They pulled up to the dorm Berkley was assigned to which was a three story red brick building right in the middle of campus with rows and rows of windows and not much special about it.

Dean grabbed a couple of her suitcases and bags out of his trunk and she grabbed the rest of her stuff and they started heading inside. The lobby was full of students and their parents standing around with luggage, hugging and saying goodbye with tears in their eyes. She knew her Mom would've been that way, insisting on dropping her off and hugging her four times while she cried. That thought hit her hard so she looked over at Dean and tried not to think about it.

"I'm on the top floor in room 605. I wonder if my roommate's here yet?"

"You have a roommate?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think they're gonna be pissed about you waking up screaming in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah, I didn't even think about that. I'd be pissed if I was her."

"Well maybe you should take my advice and go to the doctor and get some medicine to help you sleep so your roommate doesn't plot your murder," he teased.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

When they got up to room 605 she could hear some upbeat pop music coming from inside and she looked over at Dean.

"I just hope my roommate's not a bitch," she said, suddenly feeling nervous.

Dean laughed. "Yeah. Heaven forbid you make friends with a girl for once."

She knocked and the door flew open and standing in front of her was a beautiful 6 foot tall Glamazon with long blond hair, wearing a pair of booty shorts and a Boston University t-shirt that was tight enough to show off her double D's.

"Aaaaahhhh!" she squealed, stepping forward and pulling Berkley into a tight hug and bouncing up and down. "I'm so excited to finally meet you!" she told her in a thick Southern accent, revealing her perfect straight white teeth when she smiled. She had a full face of makeup complete with false lashes.

"I'm excited to meet you too," Berkley said awkwardly with a pained smile. She didn't have any sisters or female friends so sometimes she felt awkward around other girls. She was really going to make an effort with her though because she wanted to get along with her roommate and be friends.

She looked over at her roommate's half of the dorm room and it was already decorated with a lacy comforter, hot pink pillows, a pile of stuffed animals and a hundred pictures were strung up on string surrounded by twinkle lights.

"I'm Ember O'Donnell. I'm a Freshman. And you're Berkley, right?" she asked, looking her up and down with her big blue eyes.

"Yeah. Berkley Lansing," she nodded. "I'm a Freshman too."

She saw Ember's eyes move to Dean behind her and she looked him up and down and her eyes widened.

"And this is Dean Bradshaw. He's going here too," she told her.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Ember said.

Dean smiled and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you too. Berkley where should I sit your stuff?"

She had forgotten he had his arms so full. "Oh sorry. You can sit it right here on my bed. I'll unload it here in a bit."

"Ok."

He unloaded everything and then looked at Ember and back at Berkley. "Well I'm gonna go get my room set up. I'll catch up with you later Berk."

"Ummm. Yeah. That sounds good."

"I'll text you when I'm ready," he said, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ember looked at her and raised her eyebrows up and down. "Good for you girl. Your boyfriend is really cute and damn that sexy Boston accent is fire."

Berkley laughed.

"Dean's not my boyfriend. He's my best friend since we were babies."

"Seriously?" she asked, sounding skeptical. "How can you just be friends with a guy that looks like that?"

"I don't think of him like that. Our Dad's are best friends and they own a business together so growing up Dean and I were always together. He's like my brother."

"Uh huh," Ember said skeptically.

"I'm serious," Berkley laughed. "We're just best friends."

"So you two have never fooled around at all? You never kissed him, not a single time?"

"No I swear. We've never done anything like that. We cuddle and hold hands but in a strictly platonic way. I don't even think of him like that and he doesn't think of me like that either. He says all the time he just sees me as one of the guys."

Ember shook her head. "You're stronger than me, that's for sure. If my best friend was that hot I'd be jumping his bones honey."

Berkley laughed. "Well apparently most women agree with you. Before you think about hooking up with him I have to warn you that Dean is a dog when it comes to women. He doesn't do relationships so if you fall for him he's just gonna break your heart. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fair enough. Thanks for the warning," she smiled. "So if he's not your boyfriend are you single?"

"Yeah. I caught my boyfriend making out with another girl so I am single as fuck at the moment."

Ember's mouth dropped open.

"What?' Berkley laughed.

"You said the F word. It just shocked me."

"Really? You never heard a woman cuss before?" Berkley laughed.

"Not very often. Where I'm from in Georgia women don't cuss. At least not in my social circles. It's not considered ladylike."

Berkley raised an eyebrow. "Well you'll find out real quick that nothing I do is very ladylike," she laughed. "I grew up with my older brother and all his friends and my best friend is a guy. Plus in my neighborhood in South Boston we don't care about being a lady and having manners and any of that bullshit. Most women here cuss and drink and tell dirty jokes right along with the guys."

"Wow," Ember said, sounding halfway between scared and disgusted.

"You'll get used to it I'm sure."

Ember nodded. "I really like your Boston accent."

"I really like your Georgia accent," she smiled and got busy setting her room up.

While she was working she connected her phone to a bluetooth speaker and 'The Plot In You - Feel Nothing' came on and she started bobbing her head to it as she worked, feeling fueled by the music. This was the best song to get pumped up for working out or cleaning her room. She put the black and grey sheet set on her bed and hung up a Three Days Grace poster before hanging up her clothes.

Kill the Noise by Papa Roach was the next song on her playlist and it hit really hard.

"Your music is ......... ummmmm. Interesting," Ember said. "I've never heard it before."

"Really? What do you listen to?" she asked.

"Ummm. I really like Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber ....... stuff like that."

Berkley laughed. "Yeah we definitely have different taste in music."

Ember looked at her for a second thinking. "You know. You don't look like a hard rock music kind of girl."

"Why not?"

"You don't have any tattoos or lip piercings and you don't wear black lipstick or any makeup at all really."

Berkley was curious so she asked, "What kind of music do I look like I would listen to?"

Ember looked at her for a second in thought before saying, "I don't know. Country music maybe?"

"Country!?!" she laughed. "Oh hell no!" She picked up her pillow and hit Ember with it and she squealed with laughter before picking up her own pillow and hitting her back.

They hit each other for a minute before collapsing onto their beds laughing and catching their breath.

Ember finally sat up with a big smile on her face and said, "Hey I got invited to a Tri Kappa Alpha party later on. You wanna come with me? You could bring Dean."

Parties weren't normally her thing but she remembered her conversation with him in the car earlier about getting out and enjoying college.

She reluctantly said, "Yeah. Sure. I guess I can do that. I'll text Dean."

She got out her phone and texted him.

'Party tonight at Tri Kappa Alpha. You in?'

'Like you even have to ask. Do you even know me?'

'Unfortunately.' she texted him, rolling her eyes and laughing. He was so predictable. Like he would pass up a party and a chance to get laid.

That night when it was time to get ready for the party Ember asked her, "So what are you gonna wear?"

Berkley looked down at the Nirvana sweatshirt and sweatpants she had on and said, "This."

Ember threw her head back laughing but when she saw that Berkley wasn't laughing the smile left her face and she said, "Oh. You're serious?"

"Yes I'm serious. What's wrong with what I have on? No one's gonna pay attention to what I'm wearing. I can guarantee you that."

"Well not with the way you're dressed," she said, walking towards her closet and rifling through hangers before coming back holding a dress out to her. "But if you wear this you're guaranteed to get laid tonight."

"What? I have no interest in getting laid tonight," Berkley scoffed.

"Why not?" she asked, and then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you're a lesbian. I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"No I'm not a lesbian!" she laughed. "Why would you think that?"

"Well you do wear boy clothes and a backwards hat and you cuss like a sailor. If that doesn't scream out lesbian than I don't know what does."

Berkley picked up her pillow and threw it across the room, hitting Ember again and making her laugh.

"I mean it. If you want to attract a guy you should put in a little effort." Her mouth curved into a smile. "I have an idea."