All In My Head

1.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Fire. Smoke.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

I can't breathe. I'm trying to scream.

Nine. Ten.

"Hey, Eliza! Eliza...hey!" a voice yelled, as my eyes jolted open.

"Uh, hey." I murmur back. I could feel sweat dripping down my back. I silently prayed that I hadn't been talking in my sleep.

Two days of living in the dorms, and this isn't exactly the first impression I had intended to make.

"You just started screaming bloody murder. Are you okay?!" my roommate, Jacey, asked.

"Uh, yeah, I just-bad dream. Sorry I scared you." I respond, feeling my cheeks and ears turning red.

"Okay, well, I'm running late for class, but I'll see you later?" She questioned, as I nodded yes.

I was so embarrassed. I pulled myself out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts and a sweat shirt before tying my hair back into a low pony. I slipped on my shoes, grabbed a banana, and was out the door.

I never thought I would be able to live in a dorm. My parents never had much money. We were middle class, and I was very well taken care of, but college expenses were not in the realm of my parents' budget. I mean, we didn't even use name brand toilet paper.

I went to a local community college my freshman year. I commuted back and forth from campus and home, and I hated every second of it. I worked all year and all summer to be able to swing a university's tuition and board. Well, at least the down payment of a payment plan.

By the time I made it to the bottom floor, I could hear yelling.

"I didn't break the rule! You were on my case about this last semester. I am grown!" someone snapped in a cocky tone.

"Sorry, Weston, but you're not above the rules, and I'm not losing my job over this." an older man with a badge responded calmly.

As I entered the lobby, I could feel the tension. Thankfully, this had nothing to do with me. All I had to do was make it to the door, and-

"SO I'M BREAKING THE RULES, but a whole FEMALE lives here!" he scoffed

I felt my shoulders tensing up. I tried to walk around him but he stepped in between me and the door. I looked down at the floor, and then back at the desk for help. There was a small group of people now off to the side that had just made it down the stairs.

A student worker chimed in, "Get out of her way you asshat. There's a girls' floor. That doesn't mean they can stay in your room overnight just so you can fu-."

"Davis!" The older man with the badge promptly interrupted. "What he means is that you knew before you signed your contract that girls were not allowed to stay overnight in your dorm. Your roommate has already filed a complaint and we are only two days into the semester. Fix the behavior or you will be out. Now, have a great day."

The asshole's ego seemed to crumble and he stepped aside. I hurried outside, down the steps, and pulled out my schedule.

My first class was at 9:20am. It was only 8am, but I could always wait outside. Then I knew for sure that I wouldn't be late. I hate being late.

"Hey! Hey, blue backpack!" A voice yelled from behind me.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and pulled my headphones out.

"Uh, hi. I just wanted to see if you were okay? You looked kind of shaken in there." some guy in a leather jacket said.

So, pardon me, but leather jacket? I had seen those movies and read those books. The leather jackets rarely, if ever, end well. The bad boy who loves English and writes in the margins sweeps the new girl off her feet and then breaks her heart somewhere in the middle just for them to magically get back together and all trust issues to disappear.