Amber woke up to her roommate, Kate, playing music on her phone and singing along loud enough for the whole hall to hear. It’s 8am, how is she even up right now? We were out until at least 3 last night, just let me get some sleep. Amber and Kate went to the same high school but never really talked. When they realized they were going to the same college they decided it would be better to room with each other rather than with strangers. Amber wasn’t necessarily a ‘goody-two-shoes.’ Though she stayed out of trouble for the most part, she’s had her bad side shown. She grew up in a wealthy family in a wealthy community, but no one ever seemed to pay attention to her. Her father was always at work and her mom was always going across the country to sell whatever the latest pyramid scheme was. Her family made a lot of money from the schemes so there was always an automatic hatred towards them. Since getting to college though, Katy would take her out at least 3 nights a week, normally more. Katy was that stereotypical college party girl. Some weeks she didn’t come home for days.

Amber’s grades were starting to slip from going out so often, but she still did what Katy said. She didn’t want to be alone. “There’s a party happening by one of the frats tonight, I hear a few people from our dorm are going.” Katy said to Amber, knowing Amber would go if she went. Why can’t we just stay in, it’s a weeknight… but I also know better than to let her go alone. She got up for the day hours before her first class all because Katy wouldn’t stop singing.

After classes for the day, Amber always met Katy at the college mess hall for food. The entire time Katy would normally be on her phone but for some reason she was extra excited for the party that night. “That one guy from the dorm I always try to run into is supposedly going. We have to try and meet him.” Amber just sat back and, in her head, rolled her eyes. Another guy Katy wants to meet. Either way this is why I would feel bad for not going with her. She always gets too messed up and needs to have somebody watch her or who knows what would happen.

They get back for the dorm and start getting ready, the party wasn’t for another few hours but Katy always had these pre-party rituals they had to go through. Leading up to the party Katy pulled out half a bottle of vodka she was hiding from the RA. It was the only kind she drank; it was blue and sugary and got old after the 3rd week in a row, but it is still the only kind she got. Katy took some shots easily while Amber had to choke it down like cough medicine – trying not to throw up from the taste. The frats were not allowed to throw party’s on campus so they would bring speakers in the woods and have it there in secrecy. They never gave the exact location, but they left little ground lights leading to it (and you could hear the music from an entire town away, so that helped.)

The party was winding down and Katy still didn’t find the guy from the dorm. They start heading back to the dorm after an entire night of loud music and creeps asking to dance. While walking they see someone in the woods walking and Katy, drunk, thought it would be a good idea to go over and say hi. Amber tries to get her back on the path but there is no use. They get closure to the dark figure and realize it’s the guy from the dorm they were looking for at the party, obviously way too drunk. Katy goes up to him and asks what he’s doing, “I… I tried to go back bu..but I don’t know how,” the guy said stumbling over every word. They ask him his name, Kane, and help him get back. “W… wait.. I think it.. it is this way. I heard someone over… over in that way” They ignore him and walk him back. On the way they go to a 24/7 gas station on the edge of campus to get Kane some water. Katy drunk and flirting way too much offers for him to sleep in their room that night. Amber pulls Katy aside and tries to tell Katy she doesn’t want a random guy in her room during the night, but Katy is too drunk to understand.

They get back to the dorm and try to get Kane to follow but he just kept saying he needed clothes. They tried to reason saying it was just one night in the same dorm, but he still wanted to get clothes. He throws the door open and his roommate lets out a scream. They all stare at the boy in an awkward pause and the boy says he was reading a scary book. That’s a lie, he’s not even holding a book Amber thought to herself. The boy looked familiar, but she just wanted to get back to the room and finally sleep. Kane packs some clothes and they all leave the room. In the hallway they see the RA walking their way so they nervously try to act not drunk. He said there was a shooting to stay in our rooms the rest of the night, a couple miles away there was a shooting and they still couldn’t find the person. They all get back to the room and Kane and Katy start making out. Amber rolled her eyes and just went to her bed and fell asleep.

Amber wakes up the next morning to the guy leaving the room. She could barely remember the night. Brushing her teeth that morning she remember that a boy screaming. I wonder what made him scream. Why did he look familiar? Heading to her class the sun was too bright for her. She had a hangover and contemplated skipping, but if she wanted to maintain her grades she had to go. She gets to the class which is normally full but that day one of the desks was empty. That why the boy who screamed looked familiar! He is in this class with me. Amber pulled out her notebook that had a dove on it as the professor, Dr. Amla, started to take attendance.