Chapter Text
Alison walked into the dormitories at about 3 PM. She just arrived at the university for the first time, and wasn’t sure what to expect. She was a short, shy girl, nervously tugging at the collar of her sweater and adjusting her glasses as she walked up the dormitory staircase. She wasn’t sure who her roommate would be, or what they would be like. Eventually, she arrived at the dorm room she had been assigned. She took a deep breath and walked into the room. The easy part was done.
In the dorm, there was a small kitchenette to the left. To the right there was a door, presumably a bathroom or a closet. Towards the back were two beds. The left side of the room was bare, with nothing but a bed, no sheets, no pillows. She assumed that it was probably her bed. The right side of the room, however, was a different story. The bed had a black sheet with gray pillows. The wall had several posters of different bands, a few of them Alison had never even heard of. As she looked at her mystery roommate’s bed area, a flushing sound came from the bathroom. Startled by this, Alison spun around towards the door.
Out of the bathroom came a ghostly pale girl in ripped jeans, black converse, a shirt with a logo for a band she’d never listened to, and arm warmers on her hands. She was tall. Taller than Alison, and taller than most other girls. Her hair was long and black, with subtle red streaks down the sides. She was about to walk past until she noticed Alison looking at her. The girl had a look on her face like she was constantly bored. She waved unenthusiastically at Alison.
“Hey. Uh, are you my roommate?” She asked. Her voice was deep and monotonous.
“Oh, uh, y-yeah. I’m… Alison. Alison Lawrence.” She stammered, smiling awkwardly. The girl gave a half-hearted chuckle, before nodding.
“Cool. Harley Kardessen”
Alison set her luggage on her bed and began to unpack while Harley walked over to the fridge, grabbed a soda, and popped it open. She turned to walk away from the fridge, but when she saw Alison staring curiously at her, she shrugged before pulling a second
“You want one?” Harley asked, holding out the unopened can. Alison cautiously took the can from her hands.
“Sure. I… I guess. Thanks.” Alison said, cracking open the soda carefully and taking a small sip, placing it on her bedside table as she began to unpack her clothes. Harley sat at the dorm's tiny coffee table, leaning one arm casually over the back of her chair.
"So... How's it going?" Harley asked. Alison's unpacking slowed slightly. She'd never really been one for small talk, not that anyone back home ever seemed interested in small talk anyways. But, if they were gonna live together, they should probably get to know each other, she thought.
"Um... I'm okay. A little tired from the drive over is all."
"Ah, yeah I getcha. Travel'll do that to you. I mean, as soon as I got here from the airport this morning, I took one hell of a nap."
"Y-yeah? Where are you from?" Alison asked curiously
"Iowa," Harley said dryly, "You?"
"Oh, um... I'm from Utah."
"Oof, Mormon country, huh? Are... you Mormon?" Harley asked, as if she was worried about Alison's answer
"No... Well, I was raised Mormon, but... to be frank, I was never really on board with it? I dunno..." Alison said, looking down awkwardly.
"Oh, shit, you're, like... escaping? That's kinda sick. does your family know?"
"Well, they know I'm here. They begged me to stay in Utah for college, but I told them I wanted to go to a more prestigious school. Besides, I got a pretty nice scholarship for my academic achievements."
"Heh, really? Shoot, I might have to get you to help me with homework. What's your major?"
"Computer programming. You?"
"Psychology. Mostly just because I find it interesting. I'm mostly just here for tennis. I was pretty damn good in high school, and the school noticed. Got a good scholarship for it too."
"Tennis, huh? Interesting. I bet it feels nice to see your hard work pay off..." Alison said with a sigh. Harley cocked her head.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well... It's just that with how much my parents coddled me, I've never really felt like I... earned anything in life."
"What about your academic scholarship?" Harley said, leaning forward slightly. Alison shook her head.
"That was nice, yeah... but then my mom and dad decided to just go and pay for the rest of my tuition, even though I specifically asked them not to."
Harley nearly choked on her soda. "The whole thing? Just like that?"
"My dad owns an insurance company. My mom's a lawyer. Money's never been a huge issue for my family." Alison explained sourly. Harley took a moment to process, leaning back in her chair again.
“Man, I wish my parents paid for stuff.” Harley lamented before taking a sip, kicking her feet up on the tiny coffee table. “They barely remember my birthday.”
“I kind of wish they didn’t. My parents worry way too much about me. They’ve sheltered me my whole life.” Alison complained. “They wouldn’t let me drive further than a few miles, or go out for more than a couple hours. They wouldn’t even let me date anyone!”
“Have you found someone you’re into?” Harley asked.
Alison sighed. “No. I don’t really want to rush into a relationship right now. I’m sure I’ll eventually meet someone right for me. Besides, nobody’s ever really found me very… attractive.”
“Pfft, bullshit.” said Harley. “Have you looked in a mirror? A cute, short redhead is, like, the stuff that guys dream about, right?”
Alison blushed deeply from the compliment “W- well, thanks… But, I, uh… I’m not… really… into guys.”
“Oh… welp, I guess that makes two of us.”
Alison almost fell out of her chair
“Really? Wow… That’s so cool…” she said excitedly
Harley was confused. “Are… you okay?”
“Sorry… I’ve just… never really told anyone before… or met anyone else who is. I… I told you about my parents, right? They’re crazy religious. If they found out I was gay, I think they would… y-yeah. so I’ve kept it a secret for… years.” She explained
“Oh… that sucks, man. I… I’m sorry.”
“Thanks… but I still feel weird about the first person knowing being someone I’ve known for, like, an hour.”
“Hey, your secret’s safe with me.”
Alison nodded and took a large drink, finishing off the can she was holding. “So, uh… what do you like to do for fun?”
“Well, I like watching movies, I like playing video games… uh, I like listening to music… uh… tennis is fun… um… yeah. What about you?”
“I like video games too. I like coding them too. Been working on a game for three years. I like reading, and I like movies. I like cooking, but I'm not very good… uh, what sort of games do you like?”
“I really like super smash bros. I played it a lot with friends back in high school”
“Oh really? Me too. I’ve got a switch. Do you wanna play?”
So, for the rest of the night, they played video games, continued to talk about interests, college plans, music, and other things. For dinner, they made instant ramen that Alison brought with her, and they watched a movie on Netflix. Even though they hadn’t known each other for very long, they discovered they had some things in common, even if there were also many differences. They both had tense relationships with their parents, they both were lesbian, and they both shared common interests.
“Y’know, when I first got here, I didn’t know what to think of you, with all the music posters and your outfit, and all that… um, no offense… But since we’ve been talking and doing stuff… I think… you’re pretty cool.” said Alison.
“Yeah, man. It’s been a fun night. You seem pretty cool. Glad I got you as a roommate and not some preppy asshole. Instead, I got a chill nerd.” Harley said, giving Alison a playful, half hearted punch in the shoulder. Alison chuckled and rubbed her shoulder, sneaking glances at Harley from the side of her eyes. She’d never met anyone like Harley. She was so confident, casual, and free. She had so many things that Alison longed to have herself
They watched the rest of the movie in silence, just enjoying the movie and each other’s company. When the credits started rolling, Harley yawned and stretched.
“Welp, I should get going to bed. I got tennis practice in the morning.” She said
“Yeah… uh, how long does tennis practice go?”
“8 to 11. Why?”
“Well, uh, I was… wondering if, um, maybe… you wanted to get lunch?” She asked, nervously itching behind her ear. Harley thought for a moment, before pulling out her phone to check her schedule.
“Um… I don’t have work until 1:15, so that should work.” She said with a shrug. Alison nodded quickly as an awkward giggle escaped her
“A-alright, great! Goodnight Harley.” She stammered, voice cracking on Harley’s name. Harley let out a blow of air through her nostrils, a silent laugh, as the corners of her lips pinched up slightly.
“Goodnight, Ali.”
This surprised her. She had never had a nickname before. Not from parents, or friends, or anyone. She couldn’t say she wasn’t a fan, though. She turned off the lights and got into bed, but it took her some time to fall asleep.
“Ali,” She kept thinking to herself. “I like that.”