Gone
767 Words
By late morning, the room barely looked like the same place anymore.
Ethan’s side was almost completely empty now.
The walls looked plain without his jackets hanging off the chair or his scattered notebooks covering the desk. Even the room itself felt quieter somehow.
I sat cross-legged on my bed pretending to scroll through my phone while secretly watching him move around.
Not in a weird way.
Just… noticing things.
Like how he always pushed his hair back when he was focused. Or how he kept checking his pockets every five minutes like he thought he forgot something.
“You know,” he said suddenly while kneeling beside a box, “I still think it’s crazy that housing let this happen.”
I looked up from my phone.
“They probably realized afterward how weird it sounded.”
“Probably.”
He stood up and looked around the room again.
“I’m surprised nobody’s parents complained.”
I laughed softly.
“My mom almost did when I told her.”
“What stopped her?”
“She said if I survived one week then I’d probably survive another.”
Ethan grinned slightly.
“Your mom sounds confident.”
“She’s dramatic.”
“That too.”
The conversation faded again after that.
I glanced toward the clock on my phone.
11:17 AM.
In less than an hour, Ethan wouldn’t be my roommate anymore.
The thought still felt strangely uncomfortable.
Not heartbreaking.
Not dramatic.
Just… off.
Like something in my routine was being suddenly rearranged before I got fully used to it.
A knock sounded lightly against the open door.
Both of us looked up.
A tall guy stood in the hallway holding a backpack.
“You Ethan?” he asked.
Ethan nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I’m Marcus. One of the guys in your new room.”
“Oh, hey.”
Marcus glanced briefly inside our room before smirking slightly.
“So the rumors were true.”
I blinked.
Rumors?
Ethan groaned immediately.
“Oh my gosh.”
Marcus laughed.
“Dude, people were literally talking about this downstairs.”
I buried my face in my hands.
“Fantastic.”
Marcus looked amused.
“To be fair, it does sound fake.”
“That’s what I said,” Ethan replied.
Marcus shifted the backpack higher on his shoulder.
“Well, the other guys are already there. We were just wondering if you needed help carrying stuff.”
Ethan glanced back at the remaining boxes.
“Actually… yeah, probably.”
Marcus stepped inside the room.
For the next several minutes, the two of them carried boxes in and out while I stayed sitting awkwardly on my bed, suddenly feeling like I was in the way.
Each trip emptied the room more.
Eventually only Ethan’s backpack and one suitcase remained beside the door.
Marcus stood in the hallway waiting while Ethan looked around the room one last time.
“Well,” he said quietly.
I looked up at him.
For a second neither of us spoke.
It was strange.
One week wasn’t a long time.
But somehow it still felt weird ending this abruptly.
Ethan shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets slightly awkwardly.
“I guess this is where we stop being roommates.”
I let out a small laugh.
“Guess so.”
He nodded once.
Then his expression softened slightly.
“You’ll be okay,” he said.
The words caught me off guard.
Maybe because he sounded so sure about it.
I smiled faintly.
“Yeah.”
“And hopefully your new roommate doesn’t steal your food or anything.”
“That’s a very specific concern.”
“You never know.”
I laughed softly again.
Marcus looked between us like he was trying not to interrupt.
Finally, Ethan grabbed the last suitcase beside the door.
“Well… see you around, Mia.”
There was something oddly final about hearing my name like that.
Not roommate.
Not some joke.
Just Mia.
“See you around,” I replied quietly.
Then, with one last small nod, Ethan turned and walked out into the hallway.
I watched him disappear around the corner with Marcus.
And just like that…
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
I stared at the empty side of the dorm room for a long moment.
The space looked bigger now.
Too big.
It was ridiculous how quickly someone could become part of your routine.
Because even though Ethan and I had never been especially close, his absence filled the room immediately.
And for the first time since arriving at college, the dorm felt lonely again.
- Writer
