A Certain Romance (Reimagined)

Roommates

Sometimes I wanted to disappear. Not because I was sad or trying to hide from anyone. I was simply tired. Tired of existing and tired of the same repetition and routines. The correct term might be angsty to some. But I had a right to that angst starting my senior year of high school. This was that awkward stage of not being an adult and not being a child. I wanted to venture out and find something new in a life, but I couldn't because school and other responsibilities still called my name.

I skimmed the quiet dorm hallway at my school, Lakewood Preparatory, searching for my new room for the school year. Boarding school was a punishment for others who did terrible things, but boarding school was a blessing for me even if it was a thirty to forty minutes outside of Seattle where I lived. I hated my home life. Necessarily, it wasn't terrible, I knew I was privileged. I understood other people had it worse than me. I grew up in a Catholic family, full of rules and discipline from my stay-at-home mother. My dad was a rather important surgeon in the state of Washington and occasionally he would travel to other states, sometimes other countries, to lend his incredible work to those who needed it. I loved him more than life itself. He had always been the total opposite from my mother. Easy going, free spirited, kind, and loving. I saw him rarely due to his work, but I was thankful his work was good enough to land me in the most prestige school that stood in the west of America. I had an older brother by a year and a couple odd months. He graduated from Lakewood, being top three in his class. He got into the University of Washington to play football. I didn't love him, and I didn't hate him, we didn't have a consistent siblinghood. He was just there to me most times. Sometimes we would do things together like watch a movie, get food, or drive around in attempts to bond and get close, but something always felt off between us. He offered me advice on getting through my senior year and I accepted the advice and willingly thought his words through.

"I had a feeling you'd get here early to find your room before everyone else started to flood the halls." Michael knew me better than anyone in my life ever could know me. We grew up together, meeting at the age of six. We went through everything together. Tears, puberty, pimples, stupid breakups, and lots of video games. My mother hated Michael. She didn't understand why such an odd child would be a student at Lakewood or why I would befriend someone like him. But leave it to mom to hate anyone that wasn't reading the bible daily. "What can I say? I know you so well. No one will ever know you better than me, Sage. Which is why I was thinking. If we're both still single by the time we're twenty-three, I think we should get married."

I rolled my eyes at his statement. Michael always made weird remarks and I rarely paid attention to them anymore. Eleven years of friendship and I was used to all the flaws Michael held onto. He was a loyal friend, so I returned the loyalty to him and Luke. Luke came around when we were thirteen. He was the new kid at our middle school, and he was so terrified of everyone, so Michael and I took him in. That made us The Trifecta. We confided in each other and tried to do everything together. We spent the last four years accepting that we were the outsiders in this world of money and important people. Sure, we could all relate to other students at Lakewood in some form, but we weren't exactly like them. Yes, we had money and came from some of the world's most influential people, but The Trifecta knew we were more than money, our parents, and whatever dreams our parents had for us. Michael's father was a lawyer, he helped many A-list celebrities get out of very terrible crimes with only fines to pay. Michael's mom was just born into money, she wasn't too important. Luke's mom created a certain brand of dry shampoo that everyone loved, and she occasionally did some interior designing. Luke's father was a businessman. Any business you ever heard about, Luke's dad probably owned it or created it.

"You know exactly what to say to make me hate you more and more." I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

"You could never hate me." Michael grabbed the bag from me, swinging it onto his own shoulder.