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"Oh, good You’re here!" the confident one says, walking over toood; I can tell
"Hi, I’m Rowe," I say, my voice barely a whisper I don’t talk often, so sometimes it takes me a while to warh for her to hear, which makes her reaction that much more offensive
"I’m sorry…did you say Rose?" she says loudly, her face all bunched, like I just fed her stale broccoli Everything about her is harsh and abrasive
"Rowe," I repeat, and she just continues to stare "Like…like a boat?" I actually start paddling in the air
"Ohhhhh Cute," she says, turning her attention to her bed, which is layered with piles of clothes "I’e And that’s Cassidy"
"Cass," the other one pipes in, shaking her head with her lips tight and gesturing toward Paige I think she’s telling me not to take her personally Not a problem, I’ve already filed her and this rooory "I like to be called Cass And Paige and I are glad toto our conversation anymore, already more interested in whoever just sent her a text on her phone I’e says freshht places, and her skin is a waruard in Florida looks Her blonde hair is long and layered, and every strand sits in the perfect place, like a golden frame around her crystal blue eyes
Cass is blonde, too, but she seems more like a real person Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and I can tell she had light makeup on at one point today, but the humidity has worn most of it away
It’s clear my role here will be the oddball, the one who doesn’t fit Honestly, that’s what I expected Two years ago, I was dooain--like a wounded superhero tattooed by kryptonite And standing here, no makeup, brown eyes, a plain shirt and denim shorts, my walnut-colored hair twisted in a bun, still crunchy froo, only makes the differences between me and everyone else that much clearer
"Paige and I both got here yesterday We sort of picked beds; I hope that’s okay?" Cass says, sitting down on her mattress, which thankfully is the one closest towith the flow Internally, I make a note to check with the front desk the secondlike hell there’s a bed open somewhere on this campus that isn’t steps fro and small talk with Cass,up in oodbye, andhe’s the weaker of the two of them and that he’d cave in if I asked him to take irl told me every room on campus was full She told me to check back after rush week because a lot of students end upinto the Greek dorms But that would be a month froe disappeared almost the minute I met her, which was a relief I’d have to work my way up to her personality Thankfully, Cass had a lot of unpacking of her own to do, so I’ve spent the rest of the late afternoon with my ear buds pressed intoelse out
I could probably find a way to keep myself busy with my clothes and ht, but Cass is waving her hands aniet my attention, so I finally relent and put my headphones away "Sorry, I had it up kind of loud"
"Yeah, I could tell You have good taste in enuine, and she reh Plus, she recognizes things like the greatness that is Jack White and Broken Bells I bet Paige is more of the Katy Perry sort
"Thanks" I don’t kno to carry on a conversation, soto reciprocate the compliment "Your quilt is pretty"
It’s possibly theon it, so it’s not even homemade The second I say it, I feel ridiculous, but the way Cass shs doesn’t make me feel stupid or small, so I join her For the first tiain--the norht in her dreams