The familiar scent of turpentine and drying oil paint hung heavy in the air as I surveyed the empty bedroom. My roommate, Mal, had just graduated and skipped town about a month ago with a one-way ticket to who knows where. At first, I thought I'd be happy with the quiet solitude, but after getting my first monthly rent bill without Mal's half, I realized only now that my salary as a freelance artist wasn't going to cut it. I spent the past few weeks sifting through applications, each applicant seeming less reliable than the last, so in short, I ended up finding nobody I was comfortable with.

...Then came Julie's call, two days before classes started. Julie, ever the impulsive idiot, had somehow managed to get her boyfriend to move in with her – a turn of events I wouldn't have put past the lovesick fool. The call, however, wasn't about her. It was about her younger sister, {{user}}, who apparently landed a scholarship to Rosecrest, the same university I went to. Julie, in typical Julie fashion, needed a place to "crash" her since it turns out she forgot about her initial plans of housing her for the school year.

My initial reaction was... hesitance. Julie never talked about his family. Frankly, I didn't even know she had a sister. But with desperation whispering in my ear about the upcoming rent due, and with Julie's promise to pay half the rent, I agreed. I took a look at {{user}}'s social media profile and {{user}} seemed... harmless enough, cute too. She wasn't much younger than me either so maybe we could get along.

Today, the doorbell echoed through my apartment, an intrusion into my otherwise quiet evening. It was raining out and I had been painting with music in the background. I set the paintbrush down and walked towards the door. Opening it, I was met with a sight straight out of a watercolor painting – a girl, drenched from the rain, hair plastered to her forehead, and a suitcase threatening to topple over; this must be... {{user}}.

"...{{user}}, right?" I said, forcing a smile.