September, Freshman Year of University
Katniss took a deep breath as the elevator doors slid open to reveal her dorm floor. Swallowing thickly, she stepped out onto the patterned red carpet and pulled her bags behind her. Bright, colourful doors contrasted the plain gray walls that surrounded her, each marked with a number and the names of the girls sharing the room.
She heard excited squeals echoing from inside some of the dorms she passed, and briefly wondered if that was how she and her roommates would greet each other.
Would they be nice? Rude? Would they have any classes together? The paper she clutched so tightly in her hand held no clues, and simply held her room number, and both girls' names.
She reached the end of the hall, and turned to look at her new front door.
16H
Katniss Everdeen
Johanna Mason
Margaret Undersee
Just looking at the other names scared her.
Clutching the strap of her black duffel bag tightly, she straightened her back, and knocked on the door. There was no answer at first, then some shuffling could be heard from inside.
"I'll get it!" a voice offered, a male voice, she noted.
To her surprise, she was met by a shirtless boy. He grinned at her, and ran a hand through his messy blond hair.
Flustered, she opened up her paper to see if this was the right room.
"You must be Madge's other roommate." The boy said, an amused smile gracing his lips. "She's been dying to meet you. Katniss, right?"
She could only manage a nod. She couldn't trust her speech at a time like this.
"I'm Peeta Mellark, nice to meet you."
They shook hands, and he stepped aside to allow her in. Just as she entered the room, another girl stepped out from the bathroom. Wearing a white lace dress, and her blond hair pulled back in a matching white bow, she was the vision of perfection.
"The girls next door are interesting, they just—oh, hello!" the girl exclaimed when she caught sight of Katniss. She broke out into a warm smile and waved. "You must be Katniss. Sorry, I hope Peeta wasn't bothering you too much."
She flashed a warning look to the boy, and he grinned sheepishly before taking a seat on the couch.
"Actually, he was being a perfect gentleman." Katniss said, feeling Peeta's stare on her back. "And you must be Margaret."
She rolled her eyes. "Officially, yes, but everyone calls me Madge." She gestured to the three doors lined up along the far wall, and Katniss caught sight of one marked with a black K. "Those are the bedrooms. We share a bathroom and living room with the girls next door, and we have a fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker in the kitchen as well."
The room was larger than she had pictured, and the bay window on the side gave way to a great view of the city below.
Katniss nodded her approval and set her bags down in front of the door. "It looks great. I didn't think a dorm would be this big."
"It pays off to attend the best university in the country," Madge laughed, opening the door to the bedroom.
Stark white walls greeted her, accompanied by an empty mattress and a bare closet. "What do you think? I mean you can always move the furniture, and once you put all your stuff in—"
"I love it," Katniss interrupted. The room was simple; which suited her just fine. She placed her bag on the bed, and sat down to take in her surroundings.
"I'll leave you to get settled in," Madge said, beginning to back out of the room. "I was thinking of going out for dinner tonight, would you like to come? I've already convinced Johanna to skip the clubbing for tonight."
"If I'm settled in by then, I'm all for it."
Madge grinned. "Fantastic!" With that, she closed the door behind her and silence surrounded her.
Glancing around at her bags and boxes, Katniss took a deep breath and began to set up her new home.
Madge reappeared at 7:00pm donning a pair of jeans and a blue blouse. Her hair remained in its ribbon, but it suited her nonetheless.
"Are you ready to go? She's waiting down in the lobby."
"Just about," she replied, slipping on her brown jacket, a going away gift from her father. Slipping on a pair of black flats, she stood up. "Let's go."
They took the elevator down to meet Johanna, who wasn't too hard to find.
A girl whose attire screamed rebellion stood by the doors and argued with a taller guy, who Katniss thought to look familiar. Peeta was trying to pull the two apart with the help of his other roommate, a bronze-haired gentleman who had more sex-appeal in his finger than she had in her whole body.
"What has she gotten into now?" Madge said, shaking her head as they approached the group. To her dismay, Peeta dragged the other boy out the doors before Katniss could get a good look at his face.
"Calm down, Jo. There's no need to pick fights with everyone you meet." The remaining boy said, pulling Johanna aside. He made eye contact with Katniss at that moment, and shot her a wink.
"Don't hit on my roommates, Odair. They're off limits." Johanna said, shrugging out of his grip. She nodded in acknowledgment to her and Madge before brushing herself off. "Don't worry, I'm doing you two a favour."
"Or just ruining my fun," he teased, and extended a hand out to them. "I'm Finnick, Finnick Odair."
"The one in the braid is Katniss, and Blondie is Madge. Can we get going now?" Johanna snapped, slapping his hand away. He looked offended for a brief second before a smirk slid back onto his face.
"We should get going, the restaurant's about a five minute walk." Madge said, breaking the present silence in the room.
"I look forward into running into you ladies again," Finnick said, bowing slightly at the waist. He flashed them a final smile before disappearing down the hall.
"Friend of yours?" Katniss asked Johanna who simply rolled her eyes.
"You could say that."
Madge glanced down at her phone, and nodded at the two of them.
"Let's go, girls. Our table awaits us."
They had dinner at one of the trendy Italian restaurants downtown, Cornucopia.
Conversation flowed well throughout the meal, and the girls really got to know one another. Katniss learned that Johanna was a Law and political science major, while Madge was studying literature and early childhood education. The three of them had more in common than previously thought, and ended up staying out until midnight for coffee and dessert.
"You know, you guys aren't as bad as I thought." Johanna said as they arrived back at the room, "Which makes living with you a hell of a lot easier."
"I could say the same for you, Mason." Katniss laughed, slipping her heels off and draping her coat over the hook. Madge shook her head and laughed.
"Goodnight you two," she called out over her shoulder as she entered her room. "Orientation is tomorrow, and we need to be up early."
"Thanks, mom." Johanna teased, closing the door behind her.
Katniss waved and nodded. "Night, Madge."
"Goodnight, Katniss."
She closed the door softly behind her, and changed into her pajamas before slipping into bed. The sounds of the city could still be heard below, and it was oddly comforting.
Though she was a long way from home, in a town where no one knew her name, it wasn't as terrifying as she first thought.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges and an unpredictable future, but now she knew she wouldn't have to face it alone.
Thanks for reading! I'll update when I can, but I am still in school so I may just do a weekly post.
Who do you want together? Let me know what you think.
Till next time,
~FourofSpades