This choice: Dispirited, Alice heads back to her room, where she at last meets her roommate. • Go Back...Chapter #6Along Came Cerys by: Mercer   In the end, the anxiety proved too much.
In the midst of all her fellow students standing in line or walking back to their tables with plates filled to the brim with their food of choice, Alice discreetly slipped away from it all. She moved like a phantom, so quiet and despondent that her shoes didn't so much as make a sound as she moved. She felt her flat tummy grumble in mild protest, but Alice just couldn't bring herself to turn back once she was out and stepped into the campus outdoors.
She walked on, completely alone. No one to see save for the occasional older students walking about. No doubt the grand majority of the student body was busy attending their own respective new semester opening ceremony. The evening air blew gently, parting Alice's long blonde hair a bit as she kept moving. The lack of an excess population, the sun disappearing down the sky, the evening breeze; it all served to relax the girl's troubled mood a little. Being free of the claustrophobic, noisy atmosphere helped ease down the gnawing feeling of loneliness.
It didn't help suppress the memory of bumping into that girl and getting everyone's attention.
Alice folded her hands in front of her, her walking pace picking up as she clenched her hands together. Not even a day on this school, and she's already set herself up as the one spacey, weird girl who will be on the receiving end of everyone's scrutinizing stare. The girl who will always sit in the back corner of the classroom, have no friends, and be the subject to everyone's ridicule.
Her pace increased into a run. She needed sanctuary. She felt like her lungs were ceasing their respiratory function.
She ran, a lone tear trailing down her cheek as the pressure became unbearable.
***
Alice couldn't remember the last time she ran while upset. All she knew was that before she could even register it, she was already standing before her door, reaching for her student card to open the door. Such was the heavy whirlwind billowing in her head; she was too upset to notice or even care how she reached for her key card with trembling, unstable hands. The card threatened to fall of her hand more than once, but she managed to firm her grip in time to swipe it down the slot.
As soon as that melodic beep rang out, Alice swung the door open, not bothering to close it as it would shut by itself, and dashed towards her room on the left. So focused she was on jumping onto her bed in anguish that she didn't care leaving the door to shut itself would create an extremely loud slam.
She didn't even notice how the room to the right was now occupied as her newly arrived roommate settled in. Nor did she even hear said new room occupant let out a startled yell at the door slamming.
No, all Alice cared about was jumping on her bed, burying her face into the pillow, and screaming.
So she did.
She wailed into her pillow, letting lose all the accumulated stress from going alone into uncharted territory, screaming for the anxiety eating away at her breast to just disappear. She breathed and cried, her lithe body trembling as she let loose her emotions. She would inhale and scream again and again in the pillow, her muffled cries heard only to herself and any soul who would enter her room.
Once she got it all out of her system, Alice just laid there, clutching her pillow as though it were a life vest, face firmly buried in it as her body rocked in tune to the hiccups that ensued. She sobbed softly, her mind a hurricane of turbulent thoughts.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Alice froze, her mind clearing up instantly upon hearing the distinct sound of a knuckle knocking on her open door softly. A thousand thoughts swam in her head, settling on the realization that she wasn't alone in her dorm room.
"Hey," a voice called softly, quietly as though the owner was in a hospital wing.
It was a gentle voice carrying an incredibly soothing tone that bordered on being motherly, enough to make Alice look up from her pillow and crane her head back to identify this sudden individual.
Her watery eyes beheld a girl that looked to be at least a year or two older than her in age, tall and thin, dressed in the familiar Buttercombe uniform, only that, curiously, the standard white button shirt was instead black, same with the socks. Her hair was raven, with a particular pink striped bang on the front, and long, reaching down to what Alice assumed was her lower back, the black color complimenting her fair, if pale, skin. Closer inspection to the girl's face revealed that the seeming paleness was the result of powder makeup, which really made her dark-painted lips stand out. Then came the girl's eyes. The blonde was startled to see what she believed to be actual scarlet eyes, dark as wine. If not....blood. Closer inspection revealed a glassy-like look to the girl's eyes, giving away the telltale proof of contact lens. So red wasn't her natural eye color...
Overall, Alice could only conclude the girl standing by her door was what one would classify as "Gothic". Mother would never approve of such fashion. She could already hear the cold, relentless rebuking that would ensue if Mel or her would ever dress like such, as Mother would say, "delinquent renegades". And yet, contrary to what she'd been led to believe by Mother or other gossiping girls she happened to hear back in middle school, the girl didn't look like the disdainful type in anyway. In fact, her red-lensed eyes reflected warmth, concern, and empathy.
"Can I come in?" the goth asked politely, smiling gently. In her right hand she held a bottle of water. In her left, which had knocked on the door, a tissue was held in her fingers.
Alice studied the girl for a moment before giving a hesitant, shaky nod.
"Oh! Darn, I forgot to introduce myself," the girl smiled apologetically, tone self-castigating. She stiffened, arching her back until she stood tall like a soldier, nose held comically high. "Porter. Cerys Porter. Your roommate," her voice changed into an exaggerated contralto as she delivered her introduction, her face twitching as she fought valiantly to keep a straight face.
It had the desired effect. Alice hiccuped, immediately accompanied by a small giggle.
"There we go!" Cerys beamed. "You look better when smiling!"
Alice sniffled, blushing as she ducked her head into her pillow.
"Hey now," the goth cooed gently, reaching out with her left hand to press the tissue to the younger girl's nose. "Let out the last of those nasties."
The blonde complied, blowing her nose gingerly on the offered soft paper.
Cerys smiled as she tossed the now-used tissue into the nearby trashcan, now holding out the water bottle. "Your throat must be sore. Good thing I had this on me."
Alice blushed, staring in great wonder at her roommate, wondering if she was perhaps in a dream. No one was this nice to strangers, right? "But....it's yours...."
"You need it more than I do. Besides, I can just swing by the vending machine and get another one."
Alice's eyes grew hot with fresh tears as she took the offered bottle. "Th-Thank you..."
"Anytime," Cerys' smile looked outright motherly, further highlighted by her reaching to wipe at the tears trailing down the blonde's cheeks. "What's your name, sweetie?"
"Alice....Alice Carlyle."
"Alicealice Carlyle?" Cerys blinked, her voice accompanied by a mock gasp. "That's a bit of a tongue-twister, don't you think?"
Once again, the goth succeeded in bringing out a bit of mirth from the timid blonde. They shared a nice little laugh between themselves.
"Seriously, though, Alice," Cerys' motherly smile returned. "Beautiful name for one so pretty."
Alice responded by shrinking onto herself, smiling shyly.
"So, rough day?" Cerys queried.
The blonde gave a meek nod, expression growing somber.
"Hey, hey--mind if I sit down?" at the blonde shaking her head, Cerys sat down and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. Not every day goes according to plan. Least of all the first day."
"Not like mine, though..." Alice murmured.
"You'd be surprised," Cerys snorted. "My first day here last year? I got completely lost in finding my dorm room. Because of that, I missed the whole opening ceremony, only making it in time when Ms. Polluck was finished talking," she laughed at the memory. "Literally every eye was on me as I came bursting through the door!"
Alice gasped. "That's horrible!"
"Oh yeah, feeling the whole world watching you is no fun," Cerys grinned mischievously. "But you know how I made it worse?"
"H-How?"
Cerys leaned in, glancing around conspicuously as though there were invisible people eavesdropping. "I swore, going all 'What're y'all lookin' at?' at everyone, using the dreaded eff word even!"
Alice's hands shot to her mouth. "You said what?!"
"And the hilarious thing is," Cerys laughed. "I said it all due to nervousness! I literally wasn't thinking, so I said the first thing that my mouth could form, which unfortunately turned out to be a big 'What the eff are you all looking at?'!"
At that, Alice began to giggle earnestly, picturing the whole scene and imagining herself--little, shy, weedy her--reacting just like that. Her whole face turned red, and yet she couldn't stop the laughter from coming out.
"See?!" Cerys said jovially. "It could be a lot worse!"
They laughed for a good minute, Alice stopping first to give a genuine, grateful smile. "Thank you. I feel better."
"Glad to hear it," Cerys replied, patting her on the shoulder. "That's what I'm here for, sweetie."   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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