Status: First story! Hope you enjoy :)

Sanctuary

"Bets on Long Shots"

She backed into the wooden door, shoving it open and taking a breath of the musky air that was released into her face. Coughing, she dropped the box on the squeaky mattress and looked around her new home. Room 401. This was it.

She looked at herself in the floor length mirror hung over the back of the door. Her brown hair was disheveled, haphazardly thrown over her shoulders. She tightened her halter and took a deep breath. Her brother would be up here any minute with the last of her bags. And then he would leave, giving her time to unpack and settle in before her roommate arrived.

"Jesus, Taryn, you're in college. Not moving across the country," her brother, James, joked. He stumbled through the door, dropping three duffel bags and leaning against the doorframe in defeat. He ran his fingers through his light brown hair. "Your shit weighs a ton."
"Thank you," she said sweetly, giving him a hug. "I've got it from here. Drive safe. Tell Mom and Dad I love them and I'll call them on Sunday."

He nodded his head, patting her shoulder before heading back out the way he had come. She loved her brother so much. Since they were little, he had always been there for her whenever she needed help away from her parents. He was only three years older, and she had liked to think they were inseparable. If only he could stay a little longer. Oh, well. She was eager to get started, anyway.

She glanced out the window at the sprawling campus. She wrenched the window open, letting some fresh air in and inhaling deeply. Brighton College was stunning, she thought. Nevermind the near-100-degree stuffy heat. The campus was beautiful, everyone here seemed happy, and it was hundreds of miles from home. Everything she needed.

"Knock knock!" a cheerful voice said. A cute blond poked her head in the room. "Taryn?"

"Hi!" she said, turning around. "Are you...Hallie?"

The girl squealed, dropping her duffel bag and hurrying across the room. She threw her arms around Taryn, squeezing her tight. "It's so great to meet you. God, you're even prettier in person!"

As she pulled away, Taryn took a better look at her new roommate. Hallie Ferris. About the same height, slightly more muscular, shoulder-length straight blond hair, bright green eyes. If anything, she was the one who looked more beautiful in person. They had met in a Brighton chat room, immediately clicking over a shared interest in music. Almost right away, Taryn knew that she and Hallie would get along. Hallie was nothing like her friends from back home, but that's exactly the way she wanted it.

"So, my parents are on their way up with my cart of stuff, but as soon as they leave, we can unpack and get to know each other!" Hallie said cheerfully. "God, I'm so glad to be back here!"

"I can't wait for you to tell me everything." Taryn smiled back at her, eager to hear Hallie's stories about this place. Taryn was a transfer student from the state university back home. She hadn't quite enjoyed her freshman year, so it was refreshing to be surrounded by something completely new.

Within the next hour, the girls quickly got to talking and unpacking their many bags. The cold cinder-block walls eventually began to fade as pictures and posters went up. The girls had chosen a black and maroon color scheme for their room, and by the time they were finished, Taryn was pleased at how warm and inviting it looked.

"So what's next?" Taryn asked, sliding the last of her hangers into the closet and sliding the door shut. She stretched her back, smoothing out her comforter and sitting on top of it. She watched as Hallie tidied up her desk, adjusting a picture frame on its shelf.

"All the freshmen are still doing orientation stuff, so we kind of have the rest of the day to do whatever we want. Tonight, we have a floor meeting so we can meet our RA's, go over rules, that whole thing," Hallie replied with a casual wave of her hand. "I can show you around campus if you'd like!"

"That'd be awesome," Taryn said excitedly, fighting the urge to stay inside and take everything in. "Are your friends all here?"

"I haven't heard from them," Hallie said, checking her phone for texts. "They're all excited to meet you, though."

"No pressure," Taryn laughed. "Hopefully they like me." Hallie's friends, from what she had told Taryn, seemed nice. Apparently they knew how to have a good time, which Taryn was undoubtedly looking forward to.

"No worries. They definitely will," Hallie said, sitting cross-legged on her own bed. "I'll tell them to come on a walk with us. Maybe we can grab lunch in town or something."

"Okay!" Taryn said, grinning at her new roommate. Her phone chimed and she slid it out of her back pocket. A friend from last semester, lamenting that Taryn wasn't there with her. She pursed her lips, fighting the urge to text back. If she wanted to do this, she had to leave it all behind. Everything. She didn't want to risk anyone getting in the way of her new life.

Hallie's phone lit up with a message, and she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Okay, they're waiting for us downstairs. Ahhh, this will be so fun!" She slid on a pair of pink flip flops and grabbed her purse. "Ready?!"

Taryn smiled, sliding her phone back into her pocket and pushing the doubt from her mind as she stood up to follow Hallie from the room. So far, things were going well. And she was not about to let her insecurities bring her down again.
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First chapter! Not sure how often I'll be updating, but I'm excited to be writing again, so expect the first couple chapters within the next week! Any feedback would be much appreciated! I'm sort of new at publishing my writing (I've been writing for years but always hate showing other people), so I love any comments or suggestions.

To be honest, I don't know where I want this story to go yet, so I'm taking it as it comes. This idea's a bit personal to me, so I'm excited to see where it'll end up.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this! It means the world :) Please comment, and subscribe!

Song: 'To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts' by Matt Nathanson