Rough Draft

Prologue

Tina twisted in her seat belt, somehow tangling her arm in her sweater sleeves and wrapping the belt around her torso. She let out her classic groan as she carefully unwound herself, catching her reflection in the rear view mirror.

"Tina," she whispered, eyes roving over the multitude of bodies around the campus before her. "Get a grip girl. Wow them with your class, your sass, and your ass."

Fortuitously she stepped out of her car as a handsome stud of a man walked by with a group of three other men, not as good looking but still on the Tina-scale.

His eyes met hers and for an uncomfortable amount of time Tina said nothing, staring.

"Hey, did you need any help?" He broke the quiet, rubbing his arm nervously, looking to his buddies who were smirking.

"Well hello good looking." She spoke under her breath, loudly enough for him to hear.

His eyes widened in surprise, "Wh-what?!"

"Oh hi!" Her words tumbled from her mouth in a torrent. "I'm Tina, I'm new here. Just arrived from New Jersey. Wonder Wharf. Do you know where that is? Right, New Jersey I just told you. My dad owns a burger shop there. His food is really good. I came here for the creative writing class. Did I mention I'm new here?"

A stunned silence met her and immediately Tina knew she'd fucked up. The guys standing around clamped their friend on the shoulder, muttering about needing to go. She clenched her fists by her sides, watching as the guy slowly moved away looking over his shoulder to his friends with desperation and discomfort.

"Yeah, well... you know. Welcome to Rhode Island... and-" he turned and strode quickly across the campus.

"It's okay." Tina calmed herself, moving to the trunk of her car the get her bag and registration papers. "It's okay. I'm just nervous. It'll go better next time."

~*~*~

The door to her apartment swung open with a heavy groan. She mimicked it, throwing herself on the couch she had lifted off the sidewalk.

"This smells like pee." She moaned into the cushions.

The day had not gone better. It couldn't have gone any worse if she'd stepped into traffic and been turned to Tina-jam by a semi. She groaned again into the piss scented fabric, her shoulders heaving as all the negativity spilled out of her lungs in a heavy gush of wind. She sat, looking around. The apartment had been cute when she'd checked it out with her mom and Louise; Linda had gushed over the cute stairs leading to the second floor, her sister had made comments about the thick walls.

"Can't hear anyone scream with these puppies." She laughed, rapping a knuckle on the pale yellow paint.

But now the apartment felt too big, too empty. The living room was eerily quiet without Gene's bodily functions and Louise's manical laughter. She missed the smell of the restaurant and the damn salty-sweet-burnt air of the Wharf. Tears burned in her eyes as she moved to the kitchen. It was brightly lit, windows on three of the walls and a large door leading to the small backyard. Even that felt wrong somehow. Everything felt wrong. Everything was awful.

Tina pulled her cell phone from her jeans, flipping the screen on, her finger hovering over the call icon. She shook her head, putting her phone on the counter.

"No, Tina. You got this." She looked at her reflection in the window over the sink. "Sass, class, ass."

~*~*~