the start of something [AWFUL] [Corri]

[MELODY RAE OLSEN]

This was it? Really?

They were the first thoughts that raced through my mind as I opened the door labeled "Room 208." Already, I knew that this place would be the death of me. The long hallways were plain, with brown doors evenly spaced along both sides. It was more like a jail than a home.

I stepped into the room, my bare feet hitting cool linoleum - figures, they couldn't even afford to put decent tile in this place. To my left, there were two closets with sliding doors. I opened the first one, carelessly, and had to use a bit of force to slam the door back on the rollers. The second door was even worse, it seemed as though it was jammed - oh well, I only need one closet anyway. To my left was a sink with a mirror...no toilet, no shower. I stood there for a moment, motionless, not even blinking...I already had pretty low expectations of this place, but it was turning out to be even crappier than I imagined. If there were no bathrooms in here, then where were they? I hadn't seen any signs down the hall when I was looking earlier.

I shrugged it off, then continued on into the living area. An upsetting groan was emitted from within me as my bags fell heavily onto the floor. Two beds. I was going to have a roommate...terrific. And, knowing my luck, she'd probably be some snobby little princess that had to have things her way. Well, that would be too bad for her. She would have to put up with me, because I wasn't going to change for her.

I picked up my bags from the ground and tossed them onto the bed by the window - at least I was here first, and could get my choice of everything before my personal life was invaded. My pink eyes glanced around the room once more, spotting a mini-fridge with a microwave on top of it. A sly grin snuck across my face as I began digging furiously through my bags. I was searching for one thing in particular, a clear bottle with no label. The glass was thick and cool, it felt relaxing on my sweaty palms as I lifted it up. This was probably breaking some rule here, but I didn't care...it was my escape from the world, and I had to have it. After sticking the bottle in the back of the fridge, I returned to my baggage. I had alot, so much that I was surprised I was able to make it up the stairs with everything. I had one huge rolling suitcase, filled with my nicer clothes - blouses and skirts, mainly. In a duffel bag, I had other various clothing items - bras and underwear, for sure, along with more casual jeans and shorts. I stored everything else in a second duffel bag, one that was much larger than the first.

So now came the task of unpacking, something I hated even more than packing. I decided to do my clothes first, they'd be easy. I threw my undergarments into a drawer close to my bed and hung up all of my nicer garments in the closet. As far as everything else went, I didn't care. I draped my pants over the desk chair, piled tank tops and shorts on the top of the dresser, and just let everything else stay where it landed. I then proceeded to my accessories - I carried the bag into the sink area and dumped the majority of the contents out on the counter. Everything else, I left in the bag, and threw it down in the middle of the room.

The single item I held in my hand was an alarm clock, though it had never been used for that purpose. I plugged it into the wall, allowing the red "12:00" to blink time after time. I pulled my iPod out of my back pocket and stuck it into the adapter on the top of the clock, then flipped the switch. I scrolled through a few songs before deciding on one, then I turned up the volume as loud as it could go.

My bed slammed up against the wall as I forcefully plopped my entire body down on it - luckily, the bed was soft and already made. A sign escaped from under my breath, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift off.