I hated my life. There was nothing good about it but Sam and now she was gonna be more than a thousand miles away. She was probably getting settled into her room at that very moment. The only bright spot in all this was that, the next day, I’d be meeting her in New York like we planned to do since her birthday. At least that would give me a few more days to accept the fact that we’d be apart for so long.
I looked up and caught sight of Vick in my rearview mirror and sped up when frustration set in. Being followed only reminded me how messed up everything is now. His would be the only familiar face when I reached campus – a sobering thought. Nothing awaited me at the end of this long drive except desolation and loneliness; however, I’d have to hide all that from Sam. Sure, she’d expect me to be upset because we weren’t together, but other than that, I needed her to believe that nothing changed. I shuttered at the thought of how many lies I’d have to tell to keep her in the dark, but it had to be that way.…..
*****
Sam
“I don’t think I’m ready.” My whole body trembled as I stared out the window at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was all happening so fast that I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. One day I was safe in the comfort of my own home with AJ only a few short miles away, and then the next I was on Charleston’s Campus, alone and afraid.
“Samantha, baby, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be. Deanna’s probably already in there waiting for you. The two of you’ll be fine.” I heard my mother speak the words, but I’m not sure that I believed them. My hand quivered on the handle as I tried to build up the courage to open the door. Deanna sent me a text about an hour before letting me know that she had in fact made it already, but my nerves were still frazzled.
“Sweetie, come on. Your father and I need to get you unpacked before it gets too late. You know he doesn’t like driving in the dark.”
Reluctantly, I stepped out, placing one foot on the ground. Charleston was huge and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I was intimidated. The dorm was four stories tall and students were scattered all over the lawn and steps talking and laughing. I adjusted my clothes before shutting the car door. Even the air smelled different. The trees were a different shade of green than the ones back home, and the overall feeling of the place was foreign – like I was in a completely different country on some distant continent.
“Here, Baby Girl. Grab this box. It’s pretty light,” Daddy called from behind the truck.
I grabbed the box from him and stared at the large, old building that I’d be calling home. It was eerie and cold – Gothic in structure. On either side stood two buildings almost identical in appearance except that they were slightly smaller, forming a semi-circle centered around a courtyard and fountain. Every building on the entire campus looked like it dated back nearly one hundred years and there were even crows perched on the roof like in a scary movie. It was hard to imagine that there were enough students living here that they’d fill all three dorms, but they were packed to capacity.
“Ok, let’s go in,” Mom said.
My feet felt like they were stuck in glue as I followed behind my parents.
“I thought you told me these dorms weren’t coed, Babe,” my father said to my mother questioningly as we passed by a group of boys on the steps leading up to the second floor.
“No, that’s not what I said. The suites aren’t coed, but the floors are mixed. So she and Deanna will be sharing their bathroom with two other girls, but that’s about as segregated as it gets,” Mom replied. My father immediately tensed up realizing that I’d be in very close proximity to guys without being under his watchful eye. I tried to hide my smirk.
“I don’t like that at all. It’s like they set these kids up to be in here screwing around or something. That just doesn’t make good sense,” he grumbled.