Chapter 4: Dorm Room Or Strip Club?

Later, they found themselves in a wide hallway, rooms lined neatly on either side, each door marked with a number. Melanie had finally found her dorm room. They stopped in front of the brown door.

"So, um, Melly, I wish I could stay a bit longer with you, but I have to go. I've got practice. Mine is room 100, so if you need anything or you wanna talk, you can always come over, okay?"

Melanie nodded. "No problem. Bye."

"Bye," Tiffany said quickly before rushing off.

Melanie took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The sight that greeted her made her pause.

This was not what she had imagined.

She had always pictured her roommates being a little like her. Quiet, friendly, maybe even shy.

Instead, she found herself staring at two girls who looked like they'd stepped out of completely different worlds.

One sat cross-legged on her bed, purple hair falling over her shoulder as she scrolled through her phone. Tattoos curled around her arms, and piercings gleamed beneath the room's light. Her outfit radiated bad-girl energy. She didn't even bother looking up.

The other was a black-haired girl dressed in revealing clothes that showed off her smooth skin. The skirt she wore was so short that if she bent over, her underwear would probably show. She stood in front of a mirror, carefully applying makeup.

Melanie blinked. Did I just walk into a dorm room or a strip club?

The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.

As if sensing her presence, the black-haired girl paused applying her makeup and turned to Melanie with a grin.

"Ooh, we got a new rommie."

"Hey," Melanie replied, forcing a polite smile as she stepped inside.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Melanie."

"That's cute. I love your name," the girl commented sweetly. "My name is Beth. And her name is Ashley." She motioned toward the other girl.

"Hi," Melanie said to Ashley.

Ashley finally looked up from her phone and gave Melanie a bored once-over.

"They couldn't find anyone better than Little Miss Prissy to be my roommate. This sucks." Then she went right back to her phone.

Melanie's cheeks turned pink. Little Miss Prissy?! Seriously?

"Ash, cut it out," Beth said, rolling her eyes.

Melanie already knew Ashley had an attitude. She wasn't friendly at all. But the other girl seemed nice. Really nice. Despite her appearance, Beth was surprisingly welcoming.

"Welcome, Melanie," Beth said warmly.

She turned to Ashley while grabbing her purse from the bed.

"Ash, I won't be staying tonight, so you guys don't have to worry about me."

"No one is worried about you, bitch," Ashley replied flatly.

Beth smirked and lifted her middle finger.

"Fuck you, Ash."

"Fuck you too."

Beth turned back to Melanie. "Make yourself comfortable, okay? Bye." She walked out and shut the door behind her.

Melanie walked toward the empty bed assigned to her. The room fell silent. Awkwardly silent.

She sat down on the mattress and glanced around.

The room was spacious and surprisingly comfortable. Even more surprising, it was neat. Very neat.

Her college journey had finally begun. Excitement bubbled inside her. Tomorrow was her first day, and she prayed everything would go exactly as she imagined. Exactly as she had dreamed.

Melanie reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a silver necklace. She clutched it dearly.

This was the necklace her father had given her on her tenth birthday. Her lucky charm.

She carried it everywhere she went, and in her little mind, luck always seemed to follow wherever the necklace did.

Closing her fingers around it, she smiled softly.

* * * * *

Melanie stood in front of room 100 and knocked. From inside, she heard Tiffany’s voice.

“I’m coming!”

Tiffany opened the door and grinned when she saw Melanie.

“Hey, Melly. You’re really on time,” she said.

Melanie smiled. Tiffany wasn’t even ready yet. She had a towel wrapped around her body, and her hair was still wet.

“I woke up very early. I don’t want to be late on my first day of college.”

“Oh, okay. Come in.” Tiffany stepped aside to let her in.

“Girls, I’d like you all to meet my twin sister,” she said with a grin, addressing her roommates as she shut the door.

The two girls smiled and waved at Melanie. “Hi!”

“Hi!” Melanie waved back.

“Wow, you two look so much alike,” one of the girls said, her eyes darting between Melanie and Tiffany. Her name was Zoey.

“But I’m the prettier one,” Tiffany teased, walking toward her wardrobe.

The girls chuckled.

“Why does she have more body weight than Tiffany? You look fat,” the other girl said bluntly to Melanie. Her name was Sandra. “Honestly, this isn’t healthy. Go lose some weight, girl.”

Melanie had gotten used to this. People often called her fat, especially her mother. She had come to accept those words as normal.

“I don’t think so, Sandra,” Zoey objected. “I can’t necessarily call Melanie fat. She doesn’t look fat to me.” Her eyes swept over Melanie from head to toe.

Despite Melanie’s outfit—loose-fitting jeans and a baggy sweater—her curves still showed.

Melanie wasn’t fat, but she wasn’t slim like Sandra and Zoey either, or slender like her sister. She was soft and plump in all the right places, with curves that filled her figure, full breasts, wide hips, and a shape that stood out whether she liked it or not.

“She’s got curves. I envy it,” Zoey said, smiling.

“Well, I don’t,” Sandra muttered.

Melanie blushed shyly. No one had really complimented her body before. Instead, they always told her to stop eating and lose weight.

She sat down on a chair. The two girls went back to picking out clothes and applying makeup, getting ready for school.

Melanie’s phone buzzed with a notification. Her heart jumped with hope. She quickly checked it, only for that hope to crumble when she saw the message wasn’t from who she expected.

Just a random text. Not him.

Her shoulders slumped. “Noah still hasn’t replied to my messages,” she muttered, opening their chat. The unread texts stared back at her.

Since arriving at Crestmoor Academy, she had sent him plenty of messages, texts, calls, even voice notes. But there was nothing.

Her chest tightened with a mix of sadness and confusion.

“Soo, how’s that dumb-ass boyfriend? Seen him yet?” Tiffany asked, rummaging through her clothes.

Melanie shook her head. “No. Noah hasn’t answered my messages or my calls or my voicemails.” Her voice wavered as she stared at her phone screen. “I feel like he’s just… ignoring me or something.”

“Has he even read them?” Tiffany asked.

She sighed. “No. Not really.”

“Well then, maybe he’s just busy,” Tiffany said softly. “Give him some time, Melly. Stop overthinking. He’s not ghosting you, I promise.”

Melanie bit her lip. “And what if he doesn’t reply, Tiffany?”

“Melly,” she said with a playful smile, “he will. Your darling boyfriend is the captain of the basketball team. The guy’s probably buried in drills, balls, and sweat right now. So chill, babe.”

That earned a small laugh from Melanie, easing the tension in her shoulders.

Tiffany smiled in satisfaction. “See? There’s my sister again. Now, no overthinking, okay? Don’t start writing breakup speeches in your head yet.”

Melanie giggled. “Okay, fine.”

“So, Melly, which outfit looks best?” Tiffany asked, holding up two options: fitted jeans and a crop top in one hand, and a mini dress in the other.

Melanie groaned softly, rolling her eyes. “Tiffany, I don’t really have time for this. Just wear anything.”

“Melly, I need to look good, okay? How can you tell a model to just wear anything? Are you serious right now?”

“I’m serious, Tiffany.”

Zoey chuckled at their drama. “Tiffany, maybe wear the fitted jeans and crop top. It’ll look really good on you.”

Tiffany turned to her. “You sure, Zoey?”

Zoey nodded.

“See, Melly? That wasn’t so hard. Just say which one is better!”

“I don’t have time for this. You’re not going to a party, you’re going to school.”

Tiffany massaged her temples, about to fire back, but something popped into her head and she changed direction.

“Oh yeah, we’re having a party tonight, and you’re coming, Melly.”

“No way!” Melanie said immediately.

“Yes way,” Tiffany replied with a wide grin.

“No, Tiffany. I can’t.”

“Why?” Sandra asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s just a party.”

“Stop being a stuck-up bitch, Melanie. Parties are fun,” Zoey added.

Tiffany slipped into her chosen outfit and sat on the edge of her bed. She pulled out a small makeup pouch from her drawer and began applying her makeup.

“Melly, it’s time you stop acting like a kid. You’re nineteen and finally in college. College isn’t middle school, okay? So stop acting like this,” Tiffany said, slightly exasperated. “Trust me, this party is going to be exciting. You’ll have fun, and you might even see your asshole boyfriend. Come on, loosen up a bit. Let yourself go and explore the world. Must I speak Japanese before you understand me?”

Melanie sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Tiffany, I don’t really want to go.”

“Come on, it's going to be awesome,” Zoey said softly, smiling. “And we would love for you to come… please.”

“She will come. I’m sure of it… at least for my sake,” Tiffany said with a persuasive tone.

Uncertainty filled Melanie’s face. She wasn’t the party type, never had been, never would be. But Tiffany always had a way of pushing her into things.

“Fine. I’ll come,” she said at last.

The girls squealed excitedly.

“Girls, did you hear Olivia is coming to the party? That girl is shameless,” Sandra said, changing the topic.

“Omg! Seriously?” Zoey gasped.

“Geez, if I were her, I’d hide in shame. I wouldn’t even show my face. She’s a whore!” Tiffany said.

“Yeah,” Zoey nodded in agreement. “She didn’t even learn from the last one. She slept with Jason recently. Gosh, do you know what Jason said about her? That she smelled like fish. I felt so ashamed, and I’m not even the girl.”

The girls continued gossiping while Melanie listened. It was oddly interesting.

Soon, Tiffany finished applying her makeup. She checked herself in the full-length mirror, satisfied. Then she picked up her purse and headed for the door, with Melanie following behind.

They waved Zoey and Sandra goodbye before stepping out together.