“Are you sure you have everything, sweetheart?” Mrs. Connolly was still fussing over her daughter as the last crate in the small dorm room was unpacked. Nessa, her parents, and her little brother and sister had gotten her half of the room already set up with the few possessions she absolutely could not live without. The other side was still bare and waiting for her roommate to get there. The roommate, which Nessa desperately hoped, would be her best friend from back home. Originally, she had been assigned to some other girl. But apparently the other co-ed had opted out of living in the dorms at the last minute and now Nessa had no idea who her roomie was going to be. But -hopefully- it was her best friend and neighbor... who was also her -girlfriend-. Well...secret girlfriend anyways.
She wouldn’t in a million years admit that to anyone. Nessa was fairly certain that her very Irish, very conservative, very Catholic, mother would have a heart attack and disown her if she found out that Nessa was doing unholy things with another girl.
“Mom I’m fiiiinnneeeee. Really, promise.” Nessa gave both her parents a reassuring smile. Her mother had been overbearing, as usual, but her father was strangely silent…
Maybe he’s just worried…? Nessa wondered to herself. Even her siblings were being uncharacteristically silent…she knew it was because she was the oldest, the leader. And now without her, they’d have no one to think up things to get them all into trouble.
“You guys can go, I’ll be okay.” She said as she looked around the room. The bed was made, her computer was set up, her clothes were folded and put away…there was nothing left to do but leave. So she tried to sound more confident than she actually felt…. Nessa had never been away from home before, not like this.
School is just 4 hours away from home….it’s okay… It was just long enough to feel independent, but close enough that it’s just a little drive if she ever got really homesick. Everything was alright. And it wasn't like she'd really be alone. Eventually her roomie would get here and she'd have some company.
“Don’t forget to call, if you need anything.” Her father wrapped her up into a great big bear hug and kissed her forehead. He looked down at his daughter, studying her for a moment before finally adding. “And…no boys in your room.” He smiled, unable to resist imparting at least one rule before he left and let her make the transition to adult hood. “And take a self defense class… these frat boys…I don’t trust them. Things are a lot different from back in my day…” And maybe add some advice while he was here...
“Daaaaadddd…come on, seriously? I’ll be careful. No one is going to take advantage of me.” While it was true the redhead didn’t look particularly muscular, she was still toned from playing sports since elementary school and wrestling with her siblings. “Don’t worry, I’ll break their noses just like I broke Mikey’s that one time.” Nessa grinned. Okay…so that one time she broke her little brother’s nose had been an accident, but she was sure she could do it again on purpose to some meathead that thought he was going to take the little redhead for a ride.
Half an hour of ‘goodbye’s, ‘are you sure you don’t want us to stay’s later, and tears from her mother, Nessa was fiinnaaalllyyy free! Her parents and siblings were out the door and she was all alone in her dorm room!
Her stomach rumbled and she groaned, her new sense of freedom being diminished by hunger. It was almost noon…her parents had woken her up at 5 in the morning so that they could come up here and get her settled early so that they wouldn’t have to drive home in the dark. And now she was sttaarrvvviiinnnggg.
So she whipped out her phone, hopping up onto the bed so that she could send a text to her best friend.
[Where arreeeee you? I’m huunnnggrrryyyy! Hurry up and get your butt up here so we can have lunch! I’m in room 3094 in Knowles Hall]