As I stood outside my new dorm room for the first time, debating whether or not to walk in, I couldn't stop fidgeting.

I was about to meet the person I would be spending the next year of my life with, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. The dorm supervisor probably noticed when she showed me around the building, but I figured she was too polite to say anything. Even with her positive vibes, now that she had dropped me off at my dorm room, I was alone and even more sweaty than before.

Questions floated around my head as I stood there. Would my roommate like me? Would she think I was boring?

I had been dreaming of starting college ever since I learned what college was. Now, that time had finally come, and instead of feeling ecstatic like I should have, my hands were damp, and my mind raced.

As I jammed the key into the lock, I grabbed the metal doorknob and cautiously opened the door.

"Hello?" I whispered as the door cast a slimmer of illumination into the room. The lights were off, making me wonder if anybody was inside.

"Oh my gosh, Hi!" A high-pitched voice squealed as I shut the door, encompassing us in darkness once again.

I flipped on the light switch next to the door and saw a girl with wavy black hair sitting crisscrossed on her bed. Her back faced me, and she looked at something in front of her, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Hello," I said.

"I was just trying to meditate, sorry," She said, getting up from her bed and revealing a bright yellow candle. After blowing out the light, she rushed over to shake my hand. "Hi, I'm Nadia."

"I'm Alani."

"That's a fun name!" She said, giving me the biggest grin I had ever seen.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Nadia is super boring. I wish my dads named me something different."

"Nadia is a pretty name," I disagreed, feeling less nervous because of Nadia's friendly nature. I had never met a person this welcoming before.

"I love your hair," She said, looking at my dark curls.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

"Are you a freshman?" She asked eagerly, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Yeah. What year are you?"

"This is my sophomore year."

"You seem nice. I'm glad I got you for a roommate," I said.

"Thank you! My roommate last year wanted nothing to do with me. She requested to move to a different dorm because I was too loud and weird for her, so I was alone in my dorm for half of the school year."

"Didn't you like having a dorm to yourself?"

"No, it was torture. I couldn't talk to anyone, but I'm glad I have you now."

"Yeah," I said, ignoring the pressure to be a talkative and fun person. I had never been a chatterbox, and Nadia wanted someone that would talk to her a lot, but worrying about that was something I wouldn't do now, and instead, push aside for later.

After realizing I still held my bags in my hands, I went over to my half of the room and set them down on my mattress. I took a good look at Nadia's side of the room for the first time since I walked in. It was vibrant with a rainbow bedspread and posters of artsy things all over the wall, but clothes and papers were thrown everywhere, making her side of the room look like an exhibit at the zoo. How long had she been moved in? They had only started letting people move in yesterday, so she must have made this enormous mess in a single day.

"Sorry about the mess," Nadia said, noticing me staring.

"No, It's fine," I laughed, "I'm messy too."

Nadia smiled as my sister, Lola, and her girlfriend, Faith, came stumbling into the room, carrying the rest of my things.

"Alani, you could help a little more!" Lola whined as she threw my stuff onto the bed.

"Sorry," I apologized, shrugging. "Nadia, this is my older sister Lola and her girlfriend, Faith."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Nadia said as Lola and Faith shook her hand.

"Is that the last of my stuff?" I asked them.

"Yeah."

Lola and Faith came to drop me off and help with my things because no way was I going to let my sobbing parents help me move in. I loved them, but they could be way too emotional at times. When I said goodbye to them earlier, they cried, despite being miles away from campus.

"Time to go," I said, ushering Faith and Lola out the door before they could embarrass me.

"Okay, well, we'll see you soon," Lola said as they walked out, and I knew that she meant what she said. Lola and Faith loved spending time with me, and they went to a college a few hours away, so we had agreed to meet up throughout the year.

Once they were gone, Nadia resumed talking.

"It's so cool that you have a sister. I've always wanted a sister. I'm an only child."

"Yeah. It's a blessing and a curse to have siblings," I said, knowing I loved my siblings to death, even if they got on my nerves sometimes.

"You have more than one?" She said, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I have a seven-year-old brother."

"You're lucky!"

"That's one way to look at it," I said, thinking about all the times my younger brother would bother me.

"Do you need any help unpacking?"

"Sure."

"Classes start tomorrow. Are you nervous?"

"Definitely," I admitted as she helped me unpack. Who wouldn't be nervous about their first day at college? It was a new environment with different people and many more chances to embarrass yourself.

"What's your major?" She asked.

"Psychology, you?"

"Business."

"That's cool. That was my second choice," I said. Psychology had always interested me more than anything else, so that's what I chose to major in, despite being fascinated by other things.

"Do you play any sports?" Nadia asked.

"No, do you?"

"I used to play soccer in high school, but I stopped when I got into college," She said.

"I've never played any sports in my life," I said. Sports didn't interest me, especially ones that required chasing a ball with sweat dripping down your body. Even if I had time for sports, I still wouldn't have participated in any, and if I had to, I would do an individual sport like golf or figure skating.

"Never?"

"Never."

"Wow. Where are you from?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I laughed.

"I'm just trying to get to know you. We'll be spending a lot of time together, after all."

"No, it's fine. I want to get to know you too."

"So, where are you from?" She asked again.

"Just a few hours away. What about you?"

"I'm from Los Angeles, California."

"I've always wanted to go on a vacation there," I said. Spending the day relaxing by the beach was something that I always daydreamed about whenever I had free time, which wasn't often.

"Where have you been on vacation?"

"Nowhere."

"What?" She asked.

"I've never been on vacation unless you count visiting my grandparents in Michigan."

"Why haven't you been on vacation?"

"No time. I always told myself that I had to study if I wanted to get into college, and telling myself that instead of going on vacations paid off in the end."

"Did your family go on vacation without you?"

"No. We're all pretty work-oriented."

"I would die if I never got to go on vacation."

We unpacked my stuff for the next hour as we talked and got to know each other. Nadia and I clicked. I didn't find her as annoying or irritating as her last roommate did. Instead, I found her charming and lively. I was fortunate enough to make somewhat of a friend on my first day, and I hoped that we could become better friends for the rest of our college years.

"It looks so good!" Nadia said once we had finished unpacking.

"Thanks," I said, standing back and admiring my bland side of the room. Looking ridiculous compared to Nadia's, my side had a plain blue bedspread and nothing on the walls.

"Do you want to take a tour of the campus?" Nadia asked.

"I already did with one of the tour guides, but getting your perspective couldn't hurt."

"Great, let's go," Nadia said, out the door already.

Nadia showed me around all the buildings and told me where the best restaurants and shops were on campus. I had already seen and heard everything about each place, but Nadia was so happy about showing me around that I let her ramble on.

"Tell me an exciting story about you!" Nadia squealed once we got back to our dorm.

"Okay, let me think," I replied, no longer feeling nervous and sweaty. Instead, I was excited and hopeful about my future.