Sarah entered the room, dropped her thirty pound book bag on the bouch and threw herself onto the bed. It was three weeks into the semester and Allen was comping up to visit. Allen and Sarah had already been dating for a year. Most of that year however, was spent while they were both within three miles of each other. Last year, when Sarah and Allen had met, it was... well, awkward. They were both security rovers; they had met through their job actually. At the time they began their aquaintenceship however, Allen was otherwise attached to a far-removed girlfriend named Beth. She lived in Minnesota, two states away from their present location. At first they were friends. That’s how all of Sarah’s relationships start. Their supervisor, Mike, knowing that both Sarah and Allen had an interest in each other hinted that the two of them should get together. Allen wasn’t too quick to catch on though.

One lonely January day, Sarah was looking for a date to the winter formal, the Snowball.

“I want to go, because I’ll love getting to look all pretty and dressed up. I don’t have a date though. I don’t want to be lame and go by myself. Loser that I am, I did enough of that in grade school.”

“Don’t you have any girlfriends you can go with?” Allen asked her. Allen and Mike were sitting around the table with her after a security rover briefing. Thos usually consisted of seven guys and three girls shooting the just shooting the breeze so they could get paid for half an hour without having to get up.

“Not really,” said Sarah, “Most of my friends that actually go to these things are from the Swing Dance club, and they’ve already paired up with their dance partners.”

“You don’t have a dance partner?” asked Mike, “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, I kind of have a dance partner, but he’s going out of town that weekend. Everyone else I know is busy.”

“You never know who’ll become available,” Mike said with a twinkle in his eye and half a smile on his lips. “The perfect date might be sitting right across from you and his only plans are to play video games on his Playstation all night.” Sarah glanced over at Allen.

“Are you talking about me? Did I tell you I’ve been on the Playstation a lot?” Sarah simply sighed and Mike sadly shook his head.

Allen did end up taking Sarah to the dance though, accompained by Mike and his fiance, Joyce. Their relationship developed from there with lunch meetings, evening get-togethers with Mike and Joyce, and midnight stops at each other’s rooms. Sometimes they would spend hours keeping each other’s company during the night shift. Anything to get together, just as friends, of course. Sarah wasn’t really sure why they made the transition from being just friends to dating exclusively, but she thinks it was hormones, combined with loneliness and excessive flirting.

Pretty soon, Sarah was spending nights at Allen’s room and Beth was no where in the picture. She could run towards the picture for miles and still not be within a solar system of it. Beth had stopped returning Allen’s calls two months before the clandestine meeting that cold night, so Allen and Sarah both believed it was safe to call Allen and Beth’s relationship dead on all sides.

That faithful night was crazy. It wasn’t real, was it? Well, it’s all a haze now…or is it….
………………………………

It was 12:00 at night on a Saturday. Neither Sarah nor Allen had to work. It was dark, cool, and the air was full of electricity. Sarah made her way to Allen’s room. She knocked on the door. A voice from inside invited her to come in and sit down.

Sarah sat down on the edge of the loft, on the side opposite of Allen. Her legs dangled six feet away from the floor. Those first floor rooms had tons of space to their ceilings. She sat there patiently while he made himself a hotdog in the microwave.

"You want one?"

"No thanks." Why was it so damn awkward? It's like even the walls know that I want to ask him out. Should I? Allen would be perfect for me, right? He likes staying up late, anime, video games.... He's a little messy, but we can work on that, can't we. It's probably because he lives by himself. I bet he's not this terrible at his home.

She stayed the whole night, talking of many things both boring and interesting to both of them. Before they knew it, they were sitting on the same bunk. Then they were wrestling. Then they were...lying next to each other. Around the 6:00 AM mark Sarah wanted to go to bed. Allen asked her to stay.

"On the other bed?" she asked.

"If you want to." Sarah, knowing full well that she didn't know what she was doing, climbed into the same bed Allen was in. The lights were off, and they were lying there in the darkness.

Oh god. Is this good or bad? I can't decide. I'm better than this, aren't I? I should just get out of bed. Sarah didn't move though, and soon Allen's hands were around her. He's so warm. Sarah snuggled closer. Fuck. I'll just do it. Sarah moved to kiss him...and she couldn't. Fuck again. Sarah looked at Allen’s face, into his eyes.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“I’d like that very much.” Then they did.

As her lips were pressed to his, Sarah thought to herself. What kind of answer was that? Oh crap, this isn’t a good idea. I should stop. Sarah broke away and looked at his face again. He was smiling. Well, he’s kinda cute. Maybe it’s okay…
………………………………

Sarah was smitten. She had gotten out of a two-relationship with her high school sweetheart (read: the only guy that looked at her with any interest in the whole school) six months before she started dating Allen. Looking back on it, Sarah was sure she hadn’t spent enough time alone with herself to fully recover from being so emotionally attached to someone for so long. Oh well, 20/20 vision, right?

Sarah and Allen had already proclaimed the “L” word within two weeks of the onset of their dating status. She told her friend Samantha about it the next day. The two were sitting in Sam’s dorm room, drinking hot chocolate.

“Whoa,” Samantha said, "That's really fast. That’s a lot faster than me and my fiance."

"I know." replied Sarah.

“Are you sure you should be rushing into something like this? I mean Allen is a nice guy and all, but…”

“I don’t know! I'm such a desperate loser, aren't I?"

"No, not really. Well, I guess you are if you regret saying that you love him so soon."

"I didn't say it first, he said it first. I just said 'I love you too.'" Sarah sighed into her hot cocoa.

"Are you happy?"

"I think I am. I'm not sure. Whenever I date a guy, it's always me who ends up asking. I hate that too. Anyway, after asking, then I get this sinking feeling in my stomach and I wonder if going out was such a good idea, or if it was my hormones getting the better of my desperate and lonely self."

"Sounds like serious doubts."

"It's not that he's a bad guy or anything, I just wonder, you know?"

"Why don't you tell him that you were wrong for asking him out?"

"When I'm around Allen though, it's like everything is all better and we're supposed to be together. The second I'm away from him though...I just wonder." Samantha hit her friend with a pink furry throw pillow.

"Well, quit your wondering and make up your mind." Sarah sighed into her hot chocolate again.

"I'll stick with him. Allen really is a nice guy, and when I'm actually with him everything is so right."

"Are you happy?" Sarah nodded her head in a firm decision.

"Yes." Samantha gave her one of those 'all right, if you say so' looks.

"Okay then."



Words: 1373
Total: 3217

After an hour of solid unpacking, arranging, repacking and rearranging, Adelie and Sarah sat themselves again on the bouch. Sarah placed her feet on the computer monitor box in front of them.

“I still don’t know what to do with this,” said Sarah, gesturing to the cardboard obstruction.

“We’re going to have to find a place for this later.” Adelie sat back and put her feet up next to Sarah’s. “We’re not going to have room for it if it stays here.”

“They have storage rooms somewhere in this dorm. I’m sure once the resident assistant gets here, we can get them to open the door to the storage closet and stow all our extra crap there.” Sarah got up and went to the bunk bed. “Which one do you want?”

“The top one, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s okay. I like being on the bottom bunk anyway. It’s more like a cave.” Sarah laid down on her newly chosen bed. “Hey, I was wondering, how is it that you’re here two days early? I thought I was going to have the room all to myself for a day or two.”

“I thought that too. I’m actually here for cross country. The team is already training, and we got special permission to move in early. It’s like that with all the sports teams. The football players are here early too.” Adelie swung her legs from the box to the bouch and laid down. “What are you here early for?”

“I’m a security rover. We have to be here to lock and unlock the doors before the freshmen move in.”

“Aren’t you a little small to be protecting us?”

“It’s not like that. Security rovers walk all over the building, all the while making sure the doors are locked, the students aren’t misbehaving too much, and checking the bathrooms for people passed out on the floor. If anything major happens, like a rapist is trying to break in or four or five really large guys are fighting, I call campus security and they take it from there.”

“How did you get into that? It sounds like a crappy job.” Sarah shrugged.

“Well, it is kinda crappy. I saw a flier on the bulletin board that said there were job openings. I figured, hey, I stay up late at night…might as well get paid doing it.” Adelie wrinkled her nose. “It’s not bad once you get used to it. We’re supposed to make a round of the building every hour or so. Half the time, I make a round every other hour so I can sleep or get a little bit of homework done.” Sarah glanced at the digital radio/alarm clock on the desk. “It’s already 5:00. Have you eaten yet?”

“Nope. Just that sandwich when you busted through the door.” Adelie got up to where the half-finished sandwich still lay on the plastic cling wrap. She offered it to Sarah. “Want some?”

“No thanks. I think we should go to the store and buy some food stuffs. I’m thirsty and I need to move my car anyway.” Adelie agreed and the two girls were soon on their way to the grocery store.


Words: 531
Total: 1826

As she walked down the hallway to her dorm room, laden down with three bags of clothes, two coats, and a crate of assorted shoes, Sarah couldn't help but revel in the fact that she was moving into her room two days early. It would be scary for a little bit since no one would be around, but there would be time for that later. Jeeves Dormitory, like most other dorms, was always full of people. Once the students got there they stayed, and they were everywhere.

Sarah neared her room, number 136, all the way at the very end. It was at the eastern extreme of the campus on the first floor, and she preferred it that way. Sure, her room was the farthest point away from the center of campus while still staying on campus proper, but it was the closest dorm to the student parking lot. That was essential for midnight snack runs in the snow. Sarah set down the crate of shoes so she could squeeze her hand into her tight jeans to get the key she had just slid there fifteen minutes before. She wondered about her roommate. Would she be nice? The last two roommates left much to be desired. Her first roommate, Laura, must not have liked her that much. Sarah never really figured out why, but she knew when she wasn't wanted. One gets the feeling that her roommate isn't comfortable with them when said roommate moves out of their comfortable two-person room into the three-person room next door to live with Theresa and Amy. Sarah's second roommate, Jen, was nice enough. The two girls never really hit it off though. The few times Jen and Sarah were actually in their room at the same time when they weren't sleeping were coincidence and spent in silence. Jen wasn't so bad though. Not as bad as Laura anyway.

Sarah finally dug her key out of her pocket. She slid it into the doorknob and was surprised to find it was already open. Worry flashed itself through Sarah's mind. This door is not supposed to be open. Sarah carefully set down her things as quietly as she could, which wasn't easy considering her petite frame was bogged down with three large duffle bags. Arming herself with a black ballroom dancing shoe Sarah threw the door open to find...

Adelie was sitting at her desk in her barren room. She was in cross country, and had gotten special permission to move in a day early. Adelie was never bothered with being by herself. She was very independent. She had to be. Money never found its way to her family in large sums. By sixteen, she was working pulling weeds at the local greenhouse. By eighteen Adelie already had quite an impressive resume for a person so young. She was silently made her peanut butter sandwich while she dreamed off into space. She folded her bread in half, and quietly raised it to her mouth. Bang! The door flew open the wall behind it. Adelie's head snapped around and her eyes, wide open with startlement, saw a girl with long, black hair, holding a slight shoe in a very menacing way.

...a girl eating a sandwich. Stupidity flowed through Sarah like peace through a river and she tried to casually lower her arm to make it look like she was merely holding her would-be defense weapon.

"Oh. Hey, I didn't realized anyone would be here." Sarah stood awkwardly at the doorway desperately hoping that the girl in the room would quickly realize that she was mistakenly in the wrong room and leave.

"Are you Sarah?" No such luck.

"Yes, and you are?.."

"I'm Adelie. You don't know my name?"

"No. I received a letter that I would have a roommate, but there wasn't a name..."

"Oh. It's probably because I enrolled at the last second. Let me help you get your things." Adelie set her sandwich down on the cling wrap that she was using as a place mat and brushed her hands off on her pants.

Together the two girls lugged Sarah's luggage into the room. It was obvious to Sarah that she had at least twice as many clothes as Adelie did, and that was a conservative estimate. There was still another bag of dress clothes in her car.

"Is this all?" Adelie looked a little surprised.

"Not by a long shot. I've still got another bag of clothes, and some other stuff too."

"If we need to buy some appliances, I'll be happy to split the cost with you."

"Don't worry about it," Sarah replied, "I'm a room pimp." Sarah led the way out to her car, conveniently parked just outside the door. Their room, since it was at the eastern extreme, was right next to an outside door. Sarah jumped down a couple steps to a navy SUV. Through the windows, Adelie could see the back of the SUV was filled two thirds of the way to the top with assorted dorm room essentials. Sarah already had the back open and lifted a white microwave, all the while being careful to use her legs. "Just grab some stuff and let's stick it in the room. It'll be easier to figure out where we can put everything after we get inside." With that, Sarah did her best to open the dorm door with her foot. "Could you get that for me?"

Adelie held the door open while Sarah set the microwave down in front of it to keep it from closing. The two girls unloaded Sarah's car, leaving the heavy things like the computer, the TV, and the refrigerator for last. With hose two, the girls worked together to fit into the already limited space in the room.

After they had finished moving everthing into the room, Adelie and Sarah sat on their bouch. Bouch = bed + couch. It's a piece of furniture that is shaped like a couch, but the cushion where people sit is actually a mattress that is half hidden under the upper part of the couch. The mattress can be slid out to create an extra bed if needed. It was this contraption that Laura resorted to sleeping on after she moved out of Sarah's room and into the room next door.

"See? I have all the stuff we need for the comforts of home. I lived by myself for a term, so I bought a bunch of stuff."

"The computer should go on the desk, but where should we put the refrigerator?" asked Adelie. The room, although very spacious in the vertical direction, was not quite so in the horizontal. The floor was already littered with the possessions of the two girls.

"I guess that should go by the bouch here," Sarah gestured to her right, "so we can get drinks without having to move too far." Sarah still wasn't sure about her new roommate. Adelie seemed nice enough, but she was really quiet. While quiet was nice every once in a while, Sarah had already won gold in the sitting-silently-with-your-roommate event of the Olympics and she wasn't too keen on winning another. Well, at least she's helpful, Sarah thought to herself as they continued to straighten up the room and unpack their clothes.


Words: 1299
Total: 1393

I never thought I'd be at this stage in my life, writing a novel. Yet, here I am. It's weird. My life is only 29% over (assuming an eighty year life span), yet it feels like so much I've lived a lifetime already.

This book isn't going to be about me. It can't be. It'll be about someone like me, who looks like me, dresses like me, acts like me and talks like me...but it's not me. I'm different. I was never this crazy.

Words: 94
Total: 94

First post

Here is the first post of my NaNoWriMo novel. Obviously, this doesn't count as part of the novel. More to come later.