I just want to say now that the opinions expressed in this opening chapter on what some would call a sensitive topic do not reflect my own feelings. It's all for your enjoyment! That said, welcome to A Lot Like Love, a Kaitlyn-centric story. I hope you like what you find.
*
Bad Girls and Good Girls
'You okay?'
'No, I'm not okay.'
Kaitlyn felt an overwhelming sense of self as she looked up at the building before her. It was high, six or seven floors, and each one was packed full of dorm rooms. Hers included. She felt tiny against the back drop of the campus, with all the students wandering around looking for their new rooms, their new friends and their new lives. Kaitlyn, meanwhile, was still having some trouble getting over the threshold. She turned to her mother.
'Is that everything, then?'
'All your stuff is up there, except for this box.' Her mother pulled it from the trunk of the car and handed it to her. It had small things in it; some pictures and records, among other things. 'You have to go in sometime, kiddo.'
Kaitlyn swallowed.
'What are you afraid of?'
'Just give me a minute,' said Kaitlyn, looking at her mother, then at their car. 'Aren't we gonna say goodbye?'
'Come here,' said her mother, hugging her as best she could with the box in the way. 'You're gonna do great. Just have fun.'
'Okay,' said Kaitlyn as they parted.
She waved her mother off, then turned back to the building before her. Putting the box on the ground, she began searching her pockets for her keys, panicking momentarily when she struggled to find them. Her mother had put them in the box for her. Putting them safely in the front pocket of her jacket, she picked up the box again and took a step forward.
As she walked, it occurred to her that she hadn't spoken to any of her home friends for the better part of the summer. Derrick had started an apprenticeship and they'd texted a few times, but they hadn't talked face to face since graduation. Johnny was off doing God knows what with God knows who. As for AJ… well, that was better left where it was.
She came to the front door and pushed it open, then climbed four flights of stairs to find her dorm. She unlocked the door and was greeted by silence. Surprised, she looked around. She'd expected her new roommate to be in there already, unpacked and with a buzzing smile. But there was no one, not yet. Kaitlyn put the last box with the others, and while her boxes filled half of the room she felt that feeling again, of being very small against everything else.
About an hour later, when she was storing the last of her clothes in her dresser, there was a knock at the door. She opened it with a hesitant smile; it might have been someone trying to get her to sign up to something.
Instead it was just a guy. A handsome guy handing out flyers for a party that night.
'Hi,' he said, smiling at her.
'Hey.'
'You like parties?'
'Depends on the party.'
He gave her a flyer. She eyed it warily, then looked back at him. He looked as though he could sense her discomfort, and he stuck out a hand.
'I'm Michael Mizanin,' he said. 'But you can call me Mike.'
'I'm Kaitlyn.'
'Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn. So you think you'll come tonight?'
She shrugged.
'What else could you possibly be doing on the first night of freshman year?'
'How'd you know I'm a freshman?'
'I didn't.'
'Huh. And you?'
'Sophomore,' he said. 'So will you come?'
Kaitlyn took another look at the flyer. It promised 'all out awesomeness'.
'How can I refuse?' she mocked. 'Maybe.'
'I'll see you there,' he said, giving her a lasting smile.
'I said maybe. And I'm gonna call you Miz, by the way.'
'Get there around ten,' he said, before moving along the hallway. 'Make some friends, have some drinks, just have fun.'
Kaitlyn closed the door behind her, happy to be back in the safety of her room. She pinned the flyer to her notice board and regarded it once more, remembering her mother's words; just have fun. She folded her arms, inwardly debating going, before deciding that taking a walk around the campus grounds to familiarize herself with it would be a good thing to do before arriving at the party. That way, when she left the party early because it sucked she'd know her way back. If she went, of course. She just didn't want to run into AJ.
Hours later, music began pumping from somewhere nearby and Kaitlyn winced at it. Dance music wasn't her favourite kind. She decided for tonight at least she wasn't in the mood to party, or even leave the dorm for a walk. She lay down on her bed, kicked off her shoes and reached for the nearest book. If her cousin's boyfriend Tyson could see her now, she knew exactly what he'd say.
'Hardly the college type, are you?'
And she knew what she'd say in return.
'So there's only one type of college kid?'
Kaitlyn rolled over and looked around the room, in particular at the empty bed on the other side of it. She'd been lucky enough to score a room on her own, but at the same time most of the other people on campus were making friends with their roommates already. While Kaitlyn didn't mind being on her own a lot of the time, it might have been nice to have someone other than her cousin on campus to hang out with now and then.
The music at the party got louder suddenly, as if beckoning her to join it. She pursed her lips. It wasn't as if she'd have to stay all night, and if it sucked she could just come back to her room and read her book.
She got off the bed and went over to her wardrobe. She went through each and every one of her things, from jeans to skirts to leggings and found nothing she wanted to wear, until she stumbled upon an old pair of faded grey skinny jeans. Nodding approvingly, she paired them with a sheer black shirt and put on her nicest black bra underneath. She slipped into some comfy black wedges, grabbed her keys and her phone, and then headed out for the night. Or at least for an hour.
Once she'd gotten to the apartment, she weaved through the crowd and found Miz sitting on one of the sofas, beautiful twins sitting either side of him. When he saw Kaitlyn he smiled, but she was already turning in the direction of the drinks table. Spying some Cola, she decided to start light and took a few sips.
A girl with bright red hair came up next to her and made up a drink; vodka and cranberry. When she saw Kaitlyn looking, she held out her hand.
'Hi,' said the girl. 'I'm Maria.' She had a sweet voice to match her pretty face.
'Kaitlyn.'
'You a freshman?'
Kaitlyn nodded.
'One of Mike's freshman girls,' Maria said, looking less than impressed at the boy where he sat. 'Watch yourself with that one.'
Kaitlyn frowned at the insinuation and Maria turned to leave, but she stopped.
'Sorry, that was rude,' said Maria. 'Are you here alone?'
Kaitlyn nodded and took a sip of her drink. 'I got put in a dorm but my roommate never showed up to school. Who knows,' she added when Maria looked concerned. Kaitlyn went on. 'Miz is the first guy I met here, when he was handing out invitations.'
'Poor you,' Maria joked.
'You're not a freshman? I gather from the way you talk about Miz that you know him pretty well, and he said he's a sophomore.'
'I'm a sophomore too, but I'm sitting with some freshman. Want me to introduce you?'
Before she could answer Maria linked their arms and dragged Kaitlyn over to a quieter corner of the party. There were three girls already sitting down; a blonde, one brunette and one girl with black hair. They were talking animatedly about something, and the more passionate one of them had a British accent that you wouldn't forget for a while.
'Come on, I thought everybody did it in high school?' the British one said.
'Bad girls do it in high school,' said the blonde.
'Then what do good girls do?' asked the girl with the black hair.
'They say I love you, then they do it,' said Maria as she pulled Kaitlyn down with her to sit next to them.
'This is Kaitlyn. She's a freshman.'
'Layla,' said the British girl.
'Tiffany,' said the blonde with a sickly sweet smile.
'Rosa,' said the girl with black hair. She was beautiful, Kaitlyn noted.
'What are you studying?' asked Tiffany.
'Classics,' said Kaitlyn, 'But I may change it. I'm not sure yet.'
'What else would you do?' asked Rosa.
'Maybe art history.'
'You sound smart,' said Tiffany with another smile. Kaitlyn was worried she'd be blinded by the end of the night.
'Thanks. Which of you are freshmen?'
'Tiffany and I,' said Rosa.
'Layla and Tiffany are from the same neighbourhood back home,' said Maria, handing Kaitlyn a different drink. Vodka and cranberry, as it happened. Kaitlyn decided that she may as well drink it; it'd be rude not to.
'Never mind,' said Rosa, smirking. 'Where were we?'
'Sex,' said Tiffany bluntly, looking unimpressed. 'Do we really have to talk about this again?'
'Just because you have nothing to talk about…' said Rosa with a giggle.
Kaitlyn swallowed, hoping they wouldn't drag her into their conversation. She had zero experience in that department, but it wasn't for lack of wanting to. She'd grown up with the opinion that it didn't need to be special; her parents were married but they hated each other, and she'd definitely heard them doing it before so it clearly didn't matter whether you loved the person or not.
'Kaitlyn?'
'Hm?'
'Leave her alone, Rosa,' said Maria. 'You'll scare her away.'
'Alright,' said Rosa. 'But I'm just saying. Did you ever see that movie, though? Forty year old virgin? Do you want to be that guy?'
Tiffany rolled her eyes. 'I'm eighteen.'
'Coincidentally the number of people Rosa's slept with,' said Layla.
They all laughed, including Rosa, and Kaitlyn had to admire how well Rosa could laugh at herself. Kaitlyn certainly couldn't do that.
'Do you think anyone in here is a virgin?' Layla asked. 'Except Tiffany, here.'
'I'm waiting for the right guy,' said Tiffany with confidence. 'Doesn't bother me how long I have to wait.'
'What if you have to wait until you're fifty?' asked Maria, pulling a face.
'There are other means,' said Rosa.
They laughed again, but Kaitlyn felt herself getting a little uncomfortable with the discussion. It was all fine and dandy that they could talk so freely, and quite nice actually, but Kaitlyn didn't want to be involved in it when she had nothing to say. She spotted Miz across the room once again. He'd been looking at her.
'I don't really think it has to be special,' said Kaitlyn suddenly. They all looked at her. 'It just doesn't seem worth stressing about.'
'You'd do it with anyone?' said Tiffany, looking shocked.
'Not just anyone, someone I know and who's the same age obviously. But other than that, as long as they're not an asshole about it, it doesn't bother me whether or not I love them.'
'Good for you,' said Rosa. 'I like you.'
Kaitlyn titled her drink in a show of thanks. She looked over at Miz again. He was still smiling; maybe he'd heard it all.
'What about the guys here?' said Layla then, eyeing Kaitlyn. 'Which of them would you go for?'
Layla looked between Kaitlyn and Miz, and Kaitlyn felt a challenge had been extended to her. She wasn't someone who wanted to throw her virginity away, of course, but if he liked her and she liked him then why not?
Kaitlyn drank what was left of her drink in one mouthful, and then proceeded to drink another one right after. Next she took some shots, and before she knew it she was on her way over to Miz. The girls began whispering, giggling even, and encouraged her to 'get it'. All of them but Layla, who looked thunderous after Kaitlyn gestured for Miz to follow her. She headed for the bedroom. On her way she grabbed an empty cup and splashed some vodka and coke in there.
'Is Layla your girlfriend?' she asked, smiling at him. Mike shook his head. Kaitlyn finished her drink again. She had no idea how much she could handle in the space of ten minutes.
'Good,' she said, grabbing the front of his shirt and kissing him hard on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, but just as his hands started to roam, Kaitlyn stopped him.
Breathless, she took his hand and made for the door.
'I'm not doing it at this party,' she said, grabbing her coat. 'My place?'
He nodded, kissed her again, then followed her out of the door.
They crashed through the door to Kaitlyn's room not long later, slamming it behind them. Kaitlyn pulled Miz's shirt up over his head, kissing his chest in the meantime, before he reclaimed her lips with his own. Next off was Kaitlyn's shirt, then her pants and then his too.
She didn't realize how much she would enjoy this, and boy was she enjoying it.
Hope you liked chapter one! Come back for more x
