“Great!” Her eyes light up. “I haven’t even opened it yet and was worried I was, like, totally behind.” She exhales dramatically, her entire chest rising and falling. “Do you want to go to the library tomorrow, work together on it? Maybe grab Starbucks before or something?”

I nod. “Sure. That sounds fun.”

“Cool!” She grins, and I notice a bit of red lipstick has migrated to her teeth. “See you then.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod as I reach for my door handle.

“Oh and, Sara, I almost forgot.”

I spin around so quickly I curse myself for seeming overeager. “Yeah?”

“Def let us know if the music bothers you. We’d be happy to turn it down.” She’s back in the room, the door slamming between us, before I can think of a reply.

I step into my room and set my bag on the kitchenette table. I really lucked out being placed in the new building, with suite-style quads.

The other bedroom door is closed, with sweet smoke and trance-y music radiating from the cracks around the frame. Not really my scene.

My roommate—the one I share a bedroom with—Tiff, is sitting on our couch, the bluish light of her MacBook illuminating her round face.

“Hey!” she says. “How’s your day been?”

“Well,” I say, stepping forward. “My first class was—”

She turns and pulls an earbud out of her ear. She wrinkles her nose at me. “I’m Skyping my boyfriend,” she says definitively.

“Oh...sorry.” I pick up my bag and go into our bedroom, closing the door quietly behind me.

I step over a hot pink bra, an empty Red Bull can and a history textbook as I make my way to my side of the room. I hang my bag on its hook and kneel on my pink shag rug as I place my loafers under my bed, in their spot between my Sperrys and black pumps.

Movie night? I text Yaz.

Using my step stool, I climb onto my captain’s height bed. I scroll through Instafriend while I wait for her to respond. The pictures tonight are mainly sunny skies, palm trees and backpacks, mixed in with red cups and low-cut dresses and eyes tracking just left of the camera. First week of school pictures have a little more variety in college.

I fall back onto my bed, cuddling my stuffed dolphin toy and setting my phone on my stomach.

Buzz. It vibrates again and I almost drop it flipping it over so quickly.

Yaz: sorry can’t. On a date!

My heart sinks.

Yaz: Thought you had to work all weekend. Did you guys figure out your project?!