I listened to The Killers as I made my way up to my dorm, my key and various wads of information tucked under one arm, dragging my two suitcases behind me. There were a few people milling around in the hallway, sorting out their own things. I gave a girl in floral-print jeans a small smile she returned as I stopped in front of my room.
I took a big, totally cliche breath of anticipation. This is it.
It was small, dingy, and everything you would expect of a university dorm. The floor was lined with worn down squares of blue carpet with furniture dints from the previous owner. Dotted around the room, there were various pieces of bare, basic furniture - a small bed, a desk, a wardrobe. Plain check curtains blinkered the window. Old blu-tack clung to the far wall, where I assumed posters and photographs used to hang.
I left my door open according to my knowledge of dorm etiquette, unzipping my suitcase as I began transferring my tightly-packed clothes into the cupboard. After thirty minutes or so of unpacking a small head popped its way around my door.
'Hello!' It said brightly. I glanced over my shoulder, and the short girl in the floral-print jeans I saw before was watching me unpack.
'Hey,' I said, sitting back, wiping my brow. 'I'm Meg.'
'Lydia,' she said, giving a wave. She motioned with her head as if to say, can I come in? I gave a quick nod. She shuffled over to my bed, sitting down on the mattress with a short huff. 'It's tough, all the unpacking, huh?'
'Yeah,' I said, resting on my haunches. 'Always the worst part of moving.'
Lydia smiled. 'I know! Anyway, I met this other girl, Xing, who's living across from me and a door down from you, and we were going to head off and get some lunch. I was wondering if you wanted to join?'
This invitation was unexpected. 'Oh, uh, yeah, sure, that would be great,' I said, standing, following Lydia out of the room. We trod down the stairs, where a girl in torn jeans and all black was leant up against the wall, ankles crossed, staring at nothing. She glanced at us as we approached.
'This is Xing!'' Lydia bubbled, and I gave Xing a smile. She gave me a curt nod.
'I'm Meg,' I said as we wandered down into the street. My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it quickly, seeing it was a message from Dan. I rolled my eyes and pocketed it.
Lydia must have noticed, because she said, 'boy troubles already?'
I laughed. 'No. Well, sort of. Not really. It's nothing.' Eager to change the conversation, I rubbed my hands together. 'Where are we thinking for lunch?'
'Nandos, I reckon,' Xing said. 'I feel like chicken.'
Lydia shrugged. 'I'm up for that. Meg?'
I did what Lydia had - shrugged. 'Sounds good to me.'
Xing turned out a sarcastic piece of shit, which I loved, although I got the feeling she could go from sarcastic to bitchy in less than three seconds. I could be relatively sarcastic in my humour a fair amount of the time, so it was nice to find someone who I could build a rapport with. Lydia was like the girl version of Phil, only less socially awkward, and even happier. She got excited about everything, like a small, high-energy puppy. I could feel the three of us were going to be good friends, which was nice.
Seeing as the college we were staying at was self-catered, we made a plan to head out for some grocery shopping later on in the day after we'd finished unpacking. I was mostly done, so I finished setting up the smaller things before falling back on my bed, the springs protesting, tugging out my phone.
I absentmindedly clicked on the message from Dan: it was, as I had expected, a close-to-one-word reply. Fucking brilliant, I thought to myself. He seems to greatly value me in his life.
Direct message from @danisnotonfire
@phanoclock: so how'd the trip with Phil go?
01/01 2017
@danisnotonfire: yeah good
04/01/2017
@phanoclock: specifics?
@danisnotonfire: ate lots of food, saw lots of cool stuff
@phanoclock: great that was so specific
5:12 p.m.
@phanoclock: i don't get it
@danisnotonfire: get what?
@phanoclock: why you disappeared
@danisnotonfire: ? disappeared?
@phanoclock: you hardly ever message me anymore
@phanoclock: fuck that sounds needy but i don't get why you'd be all 'i can wait four months' but then never talk to me anymore
@phanoclock: i'm just very done with getting fucked over by people and i didn't realise i'd have to put you in that category too
@danisnotonfire: i have a girlfriend
I froze. What the absolute flaming fuck? Something like anger, pain, and confusion swelled inside me. I shook my head, pulling a face.
@phanoclock: ... what??
@danisnotonfire: i met this girl and we started going out
@phanoclock: okay? i don't see what this has to do with you not talking to me
@danisnotonfire: she found it weird i was messaging this girl all the time
@phanoclock: what, so we couldn't even be friends?
@danisnotonfire: it's sort of complicated alright
@phanoclock: really? it's actually pretty simple dan
@phanoclock: you got a girlfriend, i am no longer relevant. it's cool. i get it
@danisnotonfire: it's not like that meg, please, can i call you?
@phanoclock: seeing as you don't have my number, no, you can't
@danisnotonfire: well can i have your number?
@phanoclock: bit late for that now isn't it
@danisnotonfire: it was just a bit weird seeing as we'd kissed and stuff
@phanoclock: jesus dan this isn't fucking grade 8. just because we kissed doesn't mean we're now bound together in some kind of unbreakable bond of love and commitment
@phanoclock: we're adults. we kiss people. it's fine
@danisnotonfire: so it was just a kiss to you then? it didn't mean anything else?
@phanoclock: oh no, don't you dare try and put this on me
@danisnotonfire: what was it to you then?
@phanoclock: it was a promise, dan. a promise for what, i don't know, but it was a promise for SOMETHING. and this is nothing, what's happening right now. not even a friendship.
@danisnotonfire: what happened to 'this isn't fucking grade 8 dan'
@phanoclock: okay you know what? you're the one who kissed me, you're the one who said all deep and romantic 'don't forget me meg'. And guess what? you forgot me, not the other way around.
@phanoclock: this is literally so stupid
@phanoclock: have fun with your new girlfriend, i'm sure she's great
@phanoclock: nice knowing you. maybe we'll have some awkward fated meeting at a london supermarket sometime soon
@danisnotonfire: wait you're in London now?
5:21 p.m.
@danisnotonfire: meg??
read 5:27 p.m.
duh-duh-DUHH
so yes this is happening
i know i know i'm truly sorry
but realistically four months is a long time to wait for someone you kissed once, so i felt it would be weird if meg just went over and everything was back to normal. PLUS conflict is fun (also apologises it's a little cliche lol)
all will be revealed in later chapters
lots of love xx