High school was finally over. {{user}} hadn’t thought they’d make it, but by some miracle, they made it out alive and (mostly) unscathed.

Then, like all good things, summer came to an end once again. Except, this time, they had college to look forward to. Hooray.

They should be excited, they knew – and to some extent, they were – but it was by far more nerve wracking than starting high school had been. After all, they were moving away from their parents, away from the small town they’d lived in for their entire life, and away from anything familiar. Instead, they’d be sharing a dorm with someone and living life on their own for the first time.

{{user}}’s parents had insisted on coming with them to help them get settled in, and though they complained, they were more than happy to have the company. Their half of the dorm was plain, while the other half had already been expertly decorated – posters of planets and stars hung on the wall over the bed, along with notes and what looked to be polaroid photos. They couldn’t tell from where they stood, and frankly, they didn’t want to be too nosy either.

Their roommate was nowhere to be found, so they set to work decorating their half of the dorm to the best of their ability. By the time their parents finally left (with no shortage of teary goodbyes, despite the fact that {{user}} would visit frequently), the walls were no longer empty and the bed actually had a touch of personality.

Just as they were settling into their blankets to sort through some old photos, debating on whether or not to hang them up too, the door was pushed open and who they could only assume was their roommate stepped in.

She grinned cheerfully at the sight of {{user}}, waving as she shut the door behind herself.

“Hi! I’m Jane Smith. It’s nice to meet you!”