I found out, much later, they had been watching me from the beginning.
"Is that her?"
"Yes, she arrived yesterday."
"She looks harmless."
"They all do at first."
"You know, it won't kill you to give her a chance."
"You don't know that. We need to make sure she doesn't get too close. Do you want a repeat of last year?"
"I'll let everyone know. We won't let anything happen, but don't draw too much attention with your angry attitude. We have to handle this delicately."
"I'll handle it however I see fit. I'm in charge here."
"Always the stoic leader. Come on, we're going to be late."
* * *
Amblyn Hall loomed in front of me, its red brick exterior soaring up four stories. I looked at my schedule, reminding myself which floor would be my new home. I sighed with relief when I realized I didn't have to climb a ton of stairs.
I shouldered my duffel bag and pulled the building key card from my jeans pocket. No entrance without the proper documentation. Room 1C was on my right, and I went in without knocking.
Sprawled across one of the beds was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. Of course, I had seen models and actresses on TV and in magazines, but this girl was sitting in front of me, and she was gorgeous.
"Hey," I pushed the door all the way open. "I'm Katie Griffin. I think I might be your new roommate."
She looked up from her iPhone and smiled. "Well, if these five boxes that were just delivered are yours, I think you're right." Her dark green eyes crinkled when she smiled. "I'm Dani...Dani LeFores."
I dropped my bag on the empty bed and surveyed the room. My boxes were all stacked in the corner, and there was a dresser and desk facing the window. Dani's side of the room was set up the same, but it didn't look like any of her stuff had arrived yet.
I was about to launch into the 'get to know you' portion of the meet and greet, when the door opened. A tall, handsome guy walked into the room carrying a stack of boxes. "Where do you want these?" He spared me only a brief glance.
"Put them in the corner," Dani got up and opened the closet. "I hope there's gonna be enough room in here."
"There's three more boxes." The guy looked irritated as he ran his hand through his dark, wavy hair.
"Good thing you're nice and strong," she smiled at him, her pouty lips a stark contrast to her playful mood.
I was getting the feeling that these two were more than just passing friends. When they stood next to each other, they made a beautiful couple, both dark and alluring. I stamped down my twinge of jealousy. Girls like Dani always got the guys.
"This is my new roommate," Dani gestured my way. "Katie, this is my brother Dustin."
Ahhhh, her brother. I smiled and extended my hand. "Nice to meet you."
He looked at my hand, then back to my face, his eyes registering mild annoyance. "Hey." He kept his hands at his side.
I dropped my hand to my side, feeling embarrassed. "Anyway, I'm going to check out the orientation in the Student Union, so I'll see you later." I gave Dani a tight smile and grabbed my purse.
Starting out, I was one for two. My roommate didn't seem to have a problem with me, but her brother wasn't clamoring to be my new best friend. I sucked in a deep breath and made my way out of Amblyn Hall towards the Student Union.
Southern Louisiana University was situated on a lush campus. The mid-sized school was home to around 23,000 students, approximately half of which lived in the surrounding town of Willow. It wasn't my dream school, but it was better than going to the outdated, for middle-aged-mothers-returning-to-school community college my parents wanted me to attend. Plus, the idea of trying to maintain a social life while my parents still dictated my every move was a strong motivator.
I had lived my whole life in Stransberg, a medium sized town in Northern Louisiana. It wasn't that it was terrible growing up in my family, but after living there my entire childhood, I was ready to get out and stretch my wings. My true passion was art, and I followed that desire to SLU, which had a strong art program.
Deciding on a school was the easy part. The hard part was convincing my parents to let me leave home for college. My mom tried to scare me into staying by recounting a bunch of fake horror stories about girls going away to school, only to face roommates from hell and alien abductions. But after a lot of convincing and a few mild temper tantrums, they gave in.
The sun was shining as I headed for the student union. The campus was littered with students enjoying the last two days of warm weather before classes started. There was a relaxed vibe among the people sitting in the sun, no one was in a rush. They lounged under trees and against building walls, chatting or reading. It made me start to consider skipping orientation.
The student union was packed, and crowds were not my thing. Large groups of people always made me feel like I was being crushed beneath a giant elephant.
I lingered close to the wall as a short, red haired boy grabbed the microphone. "Welcome to Southern Louisiana University." He began, his voice rousing the crowd like a cheerleader at a pep rally. "If you're here, you're either a freshman or a transfer student. If you are a freshman, please stand on the left side of the room. Transfers please assemble on the right."
I shuffled to the left as my brain begin to wander. I had already done my own self-guided tour of the campus. Not a whole lot to see. Almost all the art classes were in Thompson Hall, and the student union held the cafeteria and bookstore. Art, books and food. What else did a girl need?
So, when the boy started droning on about the history of the University, I slowly sidestepped my way towards the closest door.
"All freshmen are supposed to attend orientation." I heard a voice behind me.
I grimaced and turned around. Dustin was leaning against the wall near the door, one long leg crossed casually over the other. "I don't think they're taking attendance." I stopped short of the exit.
"Hmmmm." He looked at me with obvious distaste. "Not much for rules, huh?" His deep green eyes narrowed. "You might get yourself in trouble here if you don't listen to your elders." He gave me a pointed look before turning around and disappearing into the crowd. Wow, this guy was the absolute opposite of warm and cuddly. Not that I was surprised. Most hot guys had a crappy attitude to go along with their sculpted biceps.
I let out a tortured sigh and headed back across the campus towards my dorm.
Dani was busy unpacking her things when I returned. "Is orientation over already?" She glanced out the window towards the students following the red haired boy. "Bore fest of the year."
"Not quite," I moved towards my bed. "I already took the unofficial tour a couple hours ago. Don't feel like I'm missing much." I dropped my book bag and sat down. "I saw your brother when I was sneaking out of orientation."
"Dustin?" She held a purple shirt up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
"Yeah, he surprised me. He was kind of lurking." I watched her do the same thing with three other shirts.
"He can be a lurker," she agreed. "What do you like to do for fun?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I like reading and drawing," I started. "I like to work out. I don't know anyone here so far, so I'll have to rely on you to tell me what there is to do." I immediately felt lame. I was sure Dani's life was far more interesting than mine, though she did have a guarded air about her.
She shoved shirts in her dresser without folding them. "There's a back to school party tonight at one of the fraternities. You should come with me. I'm not too big on large groups of people, but my boyfriend Shawn will be there, so it should be okay." She dumped a box of books on her bed. "I can introduce you to some people. I'm kind of nervous about this year. Last year I didn't have a roommate and it was so boring. That's one of the reasons I moved to this dorm. Shawn and my brother also live on the fourth floor." She began stacking books in the book shelf. "You should let me do your hair and make-up for tonight. I have a new eyeshadow palette that would look awesome on you."
New friends and new fun; this was what college was all about. My inner girly-girl was finally smiling. I flopped back on my bed and cracked open my art history book. I was ready for a new adventure.
Author's Note: I hope you liked the first chapter! I have decided to split some of the chapters since some of you said they are too long. It's going to take a bit, but I should have everything lined back up within a week! More to come! Please remember to comment and vote for your favorite chapters!!! Luvs as always!! AM💜