I stepped foot on the campus and took a deep breath. Moana, the newest girl in my “friend” group, stood behind me, her face glowing with excitement. I knew what she was thinking; everyone, when they first viewed the expansive campus, thought two things: 1) they were stepping back in time and 2) they had died and gone to heaven. Royal High was HUGE. The center of the campus was the large castle where Dr. Oswald Rabbit reigned supreme as the head principal. There were several principals underneath him including my personal favorite, Minerva Mouse. She was the first person to go to because first, she knew about me and my personal struggles, and second, she was sassy and sweet. Scattered around the 963 acres belonging to the school, there are 20 buildings for classes and 8 rooms for housing. Each educational building comes with a dining hall, common room, and library. Five Starbucks and two MacDonald’s served as the local hangout spots for the students outside of when they left for home on the weekends and breaks. Moana’s eyes slowly opened and closed again once she realized I noticed that she was staring.
“C’mon Moana. It’s time to meet my friends” I motioned for her to follow me. Jack gave me a quick side hug and dashed off to meet up with his hockey team. Pursuing my lips, I let my eyes follow him to the group of guys wearing their jerseys and giving me coy looks. Moana subtly grabbed her bag out of my hand and waited patiently for me to direct where we were going.
“My bad” I shook my head to clear the thoughts away and quickly walked over to the dorm hall in front of us “Welcome to Queen Hall”. Sliding my key card across the door slot, a wave of cool air hit my face and Moana shivered. Several girls were bustling around in the atrium that we shared with 98 other female students; the dorms were separated by gender so there were exactly four dorms for the guys (Prince Hall, King Hall, Duke Hall, and Marquis Hall) and four for the girls (Princess Hall, Marquess Hall, Duchess Hall, and Queen Hall). Pocahontas waved at me, her cropped fringe sweater flying up. I ran to meet her. Pocahontas, surprisingly to some, was my best friend besides Jasmine and Esmeralda who formed my friend group. Moana, whom I had met during the summer when I took Anna once to the beach, was someone that I instantly clicked with, a go-getter type person.
“Elsa, you are looking beautiful today” she gave me an affectionate squeeze, her colorful tattoo on her arm showing. Pocahontas holds true to her cultural values of independence, resourcefulness, and kindness. Her love for nature is remarkable to me because she eats vegan meals, travels on foot so that she doesn’t emit toxic fumes (except when she must) and has several “pets” on the campus. Pocahontas still loves her Starbucks. The only issue she has with teachers is that she is too free-spirited and has to include everyone’s perspectives equally.
Right now, she greeted the newest addition to the friend group with a wide smile and offered to carry her bags up to the dorm room they shared. As the three of us climbed the stairs, Pocahontas explained that our room was on the fourth floor since they were able to snag the only available suite in the dormitory. The average Royal High Student had a basic room which they often shared with a roommate; the room included two twin beds, a work desk, a bathroom, a closet, a TV, and a dresser. However, the suite (and there are only two in each hall) has a large apartment-like layout with a separate living area, two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, and a dining area as well. The living rooms and bedrooms are separated by a gilded door. I smiled as we walked past a group of huddled younger students who stared at me with awe and some undisguised curiosity.
The door at the farther end of the hallway opened and Jasmine’s bejeweled hand flung out.
“C’mon, princess. You betta see what we just decked out our spot with”
I quickly ran into the entrance of our new room and right into my friend’s arms. Jasmine’s golden hoops brushed against my hair and the Indian girl lightly pecked a kiss on my icy cheek.
“It’s about time” Esmeralda smiled as she squeezed me from behind. I keenly felt the love in the room around me and tears started in my eyes. Ducking my head, I blinked quickly to keep them from spilling but the girls behind me waited patiently for me to gather my thoughts to speak. These four girls knew all about me. Most people at my school think of me as being a cold-hearted woman with a mind of steel. While I am flattered by the elegant/icy reputation I have here, I also want people to see me as being curious and caring. Only my friends truly know how I am willing to do anything for them and my teachers will describe me as being very responsible and willing to lead in-class discussions. Pocahontas was really the only one who had a deep knowledge of my emotional instability. Yes, Jasmine and Esmeralda understood how I conceal all of my feelings to avoid people from outside our group thinking I’m a monster (which clearly doesn’t really work but a mean girl reputation is better than a psychopath one). However, Pocahontas serves as my guardrail, keeping me from making me spiral into a vicious cycle of anger, anxiety, and fear.
“Wow, your room is gorgeous!” Moana said breathlessly as she came to stand in the middle of the living room. The sofa was folded out and piles of clothing were laid on it.
“So, my dad paid some dough for the washer and dryer for our den” Jasmine commented, moving a laundry basket out of their way. She led the way past our kitchen and dining room to the bedroom on the left. Obviously, I could tell this was Jasmine and Esmeralda’s room since several vinyl records from Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Cardi B were hung on the wall. Jasmine was a big fan of R&B and rap and she shows this in her style: hype bae, and her several tattoos of rap lyrics.
“Alessia Cara!” Moana pointed at the single pop artist poster on the wall. Jasmine nodded, eying the new roommate with approval.
“Right, this way ladies” Esmeralda motioned for us to head back into the living room and into the bedroom on the right. I smiled, noticing the decorations Pocahontas had done to make our sleeping space comfortable. Her side had a boho feel to it, the rich carpet hanging from a cleverly hidden bar on the wall. Contrasted against the stark white walls, it gave an artsy feel to the room. Her several plants were scattered around the room -yes, even on my side- and her pile of blankets -all reasonably sourced-made her bed seem massive.
My side however had a glam bedroom vanity with an oversized mirror encircled with flattering lighting. The two shelves bordering both sides of the vanity left enough room for all the makeup I had hauled in my bag from home. Luckily, I didn’t have to come home ever now because my parents always went away on the weekends with Anna, so I just stay here until winter break comes and its mandatory to leave. My boho design macramé swing remained the focal point of my side and the soft blankets that covered my bed added to the cozy, soft feeling of my side. Over my bed, I had a sheet of wire liner for my picture with my friends. A grey, cozy oversized floor cushion served as a spot for the occasional guest that we had in our room. An IKEA shelf divided the two spaces apart and served as a place where we kept our schoolbooks.
“Where will I sleep?” Moana asked, looking down at the floor cushion. I waved at the living room, “We only have these two bedrooms so we thought the sofa bed would be perfect for you”
Pocahontas laughed as she took Moana’s hand, “It really isn’t that bad. In fact, you get to have the most spacious room if you ask me”
I looked at her face; I could tell Moana was tired, “What if we just let her unpack and stuff? I must meet up with Jack in about 10 minutes”
“Of course,” Pocahontas agreed with me, her sharp eyes studying my face. After looking at Moana’s face, she made the connection and added, “I’m going to be unpacking too, Mo. If you need any help, let me know” She cheerfully directed the new roommate into the living room, and I was left to myself. I let my hands unclench and I felt the anxiety go away. Coming back to this campus was hard for me sometimes; the social obligations I had were overwhelming. I was not only the lead dancer for the dance team, captain of the cheer team and unfortunately, president of my class. It was stressful, having all these faces look up to me for guidance so I MUST keep my cool façade.
“Shawty” Jasmine’s voice interrupted my train of thought, “Jackie boy is waiting for you” She leaned her head into the room, her waist-length hair falling in rough waves around her.
“Thanks, Jazz” I thanked my friend and stood up, walking right past Pocahontas, who was helping Moana unpack and Esmeralda, who was fiddling with our stove. Jack stood in our little atrium of sorts, putting some flowers into a vase.
“I thought it would add a nice touch to this room” he pointed at the stark white walls in the little atrium with the roses in his hand. I smiled; the atrium was something that we never had the energy to invest in decorating. Oddly enough, we always had planned to have someone do it for us, but I guess our lazy selves never did. I took his free hand gently and held it for a minute. Holding his hand made me relax and feel safe in a way I can’t quite describe. Placing the flowers back into the vase, Jack took my other hand and looked into my eyes. Somehow, this made me feel like a child, looking into the eyes of one who is far older than me. He had such a wisdom, a depth of perception.
“Just kiss already” Esmeralda shouted, peering her head around the wall, and looking at us. Jack smiled and placed a light peck on my lips.
“Just you wait until I spend the night” he joked, his eyes dancing at the shocked expression on her face. We never did anything to bring my reputation down. Although it sounds selfish, trust me, he has his hockey career at stake if any scandal ensures.
“Get out already” Jasmine threw a high heel in our direction. Jack let one of my hands go and used that free hand to open the door for us.