You would think I would have figured this out by now. It's October of my freshman year and you would think by now I could be able to get into my own dorm without struggle. I put the keycard into the door for the tenth time and push. But nope. Doesn't budge.

"Daphne!" I yell. As well as knocking on the door. She probably has her headphones in and hasn't been able to hear me. I puff out a breath of annoyance and take my bag off my back to get my phone.

Daphne, open the door. My key card still won't work.

I send the text and a moment later the door opens to reveal Daphne and an amused look on her face, earbuds hanging from her ears and phone in her hand. "Again?" She says, raising her eyebrows.

I give her an annoyed look. "It's not my fault the key doesn't work,"

I place my bag on my neatly made bed and take my books out. As a English Lit major I read a lot. And write, which has been a pain the last few weeks but I'm getting used to it. Teakwood University has been my dream since I was young. In the prettiest part of Minnesota. Which if you've ever been to Minnesota there's not much to see. But Teakwood is a forest area and I fell in love with it when my parents brought me to visit.

My mom went to Teakwood and eventually met my dad when she was finishing up her degree in law school. I love my parents, they made me into the girl I am today. Moving to college from home was rough but I think this was good for me and made me expand my horizons more.

"You remember Brooks right?" Daphne asks, making me look up from my poetry book to her excited face.

I raise my eyebrows. "Hockey boy?" I ask.

She nods. "He invited us to his house tonight for a movie night." She watch me warily. "Apparently they have an obsession with chips in their house and need a way to get rid of them."

I squint my eyes. "Us?" I ask sceptically.

She tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder and looks at me sheepishly. "Okay, well he just asked me but I need you there Ash." She pleads. "He lives with two of his teammates and I didn't want to be there on my own."

I stare at her as she puts her hands together like she begging me to come. I give in with a sigh. "Okay fine,"

"Yay!" She interrupts.

I chuckle at her.

"He has two roomates." She taps her chin. "I think there's Tyler and... ugh why can't I remember his name. Anyways, Tyler is cute too but the other one. Wow-wee." I laugh at her expression. "Just you wait. If I can get you to drop your mouth at him than I think I win."

I smile at her. "We'll see, but I never said hockey boys weren't cute."

She glares at me. "You said they are assholes with mush for brains."

"I said that because the ones I've seen and talked to are exactly that. We live in Minnesota for crying out loud." I say glaring right back.

A few hours later we pull up to a semi large house. Very much boy athlete if you get my gist. The brown exterior makes it homey but also mysterious. Daphne has a pip in her step as we walk up to the door. Daphne has always been the more energetic of the two of us. I've only known her a short few months but we get along like we've known each other for years.

My heart starts to race when she knocks on the door. I'm not the best when it comes to social situations. It works me up a lot. I have to make more of an effort, which is how I've always been. Daphne however, is not. Take Hockey Boy Brooks for example. I never just been "invited" to a boys house. It's not that easy for me.

The door opens to reveal Brooks who's longish blonde hair peaks out of the beanie on his head and his nice white teeth smile at Daphne and I. "Ladies! Welcome!" He exclaims. Daphne giggles and I do as well. "Come on in." He ushers us to come in.

Just like the exterior, the interior screams that three hockey boys live here. I twiddle with my fingers and hold my purse tightly to me. We are brought into the living room and kitchen that connect. The furniture and walls are full of grays and browns and blacks. The black leather couch fits the man cave scene that makes me laugh in my head.

"I don't know where the others are but I'll go get them." Brooks says and walks down a hallways and marches up the stairs.

Daphne looks at me. "What?" I ask.

"He's cute right?" She asks.

I nod and I'm about to make a remark when Brooks comes down the stairs. "They'll be down soon. You guys want anything to drink?" He asks walking over to the fridge. "We got Coke, uh beer, and well water I guess."

I almost laugh at the way he says that. I can tell he was trying to be nice but I doubt boys go to the grocery store often.

"Water's fine." Daphne says.

"Same for me." I say.

Brooks brings over two water bottles and hands them to us. It's very obvious Brooks likes Daphne. Or I don't know...likes the way she looks? That's definitely an option.

"Yo Brooks what's with the-" A shorter boy similar build to Brooks with light tan skin and curly hair walks down the hallway. "Hey guys! Hi Daphne!" He says kindly.

"Hey Tyler." Daphne says. "This is my roommate, Ash."

I give a shy wave and he smiles. "So we watchin' a movie. Brooks you still got our but-load of chips?" Tyler asks with an excited look on his face.

"Yeah," Brooks says. "They're in the pantry."

Tyler then makes a mad dash for a closet like door aside from the fridge. He comes back a second later and dumps probably six bags onto the coffee table.

"Yo Derek!" Tyler hollers towards the stairs. "Movie time!"

No noise comes from up the stairs and right as I see Tyler go to yell again a ebony haired, very tall, blue eyed boy, walks down the hall way. My mouth slightly drops open. His black short sleeved shirt fits to his body perfectly and his grey sweatpants make him look the opposite of a bum in sweatpants.

He doesn't even pay attention to any of us as he walks over to the kitchen and opens the fridge leaning down to grab something.

I look at Daphne who is too entranced in Brooks to notice. Tyler picks up the remote off the coffee table and pulls up their smart TV. Daphne and Brooks sit close to one another on the couch leaving me a spot but I decide to take another spot on the smaller couch. Two black leather couches frame the room while there also is a brown lounge chair that sits opposite to the right of the main couch.

Tyler takes a seat on the lounge chair and scrolls through movies, crunching on a bag of Doritos.

"What we watchin' Ty?" Brooks asks.

"Dunno?" he says mouth full of chips.

Brooks looks like he's thinking but then something seems to come to mind. "Why don't we watch It?"

Tyler enthusiastically nods in agreement and so does Daphne. She looks at me and speaks up. "Well," she says and I glare at her. "Ash doesn't like horror movies."

I shake my head. "No it's fine go ahead." I say but can't help but feel a sour feeling in my stomach at the knowledge I have to watch a scary clown movie.

"You sure?" Brooks asks.

"Go ahead." I say trying my best to keep the anxiety off my face.

Tyler plays the movie and the beginning credits roll. Brooks hops up and goes to turn the lights off. Okay, now I'm not so sure this was the best idea.

As the movies starts to begin. Derek, walks from the kitchen to the living room. "Dude you're blocking the TV!" Tyler exclaims.

Derek just rolls his eyes and sits in the seat to the left of me, as it was the only one open other than sitting next to Daphne and Brooks.

I tense up as he settles in next to me. His Coke can in hand. I don't dare look at him but I can't help but feel like his eyes are on me.

I push that feeling away and try and watch the movie. I hate this movie. Daphne forced me to watch it a few months ago before we knew each other well enough and I didn't watch a movie with her for awhile after. And you might think I'm just a baby for not liking horror movies but they are just gross and disturbing.

The beginning goes along fine but then it gets to the creepy clown parts. My hands twiddle nervously and I can feel myself panicking. Yes, I know, I'm an eighteen year old girl who's anxious but it's how I've always been. Since the room is dark I slip out of the room and hope no one noticed. And they probably assumed I went to the bathroom.

Walk down a hallway and find a door that leads to an outside patio. Two black lawn chairs sit on the balcony, so I sit on the edge of one. I pull my sleeves over my hands and try and get warm in my big sweater. It's October and the cold is very intense here. But I'm used to it. It soothes me.

The sky is very clear tonight and since we don't live near a huge city the stars are bright and the moon is full.

I sit here a few minutes and feel the cold air on my face when I hear the door open. I jump and look back to see Derek standing at the door. Leaning against the door frame.

His blue eyes assess me. "Scared?" he asks in a low voice.

A chill goes through my body at the sound of his voice but I don't show it. "No," I lie. "Just needed some fresh air." I say and turn back to look at the sky.

He doesn't move from his spot. I can feel his presence behind me but he doesn't move any closer. "You're Daphne's roommate right?"

I nod still facing away from him and keeping my mouth shut.

"You have a name?" He asks, annoyance laces his tone.

I puff out a breath. "Ash." I look back at him. "Ash Mayfield."

He nods in acknowledgement and I turn back to the stars. At first his presence kind of chilled me and made me uncomfortable but after a few minutes I started to surprisingly relax. I hear shifting as Derek moves and sits on the edge of the lawn chair next to mine. He places his elbows on his knees and looks up at the stars too.

I look at him. "So, you're a hockey player?"

He nods. No response. His face is relaxed but restrained.

The silence between us is comfortable. Not awkward. The wind brushes past my brown hair and I smile at the feeling. Fall is my favorite time of year. With crisp air and changing colors, nothing beats it. It'll probably start to snow soon but I don't mind. It means time is moving on and things are growing.

"Y'know, I don't like horror movies either." Derek says abruptly, making me almost jump. "The guys always pick the crappiest movies and I don't understand why they enjoy them."

His comment makes my lips turn up slightly. "And what movie would you have chosen?"

He's still looks up at the sky when he says, "Nothing."

"Not a movie fan?" I chuckle.

"Movies have stupid plots and have all this shit go down and then always end alright. Or sometimes they end terribly." He says and then regards me. "What's your deal then?"

"My deal?" I ask confused.

"With horror movies?" He asks, annoyed again.

Oh. "Oh, well I just scare easy that's all. Things that creep me out and make me feel weird are not my thing." I say.

He nods his head and goes silent again. A few moments later his phone goes off and it's a really interesting ringtone. It's not just the normal random ones. It's a guitar.

He takes it out and silences it.

"Interesting ringtone." I say. "I've never heard that before."

He shrugs. "I just picked it I guess. I prefer to listen to actual instruments that techno crap." He says

Huh. Interesting. I guess he seems like the type. A hockey player who enjoys music. But what kind is the question.

"And what kind of music would that be?" I ask. I watch as the wind blows his black hair and some of it falls into his eyes.

"Guitar or instruments. Country, Jazz, etc." He says nonchalantly.

I don't know how long we sit there in silence but I hear the door open from behind us and I jump to stand up.

Daphne's eyes squint at the scene in front of her but she doesn't comment on it. "Uh hey, Ash, the movie's over and we should probably take off. We have class in the morning."

I nod and take a small glance at Derek who watches Daphne and I walk through the door into the house.

Once we bid goodbye to Tyler and Brooks, Daphne kissing Brooks goodbye. We leave and get in the car. Daphne starts the car and we drive off to our dorm.

"Okay, spill," She says excitedly