1

"Where do I go from here?" I muttered to myself. I was trying to find a parking space in my college dorm's parking lot, but they were all full. The August sun in southern Colorado was no joke. I'd only driven fifteen minutes from my dad's house to campus, but my truck's air conditioner was struggling to keep up. I was starting to sweat through my shirt, and just wanted to start unpacking.

Not the way I wanted to start my sophomore year at November Falls State University.

I made one more circle, spying someone pulling out of their space.

Finally. I was afraid I was going to have to park on the street.

As I put my truck into park, I got a call from my best friend, Everly Rawlings. "Where are you?" she asked as soon as I answered the phone.

"Come downstairs and find out."

I was glad I had her on Bluetooth because if I'd had the phone to my ear, her squeal would have broken my eardrum.

"Ev, you literally saw me two days ago," I chuckled.

"I know, but I missed you!" There was a knock on my driver's window. I yelped and jumped in my seat and looked over to see a huge smile on Everly's face. It even rivaled the smile she gave me when she won the photography contest in fourth grade.

Her waist-length black hair was pulled into a ponytail, and the six inches of purple ends fell over one shoulder. Her gray eyes sparkled as she grinned at me. I ended the call and waited for her to move out of the way so I could get out of my truck. As soon as I did, she threw her arms around my neck.

"Okay, okay," I laughed, pushing her away and reaching into the passenger seat for my polka-dotted backpack. "You're helping me move in, right?"

She rolled her eyes at me, opening the back door and grabbing some things to take up the three flights of stairs.

"Did you miss Fabulous Florentine?"

Florentine was the name of our co-ed dorm. We affectionately called it "Fabulous" because it was the oldest dorm on campus and the only one that didn't have elevators. The air conditioner only occasionally worked, but we both hoped that this school year would be cooler than freshman year had been. The summer had been cooler than the year before, which was promising for the rest of the year.

"I sure didn't miss the stairs," I grumbled, stopping at the front desk. I showed my student ID to the student at the desk and she handed me my dorm key card and room key. "I thought we were going to switch to a dorm that had elevators."

"I didn't hear you complaining about our nice calves over the summer," Everly winked.

"Shut up and open the door," I laughed, and we headed up the stairs.

Dakarya Yang, our RA, was decorating the bulletin board as we walked in. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head.

"Hey! Lexi, right?" She greeted, coming off the step ladder.

I nodded.

"There was a slight mix-up with your room. You're listed as having a single, but your room was set up for a double. Facilities should be around either this week or next to take out your extra desk and bed."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know." I raised my backpack and gestured to Everly. "We should probably start unloading this stuff."

"Sure. Just let me know if you need anything!" She folded the ladder and took it into the room that was next to Everly's.

"We will!" Everly answered for me.

I unlocked my door and surveyed the room I would be staying in until the end of May. One of the beds was lofted, and the desk was underneath it against the wall. The other bed was against the other wall with the desk at the foot.

"I'm going to keep the lofted one," I answered before Everly had a chance to ask.

"Ugh, it's so hot," she groaned, struggling to open my window. "You brought your fans, right?"

I nodded. "They're in the truck bed next to the duffel."

We put everything down and headed back downstairs to finish unloading.

Everly made a beeline for the fans and immediately took them out of the truck, setting my duffel on the sidewalk to get it out of the way. She looked up at the partly cloudy sky. "It's already starting to cool down, but you remember how stuffy Florentine gets."

I nodded, reached for my laundry basket that had all of my laundry and shower stuff from inside the truck and grabbed the duffle from the sidewalk.

After two more trips, we finished hauling everything up the three flights. We threw most of it on the floor or the spare bed. Everly sprawled herself on the spare bed in between bags while I started unpacking things. The fans were set to full blast so the room was warm but not stuffy.

"See!" She sat up, playing with the beaded bracelet on her wrist. "This is why I don't think we could survive being roommates again. I'm still basically living out of my suitcase."

We'd been best friends since kindergarten, and we decided to be roommates freshman year. I was a neat freak, and Everly definitely was not. Toward the end of the year, she ended up spending a lot of time with Sabrina White, another girl on our floor, and they were going to be roommates this year. I was looking forward to having my own space, but I was glad Everly would still be close. Their room was across the hall from mine.

"Is Sabrina here yet?" I asked.

She looked up and shook her head. "I think she's coming tomorrow night."

I moved a bag from the bed to the floor to sit next to her, and gave her a pointed look. I grabbed my NFSU lanyard and attached my room key, ID and meal card.

"Stop," she said. "We had one kiss at a party last year."

I waited, knowing there was more.

"And, we've been texting. A lot. Don't make it a thing."

"Do you want it to be a thing?"

Everly got down from the bed. "I said don't make it a thing. I'm going to go unpack. Let me know when you want to get some food." She didn't say another word to me as she walked out the door.

I sighed. She wouldn't stay upset at me for long, and I had unpacking to do. I sent messages to my parents and sister letting them know I made it to campus.

Mom: Make sure you talk to Chloe about rushing this year.

Me: You already know I don't want to

Becoming a member of Alpha Delta Beta was my mom's ultimate dream for her daughters. ADB had been a family tradition for five generations. Until my mom. She'd had my older sister during her junior year of high school, and me three years later. She wasn't allowed to join.

Sierra, my older sister, refused to rush when she was in college, so the family burden fell on me. Mom expected me to rush freshman year, but I made excuses because I had no desire. She wanted one of us to pick up the family legacy that she couldn't carry, and Sierra and I refusing led to a huge sore spot between us and our mother.

I started hanging up my clothes in my closet and called my dad because I knew I'd get distracted if I started texting him.

"Hey, Lex. You all settled in yet?" I heard the crackle of his police radio in the background.

I put my phone on speaker and looked at the time.

"I thought you were working later."

"I got called in early."

"Oh, bummer. I'll eventually be done unpacking. I'm so glad I'm not having a roommate this year."

"Yeah, after last year, I think a single will be good for you," he said. "Speaking of, how's Everly?"

As if summoned, Everly walked through the door and perched herself on the bed. I knew she couldn't stay mad at me for long.

Ev mouthed, Who's that?

My dad, I responded silently. Everly smiled and waved as if he could see her.

"She says hi."

"You getting dinner soon?"

"As soon as she's off the phone," Everly said.

My dad laughed. "You two." I didn't have to see him to know that he was shaking his head. "Go get dinner and finish getting settled. And, call your mother."

Our parents were divorced and Sierra and I lived with our dad. Even so, he tried his hardest to make sure we had a good relationship with our mom.

"Dad," I whined.

"I'm serious. She loves you, you know."

"I know. I'll call her tomorrow."

I heard another crackle on his radio and then he muffled something into it.

"Honey, I gotta go," He said over more crackling.

"Bye, Dad! I love you."

"Love you too," he said, distractedly.

"Stay safe."

"I always do."

We hung up, and Everly stood.

Unceremoniously, I grabbed my lanyard and we headed to the dining hall.