Almost Always You

Chapter 1

London! I'm happy to be here. I graduated from high school, and now I'm here for college. My brother, James, studies here, so my parents thought it would be great if I joined him.

They don't have to look after me anymore if I'm not near them, and James can take all the responsibility.

I took my luggage and walked toward the exit. I looked through the crowd, trying to find my brother, and hoped he hadn't forgotten that I was coming.

"Ella! Ella!"

I turned toward the voice and saw my brother screaming my name. I dropped my bags and ran toward him. I jumped on him, and he hugged me tightly. I was really happy to see him after a whole year. He had moved to London last year for college, and I missed him a lot.

I enrolled in a different college because I didn't want him to be an overbearing brother who kept an eye on me all the time.

I knew he wouldn't do that since he was lazy and cared about no one but himself, but he loved me, so I wasn't ready to take any risks.

He had brought a friend along and introduced us.

"Peter, this is Ella, my little sister. Ella, this is Peter."

"Nice to meet you, Peter," I said, extending my hand, but he pulled me into a hug. I was shocked.

Is this how people greet each other in London? I thought.

"Nice to meet you too, Ella. I know we're going to be besties. You have a great sense of style. I love your outfit, girl! We're definitely going shopping together, especially basket shopping!"

"Say hello to my new gay best friend," I said, smiling at Peter.

"What the hell is basket shopping?" James asked, looking puzzled.

"Nothing you should know," I told him, and he just rolled his eyes.

"Peter goes to your college, so I thought it might be good for you to know someone there already before you started," James said.

He took my luggage and placed it in his car.

Yes! He got a car. He's the "favorite child," obviously. It's my mom who spoils him. Dad has always been away on business trips, so he wasn't around much, but he never had a favorite child like Mum did.

"So, are you excited to be here in London?" James asked.

"Yes! A little nervous, but I'm happy to be here. So, how come you guys are friends?"

"Oh! Peter and I met at a party, and we clicked instantly. Even though we go to different colleges, we have a lot of common friends!"

"Wow! I'm hoping to make friends. I just don't want to be left alone."

"You're never going to be alone, trust me, girl! I'll make sure of it. Plus, you're American; that's something you can use to your advantage. Not many Americans come to London, so you'll stand out with your trendy dresses and unique accent," Peter said with a huge smile.

"Thanks, Peter." I smiled at him.

We reached my dorm, and they both helped me to my room. My room was on the second floor, but the elevator was under maintenance, so the boys took my luggage and started walking up the stairs.

"What's your room number?" James asked.

"It's 269." I was assigned the room last week. The college emailed me the details and said my roommate was someone named Mercy Fernandez. I had collected my keys from the office, but I still knocked on the door with my foot because I was carrying boxes.

A blonde girl with bright green eyes opened the door.

"Hey! I'm Ella. I'm your new roommate."

"Hey! I'm Mercy. Come in. Hey, Peter! How's the party preparation going?" she asked Peter.

"It's going awesome. Can't wait for tonight," Peter said.

"You guys know each other?" I asked.

"Told you you're not going to be alone. I'm friends with everyone here," Peter said proudly.

James placed the bags he was carrying down and said, "Ella, do you mind if I go? I'm sure you don't want my help unpacking your clothes."

"Of course, James, and thanks for picking me up."

"I have to go and help Josh with the party preparations. Hey, Ella, if you aren't tired, you can come to the party with Mercy. It will be a great opportunity to get to know people."

Yup! That's my brother inviting me to a party full of drunk and horny people. As I said, he loves me, but he doesn't care much if I get drunk or go have s*x with some random guy.

"I'll think about it. Whose party is it?"

"You know, Al—"

He was interrupted by a phone call.

"s**t! It's Josh. He's going to kill me. I've got to go. See you guys later. Bye."

He ran out in a hurry.

"Well, I better start unpacking. If I don't, I might feel too lazy to do it later," I said.

"We'll help you," Mercy said.

She's really nice. I like her.

Peter, Mercy, and I started unpacking. After an hour and a half, we were done. I lay down on my bed and stretched my whole body. I had travelled for almost eleven hours, but I still wasn't tired.

Peter sat on the chair beside my bed, and Mercy started working on her laptop.

"So, what are your majors?" I asked.

"Mine is psychology," Mercy said, and I nodded.

"Mine is English Literature," Peter said.

"So is mine," I said cheerfully.

"You see, love, the moment I saw you, I knew we were soulmates." Peter winked.

I laughed and waved him off.

We chatted for the next half hour until Peter had to leave.

"See you at the party, Mercy. I hope you'll be coming, love. It's going to be great, and if you come, I know the party will be a blast," Peter said.

"I'll see if I'm not sleepy. I'll be there," I told him.

"Bye, bitches." Peter blew a kiss at us and left.

"He's really a nice guy. I've known him since my first day here at this college. We met at the welcome party," Mercy told me.

"Do you guys throw parties on a regular basis?"

"Of course. Every weekend, there's a party at the frat house where Peter lives with the other boys. Except when exams are going on. It's college, so there's a party for every little occasion. It's not like high school, where you throw a party when your parents are out of town. There's no one here to bother you. You have all the freedom. Plus, the drinking age is eighteen, so no worries."

"But where do they get so much money from?"

"Everyone living at the frat house is super rich and spoiled. They have their own credit cards and are always spending money on people they don't even know. They seriously don't care unless there's no party going on."

I thought these kids had a lot of money and came from rich families. I'm like one of them, but I'm not. My mom is the one who transfers money to my brother, as Dad is always busy. I know she doesn't care about how much money James spends.

But when I was coming to London, she gave me a big lecture about how she was going to give me a budget and how I had to be careful while spending money and not waste it on stupid things, especially junk food. That part was super clear.

I was overweight during middle school, and my mom, being super slim and in shape, put me on a strict diet. I was slim before beginning high school. She worries that I might spend money on food, gain weight again, and make her look after me.