Arrival & Roomate Antics

The train stopped at Bridgemont Station. Claire stepped out with her duffel slung over her shoulder, the late-afternoon sun catching the glassy edge of the mountains beyond the tracks.

Her boots clicked on the concrete as she made her way toward the station exit, already dreading the week ahead.

She walked through Bridgemont’s streets, the atmosphere colder than Resin Grove’s friendly ones.

The leaves rustled under her feet as she made her way to campus. Bridgemont University was, luckily, not too far from the station, so it only took her about five minutes to reach campus.

She headed for the dorms. The path took her in front of the Kappa Tau sorority, where music spilled through the open windows.

When she entered her room, she saw Nadia lying on the bed, doing nothing.

“Hey!” Nadia exclaimed when she saw her cousin. “How are Order & Chaos?” she asked, using Blake and Nick’s old nicknames.

“More like Chaos, Chaos & Order,” Claire replied, referencing how Ethan was the only grounded one, while she hugged Nadia. “Don’t tell Blake I told you this, but mom said Blake was a mess after the loss. At least I cheered him up.”

“My lips are closed.” Nadia mimed locking her lips and tossing away the key.

“I hope they were closed while I was away too—and didn’t open to suck some dick in my absence,” Claire said sternly, dropping her duffel to the ground.

“Claire Hartley!” Nadia gasped. “How can you think so lowly of me?! Tessa’s the slut, not me!”

“Suuuure,” Claire said. “You haven’t answered yet. Have you or have you not done something with boys in my absence?”

“I haven’t,” Nadia responded. But under Claire’s stare, she admitted, “Okay, I may have teased a few of them. But I didn’t fuck any of them!” she quickly defended herself.

“Semantics, Nadia, semantics,” Claire pushed further.

“Okay, I didn’t fuck, suck, kiss, or give a handjob to any guy while you were away—or for the recent past, for that matter,” Nadia said. “There, happy?”

“Not yet,” Claire answered. “Have you done your homework?”

“No,” Nadia said.

“When will you learn?” Claire muttered, rolling her head in exasperation.

She threw herself on the bed after removing her boots, clearly exhausted from the train ride.

“What about your front—anything interesting in Resin Grove?” Nadia asked as she sat on the edge of Claire’s bed and started massaging her shoulders.

“Nothing much,” Claire responded. “We played pool, Uno… just typical stuff, you know?”

“Aaaaand any boys?” Nadia asked.

“No,” Claire answered with a chuckle. “Though, if you insist, I’ll tell you that on the train Cole Donovan sat across from me.”

“Ohhh, that’s a nice stud,” Nadia said, moving her hands to massage Claire’s mid and lower back. “You should go after him.”

“I’m not interested right now. I want to focus on my studies,” Claire responded.

“But a little tension release is good every once in a while, if you know what I mean,” Nadia insisted.

“I do know what you mean—and no, I’m not interested,” Claire shot back.

“You’re no fun,” Nadia pouted.

Claire shook her head, a wry smile tugging at her mouth. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Completely,” Nadia agreed without hesitation.

Claire thought back to her short stay at home and then to the upcoming few weeks of college before homecoming.

Nadia tilted her head. “You hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. Then we’ll get food, and I’ll tell you everything you missed while you were busy being perfect.”

Claire laughed softly, rolling her eyes. “You mean what you and Tessa did in the sorority?”

“Hey, we’re very different! Don’t compare me to her!” Nadia defended herself.

“If you say so,” Claire said with a smirk. “But c’mon—we were going to get food, no? Should I call Miles?”

Nadia perked up at the mention of Miles. “Mmm, yes. He always pays.”

Claire chuckled. “That’s not why I suggested it.”

“Of course not,” Nadia said, feigning innocence as she slid off the bed and stretched. “But it’s a perk.”

Claire swung her legs over the side of the mattress, slipping her boots back on.

Nadia grabbed her phone. “So, I’m craving something spicy—lunch at that Mexican place or that Thai one?”

“I could use some tacos,” Claire answered.

“Mexican it is then,” Nadia replied, already halfway out the door. “But after, you’re not allowed to crash in bed like an old lady.”

Claire followed her into the hall, shaking her head. “You really don’t stop, do you?”

“Never,” Nadia said with a grin. “That’s why you need me.”

The door clicked shut behind them, the corridor buzzing faintly with other students coming and going.