Something About You
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J. Nathan
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302K
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47
Chapter 1
SHAY
I hurried down the third-floor hallway, pulling a large plastic storage bin behind me while balancing a cardboard box in my arm. I couldâve left the box outside the dorm where my Uber dropped me off. But, where I came from, you didnât leave your things unattended or someone wouldâve claimed them as their own.
âUmmmph,â I cried as the box in my hand flew up in the air and unceremoniously crashed to the floor sending my belongings scattering all over.
âWatch it,â the girl Iâd collided with said as she continued down the hall without even stopping to help me retrieve my things.
I glared at her retreating form, making a mental note of the swaying hips, too short cutoffs, and perfectly curled blonde hair cascading down to her butt. I needed to know who I should avoid at all costs at Cranmore University.
As if reading my thoughts, she glanced over her shoulder for a split second. Of course, she had to be beautiful. Why did the mean ones always get good genes? âLoser,â she mumbled as she disappeared into a room on the right.
I shoved my glasses up my nose, only to have them slip back down as I dropped to my knees in the middle of the hallway. I glanced around me, but despite all the open doors lining the hallway and the music drifting through them, the hallway was empty. I grabbed the framed photo of me and my mom that had landed in front of me, careful not to look at it for too long. Today was supposed to be a good day. A new start. No need to let in the sad memories. I stuffed it into the box then scooped up my trophies for academic decathlon that lay on opposite sides of me. I quickly shoved them into the box, embarrassed two trophies brought me such pride.
âExcuse me.â
I glanced up to find a pretty brunette with her parents trying to get by me with boxes in their arms.
âSorry,â I mumbled as I pushed my things to the side so they could pass by.
âNeed some help?â the father asked with pity in his eyes.
I lowered my head and mumbled, âIâve got it.â
They didnât force their assistance on me and moved to the girlâs room as I stuffed a few of my notebooks, the refurbished laptop I saved enough money to buy (praying it hadnât been destroyed), and some small trinkets into the box.
I pushed myself to my feet with the box in my arm and searched the room numbers, spotting room 333 ahead on the right. I grabbed hold of my bin and moved to it. I halted in the doorway. The family whoâd just passed me hurried around the room unpacking and decorating.
âHey,â the dad said with a smile when he noticed me standing there. âWe know you.â
I forced a smile before glancing to the brunette who I now realized was my roommate Kendall. Her social media account didnât do her justice. She looked like she could be a model. Maybe she was. Given her wide eyes taking in my long brown braids and five-foot-two, ninety pounds stature, she was just as surprised by my meek appearance. Weâd spoken via DM, but it didnât take long to realize we were exact opposites. Sheâd be pledging a sorority, and Iâd hopefully be volunteering for the science department in a lab until all hours of the night. âHi, Kendall.â
Her eyes softened. âShay?â
I nodded, trying my best to give off the impression that I was like all the other college freshmen super stoked to be living the college life. Donât get me wrong. I was happy to be on my own and starting over. But not the way others were. They saw no supervision, late nights without questions, and parties. I saw freedom from daily stress and the unknown.
âWhat happened out there?â Kendallâs mom asked. âDid your box give way?â
âThatâs what I get for using cardboard,â I lied.
She eyed my box and container. âWould you like help bringing up the rest of your things?â
I blushed. âThis is all I have.â
âOh,â she said, suddenly looking as uncomfortable as I felt.
âIâm low maintenance. I need very little to survive,â I continued, hoping I hadnât insulted my new roommate who seemed to have triple the things I had.
Kendallâs dad smiled. âI tell Kendall all the time that less is more.â
Kendall rolled her eyes at her dad and then looked to me. âIâm relieved youâre a minimalist. Where would all my stuff go otherwise?â She smiled, and I realized that maybe having a roommate who was my opposite would work out better than having a roommate who was as neurotic about school and succeeding as I was.
âKendall said youâre from Colorado,â her mother said as she unpacked Kendallâs bed linens.
âAbout thirty minutes from here.â
âWanted to stay close to home?â her dad asked.
Nope. âI actually received a full scholarship, so it was a no-brainer.â
âFull scholarship?â Kendall asked. âI didnât know that. Whatâs your major?â
âBiochemistry.â
Her eyes widened. âSo, you can help me with my science classes?â
âAbsolutely.â
âI sense the beginning of a great friendship,â her father said.
I expected sarcasm when I looked to Kendall. But, instead, she just smiled. âMe too.â
Relief swept over me telling meâdespite the rude girl interactionâthat this was going to be a great first year of college after all.
***
Bass of a rap song next door rattled our wall. Iâd covered my ears with headphones hours ago. Iâd tried to sleep with a pillow over my head. But nothing drowned out the soundâor the vibration of the wall against my bed. I grabbed my phone from the desk beside me. Two in the freaking morning. Now, I wasnât opposed to other people having fun. I got it. This was college. This was the first time most of these kids had been on their own. But classes started in a few hours. And since I had all seven oâclock classes, I wasnât going to be able to function if this kept up. Maybe they didnât even realize how loud it was. I glanced to Kendallâs bed. She was sound asleep. The girl clearly slept like a rock.
The song ended and laughter drifted through the wall. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I could handle laughter. But all too soon the familiar sound of bass returned.
Thatâs it!
I kicked my feet out from beneath my worn comforter and trudged into the hallway until I stood outside the room next door. I wasnât trying to be a buzzkill, but it was late and I needed to sleep. I banged on the door with the side of my fist so they could hear me over the music. I waited. The music sounded even louder in the hallway. Hadnât anyone else complained?
The door flew open and the blonde who Iâd collided with earlier stood there in only a T-shirt glaring at me. âWhat?â she snapped.
âI was hoping you could turn down your music. Iâve got a seven oâclock class, and I really need to sleep.â
âNo.â
My head whipped back. âNo?â
âNo,â she repeated before her eyes drifted over my pajamas. âAre those footie pajamas?â
I glanced down at my pajama choice. âYes.â
She burst out laughing. âOh. My. God.â
âWhat?â the guy in her room asked as he pulled her door open the rest of the way. âOh.â
Whoa. His ruffled dark hair, very bare chest, sleeve of tattoos, and boxers set me off balance for a second. Iâd never been that close to a nearly naked guyânot to mention one that good lookingâbefore.
His blue eyes took in my red footie pajamas. âThatâs something you donât see every day.â
âI just need you to turn down the music,â I said to him, hoping to appeal to his sense of reason.
âThis is college, Little One,â he said.
I gasped. âLittle One?â
He chuckled as his eyes once again drifted over my pajamas. âIf the shoe fits.â
âIf the shoe fits,â I gritted out, âIâd be calling the two of you inconsiderate assholes. But, I didnât do that, did I? I asked nicely.â
âDid she just call us assholes?â the mean girl asked.
âThat she did,â he said to her before his eyes met mine. âBeat it, geek. You interrupted us, and if thereâs one thing I find inconsiderate, itâs being interrupted.â And without the slightest show of remorse, he slammed the door in my face.
I stood in the empty hallway stewing. My cheeks pulsed with heat. How had I for even one second paid him the slightest bit of attention? There was nothing worse than people who thought they could do whatever they wanted.
But, they had.
And, the music continued to pound off my wall until I left for class the next morning at six-thirty showing me they had no plans to back down.
Great.
