Stress Relief Part 4 PREVIEW
Oh wow, you guys, it’s been difficult to write this chapter for a lot of reasons, but I’m nearly done! I figured I’d give you all a little taste of what’s gonna happen in this next chapter, and most of you wanted a written preview, so here we are! Let me know what you think!!! I always love hearing from you guys.
“I think that’s the last of them,” you pant, wiping a few beads of sweat from your forehead as you straighten up. The friendly sophomore who volunteered to help you drops the box she’s carrying on your bare mattress with a little grunt, turning to you with a smile.
“Well, if you need anymore help, just let me know! I live just down the hall.”
You smile back at her, “You really are an angel for helping me move in. You’re the RA for this floor, right?”
“Yep,” she nods, pointing at the plastic name tag dangling from the lanyard around her neck, “Kiera, Room 321, at your service!”
“How do you feel about being a sophomore in a building full of seniors?” you ask, beginning to unpack your clothes.
“A little nervous, if I’m honest,” she says softly, “you guys are all cool and smart and I’m just some dorky sophomore who’s job it is to make sure that you all don’t die.”
“Well, I promise that I won’t die on you,” you giggle, “and everyone I know who is living on this floor is pretty chill. I think the worst thing you’ll have to keep an eye out for is a repeat incident of the Walden Shitter.”
“The uh….the what?” Kiera asks, her eyes widening in confusion.
“My freshman year, there was a student who kept um…relieving themselves in buckets and leaving said buckets all over Walden Hall. It was disgusting.”
“Did they ever catch them?” the RA squeaks out.
“Nah,” you giggle, “but the Res Life office did send a hilarious email to the entire campus, and the Shitter was dormant after that. They’ve probably graduated by now. Unless, of course, the Shitter is in my class. Then they could even be living here in Stafford!”
Kiera stares at you, unsure if you’re joking or not. You smile at her, unfolding your tapestry.
“I think the best part of being a senior so far is passing on the lore to the young’uns like you,” you tease.
“Well, if the Shitter makes a reappearance, I’m blaming you,” she laughs back, “thanks for the heads-up, I guess? Anyways, I’ll get out of your hair, but I’ll see you around (Y/N)!”
You give her a little wave as she trots out of your room. It feels weird to have a student two years younger than you in charge of your floor, but you don’t envy her. In your previous three years of college, you’ve seen some really heinous situations that RAs have had to deal with. You smile to yourself thinking about the time someone set a notice board on fire in the student center during sophomore year. College really is a fucking zoo sometimes.
A familiar voice drifting in through your open window snaps you out of your reminiscing.
“…and on the left we have Stafford, one of the most popular dorms on campus. It’s mostly full of seniors though, so I’d call it more of a retirement home than a dorm! That was a bad joke, okay, yikes…moving on….”
You dart to the window, leaning out and craning your neck to see a mop of auburn hair passing by.
“JOSEPH FRANCIS MAZZELLO, YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT THERE!” you shriek, waving like a madwoman.
Joe turns around and looks up at the dorm with confusion, scanning the windows to see who is yelling at him. The moment he catches your eye, you spin on your heels and run out of your room and down the stairs, throwing open the heavy front door and sprinting down the path. You leap at Joe, enveloping him in a huge hug.
“I fucking missed you!” you breathe out, squeezing him tightly.
“It’s good to see you too,” Joe smiles at you, before clearing his throat. You’re suddenly very aware of the group of freshman staring at you, your arms wrapped around their orientation leader. You laugh awkwardly, stepping back from your friend.
“Hi everyone, um…welcome to campus!” you offer, smiling at them, “uh…I’m (Y/N), I’m a senior here. Sorry, I just got so excited to see Joe! You know, these are the kinds of friendships you’ll make here at…”
“Why don’t you leave the cheesy Dean of Students-style speeches to me, huh?” Joe mercifully cuts you off with a chuckle, squeezing your arm lightly, “don’t wanna ruin your cool-kid senior façade now, do you?”
“As if I ever had that,” you snort, rolling your eyes at Joe before turning back to the freshman, “you all are seriously lucky to have this dork as your OL, he’s the best guy on campus.”
Joe blushes a little at that, digging his toe into the dirt.
“Thanks, (Y/N). Uh, we gotta keep moving though, there’s a barbeque in twenty minutes that we can’t be late for.”
“Oh, can I meet you there?” you ask, “I’m starving, and I can’t wait to catch up with you!”
“I’ll be working,” Joe states plainly, “and it’s just for new students.”
“And what, you won’t sneak me in?” you tease, poking his shoulder.
“No, I won’t,” he says through gritted teeth, looking at his orientation group, “I can’t, (Y/N).”
Your smile falls from your lips and you take a step away from Joe, shocked by his change in tone. Last year, Joe would have offered to sneak you into the barbeque before you could even ask. Maybe it’s just the fact that he’s supposed to be a good example to the new kids. Or maybe it’s because…
You shake your head, plastering another smile across your face, before responding “Of course, I was just joking, Joe! Well, I’ll let you guys get on with your tour, I guess. Um, text me later, okay?”
Joe nods and waves as you walk back to the front door of Stafford. As he walks off with his gaggle of excited freshman, you feel a pang in your heart. A naïve part of you had hoped that perhaps Joe’s lack of communication this summer was just because he was busy with his internship, but it’s pretty obvious now that something is very wrong between the two of you. The idea of Joe hating you is too much to bear. Who is going to call you for 2am pizza parties? Who is going to go to Senior Ball with you? Who is going to be your rock for this final tumultuous and all-important year of college?
There’s only one other person on campus you want to talk to right now. You pull up your video chat app, clicking on Sage’s icon. A few rings later, her beautiful chocolate-brown curls fill the screen, and you smile.
So, what do you think? What’s gonna happen? Are the reader and Joe going to make up? Is Sage gonna throw a wrench in the storyline? Let me know ;)
