Chapter 36
Summer flew by, and this day snuck up on Jalen sooner than she thought it would as they pulled in front of the dorm that Kodi would stay in. They’d made the ten-hour drive the day before, and today her little sister was officially moving in.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known the day was approaching. They’d flown out at the end of July for freshman orientation and to choose her classes for the first semester. Jalen just thought she’d be more prepared than she found herself to be.
“Jalen,” Landon called from the middle seat, where she sat with the twins. They’d laid down her third row to pack Kodi’s things. The excess was placed in the trunk and backseat of the car Vega drove beside Mikal, who’d ridden with him and Kodi. “Are you going to cry?”
Rohan chuckled from the driver’s seat, and Jalen glared at him momentarily before turning to Landon. “No, I’m not going to cry.”
“Just making sure,” Landon responded as they opened their doors to get out.
She hadn’t wanted to bring the rest of her siblings when they brought Kodi to school.
It was a long drive, and she thought it would be best for them to stay with Vivian, but Kodi requested that they be there.
Stating it would help her move in go faster.
However, Jalen knew the twins would just follow them all around and possibly get in the way.
She was sure Kodi knew it too but wanted them all there.
It was eight-thirty on a Saturday morning. Kodi had wanted to move in as early as she could, so they’d all woken up early that morning and left the hotel.
“Should we start unloading?” Kodi asked as they all gathered between Jalen and Vega’s vehicles.
“Why don’t we go up and see the room first, and then we can start unloading things?” Rohan suggested.
They followed Kodi as she took out the fob she was given to access the front door outside of the set hours.
When they walked inside, it looked like any average dorm lobby.
There was a desk on the right for people to sign in when there was an attendant.
There were sets of stairs and elevators to the right and left, with a common area in the back.
Kodi’s dorm was on the second floor on the left side.
The dorms were co-ed. With the girls on one side and the boys on the other.
They took the stairs since Jalen was sure all eight of them wouldn’t have fit on the elevator.
Her dorm room was two-thirds of the way down the hall on the left side.
She unlocked the door, and they all stepped in.
The room was spacious, housing two extra-large twin beds against the left and right walls. There were small nightstands beside them, with a desk sitting between them. On the wall where the door was, there were two wardrobes, with another desk sitting between them.
There was another door immediately to the left upon entering, and Jalen knew it was the bathroom. It was a perk of staying in the freshman honors dorm.
“Do you think it would be okay for me to move this furniture around? It’s sort of weird the way it’s set up right now,” Kodi stated.
“I don’t see why you couldn’t,” Jalen replied. “As long as it isn’t bolted down or anything.”
“How do you want it?” Vega asked.
“It would make more sense for my bed, wardrobe, and desk to be on one side. I’m also wondering if those portable dresser sets and my fridge will fit under the bed.”
“I think they will,” Rohan responded. “There’s about three feet or so of space under the bed. I don’t think anything you’re going to put under there is that tall. If it doesn’t fit, we can figure something out.”
“Vega, do you want to help Kodi move things around while Rohan, Landon, Mikal, and I unload her things from my trunk?” Jalen asked.
“Hey!” Nathan exclaimed.
“What about us?” Omari asked.
“You two have the important job of supervising Kodi and me,” Vega informed them. That seemed to work for them as Nathan pulled one of the desk chairs out, and they both sat on it, even though there was another one.
Jalen grabbed the fob Kodi held out to her and exited the dorm with her movers in tow.
She figured they could take the elevator if needed, depending on what they were bringing in.
There wasn’t anything Kodi would be without while she was at school, and Jalen owed Vega, Vivian, and Rohan a world of thanks.
Naturally, Jalen had saved to get Kodi the essentials, and she knew Kodi had been saving her money, but neither of them had to spend a dime.
When they returned from her freshman orientation, there was a mini-fridge, an electric kettle, a microwave, storage drawers, decorations, and anything else Kodi would need or want for her dorm.
Part of Jalen wanted to protest. However, she realized it wasn’t about her. So, she’d thanked them, and they looked at her like she’d grown another head, expecting her to tell them they’d done too much and didn’t have to. Vega even told her he’d prepared an “I’m her father, and it’s my job” speech.
When they opened her trunk, Jalen reached in and grabbed a laundry basket with folded towels and a shower caddy, and handed it to Mikal.
She gave Landon a collapsible storage bin that she was sure had some of Kodi’s clothes in it.
She had just reached out to grab the box the mini fridge was in when Rohan grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“It isn’t that heavy.”
In response, he handed her a storage bin, and Jalen knew she wouldn’t win.
She wasn’t even sure why she had tried. She placed the container on the ground, pulled out another one, and placed it on top.
Jalen closed the trunk when Rohan pulled the fridge out, just to be safe, she grabbed the containers, and they headed back inside.
They’d moved the bed and desk and were currently moving the dresser.
The bed was turned, sitting along the far wall, with the nightstand beside it.
They’d moved the desk that was between the beds away from the wall and turned it so it faced away from Kodi’s bed.
The dresser moved closer to the door and her bed, but she’d left it on the original wall.
Jalen thought it was a bit of an awkward setup, which must have shown on her face because Kodi laughed as she walked to what would presumably be the middle of the room.
“Picture it with that cute room divider Ms. Vivian got me in front of the desk. Then, if my roommate wants, she can put her desk on the other side, giving us privacy when we’re studying or getting dressed if we don’t want to do so in the bathroom.”
Jalen could see it. It was a good idea. If Kodi’s roommate set up her side of the room, the same way Kodi did, it would make the room feel bigger, even though it was already plenty big for them to share. She was sure Kodi would enjoy the extra space.
“I trust your vision,” Jalen told her. “Why don’t you stay up here with the twins and unpack as we bring things in?”
“Okay,” Kodi responded. “Nathan, Omari, do you want to help me put my clothes away?”
Their baby sisters gave an excited, “Yes!”
They left them to it as the rest went to unload more bins, small appliances, and decorations. It was several trips later that they had everything unloaded from both vehicles.
Now, they were all moving around the room; Kodi placing her clothes on hangers and into the wardrobe.
Jalen putting together the small dressers to go under her bed and wherever else she wanted them, since she knew there were extras.
Rohan was hanging her projector screen, and Vega was unboxing her fridge while Landon opened and took out the other small appliances.
Mikal was taking decorations out of bags and laying them out, and the twins had formed an assembly line.
One would hand Kodi a hanger while the other gave her an article of clothing.
A couple of hours had passed by the time they finished getting everything together and put where Kodi wanted it. Jalen had to admit her vision worked out perfectly. It looked good, and she was glad her little sister was happy with it.
Kodi walked them all outside, and they were saying their goodbyes. Jalen wished they could stay longer, but she had to go to work the following morning, and the drive would be long. She hugged Kodi and couldn’t help but sniffle a bit.
“I thought you weren’t going to cry, Jae,” Landon stated.
Jalen sniffled again. “I’m not crying. It’s allergies.”
She heard the men chuckle, and she knew no one believed her aside from the twins, possibly.
She couldn’t help it. Her first baby was an adult now and starting college.
She would be out on her own, and even though Kodi had been nothing but responsible and made good choices, Jalen couldn’t help but worry.
She finally pulled away so everyone else could say bye as well. Kodi hugged Rohan, and when she did, Jalen couldn’t help but shake her head slightly in amusement at her request.
“Take care of them while I’m away, okay?”
“You got it,” Rohan replied.
Jalen couldn’t help but smile. Here, Kodi was starting the next step of her journey, and she was still trying to look after them.
“There’s just one thing left to do,” Vega stated after Kodi released him from a hug. He held a key fob out to her, and Kodi furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why are you giving me the rental car keys?” she questioned, confusion lacing her voice.
“It isn’t a rental car,” Vega responded, and Kodi’s eyes grew wide before her attention snapped to Jalen.
“Did you know about this?”
“I did,” she answered.
Before purchasing the car a couple of weeks ago, Vega called her to discuss it with her.
Jalen had been skeptical about it. Purchasing Kodi a car was a lot, and she hadn’t wanted him to feel like he was obligated to do so.
Vega pointed out that Kodi would need to get around because public transportation may not always be an option, and Uber costs would eventually add up.