A First Novel

Chapter 2

Mamma woke me up saying, “Honey, we’ve reached. Wake up.”

I got up from my sleeping position and forthwith saw Ethan using his phone, smiling and typing which elicited my curiosity causing me to look over. It was in formal terms, an invasion of privacy but it was Ethan we were talking about. He was too busy to stop me anyways. My suspicions were correct; he was chatting with that Evelyn girl since god knows when. I shot him a teasing smile, raising one eyebrow which led to him hitting me on my elbow. Hard.

“Ouch, that hurt!” I snarled.

“I don’t care!” He snapped back.

“Please, for god sake! Not now.” Mamma snapped, overpowering our petty fight. “We reached your campus, Summer. Get up you both.” I looked up with my left hand still on my right elbow where that trash-face hit me and saw a square building with three floors — it was built very simply with white-washed walls, several single-hung windows equally spaced apart in each floor with a gigantic entrance door right at the middle where hung a big ‘WELCOME’ banner above it.

As we got out of the car, we didn’t waste any time going inside. Walking inside the building, I noticed that the interior looked much better than the exterior; it had a much classier look with contemporary paintings and pictures hung almost everywhere. A sofa set with a big T.V was kept on the left side of the huge hallway while the staircase was down the hallway, around 20 steps from us. My first thought was I didn’t think anyone used the T.V often as everyone had their phones 24/7 with them.

“Excuse me? May I help you?” A woman asked us, approaching from a different direction. I turned to see a short woman dressed formally and smiling warmly. “Hello, I’m Victoria Johnson,” The woman introduced herself. “And I’m the caretaker of the hostel. How can I help you?”

She had short wolf-cut hair, heart-shaped face, brown almond eyes that radiated a welcoming aura. She had some papers clipped to a clipboard and a pen in her hands.

“Hi, we are the Hayes family. We are here for our daughter, Summer Avery Hayes.” Mamma said.

“Okay, let me see. Please wait for a while,”

It took her a minute to confirm. “Yes, she is in Room 5 and she is sharing her room with another girl, Yvonne Roberts. She will be arriving soon. She is a freshman, right?”

“Yes,” Mom answered.

“Okay. Here is the key. The staircase is on the other side from here and her room is the fifth one from the right. Have a good day, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.” Mrs. Johnson wished, smiling warmly.

“Thank you, you too, Mrs. Johnson,” Mamma wished back.

As we moved to the other side of the building where I saw a glimpse of the stairs, I started examining the place all the more. It was bigger than I expected. Finding my room wasn’t hard since we got it right away; Dad unlocked the door and stepped back to let me get the first look. Once I saw it, I felt satisfaction surging within me. It turned out way better than I expected it to be, and I couldn’t have been more thankful. The room gave off cabin vibes because of the types of furniture used - all were made from wooden materials; the floorings were done with Parquet flooring, formed from short wooden blocks or strips arranged into a geometric pattern while the walls were covered with Rio wood.

There was a wooden bunk bed at the left corner of the room and a small bedside table which was the only non-wooden furniture in the whole room. A door was just beside it which turned out to be the bathroom. Then, there were two wooden study desks with a small lamp on each and there was a small-but-enough-for-two attached closet on the right wall. One of the study desks was placed beside the entrance door on the left while the other desk is placed beside the entrance on the right. There was also a big wooden cabinet with four drawers and a small sofa with a table beside the cabinet. The room was bigger than I imagined.

“Do you like it, honey?” Mamma asked, smiling down at me.

“Yeah, I think it"s perfect,” I answered, smiling.

“I am glad you liked it,” Dad said, smiling back.

“Yeah alright, she likes the room and everything else, I am happy for her and good for her, but I am getting bored, Dad, can we please go take a walk so that I can breathe in the fresh air?” Ethan asked, frowning in irritation.

“Can you not be annoying for once?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I want to. None of your business,” He answered, unbothered.

“Okay if you are just going to continue fighting, we are leaving. Ethan, find your own way back.” Dad interrupted.

“But, I’m 17. How will I?” Ethan asked hurriedly, worried now.

“Exactly our point. Who fights at 17 and 19?”

We shrugged, letting it go. But even as we moved downstairs after a bit of my unpacking, we showed each other our tongues as an act to satisfy our egos. I couldn’t let him win, and it wasn’t any different for him.

We visited the campus cafeteria for a quick snack as Mamma and Dad decided to head back now. The feeling from earlier this morning was now coming back eagerly as the realization hit me that I wasn’t going to be seeing their faces first thing in the morning. There was a painful lump in my throat as I tried to swallow the food in my mouth before failing miserably. It was another hour until they finally headed out to leave. Before leaving, they all hugged me.

“Honey, you are going to be away from us for the first time. Be careful of what you do and your actions. Whenever you need anything, call us anytime. Be careful and stay safe. I love you.” Mamma said, tearfully. It was visible how harshly she was taking it all in. I tried my best not to tear up but due to my vulnerability being on its peak, I couldn’t stop myself.

I nodded. “I love you too.” She hugged me tightly then but this time, I could feel that she didn’t want to let go. I could hear her weeping on my shoulder softly which made me weaker. She pulled away and weakly smiled. I forced one out too because no matter what, I couldn’t tear up like her. One of us had to stay strong.

She stepped back, letting Dad take her position. “What did I tell you this morning?”

“That I have got this and I will be just fine,” I replied, trying to hide my tears.

“That"s right. Always remember that you are stronger than you think you are. Take care. I love you, honey. We will miss you a lot.”

Dad was kind of those people who was super reserved about his feelings and emotions. For some reason, he always avoided letting it all out. He was also an expert at hiding it but it was not like he was bottling it up - it was just his way of coping. But today, his face betrayed how he felt. I wasn’t going to be there with them for the first time and that affected him. His facial expressions destroyed the mask I wore just so I could hide my tears.

“I love you too,” I heard myself saying right after. I didn’t continue because I could hear my voice breaking and knew I would lose it if I spoke more. He stepped back, seemingly trying to hold himself together.

Ethan came up then. “Take care, witch. Don’t focus too much on boys and study.” He made funny faces, trying to loosen up the situation. I mentally thanked God for the distraction. “And don’t worry about Evelyn. You will be the first person to know if anything happens, I promise.”

He sighed, going quiet for a second before adding, “I never told you this before because it"s a really sentimental and cheesy line but I hope you know that no matter how s**t you are, I love you. And I got your back. Always.” His eyes shone in the yellow light of the evening sun over the horizon.

I laughed through the tears, nodding. “I know. And I feel the same way about your disgusting ass.”

“This is the first time I don’t feel annoyed at you for insulting me.”

I laughed again. “Same.”

He hugged me then as I immediately hugged him back. His strong arms emitted its brotherly warmth, wrapping me like a quilt and I hoped his warmth would stay around me forever. We pulled away heavily as he flashed me another sad smile before walking towards the car, following them. They drove away slowly, all of them waving a heavy farewell to me before finally driving out and soon out of my sight. I sighed heavily, feeling the lump still in my throat as I lost it. I cried softly watching the now empty street, aside from a few other families doing what we were just doing.

I let myself cry openly, not wanting to go back inside full of unshed tears. It took me another ten minutes to recollect myself. Once I was sure of it, I exhaled quickly, wiping my tears as I fanned myself with my hand, letting the wind slightly freshen my face up. I turned to go back inside but I stopped on my tracks when I noticed the sky. Squinting my eyes, I looked up and saw the clear, pleasant sky of Virginia. I looked around and realized just how beautiful evenings were out here, especially inside the campus.

I looked up again. The orange-yellow mixture of the sky stayed still, calm and peaceful; the wind slightly picked up its pace, bringing a cool effect on my face. It felt nice. I closed my eyes and let the moment just go on, wanting the sky to impart some of its calmness and peace to me as well. As if it heard me manifesting it, I felt a strange kind of peace and calm swirling its way in, slight at first but picking up its pace rapidly as it went on. I opened my eyes. The orange-yellow now seemed to be smiling down at me which I returned wholeheartedly. It made me remember what dad had once told me when I was very young, sticking with me ever since.

’Try looking at your surroundings as an indication for something when you are in a situation. The situation might be a bad one or a good one. It doesn’t matter. But I simply believe that nature wants to help us in many situations only if we pay attention to them and observe them.’

His words had helped, as I always knew it would. Everything that I had just experienced was proof that I was at the right place, and at the right time. I believed in it completely. I walked back inside with a smile on my face, the new-found confidence burning me with such enthusiasm and motivation alongside excitement. I was now looking forward to the next three years and beyond because I really was getting closer to my dream, and no matter what happened, I was going to fulfil them. But everything vanished for a while when I saw a woman sitting on the sofa in my room, checking the place out.

Her back was turned to me. She had long brown curls with blue lowlights that hid the upper-half of her body flawlessly, her hands inside the pockets of her beige cargo joggers which she paired with a solid white tank top. She sighed softly before turning to me. The moment she saw me, her lips curled up to a bright smile. “Hey! You must be Summer. I’m Yvonne. Yvonne Roberts.” She approached me and offered a handshake.

I, as awkward as usual, just stood still, staring at the woman right in front of me who I was still trying to figure out if she was really a human or a goddess. From her eyes to her nose, lips, brows and everything, it all looked as if God sat down and carved it all in the most tender and careful way. It almost felt unreal because never did I think I would get to see someone as beautiful as her, let alone roommate.

“Hello?” She waved at me, confused and a bit of concern flickering in her blue eyes.

I quickly snapped myself out of it, not wanting to create a bad impression in front of my new roommate. “H-Hi! I’m so- I’m so sorry…”

She flashed me another bright smile then, her perfect white showing this time. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about that.”

“Th-Thank you,” I managed to speak. My introverted a*s was failing miserably at keeping up with her. She sounded like the perfect deal. Beautiful and looked kind as well. I knew it was too fast to say it but I was all about instinct and the aura she emitted felt comforting and kind to be in.

“It’s your room as well so come in, sweetie.” She took my hand and took me inside.

“I’m actually kind of introverted so… forgive me if I make you awkward.” I admitted softly.

“Oh no, nothing like that. That’s normal,” She smiled kindly again. “But, my handshake is still pending.” She added.

The next thing I knew, I was laughing at her words. She looked at me gratefully. “I’m glad I made you laugh.”

Definitely a kind person. I was now smiling too. “You sound so kind.”

“That’s what the quote says. Why be anything else when you can be kind? Being kind in this world is satisfying. Try it.”

I found myself smiling again. Taking my hand out to give her, her pending handshake, I said, “I will,”

She shook my hand. “Friends?” I nodded excitedly.

For some reason, it felt like the start of something beautiful.