Although, I did think I had a suspicion as to what that weekend was about, and who her boyfriend was. A nagging suspicion that only grew every time someone talked about the Midtown Strangler and she paled, but that was neither here nor there.
This was my story, and I had to live it.
Once I said my goodbyes to them, I waved and watched them drive off. Their car grew smaller and smaller on the road, and I closed my eyes as the wind picked up, whipping at my hair.
This was the start of a new chapter in my life.
I really hoped it would be a good one.
Chapter Two – Kelsey
By the time I returned to my room, my roommate was back. She had her long legs spread out on her bed, her phone in her lap and earphones in her ears. She didn’t even glance up at me when I walked in, didn’t even look in my general direction. I wanted to glare at her, because I did not need to room with a bitch—no one needed that—but as I walked deeper into the room, she slowly pulled out the earphones.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” I said right back.
She heaved herself off her bed, and once she got to her feet, I saw she was a good half a foot taller than me. She was thin and slender, her blonde hair in a cute pixie cut, framing her face perfectly. Her brown eyes twinkled as she took me in. My style, or lack of it, really.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to be here when the parents were here,” she said. “I’m Melody, but you can call me Mel, if you want.” She sounded nice enough, and I prayed we wouldn’t have problems, that we wouldn’t clash.
When you roomed with an absolute stranger, you never knew.
“I’m Kelsey,” I told her. We didn’t shake hands, because that would’ve been fucking weird, but we did give each other awkward smiles. Yes, awkward smiles for the win. “It’s okay. My parents aren’t that great anyway. You didn’t miss much.” I liked my dry humor; I hoped she’d get it and not think I was being serious.
I loved my parents, both of them. They were flipping awesome and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Mel’s lips curled into a grin. “I bet. Parents are always a drag. It’s why I kicked mine out of here before I even brought my stuff upstairs.”
I laughed. I thought Mel and I would get along just fine.
“So, freshman?” Mel asked, moving to sit at her desk.
Nodding, I said, “You?”
“No, I’m a sophomore. I was here last year.”
“And you’re still living on campus?” Most students chose to live off campus once their freshman year was done, rent a house or something with some of their friends. Mel seemed nice enough; she had to have friends.
Mel pursed her lips, and her brown gaze fell to the floor. “There was a…let’s just say I didn’t get to pass a lot of my classes last semester due to some unforeseen circumstances.” Her hand gripped the edge of her desk, and I noticed the way her nails were so short, so uneven, as if she chewed on them anxiously. “So technically I’m a sophomore, but I only have a few more credit hours done than you. I didn’t really have the chance to make many friends last year.”
She told me a lot without saying exactly what the issue she had last year was, but that was okay. We were still strangers to each other, so I knew it’d take time for her to really open up, if ever.
“That’s okay,” I said, shrugging. “You at least know some people. I know no one.” I plopped down on my bed, kicking off my shoes. “I was supposed to come here with my best friend from high school, but she got some scholarship to a private university, so.” I shrugged. “Here I am, all alone.”
“You’ll be fine,” Mel said, though her tone sounded a lot less certain than her words.
“Will the food places be open?” I asked, it wasn’t quite dinner time yet, but it was past lunch. Turned out, moving was quite the hassle and took a lot of time. I couldn’t imagine what moving houses was like. Most of my shit still sat in my room at home. I’d only brought clothes, bedding, shower stuff, and a few other essentials. No laptop. I’d have to go to the library when there were online things to do or papers to write.
“Today? Yeah, they should be open. They’re open anytime campus is open.” Mel paused for a few moments, saying, “We can go, if you want. Do you have your schedule? I can show you where the buildings are, unless you want to be one of those freshmen walking around campus with a map on your first day.”
Another laugh bubbled up, and I shook my head. Me, carrying a map, seemed a bit silly. I wasn’t that kind of girl. I’d rather get lost than have a map. Getting lost in life was half the fun anyways. It made everything an adventure.
“Let me see if I can find it,” I said, hopping off my bed and going to my desk. I’d unpacked everything, all my textbooks and my notebooks and shit. My textbooks were old and worn, their corners frayed. Some of the classes said older editions of the textbook could be used too, so I’d opted for the cheaper option.
When I found the paper, I stuffed it in my pocket, my phone in the other. I’d texted Ash, but her texts came few and far between. She was still at
