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Roommates and Morons
Vicky was really excited to be treading alongside her best friend towards one of the buildings. It was a tall, gray, two-story building which black tiled roofs and even cone-shaped roofing to resemble the construction towers having been in their place. It was a strange building, but this was the one place that Vicky absolutely fell in love with during their tour at this college months ago. As they walked towards the front doors—her bags weighed a ton on her back and in her hands—she was about to drop one bag to open the glass door when someone stepped through them and held the door open for the two girls. Beth hesitated in her tracks to cast a flirtatious grin at the boy, but he didn't seem to notice as he walked away from them. Once they were inside, Vicky had to put her bags down just to take a look at the first floor where they were. It was a little smaller than she remembered, but she suspected part of that was because of all the tables and chairs filling up one section of the main room. The kitchen was built in a wall-less area against the corner of the room, filled with the utensils and necessities for a kitchen. There were two separate bathrooms on this floor, both on opposite ends of each other, and there eight small bedrooms for the roommates, four on each side and aligned perfectly together. It appeared that already five of the rooms were taken, as they had personal pictures and decorations hung up along the boards on the outside of the doors. Vicky felt a little ashamed of herself for choosing to live in such a small dorm. She was actually starting to prefer living in the eight-room dormitory that Beth was going to be staying rather than this one. Too bad she was already signed up to be one of the occupants and had already paid for her room.
"Wow, I feel sorry for you, Vicky. This place is so small. I wonder how small the bedrooms are," Beth stated as she started walking towards one of the doors that didn't have any pictures or decorations on it. Vicky only sighed, knowing that the bedrooms were only a small, barely-bigger-than-a-closet room with a small dresser and a twin-size bed. Beth eventually found this out when she opened the door and discovered how small the room was. Although Vicky didn't mind, she much would have preferred her large, grand, princess bedroom back at her home in Malibu.
You're not a little girl anymore, so grow up, Vicky reminded herself as she shook her head, trying to regain that last bit of maturity that she had.
"Hi, you must be new!"
There came a new, sweet, soft-spoken voice from before her, and Vicky looked up to see a red-haired girl step out of one of the bedrooms, her green eyes looking from Beth to Vicky and then back. Her hair was long, practically down to her waist and held up in a high ponytail—which made its length probably only half-way down her arms. She was dressed in a casual purple halter-top and a pair of chalk blue jeans-which Vicky caught Beth crinkling her nose at in complete disapproval. The girl, though, must have thought Beth was also a new roommate, as she approached her first.
"My name is Lyndsay, it's great to meet you! Are you two here together?" she asked of Beth, who shook her head. Vicky knew that the first thing to come out of the blond girl's mouth would be harsh criticism on her outfit, so Vicky spoke first before she could.
"No, no, she's not with me. She's staying in a dormitory down the street, she was just here to help me move in. By the way, I'm Vicky," she introduced herself as she approached the two girls—Beth looked defeated, having been deprived of the chance to mock a girl's clothing.
"Oh, so you two are friends? Wonderful! Anyway, you must be the new roommate then! As you probably already know, my name is Lyndsay, and I guess you could say I'm in charge of the first floor rooms!" the red head jeered happily.
"In charge? Are you like the manager or something?" Beth asked.
"Oh, no, no, that would be Mrs. Burnstein. She's the manager for all the dorms on this street. I'm only in charge of keeping the dormitory clean or in good shape, to report any violations to Mrs. Burnstein or any problems, and to welcome new boards to the dorm, informing them of the rules and guidelines," Lyndsay explained, that sweet, welcoming smile not faltering from her face. She looked at Vicky, scanning her up and down, as if looking for any imperfections. Her smile widened—making Vicky a little sick to her stomach at how sweet that smile was—and she gestured for the girls to follow her. "Shall I give you the grand tour?"
The girls simply nodded, and, after they had set down their bags against the wall, the two of them followed the red haired girl towards the kitchen where she began the tour.
"This is the kitchen, of course. We take shifts between the boards for who cooks the meals in the morning, afternoon, and at night. If you cook or eat anything, please be sure to clean up after yourself entirely. Make sure to treat the utilities with respect. We also take shifts in who cleans the kitchen every night, so please be aware of that."
Vicky took mental notes of that, and although she wanted to ask a particular question, she decided it wasn't important enough at the moment. Lyndsay led the two of them then towards the other side of the main room where one of the bathrooms were. She opened the door and gestured inside.
"This is the bathroom. There are two of them on each floor, and we take shifts for cleaning the bathrooms every other day. If it is your shift, you have to clean all four bathrooms before you go to bed, upstairs and downstairs. The showers have time limit of ten to fifteen minutes, and then the water shuts off. So, whatever you have to do in the shower, make it quick, otherwise you'll be stuck with soap in your hair and having to air-dry yourself," Lyndsay chuckled at herself, but neither Vicky nor Beth found it amusing.
Lyndsay led the two girls away towards the staircase that was situated in the middle of the room. She only went up to the bottom step, though, as if she couldn't go upstairs. The two girls exchanged looks of curiosity, Vicky becoming interested in the red head's sudden change in actions.
"There are eight other rooms upstairs, and two other bathrooms. There is also a living room, with a television set, two couches, and a computer for those that don't have access to one. There are also other necessities upstairs, such as two different bookcases for studying, and an endless amount of resources for projects on the computer's hard-drive," Lyndsay explained.
"Um...thanks, Lyndsay. One question, though. How can I apply for a major at the university?" Vicky asked of her, thinking to herself of her dream of majoring in creative writing and journalism. Lyndsay chuckled a little.
"Usually you have to call up the university and talk to the administrative staff. Freshmen don't do it until after their first year, and then they pursue the rest of their college career with that major. So, I would say call up the university's administration office and they'll help you out with that. Now then, why don't you go claim your room and situate yourself with it, and if you need anything, just let me know," Lyndsay smiled happily at them. When neither Vicky nor Beth said anything, she nodded and walked away back towards her room. Vicky then turned to her best friend, who looked restricted and stifling a smile. She knew what was going through the blond's head.
"I know, I know, but I might like living here. Who knows, I might like it more than you think," Vicky commented.
"Whatever, dude," Beth shrugged carelessly and accompanied her friend back over to where their bags laid against the wall. There was an empty room among three near where they were, and Vicky took the one nearest her, dragging her belongings into the room.
The room was a lot smaller than what she could remember, but not too suffocating. There was a small window next to where the tiny dresser was, and Vicky knew that it wasn't anywhere near big enough to hold all of her belongings. There was a small closet, barely big enough to hold ten of her jackets, and a small waste basket against the dresser. It was ironic to be in such a small room compared to her large, princess-estate room--plus her second large room down the hall from her bedroom where a lot of her important furniture was for an entertainment room.
"Wow. This room is tiny. I really hope my room in that other dorm isn't this small. If it, I'm leaving and forcing my way into that Theta-Blossom sorority," Beth remarked on the bedroom, but Vicky held her silence as she threw her bags onto the twin-sized bed. Beth crinkled her nose at the bed in disapproval, and Vicky caught it.
"Don't say it," she warned her as she opened up one of her suitcases. Unlike a lot of girls her age, Vicky was very meticulous, very organized, and very neat. She kept all her clothing folded neatly and categorized in her dresser and suitcases, though not as neatly as someone who was obsessive compulsive.
"Well, girl, I love you, but I don't think I would want to stay in this cramped up place anymore. I'm going to head over to my dormitory and check it out. I'll call you later, okay?" Beth waved to her friend as she opened the bedroom door and the last bit of her golden blond hair vanished past the threshold.
Vicky only stood there in her room, shaking her head in utter astonishment and unbelief, suddenly realizing that she was finally here in college. Even though the two girls have graduated from high school, even though they were now officially college freshmen, it didn't seem like anything had changed at all. At least, not personality or mental wise. They were still the same person, still the same two girls that were always joined at the hip back in their high school freshmen year. Was college lifestyle really like this? Did she overestimate the excitement of it? She sure hoped not.
"I know. It was a lot of hard work, but we're finally here."
"Hard work for you, maybe. I just barely slipped in."
"You flirted with one of the administrators, didn't you?"
"Nah, I didn't need to flirt. I just stepped into the office, she took one look at me, and—BAM--I'm in the school. I knew they couldn't let someone like me pass them on through."
Damien Karr laughed victoriously as he brushed his wild, blond bangs back over his stunning hazel eyes. His skin was lightly tanned from all those summers he spent on the beach, and his body was broad enough to attract any young woman nearby. He kept casting suggestive gazes towards any woman that walked past him and his friend, and they only gawked and stared at him with lustful eyes. However, those gazes were meant for him and only him as he walked in front of his best friend, Charles Sovie.
"See, you're lucky, Damien. You get by on your looks, unlike the rest of us who actually have to work to get where we want to be," Charles mocked his friend as he carried two rather heavy bags on his back and dragged two heavy suitcases behind him. Damien was probably carrying an equal amount—if not, more—yet he seemed to be more than able to carry it.
"That's because you want to be somewhere where you have to work to get there," Damien responded.
Charles only shook his head as he treads along behind his friend. When the blond boy wasn't looking, he was casting envious looks at his back. For most of his life, Charles has always envied Damien and has always wanted to be like him. Even when they were kids, Damien was always the better looking one, the more popular one, the stronger and more athletic one. What was Charles? The smarter one, which was it. Charles was seen as Damien's dorky friend, and he even physically looked like a dork. Charles was tall, but thin and incredibly frail, with short, greasy black hair and blue eyes that no one was able to see through his inch-thick black frame rectangular glasses. Damien was always the one defending him and standing up for him, and ever since they were kids, no one dared mess with Damien.
All the girls loved Damien—he has had more girlfriends in his life than Playboy® has had on its cover—and everyone seemed to want to be around him. Damien was the one voted Prom King and Homecoming King back in high school. He was the one that dated all the cheerleaders in the same year every year—the captain received a little longer of a relationship, which would only last about a month or two—he was the one that charmed all the girls and could even seduce them. Charles suspected that Damien had lost his virginity twenty thousand times already, though the blond boy would deny it. It was Damien who was beloved by the female teachers—it was rumored that he went out with a few of the better looking ones—and was respected strongly by the male teachers. You couldn't go anywhere in Standeville without someone turning around on the spot to yell out to Damien or greet him. Needless to say, the same didn't happen to Charles.
Charles was hardly ever noticed by anyone, only seen by his overprotective mother. Never once in Charles' life did he ever have a girl crush on him, let alone have an actual girlfriend. The teachers only recognized him for his academic skills, never for anything else. He was never athletic—he was always the victim of many bullies in school—and he was never talented in the ways of charming a woman. He has never even kissed a girl in his nineteen-year-old life—kissing his mother didn't count—and he has never been able to talk to or look at a girl without growing incredibly nervous and anxious, and then making himself look even more like a freak when nothing but slur escapes his lips. He was grateful to have a friend like Damien to help him out of tough or complicated situations, though he sometimes wondered why a guy like Damien would ever hang out with him.
"Hey, Charles, there it is! Our dormitory!" Damien's voice broke the boy out of his thoughts, and he looked up at the building they were approaching. It was a tall, gray, two-story building which black tiled roofs and even cone-shaped roofing to resemble the construction towers having been in their place. Charles faintly remembered coming here only weeks ago with Damien to check out the dormitories to stay in, and then they decided this one was the better one within their budget range.
Charles and Damien have always lived in the small, unnoticeable town of Standeville ever since they were little kids. They were even born in this town! They weren't of wealth or fame, having both been raised in the somewhat lower middle-class level of society, but they always managed to live content lives. Damien was the oldest in his family, having become incredibly protective of his four younger sisters, Diamond (16), Ruby (13), Jade (8), and Sapphire (4). Damien's mother and father have had to take care of five children on their own, and for that Damien never took advantage of anyone, he was never ungrateful to anyone, and he even took it upon himself to get a part-time job at fourteen to help support his family. Even though Damien was charming and a bit overindulged in women, he was an honest man with a good heart. That was probably why he took Charles on as his best friend.
Charles, though, didn’t live an overburdened life that Damien had. Charles was an only child born to his beloved, overprotective mother and strict but loving father. However, what probably affected his life the most was when he was real young, Charles' father had died due to lung cancer, killing him instantly. Before Mr. Sovie had died, he had informed Charles that he had always dreamed of being a lawyer, and how he had dreamed of his son following in his steps. So, Charles took it upon himself on the night of his father's death to work his hardest and become a lawyer. Since that day, Charles has focused his entire life on being an attorney, studying night and day, and even then some just to get the best grades he could. However, although he has had the best grades in his school, graduating the top of his class from high school, his mother couldn't afford to send him to a high-affording law school across the country, and he just couldn't leave her in the state, along with his best friend. So, he found this college with Damien, and decided to attend the law and political science classes here at this school, in Standeville State University.
As the boys came closer to the university and stepped inside it, they were more than familiar with the size and length of it, having only seen it a month or so ago. The kitchen was built in a wall-less area against the corner of the room, filled with the utensils and necessities for a kitchen. There were two separate bathrooms on this floor, both on opposite ends of each other, and there eight small bedrooms for the roommates, four on each side and aligned perfectly together. It appeared that already five of the rooms were taken, as they had personal pictures and decorations hung up along the boards on the outside of the doors. Damien whistled as he looked around, and then he pointed to two doors across the main room, the only ones without any decorations of any kind on it—completely bare and blank boards.
"Let's take those two rooms right there!" he told his friend, and, although Charles would have much preferred to catch his breath after treading for about a mile, he followed Damien over to the doors where the blond claimed one of the rooms, forcing Charles to live in the other.
As Charles entered the room, he realized just how small the room really was, how barren and empty. It wasn't too much different compared to his room at home. It was what he was used to, and this room actually seemed much bigger without the shelves of books, figurines, and clothes all over the floor. He threw his bags onto the bed, but didn't want to open them. He decided to walk out and see if he could talk to someone about what the guidelines and rules were for the dormitory. However, once he walked out back into the main room, he saw that Damien was already flirting with someone just ten minutes after they have arrived, a pale red haired girl who seemed to blush uncontrollably at whatever he was saying. Same old Damien.
"Oh, Vicky, come over here for a second!"
Deciding not wanting to appear rebellious or like a disrespectful person, Vicky obeyed and approached where the red head was, looking up briefly only to see the blond boy cast a rather suggestive look—making Vicky appear suspicious of his character.
"What is it?" she asked rather impatiently, not wanting to stay around these two at the moment while she was having a sherbet withdrawal.
"These two boys here have just moved into the two rooms next to yours. I was just explaining to them the rules of the dorm and the guidelines, and then I saw you coming out and thought I should introduce you to them," Lyndsay practically screamed out her words.
"Oh…kay?" Vicky was not used to this kind of friendly treatment, not even back home in Malibu.
"Well, hello, beautiful. My name is Damien Karr, and this is my friend, Charles Sovie," the blond introduced himself and his comrade—Lyndsay swooned at how the boy spoke rather softly, like the world's best pick-up artist.
"It's very nice to meet you?" Vicky was still uncomfortable at that moment. Lyndsay suddenly then decided that she had something to do, and excused herself politely from the group as she rushed off to her room. She did that on purpose, I know she did, Vicky thought bitterly.
"You know, you look really familiar." Oh boy, a pick-up line. Could this jerk be any more corny?
"Oh, yeah?" Vicky asked, wondering if this was a pick-up line, or he had recognized her from some newspaper article, or seen Veronica in a magazine and thought the two of them looked alike.
"Yeah. You know who you look like?" the blond boy, Damien, went on.
"Who?"
"You look like my next girlfriend."
A PICK-UP LINE! A FREAKING PICK-UP LINE! WHAT THE HELL?! DOES HE THINK I'M SOME GIRL YOU CAN PICK-UP IN A BAR WITH ONE SIMPLE LINE?!
"And do you know what you look like?" Vicky had a rising come-back playing on her tongue. The question was, would this supposed "pick-up artist" fall for it?
"What?" Hook, line, sinker.
"A moron."
With a grin of victory and cockiness, Vicky turned on her heel and walked back towards the kitchen to receive some ice cream, leaving the blond boy stunned and defeated with his friend. She could be so cruel sometimes, but she wasn't here for a relationship. She was here to begin a new life, and not for a relationship. Besides, she couldn't see herself going out with such a moron, let alone one of her own roommates.