August 27th

…

Walking into the campus of ASU is so familiar. The hallways, the buildings, the students… Everything. This place has been my home for the last two years and can finally say that I'm moving on up in the world.

"Alex!" Someone shouts behind me, when I turn to look I can see that it's my best friend Pierson. He is walking towards me and he has that goofy smile that never seems to leave his face.

I laugh at him, "Hey man, what's up?" We hug and he shrugs.

"Nothing much, just wandering around and looking out over the immense sea of freshmen newbies." He laughs, "They're all so nervous, it's hilarious."

I chuckle because he's right, there are people standing next to suitcases that are twice their size waving goodbye to their parents. Some are walking around with their faces buried in their schedules. Others are trying to assimilate themselves into conversations that they don't belong in. It a sad but funny sight for a college junior.

When I was young, my parents were able to put me on an accelerated learning track so that I was able to finish school early. Usually, this was used for people in the lower castes because the heads of households needed to have their kids start working earlier. When the caste system was abolished, my parents decided to enroll me into the program so that I could have a quicker education. Thus, I got to go to my freshman year of college when I was sixteen. Now, at eighteen, I am on track to be the Summa Cum Laude of my class next year while being the youngest student in the school of Pre-Medicine.

You could say that life is pretty damn good.

Pierson snaps points over to an unfortunate freshman wearing plaid and overalls trying to flirt with a girl way out of his league. We both start cracking up. When our laughs settle, we start to walk out of the commons area.

"Hey, where are you staying this year, Alex?" Pierson asks. Usually I stay on campus in a dorm but this year I have decided on a change of scenery.

I smile, "I'm moving over to Rhoades apartment complex, right outside of campus. What about you?" I add the last part as an afterthought.

He nods, "Oooh, Rhoades is nice, but this year I'm in Hillside."

I roll my eyes and laugh, "Please don't tell me that you're moving there because of –"

"Miss Penelope Harvarde." He says, "Yes sir."

I laugh, "Dude, she's a senior, there is no way that you can even talk to her."

He shakes his head, "What you seem to forget, Alex, is that I am a whole two years older than you. We may be in the same class but we are not the same age."

I shake my head, "We may not be the same age, but we both know who has the better intellect."

"Shut up," He says. "You know that I could be in line for Magna Cum Laude if I tried, but I didn't want to."

I shake my head and punch his arm, "You just keep telling yourself that, Pier."

He laughs, "Alright, man, I gotta go. I have a kickass new apartment to finish moving into."

I smile, "Have fun, hope Penelope doesn't have you evicted for stalking on your first night." I call as he walks away.

He yells over his shoulder, "Shut Up, Alex!"

…

Just as I'm arriving to Rhoades, my phone starts buzzing in my pocket. I try to retrieve it before I miss the call, but it's really hard when your whole life is basically in your pockets. Shuffling around different candies, dollar bills, Chap Stick tubes, and keys, I finally pull out my phone.

Like I said before, I'm only eighteen, which means that I have been on the same phone plan since I moved out of my parents' home. I've had the same iPhone 60 that my parents gave me on my fifteenth birthday.

You know what they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Even though my phone isn't the "turn of the century" technology, it still works. Yeah, the screen may be cracked and the batter life sucks, but it's mine, and I'd rather have a shitty phone than no phone.

When I check the caller ID, I see that I missed a call from my mom. She probably wanted to check up on me to make sure that I moved all my measly belongings from my dorm room to my apartment.

I swipe the screen, type in my passcode – 3138, and I navigate through the interface until I click on my mom's number and the phone starts ringing.

On the second ring she picks up, "Alex?"

I laugh, "Hey Mom, were you expecting me to call or something?" I tease at her instant response.

She sighs, "I was just making sure that you got your keys to the apartment, moved your furniture, and ate something. Last Christmas when I saw you, you looked really thin."

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm a college student, we have to live on a pretty tight budget." I reassure. "And yes, all the furniture is in the apartment, whether or not I have actually unpacked is another story."

I can hear her exhale in relief, "That's good, you still have another week until school starts. Do you need your father and me to come and help you unpack?"

I shake my head, "No I'm fine Mom. Thanks for the offer but I know that you guys need to work. I'm fine up here."

"Ok honey, I have to go. The kids are coming back from lunch so my break is over." She says hurriedly.

I laugh, "Alright mom, enjoy the after lunch nap-time."

She laughs as the receiver goes dead.

I smile when I put my phone back into my pocket. I love my mom, she is the nicest and most self-less person that I know. At James Potter Elementary, she is the only Kindergarten teacher. She has a class of thirty-seven students and she handles them like a champ. I have never seen a bad review about her teaching and all of her students love her.

I turn right on Ryilee Lane and walk toward Rhoades. I want to get all my things unpacked and settled before my new roommates move in. Walker Powers and Zach Bailee are my roommates this year. I have only talked to them a couple times but they seem like pretty cool guys. Walker is into skateboarding and graffiti, apparently he is an art major at ASU and he is pretty famous in Kent because of his artwork. Zach is at ASU on a sports scholarship, basketball. He is a sports science major (big shocker) and he is the starting point guard for the ASU royals.

Royals. That's the mascot at Amberly Schreave University. Go figure.

I open the door to Rhoades and I wave to Kimberly the Desk Girl as I walk toward the stairs. The stairs are cement and they have absolutely no life whatsoever. Since Rhoades installed an elevator over the summer, no one uses the stairs anymore. I think that they're good exercise, since I barely have any free time to spend at the gym.

I hit the third floor and suddenly I'm hit with regret. Why did I choose to have my apartment on the sixth floor?
"Ugh," I mumble to myself, "Way to plan, Alex."

After an eternity of climbing stairs and seeing the blank walls of the stair well inside Rhoades, I arrive at the door that opens into the sixth floor. I push the flimsy wooden door open and I walk into the hallway of the top floor.

I look around and I can see that no one else has moved in yet, I sigh to myself, and I keep walking.

6-13

6-15

6-17

6-19

6-21

6-23

6-25

Ahh, 6-27, Home.

I dig into my pockets once again and I fish out my key. The silver is a bit tarnish because I've been using it so much, walking in and out of the apartment as I moved all my things.

The key fits into the lock perfectly, I turn it to the right and I hear the 'click' of the mechanisms in the door. I turn the knob and walk into my new home.

The apartment isn't huge, but it's mine. To the right of the door there is a kitchen with a small table in the center for eating. There's a fridge, counters, cabinets, a sink, and a small coffee pot (courtesy of me). In front of the door, a little ways away is the living room. There's a small couch and a love seat (I always hated the word 'love seat' like it just gives you the heebee-jeebies.). A small wooden coffee table with a fairly large television is located right in front of the large set of windows. To the left side of the apartment, there are two doors that lead into Zach and Walker's room. My room is located after the kitchen. Like if you walk almost into the living room but stop before you hit the couch and turn to the right, you find my door. Zach and Walker told me that since I would be there to unpack first, I could choose the room I wanted. So naturally, I chose the room with its own bathroom. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Right now, there are boxes spread out all over the floor and the kitchen. My parents gave me this hand-me-down silverware set for my birthday last week. Even though the utensils were used, it was still the most-thoughtful gift the I received. Inside all the other boxes are textbooks, school supplies and other things that I need to live: My years' worth of Chicken Ramen Noodles.

I kick the box that blocks my way from entering the living room. I turn to the heaviest box that I own. I tear open the duct tape and open the flaps to reveal my old record player. Picking it up carefully, I set it down on the coffee table next to the television. I push the empty box away and open the one to the right of it. Up to the brim it is filled with different records from the 20th century.

People can call me a nerd all they want, but they can't deny that I have good taste in music.

I pull out the record on the top of the stack and I smile: Boston.

Boston is my favorite band, ever. Sometimes I wish that I could have grown up in the 20th century so that I could have seen them in concert.

I slide the record into the player and I turn it on carefully. I take the pick and place it on the edge of the record and almost instantly "More Than a Feeling" starts blaring from the speaker.

I stand up and I brush the dust off of my jeans. I whistle to the words…

'I looked out this morning and the sun was gone

Turned on some music to start my day

I lost myself in a familiar song

I closed my eyes and I slipped away'

Walking to the kitchen, I close my eyes and I try to feel the music. Before I realize that walking around in a sea of boxes with one's eyes closed isn't a good idea, I fall face first onto the floor.

I peel my eyes open and I start cracking up. I turn around so that I'm lying on my back and I close my eyes, safely this time, and I enjoy the music.

'When I'm tired and thinking cold

I hide in my music, forget the day

And dream of a girl I used to know

I closed my eyes and she slipped away

She slipped away'

An unfamiliar pain stabs my heart. I open my eyes and sit up, wondering why I felt like that.

I shake off that feeling, and I stand up. I straighten out my green t-shirt and I walk to the kitchen. There are boxes on top of the counters that are full of paper plates and napkins. One thing I learned from college is that you can never have too many paper products.

I continue whistling to the music; "Peace of Mind" is playing now. I start opening boxes and filling up the cabinets will all my ramen noodles and paper plates. I put the hand soap that Haylee, my sister, gave me by the sink and I stack the empty boxes on top of each other by the door.

I walk into my room and I jump onto my bed. When I first got here, about a week ago, the first room that I set up was my bedroom. My reason? Obviously, I needed to sleep somewhere.

The room has plain white walls like all of the rooms in this apartment. My double bed is pushed up against the walls on the far side of the room so that it is nudged in the far right hand corner. My desk acts as my nightstand and my place of study. At the foot of the bed I put my bookshelf: filled with books for school, recreational reading, and other classics that I've picked up from random bookstores throughout my college years… Well… My two college years.

On my "nightstand" I have a book that I'm currently reading. "My life as Princess" by Princess Sabeena I-Can't-Pronounce-her-last-name from New India.

I'm on chapter twenty-seven, when she talks about her first trip to Illea. Right now she is about to be greeted by King Maxon, Queen America, Princess Emmalina, and Prince Andrew. I read the name Emmalina a few times, when a nostalgic feeling washes over me.

I remember dancing in front of the TV at home when I was little to the Capital Report theme song, waiting for her to show up on the screen. She always captivated me, her brown eyes like the chocolate river in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". My dad would always tease me about my enormous crush on the Princess of our country, but I would always laugh it off.

It's true, I had a major crush on her when I was younger but as I got older I grew out of it. I realized that wanting her is a waste of time because there is no way that I would ever get a shot with the Princess of Illea.

I kept reading Sabeena's book.

"We were greeted on the tar-mac by King Maxon, Queen America, Princess Emmalina, and Prince Andrew. Emma was holding a small poster board that said 'Welcome to Illea' on it. I didn't know it at the time but it became one of the most thoughtful gestures that I had and will ever receive when I arrive to a new country.

Usually when we arrive places, my parents are the first to come off the plane; but in this instance, I bounded down the steps before I heard my parents yell 'Sabeena wait!'

I ran right up to Emma and I said, 'Hi'

She said, "Hello.'

Then I said, 'Do you want to be best friends?'

And she said, 'Yes, I want to be best friends.'

That's how it all started."

I put my bookmark back inside on page 184. Setting the book down on my desk, I get out of bed. I open the bathroom door and maneuver inside. Twisting the knob in the shower, I hear the sound of the water start to run. I smile and pull of my t-shirt, throwing it down on the floor in a crumpled mess. I look at myself in the mirror and I make a fist. Lifting up my arm, I can see the bicep that I have worked so hard for – carrying my weights worth in books around campus for two years. I run my hand up and down my midsection. I used to play sports when I was in high school. I was captain of the soccer team by my senior year.

The only trophy I have left to show from my soccer days is my abs. I worked so hard over the summers between freshmen and sophomore year and sophomore and junior year in the weight room. After thousands of leg lifts, crunches, and other ab exercises that would take a year to explain, I got my abs. Now every day I do a series of workouts in order to keep them here, because it is my only reminder that I used to be a jock.

Now I'm just labeled as a Pre-Med student.

I take the buckle off of my jeans and I slide them down my legs and kick them off over into the corner next to my shirt. I pull off my boxers and I jump – well I walk – into the shower. The hot water runs down my arms and it hits my back. I look down and I realize that I'm still wearing my socks.

"Shit," I say as I peel them off the bottoms of my feet.

I throw them over the shower curtain and I hear them land on the floor with a thud and a squish.

I look at the bottoms of my feet. I shudder as I remember being trapped in my grandfather's house as he dragged the –

"No," I say out loud. "Don't think about it."

I squeeze the shampoo out of the bottle and run it through my hair, I close my eyes and I try to hear the music coming from the living room.

Nothing.

I keep lathering in the shampoo until the froth builds up through my fingers and starts running down my arms. I shake off the excess foam from my hands and I turn so that my back is getting hit with the spray of water. I feel all the soap drip down my back as I stand in the shower, still straining to listen to the music, I look down at the drain and I see the white suds rush down into the pipe system below the floor.

In an attempt to smooth out the rest of the shampoo from my hair, I lift my hands and I push back all my blonde strands of hair. The drip from the soap rushes into an avalanche and the drain starts to clog a little bit as it tries to drain everything at once. I shake out my hands again and I grab the bar of soap.

As I wash myself with the soap I think about what I'm going to eat for dinner. I could go the cost-efficient route and eat chicken ramen noodles with a side of milk or I could just go order pizza.

For the past three nights I've been eating ramen, so I decide on pizza.

I wash off the excess soap from my person, turn off the water, and step out of the shower.

That's when I hear it.

The faintest knocking on the front door.

I quickly wrap one of my towels around my waist and I open the bathroom door. A gush of cold air makes the hair on my arm stand up. I quickly walk out of my bedroom and I pass through the maze of boxes through the living room so that I can turn off the record player. "Something About You" is playing, I hate to turn off my favorite band mid-song but I have to. I circle back through the boxes until I reach the front door. The knocking continues as I look through the peep hole of the door and I see Kimberly the Desk Girl standing in front of the door.

I open the door and she stands there in shock.

"Can I help you?" I ask slowly, trying not to scare her.

She comes back into reality, "Oh, yes… Um Mr. Lionel wanted to see you soon."

I nod, "Tell him I'll be right there, you know, after I get dressed."

She looks down at my towel for a second and then looks back up at me, "Alright, but make it quick."

I close the door and exhale.

"Way to go, Alex." I scold myself. "You couldn't have just thrown on a pair of sweatpants?"

I trudge back into my room and rummage through my drawer until I find a pair of boxers and jeans. I dry myself off and I put on my pants. I sift through my closet until I find a blue ASU hoodie.

I sigh to myself and slide it over my head.

Closing the closet door, I turn away and walk out of the room. When I'm halfway through the living room, I remember that I forgot to turn off the light in my room. Another lesson about college: The more the light is on, the more you have to pay.

After turning off the light, I walk out through the boxes and out of the apartment. Locking the door, I turn down the hallway. I bound down the stairs and walk into the lobby of the apartment building.

Kimberly the Desk Girl is sitting in her usual place – the desk. I wave to her and she points to the door at the far right end of the counter.

I walk around the desk and I knock on the door, "Mr. Lionel?" I call.

I can hear papers shuffling and coughing inside the office, "Come in." A raspy voice replies.

I slowly open the door in to the office and I say, "You wanted to see me?"

The office is small and stuffy. It smells vaguely of cigarettes and bad cologne. There are papers stacked on either side of the desk. There are bookshelves on the right and left walls of the office – really making the room seem much smaller. A small desk is located in the middle of the room and there are two chairs in front of it. There are windows behind the desk but it is covered by heavy curtains. The only light that they room has is from a dingy fan that slowly rotates around and around and around…

Mr. Lionel is a short, heavy set man. He doesn't have a lot of hair, but the ones that he still has left are dark brown and styled in a hideous comb-over. I almost laugh at the sight of him but I hold my chuckles to myself.

He nods, "Yes, you're Alexander Payne, am I correct?"

I smile, "In the flesh, sir." I add the last part on after the death glare that he gives me.

He coughs and then motions to a chair in front of the desk, "Yes, there was something that I needed to speak to you about."

I nod and say, "That's what Kimberly the Des—uh, that's what Kimberly was saying."

"Originally, when you first bought the apartment, was there anyone else on you floor?"

I look at him confused, "No, there was only going to be my roommates and me."

He nods and picks through some of the papers on his desk, "Well, that is going to change."

"Is that all you needed to tell me?"

"No." He says frankly. "What I need to tell you is much more important."

I look at him, "Ok, well I'm ready whenever you are."

He death glares me again, "There is going to be three more occupants on your floor."

"And… That has to do with me how?" I ask, the guy really needs to cut to the chase.

He coughs again, "The new occupants are going to be Lilly Danielson, Paisley Mitchell, and –"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lionel, but I don't even know who those girls are. Why do they have anything to do with me?"

He gives me a death glare again and says, "… As I was trying to say, the people moving in are Lilly Danielson, Paisley Mitchell, and… Emmalina Schreave."

I stare at him in shock, "Emma—you mean… Princess Emmalina Schreave?"

He nods his head, "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that the Princess of our fine nation would be moving into your floor."

"Alright," I say absentmindedly.

He death glares me again, "Now, Alexander, the reason that I am telling you this is so that you don't do anything stupid."

I chuckle, "Who me?" He death glares even harder, "Yes sir, I won't do anything stupid."

He nods, "Then that will be all."

I stand up and leave the room just as he lets out another cough. Kimberly the Desk Girl is sitting at the desk and she is typing on her computer.

I walk toward the stairs, thinking that I am probably just going to eat ramen tonight.

My voice is completely gone due to the shocking news I just heard, so I don't think I could call for pizza.