Prologue: Moving In
Tala sat down on the bed and surveyed his work. The bureau had been shoved into the tiny closet; the desk was just far enough that the drawers could open all the way; the bed was shoved into the left corner of the room and covered with fresh sheets; a few posters were stuck to the wall so its bland whiteness wouldn't remind him so much of the Abbey; his tiny microwave and mini fridge were stowed under his bed; his clothes would eventually end up in the drawers (or all over the floor, whichever he felt like).
"Not bad for two hours of work." He thought before his gaze drifted to the opposite side of the room. His mysterious roommate's bed was made up with a navy and blue camo comforter; their bureau and desk were in the same position as his; a navy storage unit with multiple sections hung from the hanger pole; their laptop was plugged in at the desk, but shut; one large poster of a kitten hanging precariously from a tree branch with the caption of "OH SHIT" hung above their bed; their microwave and mini fridge were also stuffed under their bed.
As he surveyed the opposite side of the room, he had to wonder what sort of boy the other person was. From what he had seen so far, he had come to three conclusions: they had too many older sisters, they were gay or they were actually a girl. The last was more of a half-assed attempt at a joke. This was not an all-boys college, so there would be no need for a girl to disguise themself as a boy to attend.
"Hey." Ian greeted as he entered without even knocking; Spencer, Bryan and Kai followed him; Kai, the last in, closed the door behind him with a quiet snap. Ian snickered as he looked over the half of the room opposite Tala's. "You sure your roomie's not a chick?"
The redhead grimaced. "There's no name tag, so I won't know until they get back."
"Whenever that is." Bryan snorted.
"Yeah." Ian echoed. "It's college; who the hell actually sleeps in the dorms?"
"Sane people?" Spencer suggested.
"They're a rare breed, here." Ian muttered. "Anyway, did you guys hear about orientation?"
"Not going." Tala groused; the thought of fangirls caused a shudder to accompany that statement.
"They canceled it." The shorter boy snapped. "Not like I was going anyway, but that means we'll have to deal with lost freshies."
"We're freshies, Ian." Spencer interjected.
"Yeah, but we know where we're going."
The other four exchanged glances.
"...okay, I know where I'm going. You four don't. Whatever." He muttered and crossed his arms.
"Not everyone memorizes maps." Kai stated; all sound stopped when a muffled voice was heard in the hall. The sound of the key scraping the lock drew all five pairs of eyes to the door. In walked Tala's new roommate: a few inches shorter than Tala, black hair with silver bangs, grey eyes, clothed in a red Rise Against t-shirt and jeans.
Ian stared at the newcomer's chest. "Tala, I think your roomie's a chick."