He snorts. “Whatever. She’s registered. A UBS freshman.”
I drop my hands to my thighs.
When we were younger Evan and some other kids called Maddie "Pudgy Mudgy." It annoyed the hell out of me then and it still does.
“I mean it. Don’t call her that.”
“Fine. It looks like she’s going to be taking English with Ms. Spears. How you gonna handle it?” He’s smirking, and I want to punch him.
“Great. That’s great,” I growl between gritted teeth. Because it is great. I knew she graduated this year, and I hoped she would choose to go to college here. It’s stupid, but I’ve thought about Maddie a lot. Especially lately. She was my best friend. We hung out almost every day, up until her parents were killed.
All of these feelings… Shock? Happiness? Anger? All three at once? I can’t even begin to come up with a word to describe what’s coursing through my body. I have so many questions. Like, why the hell did she stop talking to me? Why didn’t she respond to any of my letters? She listened to me moan about not having a mother, about what a prick my father was. All the shit he put me through. I stood up for her when other kids were jerks. How could she just stop being my friend?
“I’ve got to go.” Without waiting for a response, I run to my Jeep. Head back to my apartment.
Inside I walk to the piano. It’s thirty minutes of endless playing before I’m able to calm down. I’ve decided to stay cool. It’s been seven years.
3
Maddie
Are You Ready to Parr-tayyyy
I have a thing for firsts. First day of school. First crush. First tattoo. Once, a long time ago, I made a promise to a boy that all of my firsts would be with him. But that was before…
“Are you ready to parrr-tayyyy,” Gina hollers at a random group of girls crossing the dark soccer field next to us.
They speed up, seemingly desperate to be as far away as possible. I can’t blame them. I want to abandon half our duo.
Gina is my roommate, and so different from me I wonder if we’ll work out. It’s like the people handling the roommate selection process wanted to mess with my head. I can almost hear two evil senior girls cackling. “Ohhhh, she likes to read, she’s into classical music, and she likes puzzles? Ha ha.” They high-five each other and pull an application from a pile. “Let’s give her this one. No one wants this one either.” Bam! I get Gina.
The only music Gina listens to isn’t even music. It’s just some guy screaming. The band name is Black Veil Brides. I know this because she has posters of them all over her side of our dorm room. Plus, she plays their songs over, and over, and over. If that isn’t bad enough, she doesn’t own a single book—at least she didn’t unpack any. Worst of all, she has no idea what Sudoku is.
“It’s funny,” Gina says, bringing me out of my reverie. “I scare them,” she points at the scurrying girls and continues, “but they’re heading into the lion’s den.” She shakes her head. “Are you scared, Maddelena?”
“A little,” I admit. The truth is, this whole place makes me nervous. I mean, it's college and I’ve been here for two days. It blows my mind. I received a full ride scholarship for music. It’s hard to believe I’m not the little girl with the scared eyes finding her parents dead. I’ve gone on living, while they are buried in the earth.
Gina’s features turn serious. “It’s okay to be scared. That means you’re growing.”
I’m shocked. Her words are deep. “Well, don’t be surprised if I wake one morning as a giant.”
She smirks. “Roommate is a comedian. You go.” She pats my shoulder awkwardly.
“I have my moments,” I say, eyeing her, hoping I haven’t crossed a line. Gina looks scary. Shaggy long blond hair, the ends reach her waist but the top is spiked. Gobs of black eyeliner circle her blue eyes. A slinky black dress and black ankle boots. Her vibe doesn’t say, "Hey, I’m sweet." It’s more, "look at me wrong and I’ll kick your ass."
I wonder if the students crossing Asher Field with us are as nervous to be here at the University of Bellam Springs as I am. Gina doesn’t seem to be, but it’s my first time living on my own, without my aunt and uncle. I’m guessing it’s a first