Chapter 1 #2
That makes me smile a little and, in turn, Dash’s grin nearly rips his face apart. I sink deeper into my sleeves, letting the fabric cover my hands, and start tracing small doodles over my thigh.
Hyde comes closer, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know her name. Use it.”
“No. She’s Mini Ward until she says otherwise.” He pulls a rolled-up manila envelope out of his back pocket. “Noah did his thing. No need to drag her to admin.”
I step out of the car, shouldering my backpack while Hyde takes the envelope, emptying it into the palm of his hand. A room key falls out, then my student ID strapped to a lanyard, and a few orientation guides, all of which I’ve already read.
“Thanks,” he says. “I’m not surprised Noah’s already here, but you? I thought you were coming in with Creed.”
Dash grabs Hyde’s suitcases, leaving my brother to fetch mine. “I was but... wait, he didn’t call you?”
“No, why? What do you know? I’ve been trying him all fucking day. Figured he’s losing his shit again.”
“Kind of. His father’s dead.”
Hyde stops in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the back of Dash’s retreating head. His mouth opens, but he glances my way before exhaling a long breath and pulling his phone out.
“You think the thirteenth or whatever-th time is the charm?” Dash shoots over his shoulder. “Don’t bother. Noah and I have been trying since he hung up on me last night.”
“Did he say what happened?”
“No. Just, ‘I’m not taking you to campus. Jeremiah’s dead.’”
“Fuck. I can imagine the state he’s in.” Hyde pushes the tall wooden door open.
Inside the North Wing, the air carries the scent of pine needles and damp earth, layered with old wood and fresh varnish. The foyer is wide with a high ceiling. Dark beams hang overhead while long leather benches sit under the windows.
It’s deathly quiet, but according to Hyde, most seniors won’t arrive until the day before lectures start next week.
“You’re in 212,” he says as the elevator door slides shut behind us. “All rooms here are singles, but yours has been modified to accommodate two beds. Freshmen always double up.”
Of course. The one perk of living under the same roof as my brother had to be obliterated.
“Chin up, Mini Ward. A double here’s better than anywhere else on campus. Spacious, even with two beds. You get a private bathroom and kitchenette, too.”
Now that I can get on board with. I was dreading sharing a bathroom with a dozen other girls.
We reach the second floor, the carpet soft enough to swallow our footsteps.
“See you later?” Dash asks outside my room, shifting both suitcases to one hand. “In Noah’s room, yeah? I haven’t unpacked yet.”
“Sure. Once I’ve got Millie settled.”
“Bring her with you.” He turns to me. “Noah’s in 529. Seven pm sharp. Don’t make me come back for you, Mini.”
Then he’s gone, barreling back toward the elevator with my brother’s luggage in tow. Couldn’t he have said all that on the ride up here instead of dragging the suitcases in and out?
I pinch my lips, holding back a smile. Something tells me Dash is the kind of charismatic chaos I’ll enjoy observing.
Hyde opens my room, letting me in first. There’s a door to my right, which I assume is the ensuite. Further in, there’s a small kitchenette, and the bedroom opens to the left.
Dash was right. It’s very spacious. Two beds are tucked into opposite walls, large storage bins beneath them. Two wardrobes sit in the corners, and there’s a tall, ornate window dead center, a long two-person desk pushed against it.
My roommate looks up, a big smile illuminating her face. She’s dressed in coral leggings and an oversized Gravemont hoodie, her dark ponytail swinging.
“Hi! I’m Abby. I’ve been here since Tuesday. Early check-in. I volunteered with freshman orientation, so I know everything and can fill you in! You’re Millie Ward, right?”
I nod, dropping my backpack on the empty bed.
Abby’s is already dressed in pale yellow sheets and dotted by throw pillows with quotes stitched into the fabric. The shelves above, decorated with string lights, bend under the weight of colorful romance books. More are stacked on her side of the desk.
“This place is wild, right?” She gestures around the room. “When I heard about the East Wing fire, I thought I’d get crammed into a broom closet with five other girls but—” She pauses, noticing my brother standing right behind me, her cheeks running red. “Oh, um... hi?”
“Hey, Abby.” He extends his hand. “Hyde Ward, I’m Millie’s older brother.”
“Yes!” she exclaims and immediately blushes harder. “I mean... I just heard a lot about you.”
I cock an eyebrow, though I’m hardly surprised. Hyde’s reputation probably precedes him. He wheels my suitcases in, leaving them at the foot of my bed.
“I need to try Creed again, sis, but I’ll come back and help you unpack, alright?”
“No, I’m okay,” I whisper, twisting my sleeves between my fingers when he bends down to kiss my head.
“Okay, fine. Call me if you need me and be ready for seven. I’ll come get you so you can meet Noah.” He gives me a hard, scolding look when I open my mouth to protest. “Don’t say no. The guys know the drill.”
I figured that much.
I’ve never met his friends, but from what he said while he was trying every trick in the book to get me to talk in that hospital bed, I know Noah, Dash, and Creed are his pillars.
The support system he never had at home.
The least I can do is turn up and maybe force a hi out to show I’m grateful my brother has people he can count on.
Even if I wish I was that person.
He takes my silence as a yes and turns back to Abby. “Millie doesn’t talk much. Don’t take it personally.”
“Oh.” Her blue eyes soften and the bright red coloring her cheeks runs down her neck under Hyde’s stare. “Okay, no worries. My mom says I talk for two, so we’ll make it work.”
With a final glance over his shoulder, he leaves. The door closes with a quiet click and Abby lets out a soft squeal.
“I can’t believe I’m rooming with Hyde Ward’s sister! He’s a god around here, did you know that?” She waves a dismissive hand, apparently not expecting an answer.
I like her already.
“Of course you know. How could you not? People say he and his friends basically run the place.” She lowers her voice, glancing toward the door. “They also say, and by the look of your brother they’re not lying, that all four are super hot.”
I’ve never looked at Hyde that way, but I guess he could be considered handsome. He’s tall and muscular and knows how to dress well. His brown hair is kissed with blond streaks after spending the summer with me in California, and I’ve seen many girls swoon when he smiles.
Abby waggles her eyebrows as if she can read my mind and plops down on her bed, face still slightly pink.
I unzip my first suitcase, pulling out a stack of sweaters. Given the rain pattering the window, it’s a good thing I packed warm clothes. Opening the closet, I start filling the shelves while Abby fills the silence.
“There’s a mixer every evening this week. Wanna come? Not tonight, since you already have plans with Hyde and his hot friends, but maybe tomorrow?”
I shake my head. I would’ve jumped at the opportunity a year ago, but a lot has changed. I prefer solitude over constantly wondering if everybody at the party’s looking at me or through me. If they’re laughing at me or just with their friends.
If they know.
If they saw.
“Fair enough,” Abby says, folding her legs under her butt. “I don’t like crowds, either.”
Somehow, I don’t believe that’s true.
She buries her nose in a book, leaving me to unpack in peace. Even when I’ve emptied my suitcases, my corner of the room looks sterile... almost like no one lives here. And it’ll stay that way because I don’t take up space anymore.
Besides, I have nothing to decorate it with, were that a thing I wanted to do, which I don’t.
I didn’t bring pictures, lights, or books.
Just my sketchbook, though it’s more out of habit than anything else.
I haven’t sketched, painted, or doodled since that night.
Before that, I used to spend hours with a brush in my hand, pouring my soul onto a blank canvas.
It always felt like letting a tiny secret loose.
He belittled that, too.