The RA Chronicles: Part 1
(all characters are 18 or older)
Second only to retail, being a Residential Advisor or "RA" was one of the stranger jobs I'd ever had. It wasn't a "job" in the traditional sense, but they did fully cover my housing, so I wasn't much for complaining. I also never found it to be a particularly stressful position, my beginning-of-the-semester advice was always the same: "try not to die, but if you must try, try before midnight." And amazingly, every group of residents I oversaw followed that rule.
I attended a rather large research university with a number of different housing options, which meant my "caseload" so to speak could be as few as fifteen residents, or as many as thirty, depending on where they placed me. I don't know if I'll live long enough to commit every interesting story to writing, but several do spring to the front of my mind.
**
2011, September
Our campus had several multi floor dwellings which we referred to as "towers." In 2011, I was in the East Tower (take a guess as to the other tower names!) on the 11th floor. Just high enough to take the elevator without people complaining, too high to take the stairs down. The 11th floor had twenty-two residents and me, my room a single. I was just far away enough from most of my residents that I wouldn't hear them partying, but close enough that they could find me reasonably quickly.
The first hall meeting was uneventful, as they often are. I met all the nervous young freshman residents, as well as a few sophomores. I made things fairly simple and clear, as I always did. I was practically on a script at this point, "Hi I'm Katherine but call me Kat, etc. etc. etc.", it was a routine, but one I was used to. Everyone seemed quite nice, though I did notice a few anxious looks around. I assured everyone that I was there for them, and we parted ways.
~~
One night, early in the semester, I was in my room, trying to study but actually playing Apex Legends. I didn't even really like this game, but it helped blow off steam. I heard a timid knock at my door, removing my headphones as I moved closer. "Hello?"
A small voice replied, "Hi Kat, it's Brooke, is this a bad time?"
I'd remembered Brooke as one of the more anxious residents during our hall meeting. She was about 5'5, shoulder length brown hair, and I remember from the hall meeting that she was sporting a tan, though time had passed, and she was somewhat less so tonight. I tried not to ogle the residents I worked with for obvious reasons, but I usually would. She was at least a 34D and had an equally nice ass to match.
"No, not a bad time, just, uh, give me a sec!" This warning was mainly because I wasn't wearing any pants. In my defense, it was my room, and it was 2am. I stopped by the mirror, pulling on the nearest pair of leggings I could grab.
I briefly admired my body; 5'7, curly black hair, a 34C chest (thanks puberty), a firm ass considering I did zero working out of any kind (besides walking and sex), I was happy to be at a point where I could be pleased with what I saw in the mirror. My body image confidence was sincerely aided by the additions of a navel and nipple piercings, which, for the first time in my life, made me feel "hot."
I pulled the leggings on and zipped up my sweater, with a flimsy black tank underneath. I sighed and opened the door, smiling softly at Brooke, who seemed very out of sorts. She was wearing a large gray hoodie, zipped up with her hood pulled up as well. I gestured for her to come in, and closed the door softly behind her.
"Is everything alright? Did you want water or tea or something?" I asked, sitting her at my desk while I sat on the edge of my bed. She cleared her throat and spoke quietly.
"No...no, it's fine. I just...it's kind of stupid, I'm sorry."
Seeing a student struggle in this way always brought out my empathetic side, sometimes too often. "Hey, it's fine, I'm sure it's not stupid. What's wrong?"
"I just...feel kind of homesick."
I smiled and laughed softly in an attempt to reassure her. "That's it? Oh Brooke, that's not stupid at all. But I'll say this, I know it hurts now, but it goes away fast."
She looked up slightly towards me, "Really?"
I nodded, "Yeah, you haven't even been here a full month. Once you settle in, you'll feel perfectly fine, promise."
She smiled softly, not saying anything, but I could tell she was feeling better.
"Is it...I know it's late, but do you think I could stay here a little longer? Jesse...snores, sometimes." Brooke said with a giggle.
I quickly checked my phone, it was two in the morning, but I did really feel bad for her. Even if she stayed another hour, my first class the next day was at noon, so I could sleep in.
"Yeah of course, it's no problem." I said, smiling. I reached into my mini fridge and passed her a bottle of water. "Does Jesse snore a lot? She strikes me as the kind of student who just doesn't sleep."
