It's move-in day, mom and dad came to Connecticut with me to help me. My siblings Anne and Matt stayed at home because they have their own things to do. To be honest I don't miss them. The only one I miss is Val my dog. I sigh at the thought. Don't get me wrong I love my family, but now I finally get the independence I've wanted dreamed of.
Thinking back on the day when all the hard work finally paid off. The email from Yale appeared in my inbox a few minutes ago. Mom and dad aren't home yet and I should open it with them. I can't wait though one word could destroy me, but what if I see that one word? Screw it I'm gonna read it and re-read it in front of them and pretend. I click on the email and tap on the link. Once I log in, I hesitate to open the last link that will make or break me. Yale has been my dream school since freshman year. I gave up a social life and actually attempting to have a stereotypical teenage life. I am going to get in. I am going to get in. I tell myself over and over again. I wipe my sweaty palms on my mid-thigh pink plaid skirt, I press the link and before I even read it confetti appears. I got in! I got in! "I got in!" I screamed.
Mom and I have started unpacking everything into my room while dad gets the last box. I got assigned to a suite with two other roommates. They were randomly assigned so I don't know them. I hope that they aren't a nightmare. I cannot wait, I feel so ready for my clean slate. I can't wait for the nightlife. I never went to parties during high school, because I thought I only lived in a boring small town in Illinois. I thought parties didn't happen in my town. But, actually I wasn't considered "popular" enough to get invited. The "popular" group was always the same small group of skinny blonde girls seeking validation from mommy and daddy. Now I don't care, I should've not cared at all during high school but I did and that was my mistake.
Boys are a whole other story. I wasted my time with one boyfriend. After that, I thought high school relationships were pointless, and a waste of time. I'm sure none of the boys were into me too. Probably because I was a threat to their toxic masculinity so go me, I guess. I never had the chance to hook up with anyone for fun. My parents were constantly on my back about going out and bringing people over, but that changes now. Well I mean for the nightlife but you know what I mean.
I'm the first one to get to the dorms because we had to drive over 12 hours to get to Connecticut. I start placing my clothes in my closet while mom starts putting the sheets on the bed. The creak of door rackets and dad walks in and puts the last box on the desk.
"Look at my baby she's all grown up." Dad sniffles I turn around to see if he's actually crying he is.
"Aw dad I'm only a call away." I walk up to him and pull him into a hug, we shuffle over to mom and pull her into the hug.
"You better call us." Mom sniffles while kissing forehead great she's crying too. After living under their roof for my whole life it's coming to an end, a tear leaks from my eyes I quickly wipe it away.
"Okay enough of this, I'm still gonna be coming home" I laugh and pull out of the hug.
I hear chatters from the common area and then a door shut. I soon realize It's one of my other roommates. I check myself in the mirror and pull mom and dad out with me to meet my roommate. I walk out of the room to see a girl with beautiful long braids going down to her hips. She has the cutest facial features a button nose, round cheeks, and almond-shaped brown eyes just like mine. She's wearing black jean shorts. A white turtleneck is peeking out from underneath her Yale sweater. Her chocolate skin glowing underneath the light. She's holding a box filled with picture frames and plants.
"Hey, I'm Tate Mace! Are you Teagan or Lena?" Tate settles the box down near her feet and walks up to me smiling each braid swaying left to right as she walks. She smiles at me making her round cheeks prominent along with the lines underneath her cheeks.
"I'm Teagan Ruiz" I smile back at her and hold my hand out. Instead of taking it, she pulls me into a hug. I can tell she's the one I'm going to be whenever I have a mental breakdown.
The door opens again revealing a petite girl with pale skin and wavy auburn essentially red hair. The one thing that catches your attention is her high cheekbones. Her eyes look green but I'm unsure since she's not close enough. She's wearing a brown corduroy skirt with a white crop top. She squeals and runs over to us and joins the hug. Tate and I laugh at her reaction to meeting us. She pulls away and the light hits her eyes and it's like her eyes are aquamarine gemstones. They twinkle every time she moves, they're so clear.
"I'm guessing you're Lena?" I laugh asking her.
"Yes, I am! We are gonna have so much fun living together!" Lena beams at Tate and I. She releases her hold on us when she pulls back her dimples on full display.
We all settle in and unpack major things with the help of our parents. We bid our families farewell for the last time until the holidays. Lena, Tate, and I sit in the common area getting to know each other. We have been laughing our asses off telling each other stories about ourselves.
"So how about boyfriends?" Lena asks while calming down after the fit of laughter we had.
"I've had a couple during high school nothing serious though." Tate says while readjusting herself from the place she's sitting.
"I'm in a long term relationship with my boyfriend who I've been dating for almost 2 years now." Lena sighs while smiling at us, she looks all loved up and happy.
"What about you Teagan?" Lena asks.
"I had one but he was a waste of time, so I'd like to say he's not an ex but an experience." I reply while cringing at the memories of the past. I almost shudder at the time all I cared about was fitting in and being apart of something so disposable.
Lena and Tate both giggle at my disgust. "Wait but you haven't dated anybody else or got involved with anyone?" Tate quirks her eyebrow up at me. Ugh, I'm embarrassing.
"Nope, I'm pretty sure that none of the boys had any interest in me." I say nonchalantly. I'm fine with that because now thinking about it half of them had nicotine addictions. They also wore the same outfit 24/7, and the other half were straight-up assholes. That and I was only one of the few Asian kids in my school. So they were focused on anyone but me.
"What do you mean you look like that and you haven't dated anyone after that experience? Something must've been wrong with their eyes." Lena exclaims and Tate nods her head agreeing.
"Wait so that means you've never had sex with anyone or done anything with anyone?" Tate questions. I can tell she's generally curious she holds no sign of judgment on her face.
I nod and look away feeling a little embarrassed. "Hey, we can change that with a few parties" Lena nudges my knee jokingly.
"Good for you most guys are assholes and only want sex. When I realized I didn't like dick as much as I thought I did I realized I was bi." Tate smiles making me feel better about all that I've dodged. She's bi? Good for her. Also, lucky she's got more viable options.
"Well, that and I was in love with my best friend." She laughs and nods her head. Lena laughs along and being curious she asks her questions about her being bi. Tate explains that she realized she was bi since her junior year of high school. When she came out to her family they were happy that she was happy. They told her they'd be there for her and love her no matter what. She said she was grateful that her parents reacted like that because she thought it would be worse. When her friend found she was bi she started acting all weird and then later dropped Tate.
Someone knocks at the door. Since all the parents left a couple of hours ago I'm pretty sure none of us were expecting anyone. Except Lena gets up and pulls the door open a muscular guy who looks a little like Lena is standing there. Lena welcomes him inside.
"Damn." Tate leans over and whispers to me. When I look at her she's smirking practically drooling. I giggle catching Lena's attention she drags the guy over to us
"Right, this is my brother Liam. Liam these are my roommates Teagan and Tate." Lena says still oblivious to the fact that Tate is checking out her brother.
"So do you go here?" I ask Liam readjusting myself on the sofa turning to face him fully.
"Yeah, I'm a junior this year." Liam says smiling. Now looking at him entirely and close up I notice that they have different shades of hair. Lena's hair is darker and his hair lighter. Their eyes are also different. Unlike Lena's aquamarine crystal eyes Liam's are piercing jade green. They have the same cheekbones and slim nose.
"Do you play any sports?" Tate asks. She is making checking him out obvious she eyes him up and down. She focuses on his biceps her eyes roam lower and lower until I gently nudge her to snap out of it.
"I play hockey here." Makes sense he's very buff and looks like he's made straight out of muscle. Liam answers her kindly but looks like he's uninterested. I look up at Lena and she says "what are you doing here?" I thought she invited him over, I guess not.
"I thought you needed help unpacking?" Liam questions looking pointedly at Lena.
"Yeah hours ago" Lena scoffs and rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest. All of her weight resting on her right leg placed behind her left leg.
"Oops sorry." Liam says carelessly. He looks away scratching the back of his neck showing that he truly isn't sorry.
"But hey why don't we go get some food?" He asks all of us. Trying to make it up to his sister.
"Fine but you're paying" Lena sighs. We get food somewhere around campus at a restaurant that has all sorts of Asian food.
I learn a lot more about Liam and Lena. Apparently, they're apart of a legacy here. Their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents went to Yale. Liam has been playing hockey since he was little. He got a recruited here for hockey though I'm sure he would've gotten in here without playing hockey. Both their parents are lawyers. I'm not surprised I'm at a prestigious school filled with elitists. I worked my ass off to get here. I made sure that I'd be able to go here by applying to scholarships. So that I'd be able to pay for school for my parents. The conversation switches over to Tate and I. Tate is from Maryland and comes from a family of six. She has two brothers and an older sister. Yale wasn't actually her first choice but she got denied from Columbia. I tell them that I have a brother and sister and am from Illinois. I'm not gonna tell them everything about me yet, what if they are actually creepy people and then I just tell them my whole life story.
We finish dinner and Liam walks us back to the dorms. Lena unlocks the door I tell them both goodnight. I pull open the door revealing the room that was once bland and now decorated and organized with the help of my parents. As I lay on my bed it finally hits me that this is my new home.