Page 2 of Beautiful Nightmare
The guys all file in, and I point out which room is mine. They make quick work of setting my belongings down on the floor outside my door and exiting as quickly as they came. “Thank you!” I shout as most of them leave. I take a deep breath, my eyes scanning over my sparkly name. Someone took some time to do that. Maybe a resident advisor?
“Lux, huh? Cool name,” says Number Four.
I wrinkle my nose. “Thanks. And thanks for bringing everything up here for me. I was kinda worried about how that was going to happen.”
“No problem.” He hesitates, studying me. I wonder if he recognizes the terror in my eyes. This is all so new and different. “You’ll be fine. Everyone’s nervous on the first day or two. Or three. But you’ll be okay. Promise.” With a wink, he starts for the door.
“Thanks,” I murmur as he walks away. “Hey, wait, what’s your name, Number Four?”
He pauses at the doorway, turning back to meet my eyes. “I’m Matt. But my friends call me Matty. Good luck, Lux. See you around.” And with that, he gives me a little wave and leaves.
I stand in the center of the suite, hands on my hips as I survey the space again, this time noting that my suitemates’ names are Raven and Star. I guess I’m not the only one with parents who like to torture their children with odd names. My gaze drifts to the kitchen. Someone has already set up a fancy-looking coffee maker.Oh, thank God.I wonder if they’re willing to—
My heart jumps up into my throat as the door labeled B with the name Raven on it pops open, and a girl steps out with a shy smile. Her appearance is striking, and even more so when I consider her name. Rather than the dark hair and eyes I would have expected to be attached to a girl with a name like Raven, she’s about as fair as they come, white-blonde hair, pale skin, and light crystal-blue eyes. She’s a little shorter than average, and she’s thin—almost delicate. We won’t be sharing clothing, that’s for sure. There’s no way my curvy ass would fit into her jeans. The blue sundress she’s wearing is light and gauzy—super pretty and fitting the image of her I’ve already conjured in my head. It’s an empire style, nipping in below her small breasts and floating around her body as she moves.
“Hi. I’m Raven.” She points back toward her door. “I guess someone wants to make sure we don’t forget each other’s names.” Her eyes flick behind me to my door. “You’re Lux?”
I nod with an anxious wave of my hand before I tuck a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. “Yes. Sorry. I’m a little flustered.”
“All the hot football players carrying your stuff up here?” She quirks a white-blonde brow at me.
I bite my lip as I grin. “Yep, that’s part of it. Definitely wasn’t expecting that.”
She laughs, and it’s a light, tinkling sound, perfectly suited to her. “I figured. They helped me bring my things in earlier.” She pauses, making a face. “And I brought alot.Pretty much everything I own.”
I give her a sheepish smile. “I brought plenty, too, but I honestly didn’t know what I’d need. The entire living-away-from-home thing is throwing me. I hope I didn’t miss packing anything important.” Glancing curiously in the direction of the third door in our suite, I ask, “Have you met Star yet?”
Raven’s blue eyes grow almost comically large, and she leans closer to whisper, “No. But she’s in there. I heard her moving around earlier, but she hasn’t so much as cracked the door open to see who else is here. She must have gotten here first thing this morning.”
My brows lift. “I mean, she has to come out eventually, right?”
Raven lifts her hands in a classic I-don’t-know gesture. “She has a private bathroom, but eventually she’ll run out of food, even if she has a stash in there or something. Me? I’m keeping my food and stuff out here in the kitchen. Feel free to eat or drink whatever. I don’t mind sharing if we all contribute.”
I grin. “And the coffee maker?”
“Oh, one hundred percent. You’re welcome to use it whenever.”
I press my lips together, focusing on the coffee machine. It looks fairly complicated to use, lots of bells and whistles. “You’ll teach me how to make a decent cup of coffee?”
Her eyes light with understanding. “Ah. I see. Say no more, Lady Lux. I’ll show you how it’s done. I’m a bit of a coffee snob. This machine was my big splurge when I went shopping for college stuff.”
I grit my teeth. “I need at least a cup in the morning, but at home I have a housekeeper who cooks for me and does that sort of thing.”
“Cooks… just for you? Or your family?”
Shit.This girl has automatically picked up on the true meaning behind everything I said from a few key words, and perhaps the subtly disturbed tone of my voice. I shift uncomfortably but decide I can at least share this bit of information with someone I’ll be living with. Besides, there’s plenty of other crap about my life I’ll keep to myself. I shrug. “Absentee parents. They’re both partners at their law firm. They work insane hours. I’ve gone a full week before without ever seeing anyone but Molly.” When Raven cocks her head to the side in question, I clarify for her. “The housekeeper.”
“Oh. Gotcha.” She smiles like she understands, but I kinda doubt from the way her brow has furrowed that she truly has any idea what it’s like to have parents like mine. She probably has a nice, normal family.
I nod toward my door. “Well, I guess I’d better get myself situated.”
“Okay, cool. We’ve got some sort of dorm meeting later tonight. But… maybe we could go get dinner together before that? Figure out the dining hall situation?” Her eyes brighten with what seems like hope. I think she must be as nervous to be in a new place as I am.
I bite my lip, studying this girl I don’t know at all, and wonder if we’ll be friends or if we’ll find out we have nothing in common. Or worse, that we don’t get along. Or if I’m too messed up to let anyone get close to me ever again. But I’ll never know unless I try. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll let you get to it, then.” She waves, then heads to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Taking a deep breath, I let myself into the place I’ll call home for the next year and drag my crap inside. Once that’s done, I put my back to the door and look around. It’s fairly large for a single dorm room. I knew it wouldn’t be the gigantic room I’m used to at home, but it’s about fifteen by fifteen, and the furniture is good quality. I’ve got a double bed, a tall dresser, bookshelves, a desk, and an ergonomic desk chair. There are two doors on the far wall. One is open, revealing a decent-sized closet. I cross the room and open the other door to check out my personal bathroom. It has a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink. I’m not sure what more I could ask for.