Chapter 1
“Welcome to Eidola University! Students, please check in with a volunteer to receive your dorm keys and welcome packet!”
The dormitory lobby is crawling with other students and adults, wheeling handcarts stacked high with boxes, bins, and luggage. It’s chaotic but expected on the Saturday before fall semester classes start.
In the midst of the mayhem, a stressed-out woman in a bright purple polo holds a clipboard.
Her nametag reads Caroline. “The elevators behind me go to Lanier Hall. The elevators to Marshall Hall are just ahead on your left, and the elevators to Oakland Hall are to the right. Welcome to The Village!”
“Thanks,” Dad murmurs her way, then looks at me. “Which hall?”
My mind goes completely blank. Shit. I know we’re in The Eidola Village Residential Complex, the largest of the main dormitories at Eidola University, and I remember that our four-bedroom, two-bathroom dorm number 319 is on the third floor.
I didn’t realize there were separate halls to remember, too.
Luckily for me, however, I’m sharing the dorm with a responsible rule-follower who actually pays attention and remembers things when he’s supposed to. He also happens to be my closest friend in the world. I immediately glance at Theo, who doesn’t miss a beat. He nods to the right. “Oakland Hall.”
I smile with relief. “Heard, chef. Lead the way!”
We head right, per Caroline’s instructions. The center elevator dings, spilling out a handful of sweaty teenagers, adults, and empty hand trolleys. As soon as it clears, our group piles in, leaving no room for strangers.
“Three, right?” Dad asks, his hand hovering by the elevator buttons.
“Three,” Theo and I answer in unison.
And with that, the doors slide shut, enveloping us in a brief moment of quiet.
“Theo, I have to ask,” Theo’s older sister, Grace, breaks the silence with a huff, blowing a rogue magenta curl out of her face. “How do you have this much stuff? I thought you said you were going to leave your vinyls at home.”
Theo scoffs. “I said I’d leave some of them at home.”
Nathaniel—Theo’s younger teenage brother—snorts, and our eyes meet to share a grin at Theo’s expense.
“God,” Grace mutters. “So you brought the turntable and everything? Is that why this box is so heavy?”
“Be nice, Grace,” Theo’s mom, Kora, reprimands softly.
“Wouldn’t it be worse if he only brought his vinyls without the turntable?” Caleb chimes in, gently nudging Theo’s side with a grin. “Also, for the record–”
“Boooo,” I interject.
Theo’s boyfriend shoots me a glare before continuing. “–I still think it’s cute.”
“Thanks, babe,” Theo says softly, that goofy, lovesick grin on his face.
“Ugh, you’re both gross,” I add. “But real talk—Theo, buddy, have you not heard of Spotify?”
Nathaniel snorts again.
“Ha ha,” Theo laughs mockingly. “You all laugh now, but when your favorite album randomly vanishes from streaming platforms because of some dumb record label drama, and suddenly you can’t listen to it anymore–”
“We get it, Theo, you’re cooler than us,” I interrupt, readjusting my grip on the moving box to keep my fingers from going numb. I glance at Dad and see he’s grinning. “My dad sure thinks so, don’t you, Pops?”
Dad’s smile widens. “I’m just glad to know there are still some kids out there with good taste. Maybe there’s hope for your generation after all.”
Theo beams, and I roll my eyes. Before I can come up with another quip, the elevator dings, and we all shift back into moving mode.
We’re released into a quieter hallway, still bustling with students, parents, and faculty, but nothing like the lobby. Dad leads the way this time, followed by Theo, Caleb, me, Nate, Kora, and Grace.
“It’s room 319, right?” Dad calls back.
“I think it might be on the left,” I say, biting back a grin.
Everyone collectively groans, except Theo, who actually answers the question. “Yes, sir. 319.”
Before long, we arrive, huddled in front of room 319. Theo gently sets the box he’s carrying on the ground, reaches for the royal purple lanyard around his neck, and excitedly taps the keycard against the panel until it clicks.
The door opens into the common area, sparsely furnished with a cherry-wood-colored dining table and four chairs to our right, and a rather dingy plum-colored couch and a grayish armchair straight ahead in the living room.
There’s also a small bookshelf, a coffee table, and an end table of matching cherry wood, all randomly arranged in the living room, which is brightly lit by three full windows at the far end of the space.
To the left is the kitchen—complete with a refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, stove, and oven.
Small hallways extend to the left and right of the common areas, where I presume the bathrooms and bedrooms are.
“I’m in room D, and Oliver, you’re in C,” Theo announces, pointing to the small letter “C” above the closest door frame on the right—which is apparently mine. “Looks like we’re sharing a bathroom.”
“Sweet,” I say, plopping my box by my bedroom door and peeking around the corner to check out the bathroom.
It has a double vanity in the space across from our bedrooms and a separate door leading to the shower and toilet.
I catch my reflection in the mirror—dark umber eyes contrast my fair, pink-tinted complexion, shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun, baby hairs poking out in all directions—and I grin.
After sharing a bathroom with two preteen stepsisters for several years, I am certain this is more than enough counter space for two college boys.
“Wow, this place is nice,” Grace says aloud. “Like, this isn’t a dorm, this is a straight-up apartment.”
“Costs about as much as a luxury apartment, so I’d sure hope so,” Dad mutters.
“Oh, this is lovely,” Kora declares from the kitchen. “Lots of counter space for cooking!”
Theo and I exchange a smirk. Us? Cook? Yeah, right.
“Have y’all met the other two guys yet?” Nate asks, glancing toward rooms “A” and “B” at the far end of the apartment.
“We found each other on Instagram,” Theo answers, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
“Max Alvarez and Vimlesh… Panikkar?” Theo wavers as he attempts the pronunciation, but I doubt anyone here knows if he’s right or wrong.
“Vimlesh is supposed to move in today, but Max won’t be here until tomorrow. ”
“Cool. Do they seem…” Nate trails off awkwardly.
“Nice?” Theo offers, clearly missing Nate’s implication.
“Chill with having a queer roommate, you mean?” I say. “They’d better be.”
Theo’s eyes flicker with fear for a moment, and I have to look away. Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.
“Don’t worry about that, aroha,” Kora says, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “If anything seems off, go straight to your RA. Your paperwork should have their contact info and what dorm they’re staying in.”
“And if that doesn’t work,” Grace adds, nudging me. “Oliver and I will kick their asses. Right?”
I nod. “Bet.”
“Also,” Caleb chimes in. “I already stalked Max’s Insta. I’m like ninety-nine percent sure he’s gay.”
There’s a collective sigh of relief. A moment later, Theo moves to stand in front of room “D” to unlock it, so I figure it’s time for me to do the same.
I retrieve my own bright purple lanyard and key from my pocket, unlock the door, and swing it open. My heart practically leaps as it reveals my new home for the next school year.
The bedroom isn’t much, probably about half the size of my bedroom at home.
It’s furnished with a dresser, a twin-sized bed and mattress, and a basic desk with a chair, all in matching red-brown wood finishes.
There’s a closet door to my right and a single-pane window opposite the entrance.
Like the living room, it’s technically carpeted, but it’s that commercial-grade, high-impact shit that probably only serves to dampen noise.
“This feels about right,” Dad says from behind me. “Still, I’d say it’s roomier than my dorm room back in the day.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yep. Plus, I had a roommate.”
“Oh. Just one?”
Dad chuckles. “Yeah, meaning two guys sharing a room slightly bigger than this. Instead of one bed, we had a bunk bed. Calling Theo and those other boys your ‘roommates’ feels generous, given you all have your own bedrooms.”
My jaw nearly drops. “Wow, that’s crazy.”
“Just saying. Never forget how good you have it, kiddo.”
I nod. I do try to remember how lucky I am.
Not many students can afford housing on top of tuition.
Of our friend group, only about half of us are staying on campus—Harrison at Georgia Tech, Wren at Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, and Theo and I at Eidola.
Technically, Theo and I could commute to school, since we’re only about a forty-minute drive from Specter.
But Dad and my stepmom, Ashley, insisted I have at least one year of the “true college experience.” I think Grace also encouraged Theo to live on campus because it would be good for him to get out of Specter for a while.
So as soon as we both received our acceptance to Eidola, we were excited to apply for housing together, requesting each other as “suitemates.”
If I’m being honest, I would have been fine with being actual roommates to save money, but Theo wanted his own bedroom so Caleb could stay over sometimes. Gross.
“Ready for the next trip?” Dad asks, motioning towards the door.
“Yep,” I reply. “With the hand truck this time, right?”
“Bet.”
I nearly do a double-take. “Did you just say ‘bet’?”
Dad shrugs. “What? I pay attention. I used it correctly, didn’t I?”
“You did, which means ‘bet’ is dead now. Thanks, Dad.”
As he steps out the door, he smirks at me. “Hm. Bet.”
“Oh, my god.”