Totally Cliche Nightmare

Chapter 1

College move in day was a whole lot busier and more stressful than I imagined it'll be. There were kids everywhere bumping into you with their extra large suitcases and boxes while you stayed there trying to manage your self.

I'd already gotten my card from the campus management and right now, my brother was helping me take in my things while my mum stayed at the car, watching over the rest of the things there.

"Your luck, you just had to get a top floor." Ron groaned as he heaved the boxes he was with to balance it. "What's in this again?"

"Shut up, grandpa." I laughed as I intently looked over the room number tags. 203, 205, 207, 209, aha there's mine. Room 211. "Here."

I leaned my suitcase against the wall and brought out my card from my back pocket but when I looked, I just realized this door needed a key and not a card.

"Open up already, my arms are burning!" Ron whined impatiently while I got even more confused.

"Is there supposed to be a..." I frowned then turned to the opposite room which had it's door open, I knocked a little and the brunette girl making her bed in there turned to me.

"Hi. Can I help you?"

"Uh yea, I'm sorry but..." I began with a frown, raising my card. "I got a room card but over here, my room needs a traditional key and I don't understand what's happening."

She also frowned and stood straighter, walking over to me, then glancing over at my supposed room door. "I don't know... I got a key, no card."

Ron catching up on what was happening dropped the box and walked over. "Are you sure this is the right dorm?"

I nodded, looking around like lost sheep. "Yes, I balloted for Ground Castle dorm, this is it, right?"

"Yea, this is Ground Castle." The brunette replied, "Maybe there was a mix up, head back to the dorm management office and ask."

The thought of carrying my things back down and driving the five minutes to the dorm management was embarrassing and stressful so I turned to the girl.

"I'm really sorry but can I drop my things here, we'll try to be quick."

The girl smiled with a nod, "Sure. Tell me your name so I'll drop it with my roommate just incase I'm not here when you come back."

"I'm Roxanne, thank you so much."

"Adelaide, don't sweat it."

****

"Roxanne J. Harris?" The lady behind the computer read out while my mum, brother and me stood in confusion in front of her.

"Yes yes, that's me."

"What's your student reg. number?" She asked

"Oh wait a minute please," I fumbled with my backpack a bit before getting out my admission letter printouts then read the number off for her.

"It says here that you got the room at New Castle dorm, not Ground Castle." The lady said and my eyes bulged, New Castle was hella expensive and I definitely did not ballot for that.

"No no, there has to be a mistake," I said desperately, fumbling with my bag once more as I brought out my documents file. "Look here, we paid the price for Ground Castle dorm, into the right account."

"Yes, I was there with her as she balloted." My mum spoke up, walking closer.

The lady just sighed like she goes through this everyday and shook her head. "I'm sorry but it has to be a mistake on your side, you can pay the remaining fee into the account."

"What? No!" I said loudly, "It's bloody expensive!"

My mum held my shoulders, properly for my language but I didn't care right now. I was sure I balloted for Ground Castle, I even have screenshots but it was on my laptop, which was in the car. I wasn't about to make my mum pay extra because of a mistake on the school's part. She already went through a lot to get me here.

"This is so frustrating." Ron said and my mum spoke up.

"How much more for the New Castle dorm?"

"Mum, no." I protested strongly. "I have screenshots on my laptop, we can't pay more for a mistake they made."

"Roxie, calm down." She said then looked to the woman. "Is there any other room left in the Ground Castle dorm then."

The lady shook her head. "It's all taken by the first years. Majority are assigned there first before being dispatched to other dormitories."

"I balloted early, so-"

"Roxanne, I said calm down." My mum said again, looking me in the eye.

"Mum, New Castle dorm is like 2 grand more expensive than Ground Castle." I lowered my voice, frustrated. "That's a lot! And there are rarely first years in it."

My mum looked to the lady again. "What other options are there?"

"There are rooms left in New Castle so you either complete the payment or we refund the money and you live off campus. Though it is advisable for first years to stay on campus."

I raked my fingers through my hair with everything going on, letting out a big sigh. "This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad."

I can't live off campus because I know literally nobody here, it's a whole different state from where I live. Houses are expensive off campus, it'll be far from campus making me put an extra effort to come early to my morning classes.

"What do you want Roxanne?" My mum asked, looking at me with that look in her eyes. That look that's says "anything for you, baby" and it broke my heart.

"I want nothing mummy," I groaned. "Why should we go through this when we did everything right."

"However, right now," my mum said sternly, "It didn't go as planned and there was a mixup so we have to look at other options. That's life."

Raking my fingers through my hair again, I turned and paced for a while. "Mum those options are expensive. I can't put you through this."

"You're not putting me through anything Roxie," my mum came closer, holding me still. "You're not so just take a goddamned option; which is more convenient for you?"

Throwing my head back, I let out a big sigh.

This is definitely not how I imagined my move-in day to go.

***

"Thanks Adelaide," I smiled at her as I went to take my things back. My mum was in my lost room asking the girls now occupying there questions while Ron groaned as he had to carry my heavy box of books back.

"So what happened?" She asked as she rolled my clothes bag back to me, genuine confusion on her face. "Some other girls went in there, I think they're twins."

"There was a mix up and apparently I got a room in New Castle." I filled in, getting a headache just thinking about everything.

"Damn, that's expensive." Adelaide said, concern on her face.

"Exactly. Now I have no idea what to do," I raked my hands through my hair again. "Ugh, everything is just going wrong."

"I know someone who needs a roommate," Adelaide said and I perked up, "But it's off campus."

"Who? Is it cheap?" I asked, ready to grab any opportunity that isn't stressful and expensive right now.

"She's a former high school classmate of mine," Adelaide informed. "The thing is her dad already paid for the full dorm, telling her to stay by herself but she still wants a roommate."

All these sounded fishy to me but I was desperate at this point. "So she's paid and so we'll pay the other half?"

My mum joined us at the moment. "Pay other half of what?"

"Hello ma'am," Adelaide greeted with a bright smile and my mum smiled back with a greeting of her own. "It's a friend of mine who needs a roommate, she did ask me before but I'd already gotten a room by then and my parents didn't agree since my courses are demanding and I have to be in classes really early."

"She said the girl's dad already paid for the full dorm." I filled my mother in. "And I was asking if we should pay half of it."

"Actually no," Adelaide put in. "Her family's quite wealthy and she doesn't need the money but she said if you insist on paying, you can pay whatever you can."

"Isn't that great, Roxie?" My mum clapped happily but this just seemed too good to be true. "How can we reach her?"

"Wait I'll get her number." Adelaide said and even when she gave my mum the number of the said girl, I wasn't feeling too right about this.

Ever experienced a moment where everything seemed like it was going too fast and too weird and you know it'd definitely be bad at the end? That's what I felt right now.

And I know too well to ignore that feeling.