Chapter 10
“Here we fucking go.”
I take a deep breath and look around in awe at the stately brick buildings and manicured lawns sprawling before me. Everything screams money and privilege. I don’t belong here.
But… where Ben goes, I go.
I pull out my phone and check it for any unread messages, my heart sinking when I find nothing. I texted my foster brother the date and time I was arriving on campus. As a senior, I know he’s busy applying for jobs and whatnot, but I can’t ignore his dismissal of me.
Actually, this is more like the hundredth time. I knew things would change when he left for college, but I didn’t think we’d grow apart like we have. Or that he’d stop contacting me altogether.
Ben and I came from the same place and experienced the same shitty childhood. He knows how much it means to me that I obtained a scholarship to any university, let alone that it was the same place as him. All I’ve wanted since he walked out the door of that foster home is for us to be together again, like old times.
Okay, maybe not exactly like old times considering Frank “disappeared.” Murdered is more accurate, but I’ve had the hardest time wrapping my mind around that. And the dark stranger who broke into the house all those years ago.
Regardless of how much he freaked me out, that guy did me a favor. Not only did the girls and I not have to worry about being assaulted by Frank anymore, but we were moved into a nice foster home with Gloria. If I could choose a mother, she would be it.
I shoot her a text letting her know I’ve arrived on campus safely. She’s quick to respond that she’s glad and super proud of me. After that, she sends me a picture the littles drew to wish me luck. I smile, feeling loved despite Ben’s lack of communication. Once I find him, everything will be fine.
Lugging my overstuffed suitcase up the stairs of the residence hall, I remind myself that I’ve dreamed of this day. My scholarship is going to change my life for the better. And not just mine, but everyone I’ll end up helping with my education in the future.
The hallways echo with the chatter of students hanging out and loitering in the common areas. I make my way toward my assigned room and push open the door. A young woman with jet black hair snaps up her head to pin me with a stare. Her dark red lipstick accentuates her impish grin as she assesses me. I return the favor.
She’s dressed completely in black, her dress clinging to her curvy frame, paired with ripped fishnet stockings and boots. An assortment of silver chains, beads and pentagrams hang from her neck. Her forehead creases when she asks, “Excuse me, ma’am, but do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior Edgar Allen Poe?”
I lift a brow. “Is this your way of telling me you enjoy poetry or that someone is buried under the floorboards? Either way, I’m down.”
She chuckles with a tiny shake of her head. “You’re unexpected, but that’s a good thing. It means we’ll get along great, and I won’t have to find a way to get rid of you.”
“Good to know.” I smirk. “So, what happened to your last roommate?”
Her grin widens. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I’m Bree, but everyone calls me Raven.”
“Delilah.”
“Welcome to the den of poetic chaos.”
I can’t help but laugh at her dramatic introduction. After closing the door behind me, I set my suitcase down next to the unoccupied bed and plop onto it. I scan the room, beginning with my side. The dorm room is large with plain white walls and one large window. The bed is queen size instead of the standard-issue twin, and the sheets look to be made of quality material. Certainly higher than my thread count back home.
There’s a wooden desk and dresser that match, their surfaces empty except for a pen and notepad with the university’s logo on the top right. Damn, even the parchment is thick and luxurious. A girl could get used to having nice things.
Raven’s half of the room is completely filled with color. Dark purple curtains trimmed with black lace outline the single window centered in the outside wall. Her bed is made up neatly with satin sheets and a matching black lace bedspread. Above the bed is a purple wall covered in posters depicting famous artistic interpretations of monsters and ghosts. Interspersed are prints of poems by Poe, Baudelaire, and Dickinson.
“What’s your major? Besides murder,” I say with a wink. “Obviously.”
Raven picks up a well-worn leather-bound journal and waves it in the air. “I’m an English major. It was either that, or I wasn’t going to college at all. My parents just about died when I chose something that wouldn’t ‘further the family business,’” she says, making air quotes, “but they finally got over it. You?”
“I thought about going into information technology like my brother, but that’s not for me. I settled on psychology. More specifically, I want to be a child psychiatrist. Plus, I’ll need a good-paying job after I graduate.”
Raven slaps a hand over her heart. “Ah, the woes of picking a practical major to please the parental units. I get it.”
“It’s not to please my foster mother, it’s to make sure I can provide for myself. I never want to depend on someone else for my survival.”
“I get that too. My family’s business means money isn’t an issue for me. No offense.”
She looks at me with a guilty expression and I gesture for her to continue. “No worries,” I say.
“But the trade-off is having to live under my parent’s control and expectations. Not that I’m comparing situations. I’m just saying I get it.” She sighs, idly flipping through her journal. “I don’t know what it’s like not to have parents breathing down my neck about lineages and legacies, while threatening to cut me off financially if I refuse to marry some man-child in a suit. Money doesn’t always equal freedom.”
This university is one of the finest in the country. I knew I’d rub elbows with the rich, and I’m prepared to have their money—and my lack of—thrown in my face. At least this conversation shows me that Raven won’t do that.
“I grew up not having enough money to buy food.” I shrug. “The grass isn’t always greener. It’s just grass.”
“Well, sometimes I want to piss on it. Water it a little, you know?” Her smile returns, as does the glint of mischief in her brown eyes. “Maybe people would be less likely to rain on my parade if I piss on theirs first?”
I burst out laughing. I understand her frustration with being in a situation you have no control over. More than she could ever know.
“Absolutely. But before you decide to urinate everywhere, can you point me to the nearest coffee shop? I woke up early, and I’m exhausted. My excitement wouldn’t let me sleep last night.”
I was too busy thinking of my reunion with Ben. The very person who has yet to respond to my calls and texts. My good mood plummets at the thought, but I keep my smile firmly set. It’s one thing for me to tell Raven about having been a foster kid, but it’s another to share my doubts concerning Ben’s silence.
Her eyes light up at the mention of coffee. “Oh, I know just the place. There’s this super cool cafe off-campus called Brewed Awakenings. Epic name, right? It has a goth vibe with the best espresso around. I basically live there.”
“There’s nothing on campus? I still have orientation to go to in a little while.”
“Fine,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “We’ll go to the lame coffee shop by the library.”
I tilt my head. “Are you a freshman too?”
“Yup! My older brother graduated from here, so I know everything about this place. Why don’t I give you a quick introductory tour and after that, we’ll go to orientation?”
“Sounds good.”
She jumps to her feet, her black combat boots striking the floor with a thud. “Come on, Delilah. Let us fuel up, and then it’s onto plotting our glorious piss-ridden path to infamy!”
My laughter bursts out of me, honest and refreshing. I can’t remember the last time I felt this light and just… happy. Yes, I’m concerned about Ben’s lack of communication, and I miss Gloria and the girls, but I’m on a journey to accomplish what few people with my background do: attend an Ivy League college on a full scholarship.
If that doesn’t make me a badass, I don’t know what would.