered first, coughing at the dust swirling through the air. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He thought back to the previous week when he found out his application for on-campus accommodation had been denied.
Jake returned his glasses to the slight crook of his nose. "What do you mean you're full up?"
"Sorry," the guy said, no sympathy in his voice. "There's no more rooms left." He turned back to his computer, typing away.
"But I put my application in for a room months ago," Jake protested.
"And the people who got in before you put it in six months ago; they won!"
"What am I meant to do then?" Jake asked.
The man shrugged nonchalantly and continued on with his work. He couldn't care less about Jake and his problems.
Jake dropped his shoulders in defeat. "Are there any places to rent around here?" Jake didn't exactly have money for an apartment.
A sly smile crept across the guy's lips. "Oh yeah. There's a great little place not too far from here. It's owned by the university. You'll love it." His words didn't match his condescending tone.
Jake nodded. "Thanks."
Jake's business-style black suitcase trailed behind him, getting stuck on the threshold. He felt it holding him back, and wondered if it was a sign. Shaking the silly thought from his head, he continued inside. He looked around, shoving his glasses back on. The decor wasn't exactly his taste; definitely better without the glasses.
Next in line was Aadita. "Do you mind?" She questioned Jake.
"Do you mind?" Aadita shouted in vain, banging on her bedroom wall. "Shut the hell up!"
The music blared through the thin walls of the dorm room. She couldn't tell if the racket was next door, or inside her skull.
Classes had yet to begin, but she was already leaning over an open textbook. Coming from a not-so-prosperous part of India, Aadita was used to noise, but she didn't see how this noise could be called music.
The bass shook the walls and her desk.
"That's it!" Aadita slammed the book shut. She shoved her chair back, almost tipping it over, and stormed out of the room.
"Sorry," Jake said, moving to the side and out of her way.
Aadita hadn't expected a co-ed living arrangement, but was determined to make her limited time at university work.
Reb stood in line in the university's student services office, waiting for directions to the off-campus living she had been assigned to; she was late as usual. She had her cello case strapped to her back like a backpack, and her guitar case in her hand. Her duffel bag, filled to the brim, laid at her feet. Without noticing, she had begun to fiddle with the ends of her long brown hair. She had been meaning to get it cut. The receptionist came out from the back offices with some papers in her hand.
"Alrighty," she beamed. "Let's get you back on track."
Reb tried to fake a smile but the ladies enthusiasm made her uncomfortable.
"The Smith House is not far from the university campus. It's about a ten-minute walk, or a five-minute drive. I've printed out some maps for you and a bus timetable." The receptionist handed Reb the papers. "Mr Olson, the Dean, should be there already, taking the others through. Would you like me to call a taxi for you?"
"Nope, it's fine, I can walk." Reb grabbed her bag, feeling the strain on her shoulders. "Thanks for all your help."
"So how many of us are gonna be living here?" Ryan squeezed through the doorway back at Smith House, his broad shoulders almost hitting the frame. He carried a large bag in each hand, and proudly wore his team's football jersey.
"Seven," the Dean replied. "Six new, one remaining."
"Seven? I didn't sign up for a party house." Aadita scrutinised the boys.
"You don't have to worry about me," Jake said. He looked to Ryan.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ryan squared his shoulders and faced the shorter man.
Aadita rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"What did I say, Mr Meyers?" Dean Olson warned Ryan.
"You heard me!"
Ryan clenched his fists. "You better watch your mouth Keegan." Ryan took a step toward the offending male student. They were standing in the dorm room they had shared for two years.
"Or what?" Keegan - flanked by his mates - laughed.
Ryan lunged forward, his fist raised in seconds, and hit Keegan squarely in the face.
They tumbled to the ground. Keegan kicked Ryan off, giving himself a second to catch his breath. Within moments they were throwing punches again, so caught-up in emotion that many missed the mark. The onlookers jostled for the best view, with a mixture of cheering for each combatant.
The ruckus echoed down the dormitory corridor, attracting even more attention.
A young, tall, Asian male dressed in a security uniform rounded the corner, drawn by the noise. He manoeuvred his way through the crowd, finally reaching the middle.
Ryan's fist contacted with Keegan's nose, causing blood to run down his face.
Seeing others in the crowd move to join in, the guard jumped in the middle of the two, shoving them away from each other. Keegan was lifted to his feet by his friends. Ryan wasn't ready to stop fighting.
"That's enough! You two are coming with me." The security guard grabbed both brawlers by their arms and shoved his way through the separating crowd.
Ryan felt his blood start to rise again, but turned from Jake, not wanting any more trouble. He tried to remember the calming breathing techniques his coach had attempted to teach him. They never worked; he only grew more frustrated.
Reb stood on the side of the road. She dumped all of her things on the kerb, beginning to regret not taking the taxi. She was lost. Holding the map close, she tried to find her bearings. "So if this is Oak Street," she looked ahead, "then I need to be...", she turned around, "back that way." She clenched the map in her hands and grunted as she hoisted her instruments and bag off the ground. "Just one year. The deal was one year and then I can bail," she repeated.
"If we could hurry this along please." The Dean waved in Eric and Harley.
Eric stood to the side, letting Harley in first. Her turquoise hair and multi-coloured clothes immediately gained their attention. She looked around the spacious lounge-room. "Alright, who's up for movie night?"
"Who's up for movie night?" Harley asked.
A girl had just opened the dormitory door, and Harley wanted to make a good first impression. They were going to be living together, after all.
"Excuse me?"
Harley peeked past her, seeing both beds taken. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was room 209," Harley apologised.
"It is," the girl said bluntly.
Harley dug in her pocket and pulled out her admission papers. She fumbled with them. "I don't understand, this is meant to be my room."
"Well it's not," the girl sung back.
"You've got to be kidding me." Harley dropped her luggage at her feet. They hadn't started out as heavy, but lugging them around the campus, and up two flights of stairs, had been too much.
"I'm sorry," the girl shrugged half-heartedly. "It looks like the room was double-booked, and you got here last."
Harley stepped toward the room, only to have the door shut in her face. "So what am I supposed to do now?" She yelled at the closed door. Music was blaring from somewhere down the hall, and Harley found it hard to concentrate. She needed to figure out where she was going to stay.
Two doors down, Aadita stormed out of her room, heading away from Harley.
"Ah excuse me miss, where do I go for room reassignment?" Harley called out.
Aadita, teeth clenched, rehearsing her rant in her head, was oblivious to the request.
"Yep, cool. Thanks," Harley spoke to herself. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing not having to live with these people.
"Hey I know you." Eric stepped out from behind Harley, pointing at Ryan. "You were one of the guys fighting in Griffith Hall."
Ryan looked at the slightly-dishevelled security guard uniform the young man wore. "And you were the guy who broke it up."
Eric couldn't tell if he was thankful or not.
"I'm Ryan." Ryan held out his hand.
"Eric." They shook hands, Ryan using a slightly harder grip than necessary. "Guess it didn't turn out too well for you, huh." Eric gestured to the room. He glanced at the peeling wallpaper and the old-school coat stand leaning, broken, against the wall. The lounge-room was surprisingly spacious, fitting everyone in. A couch and two arm chairs faced a fat-backed TV on a scuffed stand. The seats were faded and the carpet looked like it had seen better days. None of that bothered Eric, though. He didn't care about the dilapidated state of the house, he was just glad to have found somewhere affordable to live.
"I'm sorry sir, but your card has been declined," Doreen, the cashier, said.
Eric, on his way home from the night shift, turned bright red. He fumbled for his wallet hoping to find enough change to pay for his grocery items. He remembered he'd given his mum his last twenty dollars the day before to help pay for his younger sibling's school supplies, and payday was still two days away. He emptied his wallet on the register's bench and counted the coins out.
"I only have $11.60." Eric smiled sheepishly at the cashier, about to ask her to remove a few tins of tuna from his transaction, when a voice piped up.
"I'll cover it, mate!"
Eric turned around.
An older gentleman was smiling at him and offering him a five dollar note.
Eric tilted his head slightly, taken aback by the unknown man's kindness. "Are you sure?"
"'Course I am. I know what it's like to go through tough times. You have a good day, son!"
"Thank you so much." Eric shook the man's hand. "I will now."
Even Doreen looked impressed as she handed him his bag and receipt. He gave the change back to the generous man and hurried home. He was running out of time to find another apartment closer to the university. The rent in his current place was breaking the bank, so he needed to get out before university started back up.
His roommate was still out, so he had the house to himself. He plopped his outdated, clunky laptop down on the bed. It crashed several times before he finally reached the university's accommodation page. He only had an hour before he had to head to his second job at the cafe called 'The Unusual Brew', but he was determined to find somewhere new to live. He'd have to find somewhere cheap - starting his Masters would mean he would have less time to work. He ran his eyes over the page: too far away, too expensive, too expensive, too...wait.
An ad in bold font caught his attention.
Cheap Room for Rent - large house, ten-minute walk to Sun Valley University. $40/week, electricity and water included.
Eric raised his eyebrows.
Perfect.
He sent a quick enquiry and shut the laptop.
"Let's keep moving. I need to be out of here in ten minutes," Dean Olson said, leading them into the kitchen.
"Big meeting?" Jake asked.
"No. I just don't want to be here," the Dean replied, deadpan. An old-fashioned phone ringtone sounded from the Dean's jacket pocket. Without a word he answered the call and walked into another room.
The group circled around the kitchen, though there was little to see.
Individual conversations began. Aadita separated herself from the group, finding a clean spot on the couch. She pulled her laptop out and began working. The house came alive with the chatter and excitement of life; something it hadn't seen in awhile.
"And then, with a minute left before full-time, the dummy half passed the ball to me and I sprinted for the try line." Ryan smiled broadly, his mind taking him back to one of his many moments of glory.
"Did you score the try?" Eric asked.
"So I was running and I could see a guy on either side of me. Must have been thirty or forty metres. And BAM!" Ryan jerked sideways, knocking over a pile of utensils on the counter.
Aadita winced at the noise and furrowed her brow, trying to increase her concentration. "Can we keep it down, please?" She asked, though her tone portrayed more of an order than a question.
The group fell silent.
Jake stepped into the lounge-room. "Don't worry. Once we're settled in no one's gonna be disturbing you or anything."
A thump sounded from the front door as the last words left Jake's lips. They turned to see Reb kick the door closed behind her. She dumped her belongings on the floor, shaking her arms to bring back their feeling. She was out of breath and her arms were sore from carrying her things for what felt like a million miles. She slipped her cello strap over her head, using the large instrument as a leaning post.
"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Aadita couldn't hold back, staring in disbelief at the instruments.
Reb brushed her hair behind her ear, giving them a better look at her puzzled expression. "Sorry I'm late, I got-"
"Rebecca?" Jake's jaw dropped.
"Jake?"
The two stood in place, staring at each other.
Dean Olson rejoined them. "What's the problem?"
"I can't live with her." Jake turned aggressively on his heel to face the Dean.
"Calm down Jake, it's not like I planned this," Reb retaliated.
"No, this isn't happening. She needs to go," Jake protested.
"You're kidding me right? You're being ridiculous, as usual," Reb exclaimed.
Jake turned to look Reb in the eye. He was furious, and she could feel the anger radiating towards her. They hadn't seen each other in just over two and a half years. Jake hadn't even known she had enrolled.
"We thought that, being twins, you'd be okay with sharing the home." Dean Olson struggled to care about the situation.
Reb and Jake snapped their heads toward him. "Well we're not!" They spoke in unison. Suddenly their similarities became blaringly obvious to the others.
"Oh well," the Dean said. "You guys have no where else to go. So too bad." He led the group back into the lounge-room.
"Why can't I have one of their old rooms?" Jake motioned towards the misfits of personalities.
"Campus accommodation is in high demand Mr. Lawson. Those rooms have already been taken by people on the waiting list. Like I said, this is your last resort; unless moving back in with your parents is an option." The Dean crossed his arms. He had been interacting with young adults for the better part of two decades and he grew more exhausted by the hour, having to listen to them complain all the time.
The twin's parents were a bit of a sore spot for them. They glanced at one another and then immediately looked to the ground, a pang of sorrow shooting across their faces. With Jake no longer having any fight in him, Olson moved on.
Breaking the room into two was a thick mauve curtain that dangled from hooks. They had been too busy to notice it before.
"Don't peek behind the curtain," Harley quipped, channeling her favourite movie.
"What?" Jake asked.
"'Don't peek behind the curtain.' It's a quote." Still no recognition. "From The Wizard of Oz." To herself: "I'm so alone."
"That space has been turned into a bedroom. It has already been taken by another student who arrived." Dean Olson paused. "Actually I have no idea when he moved in."
They continued the tour, heading up the stairs to the second storey.
"And here are the bedrooms and the bathroom." Dean Olson yawned, not even trying to hide his disinterest.
Jake looked around. "There's seven people living in this house and only one bathroom? How does that work?"
"Well," Dean Olson said, crossing his arms across his chest. "You can either take it, or leave it. With the exception of the two that are here by choice, the rest of you are here because you have no other choice. If it wasn't for this wreck that some old coot donated to the university years ago, you would be out on the street." With that, he departed, the stairs squeaking with each step.
The group stood in place, looking at their new surroundings and dorm buddies.
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