Chapter 2 Untitled Chapter

"Wait, what room are you actually heading to?" the brown-haired girl asked.

"Room 204," I said, glancing down at the keycard gripped tightly in my hand to double-check.

The two girls looked at each other, their eyes widening at the exact same time.

"Room 204?" they asked together.

I gave a slow nod, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Yeah. Is there something wrong with it?"

"Are you kidding? No!" the red-haired girl squealed, bursting into a loud laugh. She lunged forward and grabbed the handle of my heavy rolling suitcase before I could even protest. "We are room 204! We're your roommates!"

"I'm Bri," the brown-haired girl said, rushing over to lift one of the bags from me. "And this loud one is Sophie."

"I'm Summer," I said.

"Well, Summer, let's help you upstairs," Sophie said. We climbed the stairs to room 204, and upon reaching there, Sophie opened the door. But the moment we set the bags down, they both turned to me. "Are you going to tell us how on earth you were able to convince Cole to be your personal escort?"

Bri nodded. "Seriously, people have lived in this school for years and haven't gotten even a hi from him in the hallway."

"I didn't convince him to do anything," I said, my cheeks getting warm again as I thought about the brown stain on his white shirt. "I was finding my way to Glory Hall when I bumped into him, and my iced latte ended up on his shirt. After some apologies, he saw the map in my hand, figured out I was lost, and decided to help me find my way."

Sophie's eyebrows raised high. "That is very, very odd of him."

"Is he usually mean?" I asked, putting my backpack down on the mattress.

"Not mean," Bri clarified, sitting down on a bed and tucking her legs underneath her. "He just usually minds his own business. He has his own circle of friends, the rich kids, the people who have known him since elementary school. He's polite, but I've never seen him go out of his way to carry a freshman's luggage across campus because she looks lost. You are really lucky, girl."

"Or he probably felt bad because I looked like a lost rat," I muttered.

"Whatever it was, you're one of the luckiest girls on campus today," Sophie said. "Speaking of that, you arrived just in time for what's going to happen tonight."

I paused. "What's happening tonight?"

"A welcome party!" Sophie announced. "Every first semester, the rich students throw a party to celebrate a new beginning. It's like a tradition at Kingsley. The best way to meet new people."

"Oh," I said. "I don't know. I have a lot of unpacking to do, and I'm really tired from the trip."

"We'll help you unpack," Bri said. "Come on, Summer. You can't spend your very first night sitting alone in a dorm room. Just come for an . If you don't like it, we can leave."

I started to speak when Sophie looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Please?" she begged. "We need to go as a trio."

I looked at their pleading faces, and then at the big bags waiting to be sorted. A loud party full of strangers sounded exhausting, but I didn't want my new roommates to think I was boring.

"Fine," I sighed, letting out a small laugh. "But I can't promise I'll stay to the end of the party."

"Of course." Bri smiled.

…..

By the time evening came, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep twilight purple. The air outside was still warm, but a light breeze was blowing through the trees.

I looked at myself in the mirror. While Sophie was dressed in a tight, flashy gown, and Bri wore a tank top with a denim shirt, I chose to wear low-rise blue jeans and a basic yellow top. My blonde hair fell down past my shoulders, and my glasses were in place.

"You look gorgeous," Sophie said. "Let's go before the place gets too packed with students."

The party was being held at an enormous house just outside campus. Even from two blocks away, I could hear the deep, thumping bass of the music. The front yard was filled with people holding red plastic cups, laughing and shouting over the music.

The moment we opened the front door, a rush of heat, sweat, and the sweet smell of cheap fruit punch hit me. The living room was a sea of bodies under the disco lights.

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be this crowded!" Sophie shouted over the music.

I blinked against the bright lights, instantly feeling overwhelmed. I reached out to grab Bri's arm, but before I could, a loud voice came from across the room.

"Sophie! Bri!"

Two tall guys in dark jackets were waving at my roommates from near the makeshift DJ booth. Sophie's face lit up instantly.

"Oh my gosh, Tyler is here!" Sophie yelled to Bri. She turned to me, giving me a quick, apologetic look. "Summer, we'll be right back! We're just going to say hi!"

Before I could even open my mouth to speak, Sophie grabbed Bri's hand and pulled her into the crowd. Within three seconds, their heads vanished into the sea of dancing students.

I stood frozen near the hallway, feeling small. People brushed past my shoulders, laughing and talking to their friends. The heavy thumping of the bass started to make my chest buzz in a highly uncomfortable way.

The noise was too much. The heat was too much.

Feeling a rush of loneliness, my mind suddenly drifted back home. When I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, I heard my mother's voice shouting. The sound of music faded away, and the feeling of being back home was strong. My mother was screaming, and I could hear my father yelling out curses as he hit her.

"Mom?" I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, and a shout unfurled from my mouth when I saw blood.

Something bumped into me, and my eyes flew open. I placed a hand on my chest as my breath came out shallow.

My chest kept buzzing, a telltale sign that a panic attack might be creeping in if I didn't find some space to breathe.

"I need a drink," I muttered to myself.

I looked to my right and saw a wide studio kitchen. It seemed a little less crowded than the living room, so I pushed my way through the bodies and walked there.

The kitchen had long granite countertops and an island in the middle, cluttered with open wine bottles, bags of chips, and plastic cups. There were about ten or twelve people hanging out in here, chatting in small groups.

I found a clean plastic cup on the counter. I picked up a bottle of wine, my hands trembling as I began pouring the liquid into the cup. I took a deep breath, trying to bury the image from my mind.

But as the wine reached the halfway mark, the atmosphere in the room changed.