the college au where we punch wardo

[laruetheday]

[ Clarisse shows up to college... late. Like a full day after everybody else has moved in, late. And not only is she late, she looks pissed off about it. And it's raining, hard enough that her hair is stuck on her forehead and cheeks, and not only is it raining but it's cold enough for her to need to wear a hoodie. In August. Which is just insane.

Fuck Washington state. Fuck rain. Fuck hoodies. (No, hoodies can stay, she's just pissed that it's not a hundred degrees.)

She's got her stuff piled outside the door to her dorm room, all of it sopping wet, but she can't find her key anywhere. ]

You've got to be fucking kidding me...

[ Scowling, she kicks at the door to the room, several times more and harder than necessary, hoping that whichever sad sack they assigned to be her roommate is home and not, like, out doing orientation shit or something. ]

Hello?

Comments

a million years later lmao

[littlelesshelpless]

[This is a good thing. Distance and time is what she needs. She needs a change of pace, needs something to focus on that isn't him. That's what her mom had said. That's what her dad had implied, amidst his muttering and awkward attempts to comfort her by patting her on the shoulder.

Bellingham is far enough north that Bella isn't familiar with the scenery (though it's still Washington, still green and damp and cloudy), and Western State has a decent English program. She still had to figure out all the financial aid stuff, since she'd refused Esme and Carlisle's attempts to help fund her degree (had that been their attempt at an apology? "We know our adopted son is a maladjusted manchild, how about some free college"?) but the walk to and from the office helped wake her up a bit.

She was making her way back up the steps to her dorm when she heard the kicking. That...sounded bad. Like, maybe she should find another route to her dorm? But no, her roommate was showing up today, she didn't want to miss them. Peeking around the corner, Bella saw a damp, hoodie-clad person kicking savagely at a door.

Her door.

Awesome.]

Um. Are you -- lost?

[laruetheday]

[ As she turns to face the voice, Clarisse yanks the hood off her head so that she can properly glare. A raindrop rolls down her face, and she blows it off the tip of her nose with irritation, hating that it ruins the intimidating vibe she's trying to send. ]

Do I look lost to you?

[ The girl watching her is pretty, beautiful even, and looks like she belongs here. It's not just the flannel she's wearing, it's like... all of her. Like she was made for cloudy days and forests, somehow. Clarisse lays off on kicking the door (nobody's answering, anyway) and resumes digging through her pockets. ]

Can't find my keys.

[littlelesshelpless]

Um. [That's Bella's eloquent answer, because realistically, yes, this scowling stranger does look lost. Or at least seriously misguided, attacking the innocent door like that. There are smudges on it from the other girl's muddy boots, and there's a determined set to the strong jawline that suggests if Bella weren't there, the kicking would continue just as severely as moments before.

But then she mentions her keys, dripping rainwater everywhere and it clicks: ah. Her roommate. Of course. Of course.]

Here, I have mine. [Bella's already digging the keys out, the shiny new dorm one out of place beside her beat-up truck's and the dingy pom pom keychain and the tiny bottle of pepper spray Charlie had insisted on her taking. There's an awkward moment before Bella remembers to clarify:] It's -- that's my room too. We're. Roommates. [Genius. Amazing first impression.]

[laruetheday]

Oh.

[ If she doesn't sound thrilled, that's because... well, it's complicated. Look, Clarisse knew going into this that her roommate was going to be another girl her own age. It's just that she hadn't really conceptualized what that would be like until this exact moment in time. Also, she's been sleeping in a cabin full of her snoring, farting, belching brothers for eight years, so this is all just... weird. It's weird.

But she can deal with weirdness better than a lot of people, and so as Bella unlocks the door, Clarisse reaches down to start gathering up her stuff. Most of it is normal, duffel bags full of clothes and the random things anybody would need for dorm life. There is also a five foot long spear. ]

You're not in a sorority, are you? [ Just checking. ]