“I’m good,” I said. “I just had dinner too.”
We got off the elevator then. I felt this excited pitter-patter in my chest, like wow, this is my roommate. I’d thought a lot about her since I got my housing letter.
Jillian Capel from Washington, DC, nonsmoker. I’d imagined us talking all night, sharing secrets and shoes and microwave popcorn.
When we were in our room, Jillian sat down on her bed and said, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yeah, he goes here too,” I said, sitting on my hands.
I was eager to get right to the girl talk and the bonding.
“His name is Jeremiah. He’s a sophomore.”
I jumped up and grabbed a photo of us from my desk.
It was from graduation, and Jeremiah was wearing a tie and he looked handsome in it. Shyly, I handed it to her.
“He’s really cute,” she said.
“Thanks. Do you have a boyfriend?”
She nodded. “Back home.”
“Neat,” I said, because it was all I could think of.
“What’s his name?”
“Simon.”
“Do people ever call you Jill? Or Jilly? Or do you just go by Jillian?”
“Jillian. Do you go to sleep early or late?”
“Late. What about you?”
“Early,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. “We’ll figure something out. I wake up early, too. What about you?”
“Um, sure, sometimes.” I hated to wake up early, hated it more than almost anything.
“Do you like to study with music on or off?”
“Off?”
Jillian looked relieved. “Oh, good. I hate noise when I study. I need it to be really quiet.” She added, “Not that I’m anal or anything.”
I nodded. Her picture frames were at perfect right angles. When we walked into the room, she’d hung up her jean jacket right away. I only ever made my bed when 80 · jenny han
company came over. I wondered if my sloppy tendencies would get on her nerves. I hoped not.
I was about to say so when she turned her laptop on.
I guessed we were done bonding for the night. Now that my parents were gone and Jeremiah was on his way back to his frat house, I was really alone. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’d already unpacked. I’d been hoping we could explore the hall together, meet people. But she was typing away, chatting with someone. Probably her boyfriend back home.
I got my cell phone out of my purse and texted Jeremiah. Will you come back?
I knew he would.
For the hall icebreaker the next night, our RA, Kira, told us to bring one personal item that we felt represented us best. I settled on a pair of swim goggles. The other girls brought stuffed animals and framed photos, and one girl brought out her modeling book. Jillian brought her laptop.
We were all sitting in a circle, and Joy was sitting across from me. She was cradling a trophy in her lap. It was for a soccer state championship, which I thought was pretty impressive. I really wanted to make friends with Joy. I’d had it in my head since the night before, when we’d chatted in the hall bathroom in our pajamas, both of us with our shower caddies. Joy was short, with a sandy bob and light eyes. She didn’t wear makeup. She was sturdy and sure of herself, in the way that girls who play competitive sports are.
“I’m Joy,” she said. “My team won the state championship. If any of you guys like soccer, hit me up and we’ll get a hall league going.”
When it was my turn, I said, “I’m Isabel. I like to swim,” and Joy smiled at me.
I always thought that college would be It. Like, instant friends, a place to belong. I didn’t think it would be this hard.
I’d thought there would be parties and mixers and midnight runs to the Waffle House. I’d been at college for four whole days, and I hadn’t done any of those things.
Jillian and I had eaten in the dining hall together, but that was about it. She was mostly on the phone with her boyfriend or on the computer. There had been no mention of clubbing or frat parties. I had a feeling Jillian was above that kind of thing.
I wasn’t, and Taylor wasn’t either. I’d gone to visit her dorm once already, and she and her roommate were like two peas in a trendy little color-coordinated pod. Her roommate’s boyfriend was in a fraternity, and he lived off campus. Taylor said she’d call if there were any cool parties that weekend, but so far, she hadn’t. Taylor was taking to college like a goldfish to its brand-new tank, and I just wasn’t. I’d told Jeremiah I’d be busy making friends and bonding with my roommate so I probably wouldn’t see him until the weekend. I didn’t want to go back on that.
Thursday night that first week, a bunch of girls were drinking in Joy’s room. I could hear them down the hallway. I had been filling out my new planner, writing in all my classes and things. Jillian was at the library. We’d only had one day of classes so far, so I didn’t know what she could possibly be studying. I still wished she’d asked me to go with her, though. Jeremiah had asked if I wanted him to come pick me up, but I’d said no, in the hopes that I would be invited somewhere. So far, it was just me and the planner.
But then Joy popped her head in my doorway, which I’d been keeping open the same way the other girls had.
“Isabel, come and hang with us,” she said.
“Sure!” I said, practically leaping out of my bed. I felt this surge of hope and excitement. Maybe these were my people.
There was Joy, her roommate Anika, Molly, who lived at the end the hall, and Shay, the girl with the modeling book. They were all sitting on the floor, a big bottle of Gatorade in the middle, only, it didn’t look like Gatorade.
It was light brownish yellow— Tequila, I guessed. I hadn’t touched tequila since I’d gotten drunk off of it in Cousins the summer before.
“Come sit down,” Joy said, patting the floor next to her. “We’re playing I Never. Have you ever played before?”
“No,” I said, sitting down next to her.
“Basically, when it’s your turn, you say something like,
‘I never …’”—Anika looked around the circle—“hooked up with someone related to me.”
Everyone giggled. “And if you have, you have to drink,” Molly finished, chewing on her thumbnail.
“I’ll start,” said Joy, leaning forward. “I never …cheated on a test.”
Shay grabbed the bottle and took a swig. “What? I was busy modeling, I didn’t have time to study,” she said, and everyone laughed again.
