A DARK LOVE STORY

Chapter 1 (Part 3)

A few hours later, I finally submitted my forms and took the one that would guide me through the year. The hostel I would live in was the closest to the college, so I could walk to college instead of wasting money on transport.

Hello maam, I received this form from Faber College and was told to submit it here, I said to the woman sitting at the reception desk of the hostel.

Hi, came a grim reply, and she took the form from my hand. As she read through it, with her reading glasses on, I couldnt help but think of Ms Tina. She reminded me so much of her.

Hmmm, okay. Your room number is forty-seven. Now, remember, there are strict rules here, so no coming to the hostel late on weekdays. Weekdays final entry is at seven pm, on weekends you must be back by eleven pm. And no boys allowed. Keep up with these rules, and you can stay here as
long as you study, she said in warning, peering over her thick-rimmed glasses.

Noted, maam, I said with a nod, smiling at her. She didnt smile back which kind of offended me in a way, as I liked making my teachers and heads my friends. She didnt seem to like friends.

The hostel was a marvelous sight with its bright lights lighting up the wide corridors, highlighting the brown and white aesthetics of the place. As I entered my room, the sight of the same brown and white aesthetics pleased me. Brown and white curtains hung on the left side of the small room framing a large window. Two brown bunk beds lined up against the opposite side of the room.

Looking to the right of the room, I noticed two girls seated on what seemed to be their set of the bunk beds. Time to make other friends, Ella.

Hey, Im Ella, your new roommate, I spoke up, waiting for them to answer, but they didnt. Moving closer, I noticed empty bottles of alcohol lying on the floor, as they held packets of white powder which they continuously sniffed from.

Just then, both girls looked up at me with blood-shot eyes and turned away. What is that? I asked them, unsure of what the white powder was.

Standing up, one of the girls approached me and whispered, Its drugs, would you like some? She offered me. I instantly turned my face away from her as I couldnt stand the smell emanating from her mouth. It was probably the alcohol.

Seriously, Stacy? She still looks like a kid. I doubt she would be interested in trying it, the other girl joked. Looking at them, I rolled my eyes, not wanting to comment on either of their statements.

Listen, girl. If you are to live in this room with us, keep your eyes, ears and mouth shut. Stay in our good books and dont you dare complain. she warned.

Im not interested in talking to you guys. Its your life; you decide what you want to do with it. You guys are still young, I would advise you to leave all this and concentrate on your studies, I said with a shrug.

Ewwww, shes a nerd! One commented, pulling a face. You take care of your life and we will, ours, the other girl said with a sneer. How am I to stay here for so long with them? I wondered, disappointed by the fact that my roommates were drug addicts.

I quickly unpacked my stuff and went to freshen up. One up side to these hostels was that each room had its own bathroom. It was a nice thing for them to provide. Entering the bathroom, I cringed at how dirty it was. My roommates were pigs. The bathroom was crawling with insects
as they went after the drugs that were lying on the floor. Their
dirty underwear strewn on the floor. I touched the shower tap and grimaced; it was sticky and hadnt been cleaned for months.

Gross! I exclaimed, God, I hope I get to leave this room by some divine miracle, I muttered, after struggling to get the shower to work and finally took a well-deserved shower.

When I was finally lying in my bed opposite theirs, I took out my phone to message Rose, only to find a message from Lauren already there. How did she get my number?

Hey girl! I hope you have settled in by now. I quickly typed out a reply to her, before I checked my messages to Rose and typed out one to send to her.

Hey Rose, I have reached the college and settled into my hostel room. Everything here is so amazing, please dont worry about me. I knew I shouldnt lie to Rose, but telling her the truth would only make her worry about me. She did that a lot, and it was time for me to deal with my own problems.

Putting my phone away, I let my mind drift.I was glad that I had met Lauren on my first day here.At first, it felt so awkward talking to her, since all the students including her were rich kids, but after a while, it felt different.
Its still weird to me how she popped up, but I was happy to meet her.

Dont stress yourself out, Ella. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a great day and put the thoughts of your rowdy roommates to rest.With that happy thought in mind, I fell asleep.