Chapter 2

Dorm Room Set-Up

After a few hours of traveling, the Cabots and Novaks pulled up to the dorm Alex and Casey would be staying in their freshman year. Luckily, they were able to coordinate with student services so that they could room together.

Climbing out of their fancy SUVs in the unloading zones, they were met with a student guide named Beth.

"Hi! Welcome to Columbia University! My name is Beth, and I'm here to help you out today. Are you staying in the Carman Hall?" Beth extended her hand to greet everyone.

"Yes!" Casey said excitedly. "My name is Casey and this is my best friend Alex!"

Alex gave a shy smile and a timid, "Hello."

"Welcome, Casey and Alex!" Beth looked down at her board to find their names. "Last names please?"

"Casey Novak and Alexandra Cabot," Casey proudly replied.

"Oh!" Beth said excitedly. "Are your fathers the attorneys I see on TV?"

"Yep, that would be me! Ronald Novak, at your service." Mr. Novak extended his hand to Beth, giving her a strong handshake.

"And I'm William Cabot." Mr. Cabot followed suit, taking Beth's hand in a strong handshake.

"Perfect! We welcome you all here with open arms. You will be staying on the 7th floor, room 712. Here are your keys!" Beth handed Casey and Alex each their own key to their room.

Looking over, a few other student staff members were loading Casey and Alex's bags onto trolleys.

"If you follow Chad and Ted here, they will take you to your room! Please let me know if you need any help." Beth waved to them as they began walking into the dorm, following the staff members' lead.

"Wow, Chad is cute," Casey whispered, nudging Alex's side.

"Eww," Alex whispered back. "He's not cute at all. You have horrible taste."

Casey held her mouth open and gasped. "You take that back. He's so cute! What about Ted?" Casey wiggled her eyebrows.

Alex looked at Ted carefully for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No."

"No, you're right. He's not cute. But Chad is super cute. Think I can flirt with him?" Casey bit her lip playfully, their parents not paying attention to their conversation.

"Case… we've been here," Alex dramatically checked her phone. "5 minutes. Keep it in your pants."

Casey laughed as they stepped into the elevator. She looked back at Chad and nodded to him as she smiled. He quickly looked her up and down and smirked as he nodded his head in return.

Casey almost melted on the spot, grinning widely and lowly squealing. Alex shook her head as they ascended up to the 7th floor.

Upon stepping out of the elevator and into the common room, they were met with several more staff at a table.

"Hi!" The young blonde extended her hand to give everyone a handshake. "My name is Amanda Rollins, and I'm your RA! Welcome to the 7th floor! What room are you in?"

"712," Alex spoke up, smiling.

Casey looked over at Alex, surprised she answered first. Alex was usually too shy to speak up.

"Perfect, follow me!" Amanda turned and led them down the hall towards their room. Alex couldn't help but quickly glance at the back of Amanda's jeans as she led them down the hall. While she thought she was sneaky, Casey noticed Alex's eyes wander. I knew it!

Carefully leaning in, making sure their parents were far enough back, Casey whispered, "I saw that!"

Alex shot Casey a nervous look as blush immediately started to sweep over her neck and cheeks. "Saw what?"

"You were totally checking her out!"

Alex scoffed. "I – I was not!" She was a terrible liar, especially to Casey.

"Mhm," Casey mumbled, elbowing Alex. "You know, it's okay, Alex. I love you no matter what."

Alex fumbled over her next few words. "I have n-no idea w-what you're t-talking about."

"Here we are! Room 712. Beth gave you your keys?" Amanda raised an eyebrow at the blonde and redhead.

Alex held her key up and smiled. Casey followed suit.

"Great! Want to try unlocking the door? It can be a little tricky," Amanda said.

Alex stepped right up to the door and put the key in the knob. She twisted to the left, but it didn't budge. She then tried to twist it to the right, but again, it didn't budge. Furrowing her brow, she tried wiggling the key both ways, and was met with nothing but resistance.

"My turn!" Casey said as Alex pulled away, annoyed at the tiny door knob. She too tried wiggling the keys every which way, and was met with nothing but a still-locked door. "What the heck!"

Chuckling, Amanda held out her hand to Alex, asking for her key. "May I?"

Alex gave a small smile as she handed the key to Amanda.

"Make sure you grab the doorknob and hold it firmly in place. The lock isn't like a regular door. Once you've got it, slightly turn the key to the right just a tiny bit, and then to the left." Alex and Casey watched as the key successfully turned all the way to the left, and the door opened. "The doors always lock when you shut them, so make sure you have your key! If you don't, you can always check in with me to help let you in."

Alex and Casey thanked Amanda and walked into their double room. There were two beds on opposite walls, two desks, a mini fridge, a microwave, two standing dressers, and two elongated dressers. Casey ran to one of the beds and jumped on it. "This one's mine!" Alex giggled and walked over to sit on the free bed. "Then this one's mine!"

Chad and Ted unloaded their bags in the center of the floor and exited. On his way out, Chad made sure to wink at Casey, who blushed as he left. Mrs. Novak, catching the gesture, gasped a little as she looked at Casey. "Casey! I saw that. Be careful around these boys."

"What?" Mr. Novak said concerned.

Casey scoffed. "Nothing, Dad. He just winked at me. Mom, chill, it's fine."

"Same goes for you, Alexandra," William Cabot boomed. "Be careful around these boys. I know you'll probably see a few handsome pre-law boys in your classes, but just be careful young lady."

Mrs. Cabot elbowed her husband. "Bill… Alexandra has always been more attuned to her studies than boys. Our little girl will be just fine!"

Alex gave a half-smile as she looked down at her hands. "Mom, Dad. I'll be okay."

"I know, dear." Tearing up, Mrs. Cabot came to give Alex another long hug. "Now, you girls have all weekend to unpack. Why don't we go grab some lunch and then go get some things for your room?"

The Cabots and Novaks spent the next several hours buying supplies and other various items for Alex and Casey. They bought study materials, snacks, decorations, and other products the girls thought they would need. On the way back, they all had stopped at a pizza shop to have lunch. Once back at the dorm, after everything was unloaded, their parents said their goodbyes, and Casey and Alex were finally on their own.

"It's me and you, Lex!" Casey said, sprawled out on her bed. "No freaking parents!"

"I know," Alex agreed, setting up her desk for makeup and studying. "It's weird."

"We are literally free to do what we want! We can talk about whatever and not worry about them overhearing anything! This is awesome!" Casey was full of excitement.

Alex on the other hand, was still pretty nervous about being here. Nevertheless, she giggled at Casey's response. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Speaking of…" Casey walked over and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "You were totally checking out Amanda, weren't you?"

Alex immediately sat her things down on the desk and turned a bright red. "No!"

"Lex…" Casey warned. "It's literally okay. It actually makes so much more sense."

Alex turned to face Casey, still blushing. "What do you mean?"

Casey grabbed her chair and sat in front of Alex, taking her hands in hers. "Lexie… last time you had a boyfriend was 7th grade. You were weirdly obsessed with Mrs. Potter in our Government class in 10th grade. Jimmy Calhoun asked you to dance at the prom, and you turned him down. Jimmy freaking Calhoun. You never talk about boys, ever. And when I suggest someone is cute, you always say no. It's okay if you like girls, Alex."

Alex felt herself becoming even more red, as some tears stung her eyes. "I… I don't know what I like, Case. I've never even kissed anyone."

Casey wrapped her arms around Alex and pulled her into a tight hug. "Girl, let's talk this out. I want you to think about kissing a boy, right now."

Alex closed her eyes and thought about kissing Jimmy in high school. She imagined them dancing at the prom and him pulling her into a long kiss after a slow song.

"What do you feel?" Casey asked.

"Uhh… nothing?" Alex asked, opening her eyes.

"Okay. Now, think about kissing Amanda."

Alex swallowed before closing her eyes. In her mind, she thought about Amanda pushing her against the door of her room and giving her a long kiss as she wrapped her arms around her waist. She then imagined Amanda putting her tongue in her mouth, swirling with hers. Alex immediately felt her stomach flutter – a feeling she rarely had. She opened her eyes and gasped.

Casey looked at Alex with a giant smirk. "Different, huh?"

"Uhm…" Alex was embarrassed to admit what she felt. But, her lower abdomen was still fluttering and burning from the thought, her skin still flushed. She began to fan her skin, willing her blush to calm down.

Casey chuckled. "Jeez, Lex. Did you think about kissing her or doing her?"

Alex gasped and slapped Casey's knee. "Casey! Just… just kissing."

"And you feel like that? Girl, I'd hate to see you think about anything more then." Casey continued to poke fun at her best friend.

Alex groaned and put her head in her hands. "Casey, I've never really felt this… feeling and you know that."

"You mean, horny?" Casey prodded, eyebrow raised.

"Eww, don't say that word!"

"Lex, it's normal! You're almost 19! For God's sake, I started masturbating years ago. It's okay to feel attracted to someone. It's innocent." Casey was really trying to comfort Alex.

"Oh my God, Casey! Gross!" Alex shook her hands to shoo Casey away.

"Lex… there's no way you've seriously never… never?!"

Alex shook her head as she folded her arms.

"Oh my God. That's it. College is going to change you! I'm gonna help you bed one of these girls, Lex. And if not bed them, at least make out with them. Then, you're going to learn what an orgasm is." Casey had her arm around Alex. "I'll be your wing woman. What kinda girls are you into, anyways? Obviously blondes."

Alex put her head in her hands and groaned. "Casey… calm down. I'm not "bedding" any girls, and I'm certainly not letting you be my wing woman. I'm here to study. And… I don't know what girls I'm into. I've never thought about it."

"Well, what makes Amanda cute to you?" Casey asked.

"Her… voice? Her accent is so… different. I don't know, it's… hot?" Alex was blushing again, groaning into her hands. "So, I just looked at her butt. It's not a big deal."

"So you're into accents then?" Casey pondered, her chin resting in her hand.

"Maybe. I don't know. Her little southern accent made me want to hear her talk more. Is that weird?" Alex's eyebrows were furrowed, trying to justify her attraction.

Casey gave Alex a big smile. "No, Lex. It's not weird. It's adorable. Now, come on! Let's finish decorating."