1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Laura

So... I take a breath as I shield my face against the rain and wind that splashes at me.

I must be the unluckiest person ever.

I have to make it to the check-in counter for my dorm before it closes or I'll be sleeping on the street for the night, except my car broke, one of the wheels of my luggage fell off, and it is pouring...

A bolt of lightning strikes through the sky, and the thunder that follows shakes the ground.

This college campus is such a stupid place... This place is so proud of its history that the gate and the wall are all old-fashioned with a dumb-looking gargoyle sitting in the center of the road, making the road itself fork for him.

I roll my eyes at the stone statue. It is a big one. The gargoyle's wings spread to the side. He hunches over with his arms between his legs, grabbing onto the edge of the stage he stands on as if he's examining people walking by, waiting to strike and bite them. Such a dumb statue.

There is ugly green moss on it, looking as if no one has taken care of him for years. Pretty much what I expected from the photos of this place.

I hurry past the statue. The primitive road is soaked. I can only hope the mud won't make it too hard on my luggage.

The gargoyle looks to be muscular and pretty strong, but that's just a statue and won't help me.

I check my watch again. I really need to get going.

There are trees around. The scent of wet mud and leaves may as well suffocate me. Maybe it will be pleasant when the weather is good. For now, that's definitely not a good time to even take an extra second here.

It doesn't take minutes before I'm drenched. I trudge through the road, hoping the weather will get better.

Except... Knowing my luck, that's not happening.

A shadow flashes by my side. I jump to dodge from whatever that is, only tripping over the luggage and...

Fuck... Wet mud sticks to my ass and pain spreads through my poor butt.

"Fuck this stupid place!" I shout into the heavy rain. No one is around, no one will hear me, no one will care.

I stare at the luggage, which sits on the ground, not going to pull its own weight.

I push against the ground, picking myself up. If I don't make it to the counter in time, it's going to be worse.

Why isn't this place designed for cars too? There has to be a better plan than this, even though I know that this place was built before cars were even invented. But it doesn't mean...

I turn around by the gargoyle. If that thing wasn't sitting in the middle of the path, or someone actually moved its ass out of the way, the road would be wide enough, and cars could get through the gate. Then I wouldn't have to be a dumbass on the road. It's all his fault.

It must be dumb to blame a statue for how miserable I am, but I don't want to care.

I grab the handle of the luggage, getting it back up and ready to go. This fucking rain...

When I arrive at the dorm, I'm a total mess. I push the door open, hoping no one except the receptionist will be there.

The lady stares at me. "Um... Are you here to register?"

I nod. "Yeah." I drag the luggage with me into the lobby. Everything inside is clean and tidy, except me...

The lady puts up a smile and pretends to overlook my mess. My cheeks burn so hot when I pull my purse to get my student card. I wish I could turn invisible.

As soon as I arrive at the door to my dorm room, I put the key in and turn, but it won't move. I pull the key, turn it upside down, and try again, but the lock still won't budge.

Fuck my luck...

I stare at my luggage, not wanting to haul it to the lobby again. But knowing my luck... It may be lost somehow if I don't bring it with me. I check my watch again. I better hurry before the counter will close.

The lady at the counter apologizes and swaps my key. Apparently, she mixed it up.

I'm too tired to even be mad at her. I turn to leave the counter. "Please tell me the hot water and everything is fine."

She checks the notice board behind her. "It looks like the case." She pulls a slip of paper from the side and gives it to me. "If something breaks, just call this number."

I resist the urge to glare at her. The paper doesn't seem to be good luck. But at the same time, if I don't take it now, maybe I will end up needing it later.

It must be the gargoyle statue's fault. It watched me when I walked through the gate. I don't even want to care why I thought about it again, but it is what it is.

The ride in the lift feels like a lifetime. It will be great if I could teleport myself all the way to the bed, fresh and clean, that's for sure.

Please... No one is there. Nothing can be worse than...

The door opens to a group of people...

They look at me and their chatter dies. My cheeks glow red even though there's no need to be. I live here, just like them. There's no reason for me to feel out of place.

I pull my luggage with me, hoping the mud from the road that may still be on my ass won't be too obvious.

They part way at the door for me to walk past, then they get into the lift and I hurry my way through the corridor, hoping none of those people will remember me. More than likely, they are all in different classes from mine and with a different major, so...

I take a breath. It should be fine...

This time, the key works smoothly. My room smells great, even though this is the first time I'm there.

I put everything to the side, pulling out my clothes to get to the shower. I need to get out of these stinky clothes that seem to be dripping water.

This can't be further from what I hoped for my time in college, but knowing my luck, this may be about right.

The hot water is working, thankfully. The warm wash brings the sucky day away. I wet my hair, only to remember that...

I forgot to bring in the bottle of shampoo and body wash...

This fucking life...