There are scenes and some dialogue in this chapter that come directly from the original story, again, through Alice's eyes.
Just standing outside the fifteen-story high-rise woman's dorm was scary. Cars parked with parents and girls scurrying about to get their stuff moved into their new room. And then there were a few off to the side saying their tearful goodbyes.
The door to my new room was open and my roommate was sitting at her desk just reading something. Our eyes met and I knew that my fears and worries were unjustified. She had gotten here the day before and was already settled in. The warm smile as I entered the room through the open door stilled my anxious heart.
Her name was Lisa, and she was about the same size as I was... everywhere. We would later be nicknamed, 'The Pixie Twins'. She had a relaxed manner about her. Even though she was small on top, those first few minutes I could tell that she seemed comfortable and confident with who she was. God, I envied that.
She was dressed casually in a braless tank top, and cut-off shorts, and her blonde hair was up in a ponytail with a yellow bow. She wore minimal makeup, but then she didn't really need any. Her natural look just added to her casual down-to-earth personality. The few freckles across her nose just added to the 'Little Pixie' look. And those soft blue eyes. Eyes that were as blue as a robin's egg. And then there was that smile: warm, welcoming, and gentle. But I could tell that underneath there was a bit of playfulness.
She helped me and my parents move my stuff from the car. She didn't have to do that. But I could tell that that was just her nature... to lend a hand whenever there was a need. When the time came to say goodbye to my parents she disappeared.
It was really hard to say goodbye. Harder than I ever imagined. I know that it was really hard for my dad to drop off his only daughter in a world of strangers. Shutting the door. I flopped down on my bed, curled up into a fetal position, and cried.
How was I going to make it here all alone? In this sea of new faces.
I must have been a sight with my eyes all puffy and red when Lisa returned about 20 minutes later with some fries and a couple of Cokes.
"You knew didn't you; how hard it was going to be for all of us?"
"Yeah. I went through the same thing yesterday. I'm the youngest and my parents' only daughter. It was hard for all of us, especially for my dad."
I'll never forget her next kind words as she offered to share.
"Here have some fries... junk food always seems to help to take the funk out of anything, or at least that's what I keep telling myself."
That brought my first smile. We were going to be fine. My first new friend.
Lisa casually sat on her bed, as I started to unpack and arrange my stuff in my dresser. I felt a little self-conscious about bringing out my little bras and plain white panties. Don't know why. I mean we all wear them, well maybe except for Lisa. With her little boobs she probably doesn't even own one. But then, I have little boobs too. Since I'm kind of starting a new life, maybe I should be adventurous for the first time in my life and skip wearing one too. I think that I'll wait on that one. That's a big step for me.
We got to know each other.
Lisa came from a rural farming community and grew up on a working dairy farm with her two older brothers and her mom and dad. The more that she described her growing up and what went into all of that, the more fascinated I became. I couldn't believe it when she said that she was driving a tractor when she was only eight years old. I had enough of a problem learning to drive a car.
Lisa's goal was to become a Veterinarian and work with farm animals. Just the thought of being around large farm animals kind of scared me, especially given my size. She explained that she had been around large animals all of her life, so she wasn't concerned. Man, she was self-confident. But there was no arrogance, it was just her relaxed nature.
It sounded like she had a lot of girlfriends in high school, including a few close ones who she hoped to be able to get together during breaks. And I guess that fits her personality as one who
would
have a lot of friends. She's a lucky girl.
I noticed Lisa taking an interest in my violin case lying on my bed. I explained that it was my grandfather's and that my major was going to be music. I was hoping to be able to maybe teach music at the high school level, play in whatever local symphony I could find, and maybe, at some point, give private lessons.
Lisa listened patiently as I explained that it was also my escape whenever I had a bad day. To play some of my favorite pieces as I drifted off into my own little world always brought a relaxing peace.
I had to laugh when Lisa said that the only violin music she had ever heard was on the radio and done by Charlie Daniels. I grinned, and said, 'That's not violin playing... That's fiddlin playing'. It warmed my heart when she asked if I would do some violin playing for her someday.
The way that the rooms were laid out there was a connecting door between our room and the next with a shared shower and stuff. Each room had its own sink and mirror.
About this time our shared 'shower mates' burst into our room. To say that they were opposites would be like comparing night to day. Their names were Carrie and Tiffany.
Carries was kind of like Lisa in her looks and manner, with slightly bigger boobs. She had arrived yesterday, so she and Lisa had already met and did the whole 'get to know you thing'. They seemed to have connected. Lisa was already making friends.
Tiffany was your typical big-boobed blonde stereotype cheerleader. This should be an interesting year.
Dinner in the cafeteria with the four of us was something else. Didn't that girl ever shut up?
We hung out the rest of the evening. Fortunately, Tiffany disappeared to 'who knows where?'. Occasionally a girl, or two, from down the hall would appear at one of our open doors and introduce themselves. Soon, we had a gaggle of 18-year-old girls. Various sizes, shapes, and personalities.
It was fun. Everyone seemed to get along as backgrounds were shared, high school experiences, and how everyone came to pick this particular university to attend.
It was a first for me... hanging out and having fun with a bunch of girls. I guess this is what college dorm life is like. They all seemed like it was second nature for them. I guess that I was the odd one. Is this what I had been missing in all of my high school days... hanging out with a bunch of girls? And if it was, it was my own fault.
At times, Lisa tried to get me involved in the group. I tried, but it was hard. I was so used to being in my own world of my music. I need to work on that. 'Do it, Alice' I kept telling myself. But, they all seemed to have a lot of experiences in their high school years... dating, dances, school activities, and girl friends. Me... I had nothing to contribute that even came close to theirs. I had such a boring life. And again, it was my own fault. So, I just kind of sat back and watched and listened.
I guess that it was around midnight when everybody headed back to their rooms to get ready for bed. I was digging through my drawer getting out what I was going to wear to bed. I didn't know what other girls normally wore to bed. I had a full set of pajamas that I had bought just before I came. I wanted something new as I began this new stage in my life. I wonder what Lisa will think of my new PJs.
