Author's Note: Inspired. And I kinda love the AU-ness of this fic and I have never ventured into the college years before, so it is a nice change of pace for me. I have been hit with this urge to write again – new year's resolutions will do that to you – and I've decided to ensure that I make the time to do the things I truly love doing. Do people even use this site anymore? If you do, please review. They mean the world to writers, and it was so nice to see dianehermans still kicking it and showing such wonderful, unwavering support 3
Anywho, enjoy the latest instalment and happy 2022, everyone!
- Chrissy
~ My Favourite Game ~
x~X~x
Chapter Two: The Roommate
My first day had not gone as expected. Not in the slightest.
And I was pissed!
Storming through the front doors of my dormitory on the eastern part of campus, I heard the distinct loud snap of the handle as I projected myself into the tiny lobby. It was tiny by my own standards, having grown up in a rather large home that left me wanting for nothing, but something about the place had felt inviting when I first arrived. It housed a few small couches and an even tinier front desk where a rather surprised older girl sat, and by the look on her face now, I suspected that everyone could feel the anger radiating from me.
The pissed mist, as Clay so eloquently put it.
Oh yes, it was seeping from my very pores as I trudged past the shocked onlookers and made my way directly to my room. Stomping down the hallway, I approached the familiar door of safety and rifled through my bag until I felt the cool sharpness of metal keys, their cold touch doing nothing to alleviate the anger and frustration that boiled inside me. I jammed them in the keyhole, switched the lock and then pushed myself inside, closing my eyes as I leaned against the door and pushed it shut behind me with a forceful push from my shoulder blades.
Bang.
"Fuck!" I expelled as I slammed my tiny fists into the door behind me, the frustration and anger pouring out of me in that single syllable like a flood. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!"
"Rough first day?"
Her calm, smooth and completely unexpected voice bolted through me like a bolt of lightning. My eyes shot open, and I gasped – loudly – from the sheer shock of it all, her hands immediately throwing themselves into the air in a sign of surrender.
"Jesus!" Two syllables expelled from my lips this time. Progress was progress, right?
"Whoa, sorry… sorry!"
With her hands still in the air, she slowly rose to her feet and offered a small smile, an apologetic expression softening my surprise as I felt my breathing begin to slow to a more acceptable and less frantic rate. She reached out her hand then, uncertainty still clear in her eyes and her stance as it felt like it took an eternity for her hand to reach within the vicinity of my own.
"Sorry," she rasped again, edging slowly and ever so cautiously. I really must have looked like a god damned lunatic. Feral, wild, and dramatic. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Haley James, your roommate?"
She said her name like a question, clearly hoping that the mere sound of it might register some form of recognition in me and somehow relay that information to my now half-functioning brain. The name registered in some foreign nether region of my slowly returning brain, somewhere in the very back of my mind, and I nodded in return, taking her hand in mine and giving it a small shake. It was basically all I could muster in the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling. As if sensing my inability to form a sentence, she stepped backwards and smiled nervously once more, bringing her hands to clasp together in front of her.
"Sorry again, I honestly didn't mean to startle you." She slid back down onto her bed and pulled at the box that lay there, a small, satisfied smile forming on her lips as she pulled out a copy of Little Women and slid it onto the nightstand. "I'm actually really glad to finally meet you. It's always a nervous gamble who might end up sharing your space with, right?"
To be honest, I hadn't really thought about it. I had already made the decision to not have a relationship with my roommate, whomever it was, so it was of no consequence to me who they turned out to be. I was determined to be a lone rider, after all. But I could at least be civil and form some sort of rapport with her if we were to share the space for the next year, at least. It would definitely make my life a little easier.
And after the morning I had had, I needed all the help I could get on that front.
"Right," I breathed back, sliding my bag strap over my head, and allowing it to fall the floor before making my way to sit on my own bed. We faced each other in silence for a while, an uncomfortable hush forming between us.
"So," she spoke suddenly, looking from side to side as she pursed her lips together. "My classes don't start until tomorrow, but I am assuming yours began today?" Gesturing to my bag, she continued. "Anything interesting?"
"Introduction to American Literature," I explained, trying my darndest to hide my annoyance as the memories of the class came flooding back. "You read?"
I motioned towards her copy of Little Women and waited, silently cursing the fact that I had to sit here and engage in small talk when all I really wanted to do was grab my gym gear and commit to a few rounds with a punching bag.
"Doesn't everybody?" she asked in mock surprise, a grin forming as a short scoff escaped her lips. More silence. Followed by a sigh and a short huff of amusement from my new roommate. "My god, aren't we a pair?"
"I'm sorry-" the confusion in my tone was evident but she ignored it, throwing a hand in the air as if to wave it away.
"This is my first day of college. My first day. I had this idea in my head of how it was going to go – right down the finer details of what my room would look like, what song could be playing on my phone. Hell, I even created a Spotify playlist for this event."
She laughed at herself then as if she finally heard how ridiculous she sounded, and I couldn't help by feel for her in that moment. Because I knew what it felt like to want something so badly and to have it not turn out the way you hoped. It stung.
"I was going to bask in the sunlight that bore down on me as I began this new journey. I was going to be greeted by all the like-minded people, you know, the people like me and not one of them would have a personality even slightly resembling those morons I had to deal with in high school, and we were all going to spend our days studying in the library, or drinking lattes in a sun-drenched courtyard… and, just… I don't know." Her shoulders slumped, a sigh escaping her lips.
"I get here and the front desk lady didn't even have my name down on the list, so it took about an hour to get into my room. In the meantime, a bird had done its business on my suitcase outside, the coffee machine in the common room broke as I was making my first ever college coffee, and to top it all off I meet my roommate," she glanced in my direction, tilting her head to the side as she clarified – "Which I'm very excited about, by the way, and wouldn't you know it, our first exchange is the word fuck! I mean, really? F-u-ck?"
The way she emphasised the last word as she glanced at me with her warm chocolate orbs that enlarged at the sheer thought of it all, was probably the moment I realised I was going to have a hard time ignoring Haley James. Her personality was bubblier than mine, but her dry wit and her sense of irony was something I could get on board with, and it was at that precise moment that we both broke down in laughter and just looked at one-another.
This was definitely one of the more interesting ways to meet someone new. I suddenly didn't feel like punching anything… as much.
"Well, fuck," she said, tiny bursts of laughter slipping from her lips as she tried to compose herself. "At least I got the bird shit off my bag."
I laughed again, holding my hand to my mouth as if to try and force myself to stop. It was no use. Her giggle alone would make me start up again. We laughed until our sides hurt and we both slipped down onto the carpet, Haley reaching for her side drawer and pulling out a bag of candy, throwing it onto the floor between us and motioning for me to help myself.
"So," she breathed, pulling a red Twizzler to her lips and sucking on the end. "I take it your day didn't go as planned, either?"
I shook my head, signing as I grabbed a Hershey's kiss. I sighed deeply, leaning back on the brace of the bed and shrugging. When I said no more, she just looked at me raising her eyebrows as if to urge me to continue. When I still said nothing, she shook her head and motioned to her suitcase that was sitting in the direct sunlight on her bed, drying out.
"Shit on bag, remember? It cannot be any worse than that."
"It's complicated," I began, unsure how to possibly explain the thoughts and feelings that raged within me. It would take days just to explain why I was so guarded in the first place, and even then, I couldn't tell her about Clay because then the jig would well and truly be up.
"Male or female complicated?" she asked, a look of warmth spreading over her features. There was something about her that was comforting, but there was also something about me that was equally distrusting and that part of me had been festering for quite some time. It was hard to let it go – it was a protective measure that stopped me from being used. Like a shield, it stopped me from being tossed away.
It stopped me from being hurt.
"I ran away to college. Literally ran away. College was the only way I could break free from my horrible life back home. Not from my family, they're great. Great parents, kind sisters, all that jazz. But school? Ugh, that was a warzone in and of itself. I needed to escape, and I guess that's why I made up this grand story in my head about how perfect it would be coming here and coming into my own, you know?" She sighed then, smacking her lips together with a pop. "And probably why I was so bitterly disappointed when it turned out to be less than what I'd hoped for."
I opened my eyes at her words and noticed she had become more subdued. There was more to her story and perhaps I was being a little too harsh, too soon. Perhaps I was being a little too defensive, too soon. She was trying to reassure me with her own experience which was oddly familiar and definitely one I could understand. People didn't really try that hard for me. They tried to get to me for Clay, and I was always wary of it – but Haley knew nothing about him. Hell, with a copy of Little Women on her nightstand, she probably knew nothing of basketball, period.
The thought warmed me.
"I had my first class today and I unfortunately got paired up with someone I was hoping to spend my entire college life avoiding." I groaned at the thought of it as Haley sent a sympathetic look my way. "He just really gets under my skin. He's arrogant, presumptuous, and… he's… he's… "
"Gorgeous?" she asked, her gaze sliding down towards my fists that had somehow curled themselves into tiny balls of annoyance as I thought of him. When I didn't answer she took that as a sign to drop it, but between us we both knew she had hit the nail no the head and her lack of pushing the issue made me appreciate her even more.
"I get it," she nodded, sliding her legs to the side, and clutching at her ankles to steady herself. "It's not easy being around people that we don't like. I should know, I basically left all those people behind when I came here. Fresh start, and all. Annoying too, that they get to be genetically blessed and an asshole."
"Exactly," I breathed, the air expelling from my lips slowly in a loud whoosh. I could feel the tenseness starting to leave my body, thankful for her understanding. She flicked the bag of candy towards me again, a smile coming to her lips as she encouraged me to take some more. It was like a mini therapy session on the floor of our dorm room, and I was thankful for it.
I was thankful for her.
"Like I said, don't we make a pair?" She winked then, gazing over at her suitcase and frowning. "I don't think that will dry anytime soon."
"Are you hungry?" I offered, rising to my feet and reaching out my hand to her. "Since you've only just arrived, I could actually show you around and perhaps we could grab some lunch together?"
Haley smiled as she took my hand, pulling herself up and nodding her head in agreement. "Sounds perfect. Let me grab my key, and wallet, and err… maybe something nicer to wear?" She began rummaging through her closet and pulling her bottom lip in with her teeth as she considered her options.
"Still trying to live the college fantasy?"
"You never know," she mused, raking a hand through her hair, and pulling at some dresses that hung in her closet as she turned to face me. "Some fantasies might still yet come true."
x~X~x
The cafeteria was too jam-packed for my liking and so we grabbed a couple of sandwiches from the cart after I had given Haley the grand tour of all the places I'd been able to scope out since my arrival the week prior. That basically included the library, all places for food and coffee, the quad, and now my favourite spot on the lawn that flowed between the law and humanities buildings. Taking refugee under a large tree that somehow managed to provide enough shade to house the entire student population, we leaned back and enjoyed the afternoon breeze, chatting idly about her family and our dreaded high school experiences and finding out that we actually got along.
It was oddly comforting to see our stories were not too dissimilar, either. We'd both been misunderstood and tormented in high school. I just left out the part about my brother unwillingly and unknowingly being the root cause of my situation. It seemed hollow compared to what she had been through, even if it left its mark all the same. What I came to find out was that Haley was from a rather large family, with a pair of pretty relaxed parents called Jimmy and Lydia who were wild and excitable and were more friend-like than parent-like, which meant she had matured faster than most. She also had a bevy of annoyingly beautiful sisters and a handful of annoyingly handsome brothers, as she liked to refer to them. Being the youngest, she was never alone but she felt as though she had no privacy in her house, and though many kids would have loved to have had six other siblings, Haley hated the idea equally as much as she loved them. Her home was her haven and her hell, but it would often be the only thing that kept her together when she needed to hide from the trauma of high school.
But she couldn't stay hidden away forever, and so that notion was what had brought her venturing out on her own and into my life. She wasn't too far from home, just an hour's drive, but she felt left alone. She felt left alone. That feeling soothed her, and I completely understood what she meant by that. It was a nice story, albeit different from mine.
My story was too depressing for a first meet and so I gave Haley the highlights. Mother and father still together, half-brother who was pretty cool, and plenty of money but never any freedom. High school was also hell, and I was happy to be done with it and venturing out on my own. I also may have skipped the part of my brother going to the same college and being the team's star recruitment, but I liked Haley and I didn't want to scare her off. It was a simple explanation, but it was the truth. For some reason, Haley had already become someone I felt bonded with, and I wanted to protect her. It wasn't what I had anticipated, but it was what it was.
So we spent the next couple of hours swapping stories of favourite books, favourite movies, favourite colours, and every other girly 'favourite' that Haley could come up with, which was surprisingly a lot… and what was even more surprising was that I didn't actually mind it. It felt almost as if my shitty day had been turned into a normal day. Like somehow the world was titling back on its axis and cutting me some slack. That this was what it felt like to have a friend.
It was nice.
Until it wasn't.
"Davis."
The sound of his voice washed over me and turned my blood ice cold the second I heard it. I didn't want to open my eyes and acknowledge its existence, but the sudden disappearance of the warmth of the sun meant he was already standing above me and casting a shadow over me like some sort of omen. I would look like an absolute bitch to Haley if I pretended the guy didn't exist.
As tempting as that was.
Sighing loudly, I opened both eyes and hit him with my best annoyed expression as I rose from my lounging position to a seated one. Haley lowered the drink bottle from her mouth and I noticed her eyes widen slightly, but she said nothing and waited, as did the crowd of onlookers who had suddenly noticed who was standing before us. God, it was like he came with his very own atmosphere.
"Scott." Annoyed, sharp, and to the point. He wasn't getting anything else from me.
"Ever the cheery one," Lucas laughed, flawless pearly whites forming into one perfect grin as his shoulders rose and fell with his soft chuckle. I could have sworn I could hear the collective sigh of everyone around me at the sound of his laugh. I scoffed and brought myself to my feet, reaching for my own drink bottle as I stood before him.
"I save my cheery side for those who have earned it."
"Noted," he smirked, arrogance and annoyance clashing in the space between us. He looked from me to Haley and then back again, that smouldering gaze returning to him as I tried to ignore the knot in my stomach.
"What do you want?"
"My place, tomorrow." His turn to be to the point and yet his words caught me off-guard a little. He knew it, too and it only seemed to spurn him on. Why were my legs so damn stiff all a sudden?
"Resounding no," I countered, looking at him like he had three heads and had just uttered the most ridiculous three words that had ever been voiced between two people. My reaction somehow made him grin even wider and I forced myself to untwist all the twisty feelings that bubbled within me.
"But I can guarantee there are plenty of willing people here that would kindly take me place." I pushed my hands out wide, pointing at the sea of eyes that had somehow become our captive audience. Some blushed and looked away whilst others bit their lips and widened their eyes in eager anticipation.
"But I want you."
I swallowed. Hard. I wasn't normally nervous about being around guys because I pretty much hated them all and I had been dealing with them sniffing around for many years. But this time it felt different. This time I was nervous, and it annoyed the shit out of me.
"I'm here with my friend," my voice croaked out, gesturing to Haley who still hadn't moved an inch since Lucas arrived. He turned to look at her and she rose to her feet, a curious look casting a shadow over her features.
"Do you know much about Fitzgerald?" He directed his question towards her, but his gaze never left mine. Haley nodded in response and mumbled a soft 'yeah' as Lucas smiled victoriously at me.
"Great," he replied, titling his head to the side as he motioned towards the parking lot. "You can come with us, then. Meet me in the parking lot in fifteen. I have to check out a book first, but I can drive us all to the house. Peyt and Jake will meet us there."
Before I could even provide my rebuttal, he turned and jogged off, waving to a few players who yelled out his name as he made his way across the grass and disappeared into the building that housed the library. As soon as he left the whispers erupted around us and Haley turned to look at me, a wave of defeat washing over me as I looked at her.
"I'm so sorry," I quickly apologised, shaking my head as I spoke. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
Her eyes rounded in disbelief and she let out a laugh as she began to pack up her things in haste.
"Are you kidding me? That was LUCAS SCOTT. Lucas FREAKING Scott. Basketball prodigy and all-round sporting hero. My god, my brothers would die if they knew we were going to his house…and you're acting like I'm doing you a favour?"
Okay, so she knew him.
She laughed again and reached for my hand, pulling me across the grounds in the direction of our dormitory with an excited urgency. She refused any further apology, and I couldn't help but smile, thankful that our collective shitty first days had ended with at least one of us being happy.
Although perhaps I was speaking too soon considering I had no idea what to expect from the night ahead.
x~X~x
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