Cora sat at her dorm room desk. She was hunched over, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible despite the fact that she was currently the only one in the room. Her roommate's move-in day was three days after her own. She was on pins and needle, wondering who this girl would be and if they would get along. Cora knew she wasn't exactly the most likable figure, too shy, quiet, awkward and socially inept to be able to have a good time with other people, especially in large or public places, but she could still hope...
She could still hope that her new roommate would be kind, gentle, understanding and loving. It was her deepest desire that she would find a lifelong friend in her roommate, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high, just in case it turned out that her roommate wouldn't like her, or that her roommate would only consider her a moderate friend and not something like a true companion. Cora had been to several summer camps as a child and, in every single one, the girls she bunked with might've started out friendly, but they considered her so terribly boring and plain that it didn't take them long to forget her and start hanging out with someone else, someone better, someone fun.
Cora suddenly shook her head with an aggressive sigh. Worrying about her roommate would do nothing except unnecessarily stress her out. It would not bring her new roommate here any faster, it would not give her any clues as to what type of person her roommate was. It would only make her even more nervous and afraid than she already was. There was no point in worrying. Besides, she did still have other things to do. Her side of the room might've already been unpacked, but she was still busy trying to memorize the school halls on her map and trying to remember what she needed to bring to each of her classes. The young woman hunched even further over her desk, still trying to shrink herself to the size of a church mouse, or to just squeeze herself into oblivion. It didn't matter that she was the sole owner of this room for the next three days, she already felt as though she were sharing her living space, and Cora's idea of sharing involved taking as little as possible before running off and hiding, leaving the rest to whomever it was she was sharing with.
At one point, later on in the night, a rowdy crowd of freshman were running down the halls, laughing, cheering and singing. Cora felt happy for them, honestly, but it was so late and they were so loud. Besides, Cora didn't do well with people. Especially not loud ones. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that they would go away and be quiet soon. Silly as it was, their noise was actually kind of scaring her. They were so rambunctious, and Cora was worried that they would figure out that she was alone in her dorm room and come and try and mess with her.
"Please, just go away. Please, just leave me alone!" Cora whispered to herself. At long last, her wish was granted. The pack of schoolgirls finally grew tired of their fun and Cora listened in relief as their voices and footsteps receded back down the hall. She hoped that her new roommate wouldn't be like any of these girls...
Three anxiety-filled days later, Cora sat on her bed, twiddling her thumbs as she waited politely on her roommate. Today was the day, and if the schedule was correct, Cora's new roommate would be here in two minutes. The girl fought hard not to start pacing or bouncing up and down. She was trying to look natural, so as not to scare her new roommate off before they'd even spoken to one another. Once again, she found herself instinctively lowering her head and rounding her shoulders, already displaying a very meek and submissive posture despite still being alone.
"Hey, hey, hey!" a cheerful voice greeted at the doorway. She wasn't alone anymore.
Cora spent the next 30 minutes helping her new roommate move in. All along the hall, others were doing likewise. The whole floor was abuzz with chatter and excitement as roommates finally met up and helped one another carry large bags in and out of the dorm room. Cora had the most to carry. Her roommate had brought along practically everything she owned. The two of them were waiting more bags long after everyone else was just setting everything up. This girl was something else, and unfortunately, she was Cora's roommate. Looks like she got a partier after all.
All the while, this new girl, June Freeman was busy chattering away like the birds and bees while Cora could only watch, observe and try to make conjectures. She was trying so hard to understand this eccentric girl, but nothing made sense. The way she spoke, the way she held herself, the way she gestured and moved, everything shouted that she was a very wild and free spirit, but at the same time, she was so innocent. Every new thing she saw, she remarked upon and always did so in such a charming and sweet manner. Perhaps June was a party girl, but at the same time, Cora could already tell that she was not a normal party girl. Was that good, or bad? She wasn't sure yet.
"Oooh! Look at those flowers! Aren't they lovely?" June murmured, pointing upward. Sure enough, draped around a particularly large chandelier, was a garland of roses. Cora hadn't even noticed those.
"They are very pretty," she agreed regardless. June seemed a little surprised.
"Ah! She speaks!" she said.
"What do you mean?" Cora asked, instinctively reverting back to her cautious and self-critical mindset as she detected that this June girl had already found out one of her peculiarities. She was already on guard and ashamed, even though June had not offered up any criticism yet.
"I just mean that you've been so quiet!" she cried.
"Oh. Sorry," Cora blushed and looked away, embarrassed. She hated whenever people told her this. As if she didn't already know! It wasn't her fault, though! She was naturally on the quiet side! And the people who made this remark didn't usually tend to care what she had to say anyway, so why bother speaking? All they wanted to do was correct her, but then they would be totally dismissive of her when she tried to be more outgoing. Or they would do the really cruel thing and tell her to shut up. After telling her she didn't talk enough, she would speak a little and they would insist that she spoke too much. She would get yelled at no matter what she did...
"Well, that's nothing to be sorry for!" June replied, totally missing how hurt and bitter Cora looked. "If anything, it's probably my fault for not even letting you get a word in edgewise! You're so patient with me. Did you want to talk? Go ahead, I'll listen!" June pretended to zip and lock her lips and Cora couldn't help but laugh a little. As quick-witted and fast-mouthed as this girl was, she did seem so genuinely concerned for Cora. That was new. The brunette couldn't even remember the last time someone had given her the chance to really speak...
"No. It's ok. I like hearing you talk," Cora said at last. June might've put the ball in her park, but Cora didn't want to risk ruining anything too soon, so she decided it wise to keep her trap shut anyway. There was probably a good reason everyone told Cora to keep her mouth shut, even after insisting that she was too antisocial and quiet for anyone to find charming or attractive.
"Really?" June's eyes widened in true surprise, then they took on a suspicious light. "Do you really mean that? Or are you just saying it?"
"No, no, I really mean it," Cora promised, though now she was just as surprised as June was. Usually, when she signaled for someone else to talk, they would do so without hesitation. But not June. Chatty as she was, she was still silently asking if Cora wanted a turn. She was silently promising that it was ok if Cora wanted her to shut up, she just had to give the word. How different!
"You're sure?" June checked again.
"Your stories are wonderful," Cora vowed and June seemed to light up like the sun. Cora was just as dazzled by that smile as she was by the sun.
"Gosh! No one's ever told me that before!" June muttered.
"Really?" Cora hadn't meant to say anything, but to hear that there were people out there that didn't find June intriguing, if not at least a bit odd, seemed impossible. Sure, the girl wasn't the most orthodox of people, but she seemed to have a good mind and an even better heart. What wasn't to like about her stories? Why would anyone ever tell her to stop.
"Really," June nodded, looking flattered at Cora's disbelief about such a remark. It meant, to June, that Cora wasn't bluffing when she said she enjoyed hearing June talk. "It's just, where I come from, everyone says I talk too much. You're probably only ok with it because you've only known me for about 30 minutes. Trust me, you'll get sick of it soon. Everyone does..." June's smile suddenly became bitter and, just for a moment, Cora thought she saw something like genuine sadness and loneliness flicker in her hazel eyes. In that one little gesture, Cora knew that she would never ever, ever, ever get tired of listening to June. After all, maybe June was as lonely and socially awkward as Cora was, just on the other end of the spectrum. Maybe they were more alike than it seemed. Maybe Cora's wish for an understanding roommate had come true.
In time, Cora would begin to believe this idea. Although June really was a party animal at heart and wasn't nearly as antisocial as Cora, Cora had been correct about her theory that June was just as insecure and awkward as she was. The only difference was in how they reacted to it. They made a complementary pair. Where Cora tried to tone herself down until she faded away into the background to be ignored and overlooked, June toned herself up. She would tone herself up so that the world would think her behavior was only an act. They never once suspected that maybe June only acted out for the attention, or to create a new kind of disguise. By overdoing everything, June came across as the crazy, fun one and no one ever complained about her behavior then. In truth, however, June felt just as marginalized and forgotten as Cora. Maybe she smiled and laughed and got along great with the crowds, but June had since explained to Cora that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
"You think you're jealous of me because I have so many friends and attend so many parties," June sighed tiredly one night. "But it's all an act. This is the only way I can get people to love me: be a party girl. Trust me, Cora, I wish I were you. Even though you think people hate you, or find you boring, at least they respect you. You don't see it, but your professors adore you. You're a prodigy to them. But what am I? Just the girl that does drugs, gets drunk and has sex every single night, even though I haven't done any of that. And you may argue that while you have professors, I have my party pals. That's just as fake. They don't really care about me. They just care about the girl they want me to be. Notice that none of them hang out with me unless they're drunk. Not exactly a compliment..."
So June and Cora almost became one another's support system. Two girls against the world. They were the only ones to see the other's face, and not just the mask they wore to blend in, whether by being over the top or flying under the radar. But it wasn't all bad. Since the two were so different, yet still so alike, they were able to balance and complement one another beautifully, and both of them taught the other how to either take it down a notch, or raise it up a bit. June was still a people-person and a party-girl who liked being loud, wild and reckless, but Cora had been able to teach her the beauty in the more "boring" aspects of life, such as being alone or reading.
In fact, June figured out that she was very much into classic literature, though she preferred the books written by those who had been social outcasts in their own day. She read books by women, people of color and queer people. That last one especially surprised Cora.
"Oscar Wilde again, eh?" the brunette had asked her roommate one evening, both of them just reading together peacefully.
"Yeah. I'm just here for that good gay stuff," June said casually.
"The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name?" Cora scoffed.
"Yup," June said. "I've seen some pretty attractive women in my day, so I can relate to old Dorian very well. It's such a thrill!"
"You can?" Cora sounded surprised, June only gave her a playful smile and a seductive wink in return. Cora was sure she was redder than a tomato.
"Why didn't you read any of his works before?" Cora forced out, trying to control herself.
"As if a party girl like me would be able to read real literature like this without being mocked!" that bitter note entered June's voice again and Cora understood. Of course. By choosing to be eccentric and over the top, there was no way June would be able to read high-class literature like this without being sneered down upon like a child trying on her mother's work clothes. No wonder June liked books written by society's black sheep.
On the flip side, June would often take Cora out.
"You made me read the classics, so come on and come out! Let's go explore, you know? Run around campus a bit and see what comes up?" the blond hadn't even waited for an answer before dragging Cora out of their little room by the arm. Cora gave an exasperated and reluctant sigh, but she didn't make any attempt to escape June's grasp. June had a point there that it was only fair if she went out with June since June had "gone out" with her. But in time, although Cora still feared and abhorred social gatherings, she began to enjoy these nights out on the town with June.
"This was actually pretty fun," Cora admitted as she and June finally left their college's little Ring-A-Round. As the name entailed, it was a marathon around campus, though one was welcome to stop at any point on the race and just hang out where they stopped. There were booths of food, drink, game and music everywhere, so no one was in any danger if they didn't complete the circuit. Cora had thought that she would've been miserable, being surrounded by literally hundreds of other wild young adults, but she actually quite enjoyed herself. The race wasn't too bad, the weather was nice, and everyone Cora met was friendly enough. Sure, the sheer size was a bit overwhelming, but since Cora had June, she had some semblance of a foundation and that gave her the confidence to be a bit more open than under normal circumstance. She still was very quiet, compared to everyone else, but she had laughed, sung and danced.
"Told you you'd like it!" June grinned braggingly.
"Ok, ok, you were right," Cora raised her hands in defeat.
"Of course I was!" June laughed, and Cora echoed the sound. The two went back to their dorm soon thereafter, spending the rest of the night chatting and reading. The few people that had to pass by their door to get to their own rooms couldn't help but smile in wonder and confusion. To them, the friendship between introverted intellect Cora and extroverted eccentric June seemed so unlikely, but no, it was unfolding right before their very eyes and they could already tell that it wasn't going to end very soon. If only they had known, though, that it was because the two girls, as polar as they were, were also very complementary.
Cora would join June on little adventures solely because June was there and June would respect Cora's need for alone-time whenever the matter arose, but June never ditched Cora over it. She never insisted that Cora needed to stop being such a loner. Instead, she compromised and let Cora have some alone time. Cora began to enjoy having a social life too, though, because now she had someone to share it with and to support her through it. But June never forgot how fragile Cora could be and was always sure to set aside at least a bit of time just to be with her, and no one else. It was a strange friendship on the outside, but it made sense within. They were a perfect pair, a match made in Heaven, complementary.
AN: Random June/Cora fic inspired off of my own desires for my college roommate who I will be meeting in about an hour from now. I don't intend to romanticize things with her the way I have with June and Cora. This is just a bit of my own thoughts through them, which means there's going to be romance just because I ship these two. They really are a good match, if you think about it. (Side note, you can read this as part of the Nevaeh U series, but I wrote it as an indie story for my own benefit).