Hey, welcome to this story!
It's meant to be fun and lighthearted, something to make you smile. It's rated for language, themes, alcohol and drug mentioning.
The college is not a real college that I could find in my (short) research.
So, please enjoy!
…
They always say that college is the best time of your life. That you'll have the greatest times, meet your life-long friends, and live the stories that you'll tell for the rest of your life.
They also said college would be hard. Large workloads, no money, trying to balance good grades, work, relationships, and social lives.
Still, most people found a happy medium and managed to work, party, and get decent grades.
So why was Ella so worried?
It wasn't as if she was a freshman and she didn't know the first thing about independence or living on her own. She was twenty-two years old and going into her senior year, just at a new school.
Ella thought it was rather ironic. Usually as one gets older, they move further away from home, but now Ella found herself moving back.
When she graduated high school, Ella was broke and struggling for whatever scholarships she could get her hands on. She ended up with full academic scholarship to a small college that wasn't close to home, but Ella hadn't minded, there was nothing keeping her there at the time. Her brother had enlisted in the army the moment he graduated, and she was on her own.
Their mother and father had died when Ella was fourteen and her brother, Steve, was seventeen. Her father first overseas in the army, her mother not that long later from terminal cancer. They were put into a foster home, but they were lucky. It was a single, older woman who had never had children and decided that she had love and support she was willing to give. She took in both of the siblings, much to their relief. They were worried they would be separated.
The woman's name was Eileen Sanchez. She was originally from Puerto Rico and still spoke with a slight accent. She supported the siblings well, made sure that they were fed and that they did their homework. She even taught Ella Spanish in the four years that Ella lived with her. They were grateful, they had heard the horror stories of the foster system.
Steve left after a year to join the military, which would pay for his schooling. Ella however, devoted herself to high grades to gather whatever scholarships she could. Miss. Sanchez was always there to help.
Ella left for school, and she was only there a month before her brother returned. He ended up going to a college right back in New York.
They didn't see much of each other for a while, both busy with living their own lives. They spent holidays at Miss. Sanchez's apartment, who was always thrilled to see the two of them and find out how they were prospering in their respective lives. Steve had joined the football team at his school, Ella was getting straight A's, Miss Sanchez was very proud.
Ella spent three years at her tiny college, and she enjoyed it for the most part, but she felt something was missing. It just wasn't a perfect fit.
So, she applied as a transfer student to Steve's college, East Brooklyn University. She got in easily, and found herself happy to actually be with her brother again.
She had appreciated being on her own for a while, it was what she had wanted. Ella gained independence which was a necessity in life. She had made friends, had a few boyfriends… it was a good start. She was still in contact with them.
But, this was a new start. The city wasn't new, Ella knew it like the back of her hand. The people would be new, the only person she knew there was her brother. She hadn't met any of his friends, only hearing about them from Steve in tiny stories, but Ella was embarrassed to say she didn't remember any of their names.
She had arrived late afternoon, parking her car in front of her new apartment building which was located just on the edge of campus.
She had answered an ad in the paper for someone looking for a roommate. She was also a student at EBU, another transfer like Ella. According to their limited communications, she had actually just moved to America.
Steve was supposed to meet Ella there to help her carry all her stuff to her room, but he had texted her just as she pulled in and said that practice was running late and that he wouldn't be there for another hour.
Ella let out a groan and hit her forehead on her steering wheel, peeking at the countless boxes in her back seat that were now left for her to carry into the building.
God dammit, Steve.
Ella turned her car off, stuck her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, and threw her hair up messily. She grabbed the first box from the back seat, kicked the door shut, and mentally cursed her brother again. He was at least twice as strong as her, he could carry three of her boxes at once and not feel the slightest bit fatigued.
Ella entered the building, only to find that the elevator was out of order. She sighed heavily. At least she was only on the second floor.
As she entered the stairwell, her phone vibrated. She balanced the box precariously in one hand and pulled out her phone. Miss Sanchez was calling her.
Ella answered and put the phone between the side of her face and her shoulder.
"Hola, Señora Sanchez," Ella greeted as she continued up the stairs.
"Hola, Ella," Miss Sanchez said. She still stressed the L's in her name to stop herself from pronouncing it like the Spanish word, ella. "Are you there?"
"Just got here, all safe,"
"Good, good," Miss Sanchez murmured. "Your brother with you?"
"Nope, he flaked out. He said he had practice,"
Miss Sanchez cursed in Spanish. "He's making you do it on your own?"
"Yeah, and the elevator is broken!" Ella complained. "But don't worry, I'll guilt trip him into doing something for me,"
"That's a smart girl," Miss Sanchez praised.
"I'm at my floor," Ella said. "I'll call you later,"
"Practica tu Español!" Miss Sanchez ordered.
"Todos los dias," Ella said back. "Talk to you later,"
Ella hung up, feeling slightly better after talking to Miss Sanchez. They had three years where it was just her and Ella living together and they had become quite close. Both of them knew Miss Sanchez couldn't replace her mother, but they loved each other still.
She was a big help when it came to Ella's Spanish homework. She had struggled with it before she moved in, but soon became one of the best in her class. She was practically immersed in the language, hearing Miss Sanchez gossip to her friends over the phone, listen to music, and watch TV all in Spanish. Miss Sanchez had been oblivious to how much she was picking up until one day, when Miss Sanchez was complaining that Ella was being especially lazy that week to her friend, Ella bit back that she wasn't lazy, she had too much homework.
Ella smiled fondly at the memory before putting her phone away and opening up the door to the hall with her hip.
She wandered down the hall, counting room numbers. It wasn't an especially fancy building, some of the light were out, the wall paper was peeling in some places, and there were mysterious stains on the ugly carpet, but it was a building inhabited by college students. It was in good shape by that definition.
She was nearing her room, thankfully. Ella finally found her apartment. She tucked her box under her arm and knocked on the door. Her roommate was already there and had her key. Ella only stood there for a moment before the door opened, revealing a pretty, brunette girl. A smile instantly broke out on her face.
"Ella?" she asked.
"That's me," Ella grinned.
"Wanda," the woman said, opening the door further and motioning for her to come inside. "Nice to finally meet you,"
"You too," Ella said, hearing her accent for the first time. It was thick, but she was still clearly understandable. At first, Ella thought she was super tall, but Wanda was just wearing heels. She had an interesting style, consisting of thigh-high socks and a flowy black dress. Her fingers were covered in rings and she had a few silver necklaces dangling down her chest. Ella couldn't have pulled it off, but Wanda made it work.
"I'm actually surprised that you answered an ad from the paper," Wanda stated. "I doubted anyone reads the paper anymore,"
"I'm a bit old-school," Ella shrugged. "Which room is mine?"
"The one on the left," Wanda pointed. "I hope you don't mind,"
"I couldn't care less," Ella said honestly, carrying her box to the room. It was pretty bare, just a mattress, a dresser, and a connecting bathroom. Ella dropped her box on the bed.
"You got to have more than one box," Wanda commented.
"I have an entire car full of boxes," Ella said. "My brother was supposed to come and help me carry them up, but he didn't show and I can only carry one at a time,"
"Your brother lives in the area?"
"He actually goes here," Ella said.
"Oh, mine too!" Wanda said, chuckling at the coincidence. "He's pretty unreliable too, kinda an air-head,"
"Aren't all guys?" Ella laughed.
"True," Wanda nodded. "I'll help you with your stuff,"
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Ella said quickly. "Some of them are really heavy and the elevators broken,"
Wanda cringed. "Yikes… but I really don't mind. It'll be a good workout. We can order pizza after and not feel guilty about eating it all,"
Ella beamed. "Sounds great to me. We can get to know each other,"
So, they began working on the job. Wanda shrugged on a red, leather jacket and followed Ella to her car. They made a few trips before Ella glanced down at Wanda's feet, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Listen," Ella said, panting slightly. She was in good shape but the constant trek up and down the stairs was finally getting to her. "I can walk in heels pretty well, but your feet must be killing you,"
"I think all the nerves in my feet are dead now," Wanda said.
They giggled as they walked into the hall again, heading back in the direction of their shared apartment. Just before they reached their room, the door of their neighbor's apartment cracked open and a red-headed woman popped her head out.
"You guys have been up and down the hall like, eight times," she said. "If you're trying to exercise, there's a gym on the first floor."
"Leave them alone, Nat," another voice spoke up from behind her, a woman with curly dark hair materializing behind her. She opened the door the rest of the way and stood beside her. "You two just moved in, right?"
Ella and Wanda nodded.
"I'm Margaret, but call me Peggy. This is Natasha," the brunette woman said, jerking her head at the shorter girl to the left.
"I'm Ella, this is Wanda,"
"It's nice to meet you," Wanda said.
"Oh look, another foreigner," Natasha said, looking up at Peggy with wide, green eyes. "Peggy's from England, but you almost can't tell anymore, her accents nearly gone,"
Now that Natasha mentioned it, Ella did hear a slight accent carrying in Peggy's voice. It was pleasant to listen to.
"Sorry about the pacing noise," Ella apologized. "I have lots of boxes and my good for nothing brother didn't show to help,"
"Oh, we can help," Peggy offered.
"You really don't need to do that," Ella said, already surprised by the kindness of the three, new woman she had met that day. "The elevator's broken,"
Peggy shrugged. "It usually is. Your legs are gonna be sculpted by the end of the year,"
"I'm down," Natasha said firmly. "As long as you're buying dinner,"
"Pizza sound alright?" Ella asked, raising a brow.
"We'll bring the wine," Peggy grinned. "Now, show us to your car,"
So, Wanda, Ella, Peggy, and Natasha finished carrying the boxes to their new apartment. They were all slightly tired, out of breath, and sticky with a thin layer of sweat. Still, the promise of dinner on Ella and booze on Peggy lifted their spirits.
They all congregated in Ella and Wanda's apartment, sitting on the old futon and arm chair that was provided. As Ella ordered the food, Peggy ran over to her apartment next-door and grabbed two bottles of wine and cheap plastic wine glasses that she had bought at a dollar store.
She carried them over and the four women sat down. Peggy handed out the glasses, which was received by giggles from Ella, who was greatly amused by the plastic glass with a neon pink flamingo on it that looked like it belonged at Hawaiian barbeque. Peggy popped off the cork and poured everyone a generous amount before settling down besides Natasha.
"Welcome to the neighborhood," Peggy announced.
"Thanks," Wanda grinned before taking a sip.
"So, I'm guessing you two are going to EBU?" Natasha asked, cocking a perfectly sculpted brow, which would look imitating if it wasn't for the lime-green wine glass she was sipping out of.
Both of the girls nodded.
"First year here, but we're both seniors," Ella said for the both of them.
"Us too," Natasha said.
"What are your majors?" Peggy asked.
"Psychology," Wanda announced.
"Criminology," Ella told them. "What about you guys?"
"Political Science," Peggy said.
"International Relations," Natasha finished.
Ella was impressed. All four of the women in that room were working on difficult majors. She knew that EBU was an academically challenging school, but Ella didn't want to feel as though she was on the bottom of the heap. Still, she wasn't getting that feel here. She liked seeing the other women stepping up into the more challenging fields.
"Where are you from?" Peggy questioned Wanda.
"Sokovia," Wanda said. "Moved here for better schooling. Where in England are you from?"
"London," Peggy shrugged as if it was nothing. She turned to Ella, brushing her dark hair behind her shoulder. "What about you?"
Ella shrugged sheepishly. "Here?" she laughed. "I grew up in Brooklyn, moved to D.C. for a bit, moved back,"
"What made you move back?" asked Natasha.
"I missed it… and my brother goes here and I haven't been spending as much time with him as I should,"
"Most younger sisters would be happy to be away from their brothers for a bit," Peggy commented.
Ella made a face. "Yeah, but he's the only family I got. Our parents died when we were teens,"
"I'm so sorry," Peggy said, brows knitting together.
Wanda glanced at the girl beside her, lips set crookedly. "My parents died too. I know how it feels,"
Ella sent a tight-lipped smile to Wanda, grateful that there was another who she can relate to. It seemed that she and Wanda had a lot in common, and the fate that was the newspaper ad brought them together.
"What's your brother's name?" Natasha asked, trying to delicately shift the topic of conversation to a less depressing topic. "Maybe we know him,"
"Steve," Ella answered.
Natasha and Peggy both narrowed their eyes slightly at Ella, as if they were studying her. They then met the other's gaze, almost as if they were thinking the same thing. Ella looked to Wanda to see if she was missing something, but she seemed just as clueless.
"You don't think-?" Natasha started.
"They look similar," Peggy interjected.
"He did mention something about a sister," Natasha concurred.
Both pairs of eyes snapped back towards Ella.
"What's your last name?" Peggy asked.
"Rogers…" Ella said slowly, almost worried about what that answer would bring.
The women's heads instantly whipped towards one another, eyes wide in surprise before they broke out into raucous laughter. Ella and Wanda watched them with confusion. They were near hysterics, faces red as they leaned on one another for support. Natasha accidently sloshed some wine on the front of her shirt.
"I can't fucking believe it," Natasha wheezed.
"You know him?" Ella guessed from their reactions.
Peggy nodded, relaxing enough to get at least a few words out. "Yeah, we're good friends, actually," she placed her wineglass on the table and grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket, poking at the screen for a few moments before she stood from the couch, crossed the rooms, and squeezed herself next to Ella before holding up the camera. "Smile!"
All Ella could do was furrow her brows as Peggy took a quick picture. The woman went back to Natasha as she sent the photo to Steve.
Guess who's our new neighbor!
It was only a few more moments before she got the response.
Oh, no.
And then-
I'm omw over.
"He's on his way over," Peggy announced.
"Of course he shows up when the works done," Ella mumbled irritably.
"Oh, man," Natasha breathed, wiping at the corners of her eyes. "This is gonna be a fun year. He's going to hate that we live right next to each other,"
"Why?" asked Wanda.
"Well, we're not always model citizens," said Peggy. "We get our work done, we get good grades-"
"But we don't have sticks up our asses," Natasha finished. "We… know how to have fun. Fun that an older brother wouldn't want his baby sister doing,"
"Well, Steve can shut his mouth because he can't tell me what to do," Ella said, sipping her wine and not caring that she sounded like a child.
"That's what I like to hear," Peggy praised.
The pizza arrived in another fifteen minutes. As the girls ate, Natasha and Peggy told them about campus life, the best bars, the frats to avoid. It was all very good, very important information. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door.
Ella sprung up from her seat and padded across the room, peeking through the peep hole to find her brother lingering outside the door, hands shoved in his pockets. Ella unlocked it and opened it only a crack, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at her brother sternly.
Ella was silent for a beat. "I had to carry all those boxes up those stairs…"
Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll make it up to you," he said before looking up with exasperation. "Can I at least get a hello?"
Ella rolled her eyes and hugged her brother in greeting. It had been a while since they had last seen each other and she had really missed him. They only had a moment before Natasha and Peggy filled the door way, tipsy grins on their faces.
"We're best friends now," Natasha said. "We're gonna take her bar hopping this weekend,"
"Jesus…" Steve sighed, shaking his head. "Out of every apartment in this building…"
"Your wonderful baby sister got the luck of being next to us!" Peggy said, throwing an arm over Ella's shoulder. "Don't worry, we're gonna take good care of her,"
"You two better keep her out of trouble," Steve warned.
"If I remember correctly, you were always the trouble-maker," said Ella with a smirk.
They laughed and Steve entered the apartment. Ella allowed him a piece or two of the pizza as she introduced him to Wanda and they all sat around. Instantly, she liked the vibe of Steve with Peggy and Natasha. She could tell they got along well and had good chemistry. She could tell that Steve was especially close with Peggy, and the longer she studied their interactions, the more Ella thought her brother might have a slight crush on the women.
Ella felt as though this would be a good year.
