"It literally says, Rivera, are you telling me that's not you?"
"It's a common last name, you bigot."
"Me, the bigot? That's crazy. I literally requested you; why would this not be you?" I said, pointing at a Rivera last name, which was my new roommate.
Lucas showed me his.
"It's not mine, I'm telling you. They started this weird thing this year where you can be paired with a freshman, sophomore, or junior. And if you are a freshman, then only a sophomore and freshman, then a sophomore, freshman, junior, or senior. And junior is the same but no freshman and senior, junior, if you are still living on campus."
I turned my head and gave him this look. "What does that even mean?"
"You can get people who aren't in our grade," he explained.
"Oh."
"Yeah," Lucas said.
"Okay," I said and I compared the two of our cards.
"We are on the same floor," I said.
"I know but different rooms. I am in 406 and you are in 403," Lucas said, pointing at the two of them.
"Well, at least we are close," I said and Lucas nodded.
We walked over to my dorm.
The way our school worked was we gave them our stuff to take to the rooms and they would leave it outside.
I opened the door.
"Why is this smaller than the one I had last year?"
"Damn, this is really small," Lucas said as he helped me put my bags down.
"Wait."
I turned to Lucas.
"What?" he asked me.
"Jakes in freshman year?" he nodded. "Maybe it's him."
"Maybe, or maybe it's Caleb." my face dropped.
"You're funny; I thought he was living off campus."
"Like he would ever want to go home. He's living on campus."
Okay, I love Lucas.
To the ends of the earth, he's one of my greatest friends, if not my best friend and I love his brother.
I love Jake; he's very nice and very respectful.
I think he has an older brother, in his late twenties but I have never met him; I'm sure he's nice too.
Caleb, on the other hand.
He's in the grade above us and he's genuinely the rudest person I have ever met.
We have had max 4 conversations and I have known them since I was 5.
So if I'm paired with Caleb, I don't know what I will do.
"If I was paired with Caleb, I would switch too," Lucas said.
"He's your brother," I said as I started to put my stuff in the drawers. "And you can't even do that."
"I would figure out how." Lucas looked down at his phone. "Speak of the devil. What? I'm already here. Theo?"
What about me?
"Greene, why? G-r-e-e-n-e. Why? Hey, don't talk about him like that. Okay. What floor? Fine, don't tell me. Okay bye."
"Caleb?"
"Yep. He has a roommate with the same last name as you, just with no e."
"What are the chances?" I want to be nice but glad it's him instead of me.
"Let's go to your dorm and I will help you with everything," I said and Lucas nodded.
"Why is mine bigger?"
"I don't know, oh, hi." oh roommate!
"Hi?"
"I'm Theo, and this is Lucas; he's your roommate, and I'm not," I said.
"Okay, that's cool. Jordan."
Lucas gave me this weird look and then gestured for me to continue talking. "What are you majoring in?"
"Chemical engineering."
"Like my brother."
"Oh cool, what's his name?"
"Caleb, Caleb Rivera. He's a junior," the guy smirked.
"Do you know him?" I asked.
"Who wouldn't?" oh. "You guys look…different. Are you the freshman one or the sophomore one?"
"Sophmore, you wouldn't be paired with me if I were Jake."
The guy gave Lucas a look I couldn't explain. "So you're the comp sci dance one with the glasses?"
A perfect way to explain Lucas.
He nodded.
"Cool, cool, and are you another brother?"
I shook my head.
"He's my boyfriend." My face dropped and I gave Lucas a side-eye.
Put pathological liar on his list of traits.
"Oh, uh, that's cool?"
Way to make things awkward.
"Come help me, babe."
"Of course." As long as it is making Lucas happy, I'm happy.
After longer than I would like to admit, Lucas and I finished with everything and I mean everything and my back was hurting.
"You want to go get something at the dining hall?"
"My meal plan starts tomorrow," I said.
"That's chill; I'll get you something."
"I'll text my aunt and ask her, but you go ahead; it's almost 4, and I need to unpack."
"I can help you."
"It's fine, you go eat; I know you are hungry," I said and Lucas smiled at me. "Okay, I will text you and let me know which brother you get or if it is just some random guy with the same last name as us."
"I will," I said, and just like that, I walked back to my dorm room.
"Excuse me?"
I felt myself turn. "Yes?"
"Do you know where 411 is?"
"Uh yeah, it's down the hall; it's one of the triples; I can take you there if you'd like," I said, pointing down the hall.
The person nodded awkwardly. "It's fine; just the direction is good. Thank you so much."
I smiled and unlocked the door.
It was nice helping people.
I started to decorate my side of the room with different things: fairy lights, throw pillows, a place for my dance stuff, and an American flag of San from ATEEZ. All very important stuff that is needed to call this place home.
I unpacked all of my clothes and made sure everything was nice and neat on my desk.
After about an hour and 30 minutes, I heard the door unlocked.
I felt myself smile as I turned around, waiting to see who my roommate was.
I watched as the knob turned and I felt myself drop.
I felt myself grow again. "Hi, Caleb!"
He nodded at me.
He was in some sweatpants and a hoodie that didn't match and he was carrying a single duffel bag. He had headphones over his ears and looked pissed off.
He throws his bag on the bed and himself as well.
He is now on his phone typing something.
Okay.
He is a lot bigger than I remembered.
Like taller.
How long has it been?
Holy moly.
What sport did he play? Soccer was it? "How's soccer?" I felt myself ask.
He looked over at me with these dark brown eyes. He looked very pissed off and also gave me this look that I couldn't really explain.
"Fine."
Okay.
"Are you still doing it this year?"
"I have to; I am on scholarship for it."
"Oh, I didn't know that."
"Well, now you know," he said.
Okay, new topic.
"You are doing chemical engineering, was it?"
"Yes."
"How's that?"
"Fine."
I let out a small sigh.
"Is it hard?"
"It's okay."
Okay, and I am done trying to make conversation with you. He is probably just shy and just awkward.
A little while went by and I had changed into my dancing clothes.
Where did he go?
Oh hello!
Caleb looked at me and gave me a weird look.
I heard our door get busted open and there Lucas stood and I smiled.
I turned to Caleb, whose face softened.
"My brother!" Lucas screamed as he pointed at Caleb and then at me.
"Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you."
Lucas started to jump up and down as he launched himself at his brother.
Acting like you didn't see him at home.
Caleb caught him and smiled, rubbing his back.
"I told you I was on your floor," Caleb mumbled.
They continued to talk and awkwardly hug each other.
I wish I had siblings.
"Are you going to come down and eat with us?" Lucas asked Caleb.
He shook his head. "Soccer."
"Already?" Caleb nodded.
Lucas got off of him and they started to speak very fast and I couldn't even comprehend what he was saying.
"Okay, okay, I'll bring you back something; Theo, let's go," Lucas said, and before I could say anything, he dragged me out of the dorm.
After like 6 minutes, we were now in the dining hall. "I told you I don't have any points yet."
"We will use calebs."
Oh!
"He said we could."
"Yeah, right," I said. "He did, I swear."
"Whatever you say," I said and Lucas and I went to go get food after and he scanned in both of us with his and Caleb's cards.
"Hi, Victor!" I said with a smile.
Victor waved. "Hello."
"Where's Bella?" I asked.
Victor and Bella were dating, and I think I saw Nathan on the way in here.
That was our friend group and has been since we were in middle school.
Lucas and I sat down. "I don't know, probably with that guy in her major."
"You jealous?" Lucas asked as he started eating.
"I didn't say that, I." Victor stopped and his eyes started to twitch.
"Why did she have her orientation today? And why did she ditch me?" Victor was definitely jealous.
I watched as Bella had her salad in hand and came over.
"Hi baby," she said and kissed the side of his face.
"Hi my princess," he said and he kissed her back.
I smiled as she sat down next to him.
The two of them started to talk and Lucas and I were now third and fourth wheeling.
"Your roommate is kind of hot," I said and Lucas gave me a weird look.
"Of course you would think that."
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"You like them big," Lucas said.
Weirdo.
"Gay fuck, who said that?" I watched as Nathan sat down next to Lucas.
"Watch your language," I said.
"Hi Nathan," Lucas said with a smile.
"Hi, gay and gay's boyfriend."
"We aren't dating," Lucas said.
"Sure, sure," Nathan said and shoved his face.
I continued to eat and do my thing.
"Why is your brother such a freak?"
"He's just like that; I don't know."
Uh okay?
"Okay, I am going to go get dessert," I said.
"Fat ass, who said that?" My face dropped and I gave Nathan a look.
"Language," I mouthed.
I got up and walked to the deserts.
I started to grab whatever they had and then made my way over to the olives.
I love olives and they just restocked them so I am going to get them.
"I thought he graduated last year."
My ears are now working.
"No, he's a junior this year."
"Oh my god, I couldn't have had him as a roommate."
"For real. I feel bad for the person who did. He's so damn arrogant and rude, I can't stand him."
"Hey, he's hot though."
"Yeah, extremely hot but I don't know why his ego is big; it's irritating. He barely even talks to his teammates on the soccer team."
"Well, at least the younger ones are nice."
"Lucas and Jake?"
"Yeah."
Are they talking about Caleb?
"Lucas is on the dance team with us; he's friends with Theo, I think. The short one." lovely.
"Theo Greene?"
"Yep."
"Oh, he's chill. Jake is cool too, but Caleb is so damn rude and standoffish, ugh, fine whatever." I heard the voices I was eavesdropping on fade out.
I mean, he just seems.
No, he's rude.
I mean.
I can't judge him yet because I don't know a lot about him.
I sat down back on my bed.
There wasn't a lot to do so I was face-timing my aunt, who was also my full-time caregiver.
"Hi baby, aren't you cute?" I said to my aunt's baby, who is my cousin but is being raised as my sibling.
She started to cutely babble random things.
"How's college?"
I shrugged.
"I haven't started yet."
"All that money and you are telling me you haven't started?"
"I'm also majoring in theater, auntie." She gave me a disgusted look. "We start tomorrow, I think but we are just doing roommate things."
"Didn't I pay for a single dorm?"
"No, auntie, you paid for a double."
"Did you get your friend?"
"No, I got his brother."
"The mean one?"
"Yep."
"No fucking way!"
"Language auntie."
She sighed. "Can you switch?" I shook my head.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, okay, call me if you need anything."
I watched as her face disappeared and the door came open.
Caleb came in and I watched as he chucked his soccer bag on the floor.
Okay, so we have been here one day and he's already throwing stuff on the floor.
Should I say something?
Uh.
I dont know.
"It would be nice to keep the dorm clean," I said with a small smile.
He didn't look up at me. "It's just a dorm; relax."
Oh okay.
It's fine.
It's nothing to get worked up over.
Is he getting in bed without showering?
"You should shower."
He let out a giant sigh and sat back up. "Anything else?"
I shook my head.
"Good, now leave me alone."
And just like that, he was gone.
Hopefully, he was going to go shower.
Hopefully.