A few minutes later, the inside of the Langenkamp Suites are just as lively as the outside of campus. Students rush around, gather belongings, being dropped off by parents, and interact with other students. RAs usher freshmen to their rooms, making sure they get to their properly assigned rooms without a hitch.

Emily steps off the elevator onto the second floor of the building, her parents not far behind. Gripping a sheet of paper in her hand that has her room number on it, she leads the way, glancing from door-to-door as she walks down the hallway. She passes open doors to rooms with already occupying students, catching a glimpse of new freshman like her moving into their rooms.

Her mother, Jackie, can barely contain her excitement for her daughter. "Isn't this exciting?! I remember my freshman year of college-"

A large thud from behind cuts her off. Emily and Jackie turn to see Arthur still struggling with Emily's oversized travel bag, it falls over his shoulders. "Arthur!" Jackie scolds her husband, her eyebrows furrowing up at him.

"Dad! Can you please be more careful!" Emily shouts to her father.

Arthur was now sitting on the floor, the luggage bag resting next to him. He pants as if he just ran a 100-mile marathon. "I'm just gonna … wait right here. Y'all go on ahead," he waves them off dismissively, still trying to catch his breath.

Rolling her eyes, Emily continues down the hall, the coffee on her shirt making her frown up again. She was used to dealing with girls like that Becca girl she had run into out near the Quad earlier. In high school, Emily was on the cheerleading team, she did the relay race in track and field, and gymnastics. Sure, she was popular by high school teenage standards, but she was never like the uppity popular kids whose presence she always seemed to grace. Some of the girls on the cheerleading teams she was on throughout high school were just as bad (if not worse!) than that Becca girl. Stuck up, bitchy, and snotty. Everything that Emily loathed.

"Emily!"

Stopping in her tracks, the voice of her mother breaks Emily out of her thoughts. She stops her walk, turns back towards Jackie. Standing in front of a door labeled '225', Jackie shoots her daughter a wide grin, pointing ominously to the door. She no longer brandishes the campus map she was holding earlier. She now has a printed piece of paper with Emily's school information on it, her dorm room number included.

"I think this is it!" Jackie exclaims excitedly, the grunts and groans of her husband can be heard getting closer to her and her daughter. Emily walks back over to her mother, stands next to her as she stares at the door. Mrs. Bishop claps her hands with excitement again, coming off as a giddy schoolgirl. "Aren't you excited?!"

"Mom. Just … PLEASE don't embarrass me," was all Emily could get out. She looks at her overly excited mother and her father, still clamoring behind them with her travel luggage. She sighs in exasperation.

Huffing, Jackie shoots Emily a look of incredulity. "It can't be any more embarrassing than walking around with coffee stains on your clothes."

Emily purses her lips at her mother, shooting her another look. Being her mother's only daughter, Emily and Jackie have always gotten along as any other mother-daughter could. That doesn't go to say that they didn't have their occasional spat, mainly due to Emily's ever increasing independent attitude, always wanting to go off and do what she wanted ... regardless of what her parents told her. That was one thing Jackie loved about her daughter. She was headstrong like her, but stubborn like her husband.

"Very funny, Mom," Emily replied sarcastically, gripping the door handle to the entrance of the dorm room.

"You wanna open that door, or what?! My back feels like it's about to give out on me!" Arthur cries fruitlessly in the background. His wife and daughter both ignore him as they swing the door to the dorm room open -

The door swings open to reveal a large entryway that leads into a stylish and modern kitchen area. Emily and her mother's mouths fall open in awe. Neither could believe the spacious size the kitchen produced. The bright lights and decor of the kitchen made it very easy on the eyes upon first entering, making the room that much trendier.

"Wow," Emily whispers to no one in particular as she walks deeper into the dorm/apartment, her mother hot on her heels as she whips out her digital camera.

Arthur comes clomping through the front door, Emily's travel bag still heaved over his shoulders. He grunts and groans as he tries to fit himself and the bag through the narrow doorway, Jackie and Emily barely paying attention as the two of them take in the surprisingly large dorm-suite.

It consisted of a fully working kitchen and a furnished living area where a big screen television is neatly placed in front of a couch, a loveseat, coffee table, and three-person sofa.

"This place is huge," Jackie says with a smile, snapping pictures as she moves through the dorm.

Finally making it into the dorm fully, Arthur plops on the loveseat tiredly. "I tell you one thing, Emily. All this crap you got in this bag BETTER be things you need," he grunts to his daughter as he leans into the loveseat. Giving her father a sweet smile, Emily glides over to him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Like Mom said, 'a girl needs to be prepared for all situations'. Thank you, though, Daddy."

"Mm-hmm."

Deeper in the dorm-suite, a door can be heard opening and closing. Rapidly approaching footsteps can be heard not soon after and a girl comes barreling around a corner, ponytail bouncing behind her as she dashes into the room. Her smile was infectious as she gives Emily a welcoming hug. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh! New roomie! You're finally here!"

Caught off guard, Emily chuckles awkwardly as she returns the hug to the girl. Her mother lets off another warm smile as she snaps a picture of the two with her digital camera. "Awwwww!" Jackie exclaims, rivaling that of a paparazzi cameraman.

Releasing Emily from the tight hug, the girl looks at the coffee stain on Emily's sweater that was starting to set into her clothes and shoes. Her smile promptly disappears and is replaced with a frown as she looks at the stain. "... And covered in coffee?" She asks Emily, almost sadly.

"Oh, you haven't heard? It's the hottest look for fall," Emily jokes with a grin, throwing her purse on the couch.

The girl's smile returns to her face, "Ooh, is that right? Well, I gotta say, you're definitely pulling it off. Seriously, you're, like, super pretty."

"Aw, thanks! You're really pretty, too," Emily compliments.

Her mother beams at them, "Isn't this great?! Already getting along!"

Rolling her eyes, Emily turns back to the girl. "I'm Emily."

"Kaitlyn!"

"These are my parents," pointing to both her mother and father, Emily tries to suppress a frown as the smell of the coffee stain reaches her nose. Arthur nonchalantly waves as he continues to rest on the plush loveseat. Jackie, still beaming, steps right in between the two girls, placing a hand on either of their shoulders.

"I hope you guys are ready for all the wild, crazy, and exciting things waiting for you this quarter! Freshman year is CRUCIAL. Probably more so than any other year you'll be in college," Jackie begins, Emily noticing a familiar gleam in her eye.

Emily's parents met at Hartfeld University years ago. They both were freshmen when they met; according to Jackie, Arthur was a raging asshole on the football team that she had no interest in at first. The attraction didn't start until the end of the year, Jackie finally agreeing to go on a first date with Arthur. And thus, started the romance that Emily's Mom tries to bring up whenever and however she can possible. The whole story made Emily's heart float with butterflies but that didn't mean she wasn't still uncomfortable with her mother spouting it off to any and every one that would listen. ESPECIALLY her roommate who she just met.

"I remember my freshman year at Hartfeld like it was yesterday-" Jackie continues.

Emily quickly interrupts, "Mom. Can we not?"

"Aw, but Emily! I thought you loved that story!"

"I do, but … Mom," a look of seriousness washes over Emily's face, making her mother slightly chuckle.

Kaitlyn's eyes light up with excitement, "You went to Hartfeld?"

"Sure did! All four years, Biology major," the gleam in Jackie's eyes reappears.

"That's awesome!" Kaitlyn squeals. She was a ball of energy, Emily noted. At least she seemed friendly. She would've dreaded to have a roommate like that Becca girl from earlier. She could tell they were going to get along JUST FINE. Kaitlyn gives Emily a look, "You're so lucky to have parents who went to college here. That can properly prep you! All my parents did was drop me off, give me a goody bag, and my Mom yells out the window as they're driving off, 'Be sure to change bras!'"

Emily and Jackie bowl over with laughs. The three women are interrupted by a soft snort and annoyed moan. Turning towards the sound, they see that Arthur has become mobile again, lugging the travel bag as he moves from the sofa. "I hate to break up this little comedy jam you guys got goin' on, but we DO need to get goin'. Emily, do you know what room you got?"

Still holding the paper that shows Emily's school information, Jackie looks at the paper, eyes squinting as she attempts to find her daughter's assigned room within the suite. That's when Kaitlyn pipes up: "I can show you! You're actually the last of our roommates to show up so it's only one room left, anyway. I figured it HAD to be yours."

Smirking, Emily says, "How intuitive."

Taking the lead, Kaitlyn begins to lead Emily, Jackie, and Arthur through the colorful and spacious suite. Emily glances around, taking notice of the various pictures hanging in the common area and the large screen television. At that moment, a thought hits her. "Wait a minute. I thought we had this place to ourselves," she asks, following Kaitlyn through the living room.

Kaitlyn chortles, turning back to Emily, "Ha! I wish. In case you haven't heard, the school's in a housing crunch. This is a six-person suite!"

Behind her, Emily can hear Jackie 'ooh' and 'aah' at what Kaitlyn says. "Six people?! Oh, my…" she looks behind her, seeing her husband still struggling to keep up with them. She ignores his tired grunts, however, just to say, "You hear that, Arthur? Emily has a six-person suite! Just think, if we had six people living under the same roof OUR freshman year … boy, oh, boy."

"That's great, honey," Arthur absentmindedly replies to his wife, the travel luggage bag seeming like it was about to crush his shoulders.

"We'll be sharing this place with one other girl … and three guys!" Kaitlyn announces excitedly, her always-present grin growing even wider, if that was even possible. Emily, on the other hand, was less-than-pleased to hear the news. "Ew! I can't believe I have to share this place with a bunch of gross dudes! … I feel like I just joined a frat or something."

Giggling, Kaitlyn turns a corner, still leading Emily and her parents through the suite to her room. "Aw, they're not SO bad. You'll like them once you meet, I promise."

Quickening her steps to where she is now walking alongside Emily and Kaitlyn, Jackie chimes in on the girls' conversation: "Ooh, AND if the boys ever get to be too much trouble, call me. We'll lock'em out of the suite and have a girl's night. Sound fun?"

Kaitlyn stops walking for a second to jump up and down excitedly, "Ooh! That sounds AWESOME!"

It looked as if Jackie finally had someone to match her excitable giddiness. Her and Kaitlyn both laughed like small children. "Right! We can watch horror movies and drink wine and eat popcorn!"

"Like Olivia Pope!"

"YES!"

Jackie and Kaitlyn high-five each other enthusiastically. Emily merely shakes her head at them. "Mom …"

"I know, I know," Jackie waves her daughter off with contempt.

What seemed like the longest few minutes in life, Kaitlyn finally approaches a door. She stops and turns to Emily. "This is it!" She turns and swings open the door to reveal a quaint room, already furnished with a bed, a small couch, a desk, a book stand, drawer, and whatever other essential item a college teenage girl may need. The only thing missing was a TV. But, Emily was never a huge TV watcher like that.

Not missing a beat, Jackie wanders in the room before Emily can even catch her own bearings, observing it closely. "This is cute ... At least your guy's suite doesn't look like the outside of the building. I thought Langenkamp was supposed to have been remodeled? It looks like it's about to fall apart."

"Hey," Kaitlyn starts with a shrug and a smile, placing her hands on her hips. "The school's in a housing crunch."

"Well … it looks clean. That's the most that we can ask for," Jackie remarks, looking over the room once again.

Emily's father plods through the door, dropping her luggage bag on the bed. The bag bounces neatly on the sheets, Arthur falling in the computer desk seat with beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. "Emily … next time just bring the essentials."

Going over to her father and placing a hand on his shoulder, Emily laughs heartily. "Dad, I told you-"

"Yeah, yeah, a girl has to be prepared and all that hoopla. Well, I for damn sure will not be lugging this big ass thing up next time."

"Oh, yes you will!" Jackie frowns up at her husband, who ignores her as he catches his breath.

Taking notice of the big mirror placed on top of the dresser, Emily looks over to Kaitlyn, who lets out another giggle as she watches her parents bicker with each other. "I love your parents."

The two adults continue their banter, Emily watching them. She shrugs her shoulders, "Eh, I guess. They're on their best behavior right now. Wait until you see them in their natural elements."

"That would probably make me love them even MORE!"

"Jackie, we gotta get going. We only have that babysitter for the end of the night to watch the boys," Arthur instructs his wife, standing to his feet as he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand.

Giving the room one last look over, Jackie shushes her husband. "I know about the babysitter. Hopefully the boys didn't destroy the backyard …"