Dear Diary,

It's been exactly two solid weeks since I got here. Where do I start? There's been a lot going on and I've had exactly zero time to write anything that isn't on a dotted line. Train journey wasn't too bad, bit boring. I ran out of batteries for my Walkman about halfway through. Typical. I had about an hour and a half of counting the lines in the seat pattern out of sheer boredom and finding the registration building was like a where's Wally page crossed with an It's a Knockout marathon with lugging my suitcase about. But I did it. I managed. I haven't had time to stop since I got here. My stuff is still sitting in the case on the bed. All in all it's not good, not bad. Just different.

I think I need different.

The first night somewhere new was always going to be the hardest. It had been a long day, a stressful day, but she'd done it and for that she was almost proud. After waiting in queue after queue to register for classes, pick up her student card and sort out accommodation she finally had a set of keys in her hand. The weight of them felt reassuring despite her exhaustion as she rolled her suitcase to the building that would be hers for the next few years. A flight of stairs later and she was face to face with her new flat and whoever would be waiting on the other side.

Rae slid the key into the lock and gently opened the door letting it close behind her suitcase with a thunk. She found her room easily enough. There were only four bedrooms all across from each other with a kitchen, bathroom and living room between them on opposite sides of the hallway. Two of the doors were closed and she could hear muffled music from behind one of them. The third was open and she could hear someone moving boxes along the carpet and shifting things about.

When she opened the door to her own room she was greeted by pine, lots and lots of pine. It was like a flat pack nightmare. It was also a bit sparse. A small wardrobe hid behind the door, a bedside table sat to the right of her new bed and a desk stood forlornly on the opposite wall. The cold blue walls and matching blind reminded her of dentist waiting rooms a little, but it was hers.

By the time the evening rolled in she'd done a bit of manoeuvring with the furniture and it started to look more like a bedroom. Her desk took pride of place opposite her bed and by the window. There were a plethora of posters and photos dotted along her room walls. Even the cheap set of fairy lights she brought actually managed to make even the pale walls seem cheery. The corner where she has her music was still a bit bare, but when the rest of her things arrived she could almost feel at home. Once she'd 'sprayed Rae all over it'. It was safe in the bubble she'd built. It starts to feel familiar, a comfort, but at some point she knew she had to step out into the world outside of her desk.

It would be a lie to say there hadn't been tears, she expected them. Just not the achy feeling that settled in her chest long after they'd stopped. Maybe she should have waited a few more days to put the photos up,but the smiling faces that had hurt to look at at first after the second bout of tearfulness they became something of a comfort. After a short time gravity seemed to work overtime and the bed welcomed her with open arms for a few blissful hours. She was only woken up by the noise of her housemates wandering about and the sound of a TV blaring.

Her suitcase was still unpacked, the clothes all neatly folded until she dug around in it for a change of jumper. Her hand was wrapped around the door handle for a few moments before she ventured out into the now dark hallway. The only light was from the main living room as she headed closer.

'Some of us are going round for a pizza.' She looked round to see a boy about her age poking his head out from the living room. The hallway between them was still dim but she could make out his dark hair and eyes covered by some slightly overgrown hair at the front from the glow of the light inside the room.

'Oh, right,' she hadn't thought about dinner and suddenly the thought of it brought on her appetite. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment before stepping back into the room, his grey marl t-shirt being the last thing to disappear from sight. She'd have to sort something herself once they were done. She dithered between the doorframe and the hall, almost turning back to her room to leave them to it.

'What do you want?' He moved back out to the hall and gestured with an incline of his head to the post-it notes on the coffee table and she felt a small surge of gratitude.

'Oh, erm just a plain cheese please.'

He gave a slight nod without looking up and went back to the table and wrote it down. 'Right, one Ham and Pineapple and two Margaritas.' He double checked with the rest of the floor and moved to collect his wallet and shrugged his jacket on. He was out the door with the other boy before she got back from her room to get her purse or even say thanks. She padded into the room and perched herself on the edge of the arm of a chair.

'He'll sort it when he gets back.' Rae turned her head towards the sitting area where another girl was sprawled out across the couch. Her pale brown hair spilled out over the side as she pulled down on the sleeves of her sweatshirt to get comfy. She gave Rae a warm smile and picked up the remote to change the TV to a Friends repeat.

'A few of us got here a few days ago' she continued. 'Place was deserted. I'm Sam' she gave a little wave of greeting and Rae took a seat on the opposite sofa.

'Rae.'

The murmur of the TV stayed on and it fell into a quietness with the occasional canned laughter from the audience. Not an awkward or heavy quiet, just enough to let her settle.

'You from here or?' Sam broke the silence again and Rae shifted to sit down in the chair.

'No, I moved down from Stamford.'

'Cardiff, I had a mate who moved round your bit I think. The other two are from Liverpool and Manchester.'

Rae listened as she talked and filled her in a bit on what she was studying and bits and pieces about home. She couldn't talk too much about it yet but Sam talked enough for the both of them and mentioned a few places to go for Freshers week, inviting her out with her when the subject changed again and she was caught momentarily off guard.

'You ever read any James Joyce?'

'Don't think so, is his stuff any good?'

'Christ no, I got forced to read bits of one of his books in school. Right boring fucker,' she ran a hand through her hair and laughed. 'If it comes up in one of your classes I can save you the bother of reading it.'

'Thanks,' she said with a grateful smile. 'suppose I'll find out this week if he's on it. What about you?' she broached, 'are you doing English lit or?'

'Nah, thought about it. Sociology. Thought it'd piss off my parents more. Quite like it though.'

They chatted back and forwards for a while before there was a clatter at the door and the two boys struggled in with pizza boxes and some plastic bags filled with clinking bottles and snacks.

'Telling you mate they should do classes on his stuff. Man gets nowhere near enough recognition.' The boy with pale dishevelled curls and a pair of sunglasses and a black blazer prattled on as he held open the door for the other and got a non-committal grunt from his companion in return. He took his share of the bags and boxes and put them upon the kitchen counter behind them and the two girls moved to join them as they unpacked.

'Seeing as they're not going to bother, this' Sam pointed at the dark haired boy from before, 'is Ewan, and that one,' she looked over at the other blonde boy, 'is Rob-'

'Bob,' he cut in.

'Right, Bob,' she rolled her eyes and started ripping the tops of the pizza boxes into squares for plates while Ewan dished out the slices for everybody silently. Offering a few grunts in response to the odd question.

After a few hours of chatting and clearing up, or in Ewan's case silent nods they found that they seemed to get along kind of well. The night faded in and things fell quiet again all but for the sound of some Japanese game show in the background that Sam and Rob-Bob seemed to love. There was still that uneasiness there. It was all still new and she knew that it would take time for them all to get used to each other. It wasn't home, but in time maybe it could be.

It was a start.