Chapter Text
-Angel-
The trunk door closed with a thud as the tall man hoisted the last box into his arms, sweat gleaming on his tan brow. The heat of summer hadn't been cooled by the Autumn breeze just yet, leaving this midday sun warmer than usual. The youngest glanced up, quickly pocketing their blackberry, dashing from the sedan’s side where they had been leaning.
They held open the glass doors of the compound for their father as he shuffled his way through the corridor, giving a soft ‘thank you kiddo’.
Then followed their mother, shouldering her way through as she muttered, “Oh, so you help now that we are finished?”. In reality, they had been the one to pack most of this, helping for the last two weeks to determine what should stay and what should go. They couldn't help their carpal tunnel flaring up, having borrowed the one blue wrist wrap the siblings shared between the two.
Finally Angel flung their drawstring bag over their shoulder and made their way to the rest, papers and key in hand, giving a sympathetic look to their sibling, who rolled their eyes and chuckled in return. Once the family had made their last trek up the flight of stairs, Angel unlocked the dorm’s door yet again. The sleek black haired woman strutted into the room and sneered.
“It's so cramped, I doubt you'll have any room to walk after you find a place for your junk!” she waved a hand dismissively. The father set the box down atop the naked mattress, sending a plume of dust into the air. He rolled his shoulder, having overworked it on the job this week but powering through for his child.
“As if you could do without your collection of high heels, cariño.” he teased, making his wife’s red lips purse before they curled into a smile as well as earning a chuckle from their youngest. They spent the next hour or two moving around furniture until it was in the most comfortable spot, and placing the heavier boxes on the floor so the desk and bed were usable until Angel had the time to unbox everything.
Angel’s arm was gently tugged by the high schooler beside them, their tone playful but their brown eyes sincere.
“You sure it isn't too late to stay home? It's going to suck being home without you” they dropped their voice to a whisper. “-and you can’t leave me to deal with Mom-zilla on my own!””
To which their mother perked up, sliding a hand over her business phone’s receiver.
“You better not be trying to get out of your share of chores! Until it's your turn to move out, you have twice as much to do when we get home!!”
Their dad came back with some sodas from the vending machine outside.
“Honey, you are too hard on the bebé!” He said while sliding them the refreshments, the condensation cool against Angel’s sweaty palms. Try their hardest, their heartbeat wouldn’t slow, their breaths short as the reality of all this crept in.
With such a big change, there was always something Angel forgot. They worried they would be able to stay on top of everything and also have the time to take care of the dorm, work, do laundry, attend class, study, bathe, finish their commissions, do homework, cook, and everything else?!
This scholarship was very specific about their attendance policy, and they had to remember if this class was Tuesday or Thursday, 6am or 6pm, and if they had a short walk or if it was on the other side of campus. They had to leave early so they could catch the bus or carpool and make it on time. Usually it was them getting lost in whatever they were doing until they got a text asking where they were, or their alarm went off telling them class had started and they should be in their seat instead of their bed.
They needed good grades in their core classes before they could start taking more specialized courses, and it was hard to stay on top of deadlines. Sticky notes did little to help, and Angel would always misplace a planner before it could be useful. That is, if they didn't misplace their assignment and forget about it completely until the professor gave them an F for missing work.
While their thoughts spiraled, their dad and sibling had started hanging some of the clothes. The black haired woman wrapped up her call and gently pulled Angel aside.
“BunBun, I know that look. What you're feeling is just first year jitters, don't get cold feet now. This is an amazing opportunity- a fresh start!! When I was your age-” she started.
“...mom, please-” Angel started to no avail.
“-When I was your age I didn't have anything. I had to work my way up to where I am now. Me and your father have always dreamed of giving you the opportunities- the future- neither of us had. You need to apply yourself!” She said past her rectangular frames, Angel’s own dismay reflected back at them. Silence followed as their throat clenched.
“...okay.” They replied in almost a whisper.
“Do not squander this. I love you” she said as she wrapped her arms around her child, her sickenly sweet perfume stealing the breath further from Angel’s throat.
As the light pouring in from the window dimmed but not yet set, the family finished up for the day and made their way out to the narrow dorm hall. Their dad gave Angel a warm hug that they tried to burn into their memory, their Mother leaving a quick peck on Angel’s matching black hair, and their sibling making them promise to message again, sliding in another quick plea to stay home under their breath.
Angel shrugged as they gave their sibling an awkward shoulder pat.
“Sorry, but I need to stay the first year on campus as part of my scholarship.” The younger one grumbled in response. Then they surprisingly gave Angel a bear hug, squeezing the life out of them before rushing out the door. With goodbyes said, the trio made their way down the flight of stairs for the last time as Angel brought the door closed with a click.
As the sun set, Angel pulled out their laptop to get some work done. The soft whirl as the computer booted to life, soon followed by the windows startup sound helped to ease some of the uncertainty of the day. Angel pulled up their software and got started on the linework, getting lost in the monotonous strokes they made along the digital canvas.
Before they knew it the summer sun had started to set, casting the room in a warm orange hue. Angel took a second to bask in this serene moment, before suddenly the dorm door burst open, reverberating on its hinges. A girl with headphones booty bumped her way into the room, a box in one hand and a handle in the other as she wheeled her pink luggage in. Unaware of the other in the room, she plopped all her things down on the empty bed before doing a double take at the furnished side.
“AHH!! Bitch, I didn't see you there! I thought you were a pile of laundry or something the way you are huddled up in that chair.”
Angel looked down at themselves. They didn't see anything wrong with how they were positioned. “I’m… sorry?”
The roommate chuckled. “No, don't apologize. That was a joke. I- whatever. So I guess we are roommates? I won't be here that often, so you’ll have the place to yourself. My boyfriend has an apartment a few blocks from here so I’ll be spending most of my time there. We met at work and-”
The onslaught of information spilling out of the bubbly girl’s mouth sent Angel’s head spinning. Just a second ago they were lost in the zone and now they were being bombarded with no chance to speak up. That's when they remembered to quickly save and close their laptop before their roommate could pass any judgement. They turned back, offering a small smile, though the roommate was unaware of it all.
“-so yeah, me and him are about to go to a show at one of the local bars. Do you want to come? We have a few of our other friends coming so it would be a good way to meet some classmates. Maybe some special guy or girl~” they said with a little dance.
“Oh… thank you, I guess… but that's not my thing. Sorry…” Angel murmured apologetically.
The girl gave a dramatic sigh and grabbed her jacket, “Borrrring!! You’re boring, I’m bored. I have to get out of here or I’ll die of boredom any second!! Let me know when you want to have some fun.” she teased, sticking her tongue out.
“Hey, I'm not-” they were barely able to get the words out before the extrovert was closing the door behind them.
“Later biiiitch!” was the last thing she said, and she was gone.
Sloughing down into their chair a bit more, Angel let out a pent up sigh. The stared down at thier roommate’s empty bed across from them as they zoned out, listening to the hustle and bustle of the surrounding rooms and the buzz of the AC unit. Then their eyes flicked to the crumpled papers laying on the floor beside their bed.
They slowly stood and made their way to the stack, sitting down on the cool floor and picking up the first few pages until they found their schedule. They held it up to the harsh light and let their head fall back against the bed frame.
“I can do this…” they quietly reassured themselves. “I can do this”