Intercepted by the RA

Avery glanced down the hall and sighed. Originally, the location of her room never mattered. Being closer to the elevator meant more foot traffic and noise outside of her door, while being farther meant more walking with her bulky saxophone case and more chances to be caught in a traffic jam; offsetting scales, she reasoned. Now that the communal showers were a factor, she was lamenting having one of the two rooms most adjacent to the elevator. More accurately, she was lamenting having one of the two rooms most distant from the showers.

Unaware of the shower situation, a robe never made it onto Avery's shopping list. Until she could acquire one, the long walk would have to be done in wrapped in a less protective, less secure towel. Sure, Zack was behaving, but that was because he found her appearance intimidating. Surely some of them knew how to stand their ground against an attractive woman, right? What would happen then?

Avery shook her head. Thinking about it helped nothing. Instead, she raised her chin and straightened her back while she followed Zack. The improved posture pushed out her chest, confirmed by a twitch from Zack's pants, but it showed no fear. Avery even took a few big steps to ensure she was next to Zack, rather than hiding behind him.

I can do this, she thought. She hoped. All I need is the final touch.

"So, what are you majoring in? she asked.

"Wha-uh...Bioengineering. What about you?"

"Music. I play the saxophone."

Each soon launched into the same small talk they gave to any curious party about what their majors entailed. There were no meaningful insights into the other, but that was fine. Neither was ready to open up to the other fully, and this was still a basis for a relationship. More critically, each got what they wanted. Zack no longer worried if he was making a fool of himself while conversing with a beautiful woman, and Avery made her towel-clad trek while radiating faux poise for anyone who should stumble upon her. It certainly helped that they were too preoccupied with the conversation to worry about much else. It was due to this narrowed focus that the pair failed to notice another person emerge from the shower room and make his way towards them.

"Hey, there!"

The pair recoiled at the call, their grips slipping as they jumped. Zack's only concern was keeping his balance, so his hands flew out to his side. On the other hand, Avery instinctively reached for her towel first. Clothes and shower supplies were scattered at their feet, though Avery's modesty was preserved.

"Sorry," the new guy said. "Didn't realize you were so engrossed. Let me help you."

Fearing impure intentions, Avery stepped back to deny him a peek up her towel. As she retreated, Zack slid to the side until he was between Avery and the stranger. However, both of their instincts appear to have been mistaken. From his kneeling position, raven locks obscured his face constantly. His brown eyes were not visible until he rose to his feet.

"This is everything, ri...oh! You must be Avery. I'm ****, I'm the RA for this hall. You her roommate?"

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Zack, I know. The faculty made sure to tell me everything about Avery's set-up. Evidently, she deserves extra attention, especially since she was late. Speaking of: Avery, did you get a chance to review your welcome packet?"

Avery shook her head. "I just glanced through it."

"Okay, well, let me jump in then."

While **** blazed a trail towards the showers, Avery sighed again. If Zack was any indication, the towel had to be showing off some amazing cleavage. Despite this, ****'s gaze remained on Avery's face unless it was on Zack. While Avery would have preferred someone more withdrawn and uneasy, a bubbly gentleman was a good compromise.

Upon walking through the door, **** turned and shifted right back into gear.

"Okay. Toilets on your left, showers on your right, sinks in the middle. Now for storage. Since all of our uniforms are the same and some guys like to dress here, the school splurged for assigned lockers with electronic locks. Your room key also opens your locker. And as you can see, they can fit all of one dictionary before becoming full, so stick to one set of clothes and some jewelry. Which one of you was assigned to the room first?"

"Me," Zack said.

"Okay, Zack, you're 302A. Avery, you're 302B. Any other questions?"

"Can we get our stuff back?" Avery asked.

"Oh, shit! Sorry! Here you go! Oh, hey, neither of you have a caddie?"

"Caddie?" they asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, it's a small little basket that holds your shampoo, soap, and whatever else you take to the shower. And they're waterproof, so you can hang them on a hook and use them that way, rather than reaching on the floor. If you need one, swing by my room; I'm right across the hall from you. Some of my friends got apartments and don't need theirs anymore. I can hook you up with freebies."

"Thanks," Zack said. "We'll swing by later."

"Sure. Hey, stick around after the hall meeting tonight, I should have some stuff by then."

Avery waited until the door slammed close. "Does he ever shut up?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "First time meeting him. Let's just hope it's new job jitters and he relaxes soon."

While the roommates prepared for their showers, **** remained parked inches from the washroom door, his grin stretching ear to ear as he began a conference call.

"What's up, ****?" a voice on the other end said.

**** said, "I got two freshies lined up in the showers right now."

"Man, that's it?" a second voice said. "Haven't we exhausted all the shower pranks yet? Jason and I are trying to convince them Skinny Dip Saturday is a thing at the rec center."

"Nice, Mike!" the first voice called. "But for something immediate, why don't you help me and Freddy set up the confessional. Father Alexander is interested in helping the good Christians deal with succumbing to college temptations. Who knows what we can get today."

"A.J. you are a bastard!" Mike laughed.

"Guys," **** said, "one of my marks is a girl."

That moment of silence before a collective disconnect revealed all. **** was hoping they would arrive in time. His bragging rights only existed if they could witness his christening of the first female student.