Chapter 2: A Fortuitious Meeting

Maggie waited patiently, the traffic getting to the university was expectedly busy. Emma, after all, wasn't the only one moving in today. Emma looked out the window at the various people walking around the campus. She saw many different kinds: those who wander, those who walk with purpose; those who walk alone, locked into whatever they have playing in their earbuds, those who spout endless words as they walk with others.

The campus itself was caught in this difference as well. The red-brick buildings of old clashed with the sleek new glass buildings that dotted the campus. Not everything new will always replace the old.

They pulled towards the dorms at this point. Parking next to which remained a nightmare. Students and parents alike took box after box out of their cars, walking through the parking lot without a care for anyone trying to drive through it. Emma watched as parents also hugged their children goodbye, clocking the look that was a mix of pride and sadness on each of their faces as they looked on longingly at their children.

Eventually, Maggie found a parking space: one not too far from Emma's assigned dorm. Maggie parked the car and stepped out into the parking lot. The campus had changed quite a lot since her days when she was last here 25 years ago, but plenty was still familiar. Emma stepped out of the car cautiously.

Together, they opened the trunk and, for the first time, really realized just how long this would likely take. Luckily, it was only 3 pm still so they still had time.

"What's your dorm number again?" Maggie looked to Emma for an answer.

"53," Emma replied, grabbing a box full of her favorite books as her first item out of the trunk.

Maggie grabbed a suitcase full of clothes and wordlessly followed Emma as she attempted to figure out which of the buildings was hers.

"Were these the dorms you stayed at, Mom?" Emma asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, these are new. I stayed in the Archway Towers when I attended. These seem much nicer than when I was here."

The building before them consisted mostly of concrete, brutalist yet modern in design. A big side of the building was covered completely in glass, housing what looked like a series of staircases and common rooms for each of the floors. At the bottom, what looked like a cafe operated there.

Together, Emma and Maggie looked with awe at the big structure as they stepped inside the lobby. A very modern decor greeted them, with low-down chairs and couches with steel tables accompanying them. All around them were parents and students, going about all kinds of business: lining up at the cafe, moving mini-fridges, smiling at each other as they waited for the elevator.

Emma and Maggie checked the floor plan near the entrance to find her dorm room. Luckily for them, Emma's room was only on the second floor of the four-story building.

"That's lucky, we should be able to avoid the elevator now." Maggie chirped.

"Ugh... just going up one flight of stairs for every box is going to take forever though..." Emma complained.

"We'll just put a little elbow grease, and we'll be done in no time." Maggie challenged optimistically.

Together, they walked up the stairs carrying the boxes. Maggie, lagging behind Emma, looked around at the student body. Many of them were such attractive, well-dressed young people. At the top of the stairs, she saw a handsome young boy looking at her with some reverence and a slight look of desire. Maggie remembered that feeling. What a time she had in college.

Skipping past him, Emma brought them down the hall before eventually arriving at the door on the right that said 53. Emma set down her box to pull out the key they had mailed her. For a split second, she thought about what opening this door really meant. The step it represented. Then she unlocked it and opened it.

On the other side of the door stood a young woman opposite Emma. She was bent over making her bed, so it was neat and tidy.

Emma saw her seemingly jump at the prospect of the door opening. She stood over her bed and looked over at Emma, a smile seeming to take over her once focused face.

"Oh my god! Hi, you must be Emma!" the young woman said as she approached Emma, going for a very quick hug. Emma staggered a little back from the bountiful exuberance of the woman.

"And you must be Nicole..." Emma awkwardly replied, a little weirded out by her enthusiastic friendliness.

Nicole broke the hug not long after taking in Emma's appearance before her. "Oh my god! You're so pretty! I love your outfit!" Nicole said, clearly suppressing a bounce.

Emma blushed immediately at the sudden and outright flattery. "And yours is..." Emma looked down at Nicole's outfit. It was intimidatingly skimpy, with a tiny tank top and booty jean shorts comprising most of her outfit. "Really cute."

"Oh! Thank you! You're so kind!" She beamed at the simple compliment. "I'm just glad I'm roomed with someone so cute like me. We're gonna get up to sooo much fun!"

Emma's face was that of some confusion and discomfort at Nicole's whole schtick. Nicole didn't seem to care, though; she tried to shine right through Emma's trepidation.

When Maggie turned the corner, Nicole caught sight of her and followed up with more buoyancy. "Oh, and you must be Mom!" Maggie was caught a little off guard by Nicole upon first seeing her. She sure was wearing almost nothing. Maggie quickly composed warmth, however.

"Maggie is my name, and it's very nice to meet you, Nicole!" She said with some sunshine in her voice.

"Oh my god, Emma. You're mom is so hot! No wonder you're so pretty!"

Maggie also blushed. Her sincerity was too overwhelming not to enjoy.

"Thank you, Nicole. I do try and take care of myself." Maggie responded.

Nicole then realized that she had gotten in the way of them bringing Emma's stuff in and quickly jumped out of the way.

"Sooo... Where you from?" Nicole asked casually.

"Willow Creek. It's a small town on the west side of Nebraska." Emma replied, setting down her box.

"Oooo... small town girl, eh? You really into horses then?" Nicole asked, jumping onto her bed and crossing her legs.

"Not really, although there are a lot of horse girls in Willow Creek," Emma replied.

"I think there's just a lot in the state. This is the Midwest after all." Nicole responded, leaning against her hands as she watched Emma across from her.

Not being able to make up her mind, Nicole then hopped off the bed. "So you guys need any help? I've already unpacked everything, and I would love to help my new roomie!"

"That would be of great help, dear, thank you!" Maggie said, finding herself infected by Nicole's enthusiasm.

"No problem, Maggie. I love to help!" she said, following Emma as she exited the dorm back towards the car.

"So how far is Willow Creek?" Nicole pulled up next to Emma, looking inquisitively at her face.

"It's about a seven-hour drive," Emma replied.

"Oh, that's a long way to go. I'm sure you both must be exhausted." Nicole said, looking genuinely caringly. "Luckily for you two, I'm well rested and full of energy right now! It only took me about an hour to drive here from Lincoln."

"Oh, Lincoln!" Maggie replied. "We drove through there. Never stopped there before. How is it?"

"Oh, you know, kinda boring, not too much to do," Nicole said, the most conservative tone she had used thus far. "It's not too different than Omaha, honestly, but I'd rather be out here, that's for sure. Need some independence from the parents if you catch my drift."

Eventually, they lead Nicole to the trunk of the car, and immediately, Nicole grabs an item out of the boxes.

"Oh my god! This guy is so cute!" She emanates as she hugs a stuffed raccoon. "Does he have a name?"

"Socks. I've had him since I was 8." Emma indulged.

"Oh my god! I need to protect him. He is so precious." Nicole muttered into the scalp of the stuffed raccoon, holding it closely to her chest. "I'm so glad you also like stuffed animals. They're like children to me."

"I don't have too many anymore, Maggie got rid of a lot of them when I turned 16." Emma retorted, looking over at Maggie.

"WHAT! How could you, Maggie! They're homeless now." Nicole said playfully to Maggie.

"What do you mean? I just sent them to the ranch upstate." Maggie said cleverly. "Now they frolic there forever, free and fantastically."

"Oh my god, a ranch with only stuffed animals sounds so sick," Nicole said, putting Socks back into his box and picking up the box to bring upstairs.

As they continued to unload the car, Nicole continued to barrage them with a set of incessant questions about various topics, to which Emma and Maggie answered, indulging in Nicole's curiosity.

When Emma was bringing her fourth box up, she saw a woman entering the dorm right next to hers in unit 52. A young woman with a very striking appearance.

Emma stared at her dark and skimpy outfit, somewhat mesmerized by her fashion choice.

"Can I help you?" She looked at Emma with cold eyes.

Emma snapped back to reality, blushing that she had been caught staring.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare." Emma said, embarrassed.

The woman seemed to find this somewhat humorous and chuckled at Emma's shy and apologetic demeanor.

"It's okay, out of all the people that stare at me, you're by far the one I'd want the most to look at me." She said confidently, leaning against the doorframe to her dorm room. "I'm Raven. You're my next-door neighbor this year?"

"Yeah, I'm Emma. Nice to meet you." Raven held out a hand and shook Emma's hand, her long nails slightly tickling Emma's hand.

"It's always nice to be roomed near other hot girls. Makes the place nicer to look at." Raven said ambitiously.

"Oh, uh, thank you. You're so kind. You're pretty hot too." Emma said, unsure of what she should've said to that.

"Oh, I know. I see the proof of that on other people's faces all the time. I like to turn heads, you know, makes life more exciting." Raven said daringly.

Behind Emma, she heard Nicole pipe up. "Oh, hi, Raven!"

"What's up, Nicole? This girl your roommate this year?" Raven said, looking over Emma's shoulder.

"Yep! And I'm so excited, she's gonna be so much more fun than Denise last year. Ughh, what a snore she was." Nicole complained.

Emma looked a little worried; Nicole's expectations may be a little high for Emma.

"Well, you know what? Once she's settled in, we should do a hot girl movie night in my room. I've got some popcorn and everything." Raven declared invitingly.

Before Emma can get out a word, Nicole lights up and replies, "Oh my god, yes! We are so in!"

Emma suppressed saying something. Her mom did tell her to say yes to new opportunities, but she looked suspiciously at each of the girls. There’s no way they would just want to be friends with Emma just like that… They must be planning something.

Behind Raven, another girl strolled up as well.

"Heyyy! What's up, girls!" she said flamboyantly.

“Oh, hey, Chloe!” jumped Nicole immediately.

“Who’s the new girl?” Chloe said with a measured look up and down Emma’s body.

“She’s my new roommate, Emma!” Nicole announced.

“Pleasure to meet you, Emma. I’m Raven’s roommate, Chloe.” Chloe held her hand out to shake Emma’s hand. “I wish you luck with Nicole; she can be a bit much sometimes.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that most people find me effortlessly charming, thank you very much,” retorted Nicole.

“Hey, easy, easy. I’m just teasin’ Nix. I always adore your company.” Chloe said with a grin on her face.

Nicole looked uneasily at Chloe. And so does Emma. Another scantily-clad bombshell that’s now talking to her. This must be some kind of prank.

“Anyway, Emma and I got a lot of unpacking to do. See you gals in a bit!” Nicole said, finally bringing her box into the room. Emma saw the girls beam back and enter their room.

Things sure are moving fast…

---

In all, the unpacking took about three hours. Emma brought, in hindsight, too much stuff. Several of the boxes remained simply unpacked and beneath Emma’s bed. She’ll find time for them later.

Maggie closed the trunk as twilight set in. A golden array of oranges and purples set over the parking lot.

“Well, honey, this is where I leave you,” Maggie said, a pained but proud expression contorted on her face. She came in for a hug with Emma.

Emma welcomed it with open arms and then tight arms. She hugged her mom like she’d never see her again. She squeezed, hoping that the hug would never end and that her mother would be going to college with her. A little tear came out of each of their eyes.

Eventually, it felt too long, not right to be hugging anymore, and they each took a step back, each seeing each other’s pained expressions.

“Enjoy yourself, Emma,” Maggie said, head tilted as she rubbed Emma’s shoulder. “You will make so many unforgettable memories here. Take your time, enjoy the process.”

“I will. I love you, Mom.” Emma said, tears held back.

“Oh, honey, I love you too…” Maggie replied, going in for another hug.

Nicole stood on the side of the curb as they continued saying goodbye over and over, glancing up from scrolling Instagram to occasionally see that indeed they were still there. She couldn’t relate, but she would be there for her new roomie.

Finally, after many more words exchanged, Maggie got in her car. Blowing a kiss to Emma as she started the car. Together, Emma and Nicole waved Maggie away as she pulled out and drove down the road, off towards the golden sun.

“Your mom is so nice, roomie,” Nicole stated. “I wish my mom was that kind.”

“Oh, do you have a bad relationship with your mom?” Emma asked, not a hint of judgment in her voice.

“Not a bad relationship, just kind of distant. She doesn’t really approve of how I dress and the stuff I do online, but she tolerates it.” Nicole says nonchalantly. An argument long since concluded.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate…” Emma says solemnly.

“She’d love you, though, pretty but dressed modestly. Bookworm.” Nicole said without a hint of jealousy.

“I have something similar with my dad, honestly,” Emma shares. “He’s kind of distant and super religious and tries to make sure I’m on the straight and narrow all the time.”

“Ah, so you’re still a virgin?” Nicole blurts, her teasing eyes looking into Emma’s.

“What!?” Emma was baffled that this person she barely knew asked her such a personal question.

“It’s a simple yes or no question…” Nicole smiled a cheeky grin.

“I’m… I’m not going to answer that question.” Emma stammered.

“A,h so you are a virgin.” Nicole’s grin grew. “Now, how is a girl as hot as you still a virgin?”

“Hey! Back off, okay? I don’t want to talk about this.” Emma defended.

“Alright, roomie, whatever you say.” Nicole had a shit-eating grin. She was going to keep prodding this girl till she divulged the truth. For now, she’ll let resting dogs lie.

A bout of silence took over them as they entered the lobby of the dorm. Several heads turned towards Nicole as they did. Emma saw them as well. Nicole only got the looks she did because she dressed in such skimpy clothes. Emma would never want that kind of attention. It was beneath her…

As they hopped up the stairs, Nicole chimed again. “So Em… You have any plans to join any clubs or teams?”

That question hadn’t even occurred to Emma. “I… I haven’t thought about it. Is there a list of clubs somewhere?”

“There’s not only a list but a whole club day to explore in a week,” Nicole replied. “ Most of them, though, are really boring nerd shit, but there are a couple of good ones. I’m in the Gaming Club and Campus Fashion Collective myself; you, though, you seem like the kinda gal that’d like the literature or poetry club.”

“How many clubs are there?” Emma asked.

“I think there’s close to 500. This is a big school of 25,000 students after all.” Nicole remarked.

“Wow, that’s so many choices…” Emma said troubled.

“Don’t sweat it, like I said, most of them are really intense nerd shit. Nothing a girl as pretty as you should be interested in.” Nicole replied.

There it was again. Someone told Emma she was pretty. It just didn’t sound right to her. She couldn’t be. She was this loser from high school.

They reached their dorm room again and went inside. There, Emma looked at her unpacked belongings strewn about her half of the room. It all felt very plain, safe, especially when compared to Nicole’s half, which was filled with stuffed animals, sexy anime posters, and gaming paraphernalia.

“So… what’s your classes looking like?” Nicole asked, feet kicking in her bed that she jumped onto with bountiful energy.

“Well, I got two classes every day. It varies when they start, though. Tomorrow my first class starts at 9:00 am.” Emma replied, sitting on her bed now.

“Ughhh, that’s so early. You’ll learn fast. Early classes suck.” Nicole complained, eyes rolling. “You usually end up skipping them most of the time.”

“I don’t know, I’m a bit of an early riser. I think I’ll handle it.”

“Every freshman is on the first day. Soon, you will learn just how useless going to class actually is.” Nicole said, her eyes now locked to her phone.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Nicole, ever excited, bounced out of her bed and hopped to the door.

On the other side of the door lay Chloe. “What’s up bitches? You girls ready for a movie night?”

“More than you know, sis. C’mon Emma!” Nicole rushed over to Emma and pulled her by the hand, suddenly out of the room.

Emma, caught off guard by the sudden visit and departure, grimaced, but acquiesced to being dragged along. She needed to get herself out there.