Chapter 5
1004 Words
I’m 17 now, heading to a big city to chase my dreams.
I packed all my things into a cardboard box. While packing, I found an old photo of Jacob and me. I turned it over, and there it was—the message he had written for me. That was my Christmas present from him. We never got any real gifts, so he gave me this—a picture of us together. I loved it. I used to keep it under my pillow, hoping I could at least see him in my dreams.
He had written: “You are my Hope.”
My name is Hope, so that made it even more special.
“Hope, are you ready? The taxi is already here!” Ms. Samantha called out.
“Coming!” I replied, carefully placing the photo in the box with my other belongings.
I said goodbye to everyone. The younger kids begged me to come back soon, but I hoped I would never return. This was my chance to leave for good.
We arrived in Boston on a Saturday. The journey had been long, and I was exhausted by the time we got there. I stood in front of a massive building—my new home, at least for now. It was a student residence. Once I finished school, I would figure out what came next.
I walked inside to the reception and asked for my room number. The receptionist handed me a key and mentioned that I had a roommate. She was a little older than me and had been here longer, so she would show me around. I thanked her and set off to find my room.
On my way, I tripped over someone, and my stuff spilled all over the floor.
“Oh no!” I quickly bent down to gather my things, and so did the stranger.
When I looked up, I met his gaze. His eyes were as blue as the sky on a clear day. His golden hair shimmered under the hallway lights. He was tall, but the most striking thing about him was his smile. My stomach fluttered. It might have been just a second, but to me, it felt like time had stopped.
“Oh, s**t, snap out of it,” I told myself.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t see you coming—” he started.
“No, no, everything is okay,” I interrupted.
“Still, I should apologize. I’ve never seen you around before, so you must be new here?”
“That’s right. It’s my first day. What about you? Which year are you in?”
“Ah, lovely. I’m in my fourth year—my last, actually. My name is Elliot. And you?”
“Hope. My name is Hope.”
“Well, Hope, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, same here,” I said, smiling. We exchanged a brief glance before walking in opposite directions.
Elliot. What a nice name.
But he was in his last year, which meant I’d only see him for a short time. Not that it mattered—I had to focus on myself and my goals.
Just as I convinced myself of that, something hit me—hard.
“Ouch!” I yelped.
I looked up to see a tall guy running toward me. He had brown, curly hair and piercing blue eyes. He was breathtaking—his face, his lips, his sharp features. Everything about him was perfect.
He wore a black shirt, and I could tell he trained. He wasn’t bulky like a bodybuilder, but his muscles were well-defined.
“Can I get the ball?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“Are you deaf? Can. I. Get. The. Ball?” he repeated, mockingly.
“No, you jerk.”
“Whatever,” he muttered and snatched the ball from my hands.
“Hey!” I protested, but he didn’t even acknowledge me. He just walked back to his friends, laughing as they resumed their game.
What a jerk. I already didn’t like him.
Finally, I found my room—261.
I opened the door, only to be met with a sight I wished I could unsee.
A completely naked guy stood in the middle of the room, while my naked roommate lay in bed.
Jesus Christ. Could this day get any worse?
“Ah, sorry, I thought you were coming tomorrow,” she said casually.
“It’s fine,” I muttered. “Plans changed because of the taxi driver, and, well… now I’m here.”
She grabbed some clothes. “Just let me get something on. Jorge, get out.”
Jorge—still completely unbothered—put his clothes on too.
“Baby, I miss you already,” he smirked.
“Jorge, don’t get on my nerves.”
“Tonight at my place. I’ll be waiting.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Get out.”
They kissed, and he finally left.
My roommate turned to me with a grin. “Darling, I apologize again. I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” I assured her.
“So, how do you like it so far?”
“It’s fine. It’s my first day, so I can’t really say yet.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Let me see your class schedule.”
I handed it to her.
“Oh, nice! We have English together. That’ll be cool.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
She hesitated for a moment before leaning in slightly. “Listen, Jasmin, Taylor, Kate, Susan, and Veronica… Stay away from them. They’re bad news. Don’t even look at them the wrong way, or they’ll think you have a problem with them.”
“Got it,” I nodded.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel curious. Who were these girls, and why were they so dangerous?
Not that it mattered.
I wasn’t here to make enemies. I was here to mind my own business.
And that’s exactly what I planned to do.
- Writer
