I groan, throwing my head back in annoyance.
Stupid dorm walls. Stupid poster. Why won't it just stay up?
I have been trying to fix this poster for what feels like hours twenty minutes and it just will not stick to the dorm walls. Tori, my roommate, has been zero help during this whole dilemma I have been having. I press against the Command Strip and step back from the poster. I watch as the top right corner folds in on itself and groan.
"Why won't this stupid thing stay!" I yell frustrated. I hear Tori snort from behind me and I glance behind me. I shoot her a glare as she sits on her bed with one of our suite mates and best friend, Julie. They have been watching some Youtube video about this woman who eats weird food.
"Maybe you should try tape" Julie suggests. I sigh throwing myself down onto my bed. Putting this on my wall is useless. Even though we have been here at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, since August and it is now November, this poster has taken a few months to arrive because postal service sucks.
UNC has been my dream school ever since my dad took me and my younger brother to a football game when I was sixteen. Ever since then I have been wearing Carolina blue and white. I somehow convinced my best friend since elementary school, Tori, to come with me. She matched my energy and I loved her crazy curls. She also would always help me get out of trouble. Now, we just get into trouble. Once she decided she wanted to be a physical therapist and their Kinesiology department was stellar she was really sold.
Another reason as to why I wanted to come here was to get away. Growing up in a small town in Connecticut, was not something I wanted to continue doing. Even though my high school was combined with another town, it still was suffocating. The only real thing I got from Connecticut is Tori.
We applied to some of the same schools, University of North Carolina being one of them, and decided that surviving college without one another wasn't an option. Our parents had agreed on that since my father likes to think she keeps me in check. Even though she gets me into just as much trouble as I do. When I received the acceptance letter, my dad nearly broke a hip jumping for joy. My mom and brother were both just as excited.
My dad on move in day fangirled hard over the football team who helped us move in. I honestly think he was more excited to see them than I was. Afterwards, he sat me down in my dorm room with Tori and gave us the "athletes don't do relationships talk and be careful."
"I give up on this dumb shit, plus I'm hungry," I say looking up at the hole accidentally put through our ceiling. Let's just say our upstair neighbors are extremely annoying. Tori perks up a little from her side of the room. Her hair bouncing as she moves, her bronze skin shining in the dining sunlight coming in from the room.
"Dinning hall? We can text in the groupchat? Jules?" Tori asks looking at Julie. She shrugs her shoulders nodding her head. Julie is our other roommate along with Rae. We have a suite, which we were lucky to even get as freshman. Two bedrooms and one shared bathroom. Luckily, Tori and I clicked with Julie and Rae instantly. Rae is a cheerleader here so she has a pretty busy schedule but when she can she goes out with us. Julie is on the shy side but once you get her out of her shell she is one funny person.
"I'm sure Rae will meet us after her class," Julie says sliding off of Tori's bed. She hops down onto our grey rug and walks into her own bedroom. She hops down onto our gray rug and walks into her own bedroom.
"Perfect!" Tori claps her hands. She shuts her laptop and hops off of her bed. I pause my music on my phone and join her on our carpet. Tori heads over to her sweatshirts in our closet and furrows her eyebrows, "Do you have my Uconn sweatshirt?"
"No, I think I gave it back to you," I respond grabbing a black hoodie from my desk chair. I check underneath my bed where I throw my usual sweatshirts and don't find it there. Tori is still rummaging through all of her things for the sweatshirt. I slide on a pair of Nike running shoes and grab my phone from my bed. Julie steps back into our room with a sweatshirt on and her slippers that she claims are outdoor slippers.
We all disagree with her.
"Lacey is meeting us here and Q is meeting us there," Julie says. She pulls her hood over her brown hair tucking her phone into her hoodie pocket. I nod my head in response while Tori mumbles an okay from the closet. Lacey lives in the suite below us and went to high school with Julie. She is in a sorority here and that's why she isn't living on our floor but she hates her roommates. In all honesty, I think she hates her sorority. As for Q, I met him at his frat. His real name is Quincy but I gave him the nickname Q, it kind of us stuck with all of us.
"Perfect, Q owes me five bucks," Tori says. She walks out of the closet in a sweater obviously giving up on the idea of her sweatshirt. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I didn't say anything!" I defend holding my hands up. Tori narrows her dark eyes at me before walking past me. I stick my tongue out at her making her release a loud laugh.
"Does he still owe you that five for getting him into Sigma?" Julie asks. I laugh again thinking back to our night at Sigma. Q was probably the drunkest I have ever seen the kid and he decides to forget his money to get into the place. Well, he technically didn't need to pay but he wanted the alcohol there and trust me did he take advantage of that. He then lost the five dollars and left his phone at his dorm so Tori had to Venmo the Sigma guys.
"Kid definitely cleared out their entire bar," she laughs loudly. Our suite door opens and I peak my head out to see who it is. Rae walks in first her brown hair thrown up into a bun with Lacey's taller stature behind her. Lacey's blonde hair makes her stick out in our group because he is the only one who has it.
"Hello my lovely roommates. Just give me a sec to drop my stuff off in my room," Rae says to me. I shoot her a thumbs up as Lacey shuts the door behind her. Her bright blue eyes stand out against her grey sweater and I send her a smile.
"What's up Lace," I say allowing her to step into Tori and I's room.
"She was cursing up a storm about her one professor. I could hear her from the stairwell," Lacey laughs. I shake my head at Rae hearing a bang from the room over followed by a 'fuck.'
"Professors can be such bitches sometimes," Tori laughs turning off our room light. We head back into the main hallway connecting both rooms to the bathroom and sink area. Rae flicks her own light off, releasing an annoyed sigh.
"Jules, I'll fix the shit I dropped later. I am too hungry to be concerned about it," Rae sighs again. Julie tells her its okay and intertwines her arm with Raes. The two of them could not be more opposite but they totally work well together.
"What class did you have?" I ask Rae. She opens the door looking back at me with a glare. I hold my hands up in defense because shit, I was just asking. When they said that the college classes and high school classes were different, they were only telling the truth on half that. While yes college classes can in fact be harder for the most part they are more laid back than they were in high school. Attendance, for the most part, is optional and while you always have the bad teachers and shit, it is definitely more relaxed.
"Some stupid gym class I have to take," she says letting Lacey and Tori walk out first. I make a face when she says that. I am taking Bio Health to cover that credit. It was either that or actually doing a gym class. That is the only unfortunate part about college. General Education classes are a waste of time.
As a communications major what do I even need Bio Health for? Nothing.
"General education classes are so stupid," Lacey says looking behind at Rae. Rae nods her head in agreement locking our dorm door. We head down towards the stairwell and head out. On our way to the dining hall we discuss our plans for the weekend.
Apparently, there's a volleyball party on Thursday. As for Friday, we might try our fakes at the bar. We haven't done it yet because we were a bit nervous to do it at first. Lacey also updates us on the boys she is talking to at the moment. Which apparently are two very hot basketball boys.
The only time I have ever seen the basketball team is in passing our at random sports parties. I only know because they walk around with their obnoxious athlete backpacks with their number and sport on it. Plus, they are obnoxiously tall.
"Rae, is that guy you were talking to said anything else?" I ask her. Rae and I try are best to find semi decent guys and to be completely honest have been striking out.
"Ugh, no. That was over before he even opened his mouth," she shudders at the thought of him. I spot the dinning hall in front of us and pick up my pace. I am starving and ready to eat a sandwich or pizza or a salad or all three.
"What about you, Carter? Any boys?" Lacey asks. I make a face and shudder. Do not get me wrong I love guys but college guys never do what you want them to do. I talked to one guy from Q's frat and he couldn't even get further than second base. I talked to one guy from the volleyball team and to be honest I think he swings for the other team. Then when I finally made it further with a guy from the football team he was a one pump chump. So all in all it's not going all too well for me.
"Negative. The roster could not be more empty," I reply swinging open the dining hall doors. I don't even date to begin with. Not because I can't find anyone to date it's stupid. I dated boys in high school. And that's what they were, boys. I ended up cheated on, lead on, being a mother, and many other ways that turned me away from it.
I am perfectly okay with never dating again if I am being completely honest.
"Felt that," Rae states. I laugh at her response as we head into the food area. Lacey and the rest of the girls roll their eyes at the two of us. I am just glad that someone agrees with me. Lacey steps in front of me to go towards the salad bar. I stumble backwards when Lacey dead stops in front of me.
"Bro, what the hell?" I grumble as Tori catches my wrist. She whips around hitting me with her blonde hair. I wave it out of my mouth and give her a 'what the fuck' look. I look around the almost empty dining hall but my eyes settle on a group of overly tall guys. I know an athlete backpack when I see one.
"Oh my god," Lacey whispers at the us. I glance at Julie and Tori, who both look extremely confused, I nod my head in the direction of the group. Rae is already looking there and looking impressed. I hover my eyes over the broad shoulders of one standing in the middle. His fluffy brown hair peaking out of his black UNC basketball hoodie and his grey sweatpants hug his leg muscles in a jaw dropping manner. A chain peaks out from underneath his sweatshirt and his hands have peaks of tattoos. His brown eyes look over the dining hall. I snap my head away from him and back to my friends.
"What?" Rae says still confused. I can't help but flick my eyes back to the fluffy brown haired guy. I might faint if I continue looking at him. I glance over the other boys around him. They all are pretty good looking but none like him.
"Basketball players," I say nodding my head in their direction. Rae makes an 'O' motion with her mouth nodding her head. She makes an impressed face making Tori laugh.
"Well I am going to get food while you all drool over him," Tori says motioning at us. I roll my eyes at her but she isn't half wrong. She walks away from us shooting us disappointed looks. I ignore her and Julie who follows in her footsteps.
"You know who that is?" Lacey asks nodding her head at fluffy brown hair. I shake my head at her watching as he moves towards a different line with a shorter but just as cute guy. "Asher Fletcher."
I feel like I have heard that name before but not in good light. More like I slept with him and he never called me back type of light. I nod my head at the name looking back over at Rae. She has her eyes trained on a guy with bronze skin and dark hair guy cute short wearing all black.
"Let's eat ladies," I say clearing my throat. I cast one last look at Asher Fletcher before glancing at Rae.
"Yes, let's."