This is the prequal to the first part. It's written in Bailey's perspective and explains her past up to the point where she met Ashley.
Chapter 1
College was supposed to be a place for answers. I was going to find myself and figure out what I wanted to do in life. I was supposed to grow up and get some kind of great career. Unfortunately for me, none of that really happened, and I was left with more questions than answers.
School was never really my thing. People thought I was stupid, but I got decent grades in high school, so it wasn't like I was a complete idiot. But now that I look back, maybe I was just the big-boobed dumb blonde that everyone thought I was.
I guess I just never enjoyed school, so I don't know why I expected things to change in college. I wasn't a visionary, so I never had a plan for my future. Am I the only one who thought all the answers would just come to me once I stepped foot onto a university?
My grades were terrible in college! I hated studying, and my ability to push myself in school was severely lacking. I guess that's why I decided to drop out after only my freshman year.
Sadly enough, I've accepted all my failures from college. People always said I was pretty enough to just marry rich, but of course I thought more of myself than that. It turns out they were probably right because that's the direction my life seemed to be heading.
The questions I still had after college had nothing to do with academics. Those have been answered; I can't do it. The real questions I have about myself all stem from one woman. She was my roommate, Haley.
***
Have you ever hit it off with someone immediately? Like, even though it was the first time you'd ever met them, it felt like you guys were best friends in a previous life? That's how it felt the day I met my roommate.
Haley and I were instantly best friends. We had the same taste in music, hobbies, TV shows, food, and, of course, boys. I guess that's why we were always together. There was no reason to separate us when we enjoyed all the same things.
Haley and Bailey, what a cute combination of names for best friends. But since we were always together, everyone called us Hales and Bales. I actually loved that we were so inseparable that we shared a nickname together.
Haley and I not only had similar interests, we had similar physical traits as well. That made it fun to share clothes and even go to the gym together. I even liked how some of my favorite outfits looked better on her than they did on me.
My skin was a little more tan than hers, but I can't take full credit for that. I've been known to go to the tanning salon or even use a little spray tan whenever I was desperate. I just didn't look that good when I was pale.
Haley's skin was not only paler than mine, but she also had some freckles. I think that matched her light brown hair and her green eyes much better than a fake tan would have. She could pull off looks I never could in a million years.
Outside of that, the major difference between us was that she actually had a boyfriend. Even though we'd still scope out guys together, she was in a relationship with an older guy that was in the military.
I thought it was a little odd that she had a boyfriend that was not only older, but was stationed on the other side of the country. Even though she rarely saw him, it must have made her feel really cool having this older guy out there waiting for her. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but she seemed happy about it.
This would eventually be the focus of our first fight, however. From the moment I met her in our dorm room, throughout all the hours we spent together every single day, and during all the heartfelt moments we shared, I never once suspected we would ever get into a fight. But then there was that night... the night that flipped my entire world on its head.
It was several months into our first semester. We were at some party, like we always were on the weekends. We were also drinking, like we always did, illegally. And of course, we were dancing with some guys like we almost always did at the big parties.
To this point, mind you, my new best friend and I had never even been in an argument. I was starting to think we could read each other's minds the way we had such a great understanding. On this particular day, however, I made one little comment and it really seemed to set her off for some reason.
I'll never forget it. We were just sitting off to the side together, taking a break from dancing. As Haley and I gazed at all the attractive college guys across the room, I made an innocent little comment. "I bet sometimes you wish you didn't have a boyfriend, huh?"
It's not like I was actually hooking up with these guys and taking them to my room, so I never guessed she would think anything of it. However, Haley's head immediately shot back and she stared at me for a moment before asking, "Just what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Staring back at her a bit confused, I shook my head before further explaining, "I'm just saying there are a lot of hot guys here, so it might have been nice if you weren't tied to someone else."
Haley took another sip of her drink before looking at me and rolling her eyes. "Oh, so you think I'm having trouble staying faithful? Like I just want to open my legs to any guy if it wasn't for him?"
"I didn't mean it like that," I quickly explained, trying not to let my roommate get the wrong idea about me. I must admit I was a bit shocked to see her upset at me, so I didn't really know how to handle it. "I was just commenting on the guys, not on your relationship."
"You can comment all you want about the guys," she responded before taking another gulp of her drink. Then, as she started to storm off, she looked back and said, "I just didn't realize you thought I was such a whore."
Shooting out of my seat, I followed her and desperately explained, "That's not what I meant! You know I think the world of you!"
Haley didn't respond until I eventually grabbed her shoulder. That must have been the wrong move because she stopped and glared at me before shouting, "Get your fucking hands off me, Bailey!"
Unfortunately, I had finally reached my wit's end. I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and I shouted back, "Don't fucking talk to me like that!"
"Don't talk about my fucking boyfriend like that!" she shot back, almost challenging me to say anything else to her.
