Accepted

Accepted

by Coleen Lahr

Published by Astraea Press

www.astraeapress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation. 

ACCEPTED

Copyright © 2014 COLEEN LAHR

ISBN 978-1-62135-368-3

Cover Art Designed by AM Designs Studios

My thanks and appreciation to my family, who always believed I could do this, and to my Avie, who believes I can do anything. Thanks to Robin for reading, re-reading, and loving my book and Stephanie for giving me this idea. To my L&A girls, this would never have happened without you. I miss you all.

Chapter One

I know I should have been nervous as I pulled into the parking space, but the only emotion I felt at that exact moment was relief that my car actually made the eight-hour trip from Omaha to Chicago.

I got out of the car and stretched before going around to the trunk to grab my lone suitcase. It really shouldn’t have surprised me that my entire life, nineteen years, fit into one suitcase but, for some reason, the fact never ceased to amaze me.

I pulled the bag out of the trunk and looked around. The campus was gigantic. I just knew I was going to get lost every time I left my dorm.

Luckily, my residence hall was the one building I wasn’t worried about finding. I’d spent hours in the summer at the library in Omaha’s community college, going online, and studying the directions to the campus to ensure that I could, if nothing else, find the parking lot and my dorm on my first day here.

So, I followed the little path that ran to the left of the parking lot, the one I had studied and knew would lead me right to the front door of the dormitory that would become my new home.

As I approached the dorm, I looked around at the other students moving in. All of them were flanked by family members, presumably parents and siblings. Most of them greeted each other like old friends, which of course they were.

It was sophomore move in-day, and I was a sophomore moving in just like everyone else. The only difference was that I was a transfer student. It wasn’t the first day of my second year; it was my
first
day. I’d spent my freshman year at a community college in Nebraska. Most of the students here knew each other, knew their roommates, and had friends. It was the first day, and I was already the outsider.

I was not unaccustomed about being the outsider, though. I’d been one all my life, a side effect of moving from one relative to another for the past seventeen years — which, of course, leads me to the
other
difference between myself and everyone else moving in today: I was alone.

I had no parents and no siblings with me today to bring me here and to drop me off, to help me move in and to unpack. My mother died when I was two, and my father wasn’t cut out for the job.

So, I’d done this before, started over, but this time was different. This time, I was starting over on
my
terms. I wasn’t being passed to an aunt or cousin who didn’t really want me and who I didn’t really want either. This time, I was going where I wanted to be, where I’d worked to be, and when I wanted to be there. This was my decision. This was my dream. For the first time ever, I felt in control of my life.

For the first time ever, I wasn’t starting over. This time, I was actually starting.

****

When I got to the dorm, I had to show identification to get in. The resident assistant looked up my name on a massive list then directed me down two hallways and up one flight of stairs to my room. I thanked her, grabbed the handle of my suitcase on wheels and headed down the first hall.

As I walked down the long hallway past all the open doors, I noticed that the girls' and boys' rooms were jumbled together. A co-ed dorm…that wasn’t something I’d considered.

I travelled down another hallway, and when I got to the stairs, I grabbed the side handle of my suitcase and prepared to lug it up the steps. I picked it up and turned towards the steps when, suddenly, it became significantly lighter.

"Need a hand?" said a friendly voice.

I spun around to where the voice had originated, and there stood a tall, attractive boy — or man, I guess — holding the other end of my suitcase in his hand. He had messy, wavy dark brown hair and olive skin. His eyes were captivating. With his skin tone, I would’ve expected them to be brown, or at least some darker color, but they were light blue, and they were beautiful. The effect was striking; he was quite possibly the most attractive man I had ever seen in real life. And it seemed, on top of all that, he was nice too.

"Oh…um…" I stammered, momentarily taken aback by him, by his beauty. Then, I took a deep breath and finally answered, "Yes, thank you." I smiled at him shyly.

"No problem," he replied, and his smile wasn’t shy at all. He grabbed the heavy suitcase right out of my hand and carried it up the flight of steps like it weighed nothing. He stopped just at the top. I followed him.

"Is this your floor?" he asked

I nodded, then realizing that he wasn’t looking at me, I mumbled, "Yes."

"Here you go," he said, turning toward me. "I’m Colin." He smiled again.

"I’m Ashley," I replied and smiled back. I didn’t know what else to say, and so I just stood there, looking at him and smiling like an idiot.

"You okay now? Do you need help finding your room or anything?" He spoke kindly, but he was looking at me with undisguised amusement in his eyes.

I looked away, feeling the blush creeping into my cheeks.

"No, no…I’m good now," I said a little sheepishly, nodding my head. "My room’s in this hall." I gestured around with my hand.

"Oh, mine too. I guess I’ll see you around then, Ashley. Nice meeting you." He smiled again, then turned with a wave and walked to the end of the hall before ducking into — presumably — his room.

Unable to move, I stood there for a minute before I started down the hall searching for my room: room 213. When I found it, the door was open, like many of the other doors in the hall. I paused at the door, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and walked in.

I’d been picturing this room for months, even though I had no idea what to picture. In my imagination, the room was bigger, but that was to be expected. I pictured the two twin beds correctly, save for the small, light-haired girl sitting Indian-style in the middle of one farthest from the door. The girl seemed to be organizing what looked like a box of cosmetics. She looked up as I entered the room and smiled brightly.

"Hi! I’m Amber. You must be my new roommate," she said excitedly.

"I think so. I’m Ashley"," I replied while looking around at the rest of the room.

I glanced around, noting that Amber had quickly made herself at home in our tiny dorm room. Her bed was made up with a light pink comforter in some type of animal print, and the top of her dresser was already covered in picture frames, candles, and little jars and bottles that I had to assume were various cosmetics. Her desk was covered in books, notebooks and other classroom supplies. Her closet was already full.

Amber scooted to the edge of the bed and jumped up. She smiled widely, as she walked toward me and gestured to my suitcase.

"Do you need help getting the rest of your stuff? I’ll help you."

I blushed and looked down at my suitcase. I shrugged.

"This is all I have." I bit my lip, hoping she wouldn’t ask why.

"Oh," she replied and shrugged, averting her eyes. She looked embarrassed, though I wasn’t sure for who, her or me. "Well, that’s perfect then, because I have way too much stuff!" she exclaimed and laughed.

I laughed with her, feeling a little bit lighter, like a weight — one I hadn’t realized I was carrying — was lifted.

"So, you’re a transfer student, right?"

I nodded as she looked at me expectantly.

She turned and hopped back on her bed. "Where did you go last year?"

Apparently, it was roommate bonding time.

"Community college," I replied. It wasn’t a very exciting answer, but that didn’t dissuade Amber.

"Where?"

"Omaha, Nebraska. That’s where I lived last year."

"Oh, neat! I’m from New Jersey. Did you grow up in Nebraska?" she asked enthusiastically, bouncing on the bed. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself smiling as I answered.

"No." I shook my head. "I moved around a lot. I’ve lived all over." I picked up my suitcase, set it on the bed opposite Amber’s, and opened it to begin unpacking.

"Really?" she asked wistfully, "like where?"

"Well." I turned around to face her. "I lived in New Jersey for a year." I gestured toward her as I said it. "And I lived in Florida for a few years before that." I closed my eyes and tried to remember the places I’d lived for the longest times. "I lived in Austin, Texas for one school–year. I liked it there. I lived in Ohio for five years — I lived there the longest…"

I wasn’t sure why I was telling her all this. I never explained this to anyone. I didn’t confide in people, didn’t tell them about me, about my life…at all. But I liked this girl, for some reason. She was so excited, so enthusiastic about everything that I could not help but get caught up in it. Besides, for the first time in my life, no one was going to make me leave here; no one could ship me off. I was finally on my own, and I could stay here as long as I wanted — well, at least until I graduated, and that meant that I could afford to make friends here.

For the next hour, Amber helped me unpack and arrange my things in our room. During that time, she alternated between attempting to grill me about my life and filling me in on hers.

Amber was nineteen and from southern New Jersey. She lived only thirty minutes from the beach and missed it desperately while here at school. Amber was a Broadcast Journalism major and had wanted to be a television broadcaster her entire life. Last year, she lived with an Accounting major, who had joined a sorority and decided to live in the sorority house just off campus because it was supposedly cheaper. At home, Amber had a boyfriend, who she had been dating since her junior year of high school and was totally in love with. They talked on the phone every night at seven thirty. Her best friend on campus was a girl named Randi, who was going to live down the hall with her roommate from last year, Becca. Amber was super excited that she didn’t get stuck with a totally lame roommate like she had been worried about all summer.

I was just happy that I wasn’t considered a "totally lame" roommate.

We were just finishing up arranging everything in our room when a striking redhead walked in the door. Amber squealed and ran to the girl, throwing her arms around her and jumping up and down.

"Randi!" she exclaimed, "I’m so glad you’re finally here!"

"I know," the girl called Randi replied, with a hint of a whine. "It took me forever to get here." Then, she screeched, "I missed you so much!"

And just like that, I felt like the outsider again, very out of place. I’m sure it was some kind reflex response — something to do with never having had a best girlfriend to scream and jump up and down with — but I turned away, feeling intrusive. I couldn’t leave the room — they were standing in the doorway — so I busied myself pretending to fix the books and papers I’d just neatly stacked on my desk, trying diligently to ignore them.

After about five long minutes, Amber suddenly remembered I was there.

"Oh!" she squealed. I jumped but continued looking down at my desk. "Randi!" she continued, "You have to meet my new roommate!" She pulled her toward me.

"Ashley, this is Randi!" Her enthusiasm never waned.

I finally picked my head up and looked directly at the impeccable redhead. She looked back at me. Her look was not totally friendly. It was more…appraising.

"Hi," I said and smiled brightly at her. Somehow, I knew instinctively that Randi was important. I wanted to fit in, to be a part of Amber’s circle; she was the only person I knew, and I liked her already, but I could tell that Amber’s circle revolved around this tall, redheaded girl. I knew her for five minutes, but I already knew Randi was the key to being in — and staying in — the group.

"I’m Ashley. It’s really nice to meet you," I finished in my friendliest voice as I reached out to shake her hand.

Randi looked me up and down, still appraising me. She must have decided that I was okay because, after a moment, she reached out, took my hand to shake it, and smiled.

"It’s nice to meet you too," she replied then turned to Amber and said, "Come on, let’s see if Becca’s here yet." Randi turned toward the door, tugging on Amber’s arm. I looked down at my desk, disappointment flooding me, but then I heard them stop. I looked back up as Randi turned and looked over her shoulder, calling to me, "You coming, Ashley?"