Emma

Emma leaned forward over the sink and finished applying her lipstick as she looked at herself in the mirror of her dorm room. Standing up straight, she fixed her hair and smiled at her image. She had been a somewhat awkward teen, but after her last year of high school, she'd blossomed prettily. She may have started high school as a quiet, bookish girl with acne and a figure that left her admiring the prettier, more popular girls, but that had all changed over the summer. Her skin had cleared up, and she had filled out nicely. It gave her a new sense of confidence, even if some old doubts lingered.

Regardless, today was her first day of class, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She had her favorite dress on, and her hair and makeup looked great. It better, it had taken her the better part of an hour to get ready.

Meanwhile, her new roommate, Zoe, was still sleeping peacefully. Zoe seemed nice, but they had only met last night when they'd moved into the room together. Emma was sure they'd be good friends, though.

Today was Emma's first day of classes at the university, and she was so very excited. She'd grown up in a small town, and college was going to be an adventure for her. It would also be hard work, but she knew she could do it if she stayed focused.

Emma's family didn't have much, and she'd be paying for her own education, which meant she'd need to do well in school and earn every grant and scholarship she could, maybe even get a job to earn extra money. It was daunting, but she was optimistic. Despite all the hard work and good grades that earned her a spot here, she had already accrued fifteen thousand in debt for her first semester, between tuition, books, housing, etc.

Add to that the pressure of performing as a student, moving away from home and to a big city, and she had a lot on her mind before she attended her first lecture. But nothing was impossible.

Grabbing her phone, notebooks (organized by subject), and accompanying syllabi, Emma quietly opened the door to their room and stepped out into the hallway to head to…