A/N: Thank you to those of you who commented and told me to keep going with the story. I appreciate you so much. :)
Two hours before she was scheduled to move into her dorm, Jane was rudely awaken by her mom pulling the blanket off of her and telling her to get ready. She knew there were other incoming BCU freshmen whose flights were landing at that time and others from neighboring states who had loaded their belongings into SUVs and minivans and were probably about to cross the Massachusetts state line, but Jane had the privilege of waking up at noon, piling her luggage and a few of the unnecessary items her mom insisted she needed into the backseat of her mom's car and driving twenty minutes away from the house she grew up in.
Parking was scarce when she arrived on campus and it wasn't until they circled the parking lot for the second time that Jane realized how big of a milestone move-in day was for college freshmen. There were blue and gold signs that read "Welcome Home, Class of 2019" and booths decorated with blue and gold balloons in front of every student housing building that were designated check-in spots. At the check-in spots, students were greeted by enthusiastic juniors and seniors in BCU t-shirts who sent them to a line depending on the first letter of their last name.
When Mrs. Rizzoli was circling the parking lot for a third time, Jane noticed a snapchat notification from Olivia. The picture was of their tiny room and the caption read, "Three of us have to fit in here?" The room was the size of Jane's bedroom at home and the two bunk beds, three desks, three chests of drawers and armoires left nothing but a few feet of empty space that the three of them were expected to share. The walls were bare and the room had a depressing look to it until Jane imagined the life that the three of them would bring to it with posters and other decorations.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, Jane was handed a welcome folder with her room key and a few resources on campus life and what amenities were available to students who lived on campus.
"I'm in Saxon Hall, Room 903," Jane told her mom. "The ninth floor? I'm gonna have to go up and down nine floors everyday?"
"Stop complaining. At least you three girls have a private bathroom," Angela pointed out. "At some schools, everyone in the freshmen dorms has to share a bathroom with their entire floor."
"And I thought sharing a bathroom with Frankie and Tommy was bad."
"You're with other girls now," Angela reminded her. "You don't have to worry about someone peeing on the seat or having to hide anything during that time of the month."
With that in mind, Jane tried to remain optimistic about her new living situation. That is, until there was a line of students and their parents at the elevator with luggage and rolling bins filled to the top with necessities.
While waiting in line, Jane pulled her phone out and noticed another snap from Olivia. It was a picture of Alex in one of the beds and the caption read, "Bottom bunk...claimed."
"I'm spending the next nine months on the top bunk," Jane groaned.
"You wouldn't be if you got up earlier," Angela lectured her. "You live twenty minutes away and you had every opportunity to get here before your roommates."
During Angela's lecture, Jane's focus shifted to the fact that Olivia's girlfriend would be in the room when she arrived. She wondered how Olivia would introduce Alex to them and how her mother would react to Jane sharing a room with a girl whose girlfriend would be a constant presence in their room.
Jane's nervousness heightened when they got off the elevator and walked down the hallway to her dorm. She put her keycard in the slot and entered her assigned pin code all while mentally preparing herself for an awkward situation.
She opened the door to find Alex sitting on the bed scrolling through something on her iPad and Olivia hanging a Yankees pennant on the wall.
"You've ruined our bedroom," Jane said, which made Olivia turn around.
"It's about time you got here," Olivia laughed. "Alex is here for reinforcement. It'll probably take three of us to take on Texas."
All summer long, Jane and Olivia had talked to each other like old friends, but now that they were finally face to face, they weren't sure how to greet each other. Should we hug? No. Should we high-five? Instead, Alex took it upon herself to get off the bed and introduce herself.
"I'm Olivia's girlfriend, Alex," she said to Jane and Angela. "You must be Jane and Mrs. Rizzoli. Olivia has already told me so much about you, Jane. She and I are so pleased to meet you."
"Aren't you a well-mannered young woman," Angela said to Alex. "Janie told me Olivia is from New York. Did you move here with her? You two must be really good friends to move out of state together."
"We're a couple," Alex pointed out.
"Oh," Angela tried not to sound shocked. "Oh, you two are…"
"It's okay, Mrs. Rizzoli," Alex said to give her a way out of an awkward situation. "This happens to Olivia and me all the time."
"Do your parents know?" Angela asked. "I understand these things, but I know some parents aren't as with it." With it? Jane thought. And when did my mom become so accepting?
"Our parents know," Olivia chimed in. "Our mothers were friends in high school, but they lost touch after graduation. They found each other on Facebook―"
"The beauty of social media," Alex interrupted.
"They messaged each other," Olivia continued. "And when they set a lunch date, Alex's mom suggested that they bring their daughters since we're the same age."
"I think they expected us to drool over Channing Tatum together and do whatever it is parents expect seventeen-year-old girls to do," Alex added. "But Olivia and I were attracted to each other from the start and, for the first time, being attracted to someone felt right."
"How did your parents react?" Angela asked.
"We were nervous to tell them, so our plan was to come out to our parents together," Olivia explained. "When we told them, they said they always knew."
"Our moms are practically planning our wedding. We're the ones telling them to slow down," Alex smiled.
"I'm happy for you girls," Angela said much to Jane's surprise. "I wish Janie could find a boy to make her as happy as you two make each other."
Jane and Olivia exchanged glances. Over the summer, she had explained her reasons for not telling her mom, but she knew Olivia couldn't believe the same woman who was accepting her relationship with Alex was the same woman Jane was afraid to come out to. No one gets that some parents act differently when it's their own daughter coming out.
Jane wanted a distraction―any distraction―and one came in the form of a handsome, blonde guy in a cowboy hat giving a piggyback ride to a brunette girl in short denim shorts and a white tank top with the words "Don't Mess With Texas" on it.
"Save a horse, ride a cowboy," Abbie winked once the guy she was with put her down.
"You must be Abbie," Alex said as she looked her up and down.
"Abbie Carmichael," She said as she shook their hands. "And this is Chet."
"Nice to meet you, ladies. " He tipped his hat and looked at Angela. "Ma'am."
"I didn't know chivalrous guys like you still existed," Angela smiled at him. "And that accent…"
"We're a long way from Texas when people think we have an accent," Abbie told Chet before turning to her roommates. "My luggage is still in Chet's truck. I just wanted to meet y'all first. " She reached for Chet's hand. "We'll be back."
"We might be back," Chet joked. "Y'all saw that elevator line."
"So, there's your twin," Angela said to Jane once Abbie and Chet had left.
"She seems nice," Alex said to Jane and Olivia. "I don't want you two ganging up on her."
"Look who's talking," Olivia laughed. "You were the one who insisted on being in here for reinforcement."
"That's irrelevant," Alex responded. "My roommate should be arriving soon and I want to meet her. I'll see you two later. Mrs. Rizzoli, it was very nice meeting you."
"You, too," Angela said as Alex prepared to leave.
Another awkward silence fell over the room once Alex had left and Jane worried that her mother would ask Olivia an embarrassing question, but much to her surprise, she gave Jane a hug. "I can see I'm leaving you in good hands. I love you, Janie."
"I love you, too, Ma."
"If you need anything let me know. Same goes for you, Olivia."
"Thanks, Mrs. Rizzoli," Olivia smiled at her.
"Bye, girls. Have fun," Angela said before she caught herself. "...not too much fun."
"Bye, Ma."
As Jane looked at the top bunk, she began to wish she had asked her mom to help her make the bed before she left.
"You look lost," Olivia commented. "You want me to help you?"
"You know how to make the bed on a top bunk?"
"I've gone to basketball camp for one week every summer since I was twelve and every year, I end up with the top bunk," Olivia informed her. "It sucks, which is why I knew I had to get here early. Lemme help you."
Jane opened up the Twin XL bed-in-a-bag comforter and sheets set that her mom had purchased for her and handed one of the sheets to Olivia. "Thanks."
Olivia climbed the ladder to sit in the middle of Jane's bed while Jane remained at the foot of the bed. "Your mom seems nice," Olivia said as she straightened out one of Jane's bed sheets. "And you call her 'Ma.' That's exactly what I was expecting."
"Really?" Jane laughed. "I'm still waiting for you to say 'yous guys.'"
"My mom's an English professor. She'd probably disown me if I said that."
"Why isn't she here?"
"The same reason Alex's parents aren't here," Olivia responded. "We know college is going to change us and our road trip over here is like our way of giving each other reassurance that we're always going to be there for each other and there were...other...benefits to that road trip."
"Like what?"
Jane and Olivia's conversation was interrupted by the sound of a key card and the door opening.
"We're back!" They heard Abbie say as she and Chet entered the room with her rolling luggage. "I hope you don't mind me bringing some of the guys along."
Jane wanted to intervene until she noticed no one entering the room after Abbie and Chet. "What guys?" She asked.
"It'd be un-Texan of us not to introduce you to our friends," Chet smirked.
Abbie unzipped her luggage and showed Jane and Olivia the bottles of alcohol that she had hidden with her clothes. "Our friends Jack, Jim, and Jose."
Jane was immediately filled with worry. "I don't know," she hesitated. "I've never drank before." And she hadn't despite the several opportunities that she was given during her high school experience. Jane had never passed up an invitation to party with her friends, but there were always tournaments, showcases, and scholarship opportunities to prepare for, so Jane had no choice but to be the designated driver and remain responsible while her friends drank and made questionable choices.
"Where are your chasers?" Olivia asked. Jane had no clue what chasers were, but she was too embarrassed to ask.
Abbie raised an eyebrow. "We don't do chasers."
Chet took a seat on a chair next to the desk underneath Abbie's loft bed. "Look, I can sense some tension between my Abbie and y'all, but it's move-in day and y'all are gonna be together for the next nine months, so let's just get drunk and make friends."
"I'll drink to that," Olivia smiled. "I'll buy some sodas from the vending machine. We can have Jack and Coke. Shots aren't my thing."
Jane nervously bit her lip. "Okay, but only one drink."
"My girlfriend lives in the same building as us," Olivia told Abbie and Chet. "Can I invite her?"
"Your girlfriend?" Abbie asked in disbelief.
It was the reaction Jane had expected, but still hoped would never happen. "Abbie, you follow Olivia on Instagram. You've seen pictures of her with her girlfriend Alex."
"I didn't know she was here," Abbie pointed out. "Jane, I follow you and Olivia, but I'm not a stalker. Besides, the two of you never tried to get to know me, either."
"I feel like a lot's gonna come out after a few shots," Chet laughed. "No pun intended."
"Shut up," Abbie glared at him.
"I'm texting my girlfriend," Olivia said to Jane. "I'll have her bring her roommate, her cute, hopefully gay roommate."
Jane sighed as she lied down on her bed, making sure she still left room for Olivia to comfortably sit down. "How do I know if she's…"
"Don't y'all wear rainbow flags or have gaydar?" Abbie interrupted.
"You're not born with it," Jane replied sarcastically. "You have to get the gaydar chip installed and I haven't made my appointment with the Lesbian Council yet."
"I've gotten mine," Olivia responded. "But I have a terrible data plan and I don't even get service in this building."
Abbie rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a long nine months."
"Alex confirmed," Olivia said excitedly. "She'll be here in fifteen minutes with her roommate. I'm going down the hall to the vending machine for some soda."
Fifteen minutes and counting. I don't even care about Alex bringing her roommate anymore; just please let me be able to handle whatever drinks they make me.