Of course there are no dorms left on campus. Of course. Just her goddamn luck.
It is her own fault, of course. In her infinite lack of wisdom, Dawn has put off apartment hunting till last minute. In retrospect, this is probably not her cleverest idea.
Well, she is definitely paying for it this time. So far, all the apartment complexes she's visited have absolutely no vacancies and she's growing desperate. There is nothing left that would fit both her price range and proximity requirements.
Dawn sighs, looking over the leaflet of other suggested accommodations she can rent. They are more expensive and far away from the facilities, but she has no other option. Early bird gets the worm and she, as per usual, is as late as can be.
I'm a stupid asshole, she scolds herself as she trudges her feet towards the last apartment complex she'll check for the day. Serves me right for putting this shit off. If I end up with nowhere to stay, my mom will never let me hear the end of it. She said from the beginning that it was foolish of me to apply to a university in a bigger city, that I'd never manage to get on fine on my own. I was so excited when I got accepted that I didn't read the entirety of the acceptance letter and now I might be homeless. I'll just have to go back to Twinleaf town and face the humiliation.
A sudden rush of determination surges through her as she wills away her thoughts. No, she won't give up that easily. She's capable of making it on her own, she knows it. She just has to learn from her mistakes and stop being so scatterbrained. She can and will be a responsible adult. Even if the effort kills her.
Looking at the situation objectively, Dawn guesses it isn't all that bad. Other than the fact that she'll be left out of the socializing arena that the dormitories provide, but that isn't fatal by a long shot. Since all the options she has are just a little out of her price range, she'll have to get a job right off the bat, but that is going to happen sooner or later anyway. Really, she might just pull this off.
Having to take the bus everyday is a definite con, but all apartment complexes within walking distance are already booked solid, so she'll just have to make do. She can either be an optimist or a pessimist about the situation and the latter doesn't sound like any fun, so she is just left to hope that if she finds a place to stay, none of her new neighbors will be serial killers.
That would certainly give a nice finishing touch to her bad luck streak.
Dawn shields her eyes from the sun to be able to take in the whole building in front of her. Not too shabby for Dawn, she muses. She can live here no problem, yeah.
"This is the last apartment available," the landlord explains as he leads her down the hall. At his words the girl perks up and looks at him with reverence. He must be an angel sent from heaven to end her suffering. "The one right next to it was taken just earlier today actually. It's pretty much the same as every apartment on the floor, with the small disadvantage that the pipes of the building run right above it, but I hope that won't be too much of a problem."
"No, not at all," Dawn says politely, only listening with half an ear. Whatever peculiarities the apartment might have, it is still an indefinitely better option than living under a bridge for the next year. She takes a brief look around, eager to get this over with and to have good reason to not call herself homeless. "Everything looks good. I'll take it."
The landlord beams up at her and she returns his smile, feeling relief wash over her. "Great! I'll go down and bring the forms."
His retreating footsteps echo in the distance as she takes a look around. She has to admit the place is pretty good. There is a spacious bedroom with wide windows that let in plenty of light, a decent-sized living room, a furnished kitchen and a nice bathroom. And it is the last one available? Maybe her luck is finally turning around.
A goofy grin spreads across her face as she twirls around her new home and thanks the gods above for their mercy.
"Shit."
Dawn pokes her head out in the hall curiously. A guy is standing in front of the door just next to hers and glaring at it. She watches him for a few seconds, fascinated by how unwavering his angry stare at the inanimate object is. He seems to sense her shameless staring, because he suddenly whips his head towards her and she finds herself pinned under his hard gaze.
"Um, hello?" She greets uncertainly. This guy makes her nervous for whatever reason. He's a little scary, she decides. "Do you, uh, need help?"
"No."
"…ah." Dawn shifts her weight back and forth uncomfortably. First embarrassing neighbor encounter? Check.
A minute of awkward silence passes and then suddenly, "Who are you?"
She's taken a bit off guard by the bluntness of his question, but dares to give him a small smile. "Uh, my name is Dawn. I came by to look at this apartment."
"Hn." He seems to consider her with narrowed grey eyes for a moment, before replying. "Paul."
"Are you the person who just moved in?"
"Yes."
"And you got locked out?"
He sends her a chilly glare and she can't help but giggle under his intense stare. His glares may be a little scary, but she finds them a bit funny, too. He probably thinks he is more intimidating than he actually is. "The landlord will be back in a minute, he'll help you out."
"Hn. Are you moving in too?"
"Yep. I'm just waiting to sign the forms and I'll probably move my stuff in tonight."
Paul just nods and leans on the wall in obvious impatience, clearly unentertained by the small talk. He isn't the friendly type, that much she can plainly see, but if they are going to be neighbors, she might as well be civil.
Dawn studies him curiously for a few more seconds. Is that purple hair color natural? Is he wearing black contact lenses to make his eyes so dark? What are the chances of him being a serial killer?
"Ah, Paul! I see you've already had the pleasure of meeting our latest resident!" The landlord exclaims as he practically prances down the hallway towards them. "Fantastic! I'm glad both of you have managed to make an acquaintance so soon after your arrival! I know you may feel as if you're left out of the social part of the university, but there! You two have found a friend in each other already!"
She shares a look with Paul, who mirrors her skepticism. Yeah, the two of them becoming friends isn't likely to happen anytime soon.
"Okay then. Dawn, here are the forms you need to sign and a key to your apartment."
"Excuse me. Do you happen to have a key to my apartment as well?"
Dawn has to hide the mocking smile on her face with the forms the landlord has just handed her. She looks up to see Paul narrow his eyes angrily at her. Her smile unwittingly widens.
"Oh, dear boy. Did you get locked out already?"
She tries to focus her attention on the fine print in order not to burst out laughing. Now that she's found a place to stay it's surprisingly easy to find other people's misfortunes funny. She really is childish.
"Here. But be more careful in the future, alright?"
"Of course," He replies coldly. "Thank you."
"Here," Dawn hands the forms back to the landlord after she quickly looks them over and signs.
"Fantastic! You can move in whenever, Dawn. Here, take this – it's a schedule of the buses that pass nearby, as I imagine you'd need some kind of transport to get by."
"Oh, thank you, that will certainly come in handy."
"If you have any problem, don't hesitate to call."
She nods with a smile and shoots a sideways glance towards her new neighbor, but he's already disappeared inside his apartment without a word of goodbye.
It has been a long, agonizing day.
Dawn can't remember why she thought she can move in all her stuff tonight with time to spare. It seems like yet another one of her stupid miscalculations. Maybe her mother is right to think that she isn't responsible enough to be living on her own.
Still, finding this apartment remains a fantastic feat (she will be sure to proudly inform her mother of this in the morning, probably glossing over her current moving-in struggles).
She deposits yet another box of belongings in the living room, sighs tiredly and goes downstairs once again. The only thing left is the TV, but moving it up the flight of stairs is easier said than done – it's enormous and old-fashioned and she can easily snap beneath its monstrous weight.
Dawn briefly contemplates asking her grumpy neighbor to help her out, as he seems more than capable of carrying her TV, but quickly discards the thought. She feels kind of bad for laughing at him earlier and isn't too thrilled to be on the receiving end of his glares twice in one day.
She decides to suck it up and carry the TV herself. Half an hour later, she is panting with exhaustion as she struggles up the stairs. Just five steps before reaching the top, she decides to take a break and sets her load on the ground, wiping the sweat that has formed on her forehead.
Her physical strength is really not at its best, considering the fact that her apartment is on the first floor.
"I would consider getting a gym membership if I were you."
Startled by the sudden comment, Dawn whips her head up and finds her purple-haired neighbor leaning on his doorframe with a snide smirk on his face. He seems to enjoy the sight of her exhaustion and she wonders if this is payback for her gloating earlier.
Her eyes narrow into slits as she pins him under irritated blue eyes. All of her energy is spent and she has little patience for mocking remarks, and even more so from strangers. "Remember when I asked for your opinion? Yeah, me neither."
Paul shrugs with indifference, infuriating smirk still in place, and Dawn suddenly feels compelled to throw her TV at his stupid, handsome face. She bitterly realizes that goes well beyond her physical abilities and scowls at the enormous object, as if her incapacity is somehow its fault. She is at her strength's end and Paul seems to notice it as well, because he hasn't moved to go inside his apartment and is instead just standing there, watching her with undisguised amusement.
He is expecting her to ask him for help, she realizes and almost huffs indignantly. If he won't offer to help her out, then fine, so be it. She won't give him the satisfaction of begging. She can never adequately admit when she is incapable of doing something on her own and her stubbornness knows no limits.
Dawn doesn't care if her back hurts or if she looks like an idiot. She will not ask for help. Especially not from this guy. It's a shame that his good looks are wasted on such a rancid personality, she muses as she braces herself for another round with her TV.
She bends and picks it up once again with considerable effort, struggling to go up the remaining stairs. "Chivalry really is dead," she mutters under her breath and ignores the fact that Paul is still staring at her.
She hears a reluctant sigh (an overdramatic one, if she may add) and a second later he's standing in front of her. "Need a hand?" he drawls, clearly annoyed. What he has found to be annoyed with, she has no idea.
"No shit," she replies gruffly and lets him take the load from her hands. He glances at her with distaste, undoubtedly appalled by her lack of manners, but holds his tongue as he carries the TV to her door with maddening ease. He even has the audacity to look irritated as he waits for her to open the door.
Wow, how inconvenienced he must be, doing manly lifting shit for a girl half his size. Poor bastard. Didn't even break a sweat.
"Would you hurry up?" Paul asks impatiently. She rolls her eyes at him and reaches for the door.
Only to find it locked. She stares at it with wide eyes for a second, vaguely remembering that she left the key inside for whatever reason on her last trip up.
"Great," she mutters in irritation. This night is just getting better and better.
A moment later, Dawn hears the mocking snicker of her neighbor. She grits her teeth.
Karma really is a bitch.
A/N: Hi everybody! This is the new jawn I'll be writing in my free time for fun. I won't restrict myself to a fixed length of chapters, I'll just let it flow as it comes. Hope you like it! Have a great day!
xoxo ella
