TAYLOR

"Don't call me that," River glared at me as she walked up to her room.

"Oh come on, you look like a sweetheart," I say, smirking again. I don't know why, but she looked like those nerds we had while in high school who knew nothing more than to study and read.

"I. DO. NOT. LOOK. LIKE. A. SWEETHEART." She turned to me, picking every word with annoyance written over her face. "In case it is tough for you to understand, rule number one says you can't be shirtless in the house," she said, running her eyes over my chest slightly before throwing me a deadly look.

"Why do all the rules only apply to me?" I ask in a whiny voice, mainly to get on her nerves.

"Because you look like someone who wouldn't know the basic rules of life, and see how right I was," she adds sarcastically with a frown directed at me. "I know I wouldn't walk into this shared space shirtless."

"Hey! Who says you can't? I won't complain," I say with a shrug, a smile still plastered on my face. She does not seem too pleased with my response, so she rolls her eyes and pushes out a forced smile.

"Rules are important; they keep order, and you need to get your act together and keep the order so we can at least be able to live together."

"Awwn, so you want to lie with me?" I ask with a pout.

"What choice do I have?" she asks. She looks like she wants to be out of here. "I do hope, though, that you do not break any more rules," she adds and walks into her room, shutting the door in my face.

"Be careful; you'd have to pay if anything happened to the door," I yell back to her, and she does not respond. I sigh and walk to my room, picking up a shirt and putting it on.

It had been years since I encountered someone as closed off as her. I sit on my bed, and my phone begins to ring. I stare at the screen for a while before I pick it up and press it against my ear.

"Hello Julia, what do you want?"

"Hello, Julia? What do you want?" The woman on the other side of the line sputters in annoyance. "Julia? Taylor, you have some nerve calling me by my first name. I am going to be your mom in a few weeks."

"You can never be my mom. My mom is alive and well, thank you," I reply, and I can imagine how red in the face she would be right now.

"I am marrying your dad, and I'd be his wife; that equates to being your mother."

"Never!" I say in a silent scream. "If you want to be someone's mother so bad, then birth your own children... Oh wait, you can't," I say in a hurtful tone. I don't care for Julia's feelings, as what I want to do is make sure that I hurt her badly.

"Taylor, why would you say something that hurtful to me?" She sniffs as if she is ready to cry.

"Why did you call me? To rub it in my face that you are getting together with my dad? If he could cheat on my mom with you, what makes you think he would stay loyal to you?" The question pierces the air, and she chooses to ignore it.

"Your dad asked me to try and bond with you and invite you to the wedding."

"I should come to the wedding between you, a homewrecker, and my father, a cheat? And have good luck all year round? No, thank you," I spit out angrily. "If you have nothing else important to say, then I suggest that you get off now." I do not wait for her response before I cut off the call and throw my phone into the space beside me.

I had only gotten her call because I knew right away my father would call and make a big deal if I did not pick it up. "How dare she?" I murmur, throwing myself onto the bed and staring at the ceiling.

By the time I was conscious again, it was already the very next day. I look at the bedside digital clock to see that it is 6:40 am. I have an early class, and even though I try to put on the bad boy act, one thing I'd never do is miss class. I had studied theatre arts to piss off my father, but I had fallen in love with it and wished to see it to the end.

I put on my playlist as usual and allow the sound to blast through the air, and it is barely going when a loud knock is heard from the other side of the door.

"Shoot, her rules," I murmur to myself with a sigh. I know that is the reason she is knocking so early in the morning. I am already shirtless and have a towel tied around my waist, and I want to see her reaction to this. That was one of my many joys these days.

"Yes," I pull the door open, and she looks starstruck, standing in front of me. Like someone who had seen their favourite celebrity.

"Put on clothes," she said, her head turning backwards.

"Well, I'm not in any shared places," I say, trying to keep the conversation listenable over the sound of the loud rap music going off.

"But you knew I was the one at your door; you could have at least turned that down before you came to the door," she said, and I nodded with a smirk, followed by a head shake.

"Well, it's my room; I can be naked if I want to." I see her flush at the word naked, and my smirk deepens. "What do you want, though?" I act as if I did not know that my music was the problem.

"What do you mean, what do I want?" she asked, and I shrugged. She narrows her eyes at me and clenches her fists by her side. "TURN OFF THAT MUSIC NOW, OR I MIGHT HAVE TO REPORT YOU FOR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR." Her voice was stern, and I knew she was not playing around. She was fierce when mad. I hated how that made me want to tease her more."

"Okay, geesh!" I say, throwing my hand in the air and walking to my phone. I turn off the music and then turn to her. "Better?"

"BETTER"

RIVER

Taylor had ruined my morning already, and I hated how smug he was about it. I had finished up my morning routine and was already taking my cereal when he stepped out of his room, looking very different from all the other days. He had a t-shirt and a black jacket thrown over him, a cool vibe. His jeans were the cool kind, the kind that the athletes and jocks at my high school wore.

"No breakfast for me?" With the expression on his face, I was not even sure if he was teasing me or if he was being serious about it.

"I don't share my..."

"That's fine." He does not let me say what I have to say; I will just make a plate for myself. He opened the cupboards and began to pour from my cereal box. Into a plate. I want to stop him, but it sounds like I am being petty about food, and it was not a good look on me, so let it go.

"To pay you for the cereal, I'll give you a ride to campus," he says as we step outside. At least he has a conscience, but when I see him climb onto his motorcycle, I shake my head as if I had just been asked if I wanted to die.

"No, thank you."

"Are you scared?" He asked as if my fear were visible and I had been holding it above my head.

"No, but there is no way I am going to get on that." I point to the machine underneath him.

"It's fairly safe," he said, tilting his head back and forth swiftly.

"Fairly safe? Do you know how many people die on a motorcycle yearly?" I ask, and he looks as if he is about to laugh his ass off.

"I do not, and I do not need you to tell me the statistics," he responds, stifling his laughter in my face.

"I am not getting on that," I said, walking down the stairs onto the pavement. If it were a car, I would have considered getting a ride from him, but if I sat on the motorcycle, then I would have to hold onto him from here to campus, and I could not even begin to imagine doing that.

"Oh come on, I have helmets, and it is safe; I will drive within the limit," he said, and then, under his breath, with an eye roll, he added under his breath "Like a lunatic."

"I am not getting on that, and you don't have to worry about me."

"Who said I was worried? I just do not like owing anyone, and this is my payment for the cereal this morning."

"You know what, do not worry about it; you can have it for free," I say as I begin to walk towards the school direction and he begins to drive slowly beside me. "I said you don't have to worry about it."

"You do know that there aren't any cabs going this way and the bus is not for another ten minutes," he adds, and I roll my eyes at the fact that he was spitting. "If you get on, I can get you to school in ten minutes."

"In ten minutes? A ride of twenty minutes in ten? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I scream, shocked at his audacity to own a motorcycle and even drive at high speed without any care.

"Are you worried about me?" I stop abruptly and turn to him, and that stupid smirk is on his face. I try to act as if it does not disturb me.

"I am not worried about you, and I am meeting a friend a few houses ahead, so I expect you can carry both of us on this death trap, and then I suggest you go." I lie, but he does not look like he is buying the lies from me, and I wonder if I was just a terrible liar or if he was good at reading people.

"If you say so," he said, gripping the handle and causing it to roar to life, scaring me even more. "See you later, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that," I say into the air, but I am left alone with smoke and dust in the air and him a long while away from me. I hike up to the bus station and join the next bus up to school. By the time I get there, I am so exhausted that I am almost regretting not taking up Taylor's offer, but I am reminded of the danger of being up there.

I find the department, and as much as I try not to remember Lana, her call comes in as if she had a camera on me.

"Hi." Her voice is too happy. Was she that glad to be there, or maybe she was high? "Are you here now?" she said, and I nodded.

"Are you?"

"Yes, I am," I murmured, wishing she would leave me alone.

"I am at the Alden complex. Come quickly," she said and cut off the call. I look at the wall beside me, and I try to understand the map. After a few attempts, I walk towards the Alden complex, and she sees me before I can and begins to move towards me. I see another girl, Black, thick, with long hair reaching her waist, and a small face following behind her.

"You are late."

"It was a hassle getting here," I say, trying to hide my frustration. Why was it so difficult to get on campus?

"Maybe you'd find someone living in the same neighbourhood that you can hitch a ride with," Lana said, already proffering a solution to my problem.

"Or you can get a bike," the girl with sparkling eyes added.

"River, this is Elise. Elise, this is River," Lana introduced us, putting me on the spot without any thought.

"Oh, hi," I say, waving my hand awkwardly to her. She steps forward and holds my hand excitedly.

"I hope we all get along."

RIVER

The day is finally over, and I have never been so eager in my life to curl up in my bed and think about how to take control of my life once again. All through high school, I had been a loner who did not care what people thought of me, and Lana knew this, so I wonder why she thought it was a good idea for her to try and act friendly all through the day. I had barely gotten a moment of peace without them hanging over my head and chatting loudly.

Lana's insistence on us talking to other boys in the department with hopes that someone would be living close by and would be willing to drive me to and from school was sweet, but I saw it more as a burden. I could hike up the hill, catch a bus, and be in school before any of them. I have worked on a tight schedule once in my life, and I am sure I can work on one now. How hard could it be?

"There is a faculty welcome party for all freshers," Elise said happily. From the moment I saw her, I knew she would be the kind of girl who would like parties, and she had just proven me right.

"I won't be going," I say before she can suggest that we stay together and dress up to show up at the party, get drinks, and get so wasted that we won't be able to get to class tomorrow"

"Why?" she asked, almost hurt that I had turned down her offer.

"Partying on a school night? I must decline." She looks at me as if I had spoken in the most foreign language she had ever heard. "I want to start reading so I can be ahead of the class," I add, wanting to make sure that my stance in school is clear to her. I am not here to party but to read, become a pharmacist, and graduate as the best student in my year.

"But the party isn't on a school night; it's this weekend," she replies, and I almost feel stupid. "You can't come if it's on a weekend?" She adds, and I bite the inside of my lips.

"I can't." I shake my head, not allowing her expressions and emotions to get to me. She doesn't need me at the party to survive, and they can both get by without me there.

"Why not? It would be fun, and I heard that we get to meet our seniors at the party; we can ask them questions too," she replies, with Lana standing beside her, eager eyes practically pleading with me to come along with them.

I get to meet seniors? Would a party be a good time to meet them? Maybe I can find a tutor who would be willing to put me through and make sure I understand all I need to.

"Are you sure I get to meet the seniors?" I ask, and she realises that was all I needed to hear.

"A hundred percent, so why don't you just come?" Lana jumps in at once.

"Okay, good. Then we will meet at your place since you stay off campus, and we can go from there," Elise chimes in once she sees how I am already agreeing to their terms.

"My place?" I ask with terror in my eyes. I don't know if I am ready to let anyone else besides myself know that I have a boy for a roommate.

"Yes, can we not?"

"Well, my roommate is really strict about things like this, so I am not sure she would appreciate the company." I lie and realise that what people say is always true. Once you start lying, there is no turning back. All you do is fall even further the more you try to make it out. Just like a sinkhole.

"Huh! What year is she?" Elise asked, wanting to know more about her. I knew I had to shut it up before it became a topic for discussion.

"Third year," I say, and before she can comment further, I turn the topic around. "Since we would be meeting the seniors, do you think I can put my notes into a file and have them look at it?" I ask, and she stares at me as if I had drawings on my face.

"What do you mean?"

"I am asking if it is possible for me to have my list..."

"Oh my goodness! You are such a nerd, and trust me, I mean this in the best way ever." Elise turned to Lana with a smile. "You were so right; she is cute."

"I am not offended you called me a nerd," I clarify, because to me, the best thing ever is to be knowledgeable about the things that matter to you, and this matters a lot to me.

"I did not mean it as an offence; it is supposed to be a compliment," Lana explains, almost as if I did not get it the first time. I nod, and she smiles.

Before long, it is time to go home, and I get home quite exhausted. I am beginning to rethink my decision to stay at this house for the next four years. How can I hike all morning and evening? Maybe I might take the girls' advice and get an electric scooter or a bike to help aid my transportation.

As soon as the door opens, I am faced with an intense smell of pasta and some spices. I look over at the kitchen and see Taylor standing there, shirtless, with an apron tied around his waist.

"Sweetheart, you are back." He is chirpy, but he still has a smirk on his face.

I am too tired to tell him not to call me that, so I let it slide for tonight. The smell of the meal fills the entire room, and I realise how hungry I am.

"Go wash up and come out for dinner," he announces, almost like a mom. The feeling is strange. I had seen moms do this in movies, but I had never experienced it myself. Growing up without a mom had been hard, hard, but I had never told anyone about it before. When I was still a child, Dad always had a babysitter over; she would make meals, which were usually microwaved leftovers from the previous day or from lunches my aunt brought for me.

Once I became a teenager, the duty of lunch and dinner fell on me. I did it with you because I really did not have any other choice, but hearing someone wanting to make sure I had a meal without even knowing me warmed my heart.

"What are you thinking?" He snapped his fingers in my face, and it was only then I realised how close I had gotten. "Are you going to eat or not?"