AN: here's where a lot of the changes begin I hope you still like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I wish I could say that the familiar scenery of my home state calmed me as we drove, or that a sense of adventure took hold of me with each sign that indicated we were getting closer and closer to Washington Central. But really I was mostly in a daze of planning and obsessing. I'm not even sure what Elijah was really talking about, but I know he was trying to be reassuring and excited for me.
"Here we are!" my mother squeals when we drive through a stone gate and onto campus. It looks just as great in person as it did in the brochures and online, and I'm immediately impressed by the elegant stone buildings. Hundreds of people, parents hugging and kissing their children goodbye, clusters of freshmen dressed head to toe in WCU gear, and a few stragglers, lost and confused, fill the area. The size of the campus is intimidating, but hopefully after a few weeks I will feel at home." It didn't take to long for me to get use to Washington when we moved from Doncaster so I think I'll be ok.
"My mother insists that she and Elijah accompany me to freshman orientation. My mother manages to hold a smile on her face the entire three hours and Elijah listens intently, the same way that I do.
"I would like to see your dorm room before we head out. I need to make sure everything's up to par," my mother says once orientation is over. Her eyes scan the old building, full of disapproval. She has a way of finding the worst in things. Elijah smiles, lightening the mood, and my mother perks up.
"I just can't believe you're in college! My only son, a college student, living on his own. I just can't believe it," she whines, dabbing under her eyes, though careful not to mess up her makeup. Elijah follows behind us, my bags as we navigate through the corridors.
"It's B28... we are in C hall," I tell them. Luckily, I see a large B painted on the wall. "Down here," I instruct when my mother begins to turn the opposite way. I'm thankful that I only brought a few clothes, a blanket, and some of my favorite books along so Briana doesn't have too much to carry and I won't have too much to unpack.
"B28," my mother huffs. Her heels are outrageously high for the amount of walking we endure. At the end of a long hallway, I slide the key into the old wooden door, and when it creaks open my mother lets out a loud gasp. The room is small, with two single beds and two desks. After a moment, "my eyes travel to the reason behind my mother's surprise: one side of the room is covered in music posters of bands that I've never heard of, the faces on them covered in piercings and their bodies with tattoos. And then there's the guy lying across one bed, and his bright red hair, eyes lined with what looks like inches of black liner, and arms covered in colorful tattoos.
"Hey," he says, offering a smile, a smile that I find quite intriguing, much to my surprise. "I'm Nick." He sits up on his elbows.
"H-hey. I'm Louis," I choke, all of my manners flying out the door.
"Hey, Louis, nice to meet you. "Nice accent I bet you get all the girls that?" He laughs making me blush and laugh. "Well I hope it's not awkward but I don't play for that team," I laugh. "Oh your fine.Welcome to WCU, where the dorms are tiny and the parties are huge." The crimson-haired boy grins wider. His head falls back into a fit of laughter as he takes in the three horrified expressions in front of him. My mother's jaw is wide open, practically on the carpet, and Elijah shifts uncomfortably. Nick walks over, closing the gap between us, and wraps his arms around my body. I'm frozen for a moment, surprised by his affection, but I return his kind gesture. A knock sounds at the door just as Elijah drops my bags onto the floor, and I can't help but hope that this is all some sort of joke.
"Come in!" my new roommate yells. The door opens and a girl and a guy walk inside before he finishes his greeting.
A Girl inside the boys dorms on the first day? Maybe Washington Central was a bad decision. Or perhaps I could have found a way to screen my roommate first? I assume by the pained expression covering my mother's face that her thoughts have taken the same course. The poor woman looks like she might pass out any moment.
"Hey, you Nick roomie?" The girl asks. Her blond hair is styled bun up and there are sections of purple highlights. Her arms are scattered with tattoos and the earrings in her ear are the size of a nickel.
"Um... yes. My name is Louis," I manage to say.
"I'm Melanie. Don't look so nervous," she says with a smile, reaching out to touch my shoulder. "You'll love it here." Her expression is warm and inviting despite her harsh appearance.
"I'm ready, guys," Nick says, grabbing a heavy black bag from his bed. My eyes shift to the tall brown-haired boy leaning against the wall. His hair is a mop of thick waves on his head, pushed back off his forehead, and he has metal in his eyebrow and lip. My focus moves down his black T-shirt to his arms, which are also covered in tattoos; not an inch of untouched skin is seen. Unlike Nick and Melanie, his appear to be all black, gray, and white. He's tall, lean, and I know that I'm staring at him in the most impolite way, but I can't seem to look away.
I expect him to introduce himself the way that his friend did, but he stays quiet, rolling his eyes in annoyance and pulling a cell phone from the pocket of his tight black jeans. He definitely isn't as friendly as Nick or Melanie . He's more appealing, though; something about him makes it hard to tear my eyes from his face. I'm vaguely aware of Briana's eyes on me as I finally look away and pretend I was staring out of shock."
"Because that's what it is, right?
"See you around, Louis ," Melanie says and the three of them exit the room. I let out a long breath. Calling the last few minutes uncomfortable would be an understatement.
"You're getting a new dorm!" my mother roars as soon as the door clicks shut.
"No, I can't." I sigh. "It's fine, Mother." I do my best to hide my nerves. I don't know how well this will work out, either, but the last thing I want is my overbearing mother causing a scene on my first day of college. "I'm sure he won't be around much at all anyway," I try to convince her, along with myself."
"Absolutely not. We are going to switch now." Her clean appearance clashes with the anger in her face; her long hair is flipped to one shoulder, yet every curl is still perfectly intact. "You will not room with someone who allows women in like that—those punks, at that!"
I look into her gray eyes, then to Briana. "Mother, please, let's just see how it goes. Please," I beg. I can't begin to imagine the mess it would create trying to get a last-minute dorm change. And how humiliating it would feel.
My mother looks around to the room again, taking in the décor covering Nick's side, and huffs dramatically at the dark theme.
"Fine," she spits out, much to my surprise. "But we're going to have a little talk before I go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN:Please vote and leave some feedback I love to read your comments
YOU ARE READING
After (Larry Version)
FanfictionLouis is a goodie two shoes. With a reliable girlfriend back home. He's got direction,ambition and a mother who's intent on keeping him that way. But he's barely moved into his freshman dorm when he runs in to Harry. With his tousled Brown curls,tat...
