Surrender the Night

"Take a deep breath, Roxy. She'll get it eventually. It's only a matter of time." I tried reassuring myself as my forehead met the door to my dorm room. Defeated, I took a look at my hand, and grimaced at the glowing red undertone. Too many slaps against the door and none prevailed. Defeated was an understatement.

It was the night before classes started, and college was not going off to a great start. Falling victim to the human brain's tendency to forget important things, my dorm key was resting on top of my pillow. I could see it clear as day in my head, of course. But the blaring music coming from inside told me that my roommate could not put two and two together.

I turned around slowly, feeling a little like a ghost, and began sliding down the wall. Katy Perry could not get any louder, I assumed, so I decided I might as well enjoy it while Leah has her fun.
Taking out a piece of gum, I began chewing as I looked back and forth in the dorm hall. It had been surprisingly vacant since I started banging on the door. And it also smelled like the elderly. Not that I was terribly bothered by it but where were all the new students? Partying maybe? Getting ahead in their studies? Oh right, it was normal to be in your dorm at 9pm. I wouldn't exactly know that, though.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a door to my left open. The footsteps were heavy on the carpet and then they happened to cease in front of my body.

"Yo."

I peered up and made eye contact with a brute. He was all muscle and brawn. Mr. Clean himself, but less bald.

"Hello," I mumbled, sitting up, crossing my legs.

"Locked out?"

"You bet."

"Ask the Resident Advisor?" He asked me like I hadn't been there yet. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'd say... that was probably one of the first things I tried. Wasn't there. Thanks though." I was dead set on making sure he heard the sarcasm, but he wasn't budging.

"Who's your roomie?"

"Leah Hayward."

He smirked, leaning towards my door. Getting ready to knock, I interrupted him.

"I have tried that. Tried kicking, screaming. Basically anything a child does to get attention."

"But I'm a dude," he looked down at me, big ol' smug look on his face. "Plus, I know Leah. She loves me."

"Yeah okay," I said, rolling my eyes. "Being a guy gives you unmatched abilities apparently. Like people being able to hear you over the full volume of their music."

He ignored me and told me to brace myself, as he balled his hand into a fist. It took me a second to realize he was serious and the next thing I know, I'm shaking to each contact of his hand to the door. Holy shit, that was brutal.

"Leah!" His voice boomed through the empty hall and I looked up and down it again, cringing at how loud this man was. And yet, nobody opened their doors to check things out.

I couldn't believe it but the music had stopped almost instantly at his voice, and I quickly stood up, feeling like I had shrunk five inches next to him. I hurriedly grabbed my bag, tossing it over my shoulder when the door whipped open and there she was in all her glory. Windblown and eyes wide, Leah held out her hand towards my savior, not sure what to do with it exactly. He grabbed it anyway, shaking it awkwardly but she had hardly noticed how weird it looked. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, my eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them.

"Oh my god!" She shrieked, running into his chest. Seeing it was like seeing a small animal hit a boulder. "I was so hoping I'd run into you Austin. Didn't think this soon."

"Same," he grinned, placing his hands upon her shoulders. "Your roomie's been out here for a good while. How long you think?"

I placed my hand upon my hip, trying to be condescending but it probably didn't look right. "I'd say... Forty five minutes?"

"Oh," Leah giggled, her face turning bright red as she tried her best to avoid eye contact. I was onto her. "Silly me. I get carried away with my music sometimes."

"What were you doing in there?" I groaned, squeezing myself in between them and the doorway.

"N-Nothing. See you tomorrow?" I heard her ask Austin as I triumphantly snatched the dorm key right off my bed. It stood out like a sore thumb against the bright white of the pillow. Total disbelief at the fact that she never noticed it. I turned back towards them, watching Leah fumble over herself, awaiting his response. He didn't say anything but instead, looked past her at me.

"Don't I get a thank you?" He winked, which had absolutely no effect on me whatsoever.

"Oh right. Thanks." I replied, tone as flat as a piece of paper. She would've opened the door eventually. It was just a matter of time... Maybe a few hours. I've been through worse.

He didn't push it and they continued their conversation in hushed voices. I was not interested enough to keep listening in, so instead I dumped out the contents of my bag onto the comforter. I tried my best to keep everything organized as soon as I made it here. With help from my mother, who was an absolute freak about cleanliness, we had turned the dorm into an almost identical version of my room back home. Much smaller of course, a little more condensed, but it was definitely comfy. Leah, on the other hand, was the epitome of destruction. We had only been here a few days, getting settled, but her side was already on the verge of bursting into flames. In fact, I'd been constantly checking the outlets every time she left the room to make sure nothing was covering them. I'll be damned if this bedroom caught on fire due to her being an airhead.

"What the hell, Roxy?" She whispered, dragging her feet over to me as I frantically searched for my class list. I looked over at her, eyebrows raised in question. "How long were you guys out there for? Talking?"

"Literally met him, open door. So like two minutes."

"Why did he wink at you then?"

"Because my attitude turns him on? What else?" I joked, bumping my shoulder into her's but she hardly found me amusing.

Leah kept her eyes on me, glaring, as she backed up towards her side of the room. I followed her, my smile growing bigger and bigger as she increased the distance between us. Such a drama queen. I secretly enjoyed it.

I met Leah back in high school when she moved from Vermont to Maine. It was actually in the dead of winter, which was the most unwelcoming time for someone to come here. Winter is awful in the north, but southern Vermont's cold compared to Maine's center was nothing. Needless to say, she was absolutely miserable and her moods scared off most of the students who approached her. 'Bitch' was frequently used to describe my best friend. I found her rather amusing, and her personality just kind of hit it off with mine. Traveled with each other ever since.

"Please tell me you have English 100 with Professor Locke?" I held my breath, waiting for her to reply.

"You think I know my schedule? I don't even know where that paper went."

I snorted, turning myself around, and said, "then how do you know where you're going?"

"I don't. I'm going to walk into the wrong classroom and fall in love."

"You're hopeless," I confirmed, shoving everything back into my bag and then stripping my comforter back. She didn't say anything, as I expected she wouldn't, and instead turned her music back on... At a much lower volume. While I got ready for bed, my mind drifted over to negative thoughts of tomorrow. Although my schedule contained all of the information I needed, I couldn't help but feel like I was the one who was going to wind up getting lost somehow. But that was something that almost everyone else worried about too. Unless you're like Leah, who replaces the bad with the good. She encourages things like that. Says it keeps her on her toes.

The unknown and I did not mix well. I would settle for slightly out of the ordinary but anything more than that, I might have some problems.