Kaylee

With a clank, Dad’s mud-stained pickup shuddered to a halt by the wrought iron gates of Alistair Hall.

“You got all your cleats and bats and…stuff?” Asked my dad, running a hand through his greyed crew cut.

“Of course...” I paused. “…hey, are you sure you’ll be fine without me this year?”

“Don’t worry about it, Pix. The twins and I can handle it. We’re expecting a lot more carrots than last year and twice as many beans, so we’ll be fine. I’ll keep you posted.”

He forced a smile.

“I’ll miss you.” I said, leaning into the car window.

“You too, Pix. Stay strong, soldier.”

“Yessir.”

He pulled away from the school with a curt nod, leaving me alone on the sidewalk to struggle under the weight of my bags. With a sigh, I turned to face the old Ivy-covered walls of Alistair Hall and began my journey inside.

Man was that a mistake.

“Uh…Kaylee Thompson.” I said to the lady at the front desk.

She gave me a withering glare and handed me my information packet, scowling as if I had horribly inconvenienced her or something. Smiling awkwardly, I grabbed the stack of papers and retreated down the hall, swaying under the weight of my duffels. I collapsed against a wall and began to look through my information.

Hm. Room 204. Ouch, that was a little farther from the gym than hoped. Oh well. I was excited to see my free period fell after lunch. That meant I’d have time to go visit the animal shelter down the road. I just couldn’t get caught…

My thoughts were interrupted by an arm waving around in my face.

“Need a hand?”

Above me grinned my friend and rival, Tanner Diaz.

“You look a bit unstable.” He gestured to the duffel bags hanging off my shoulders.

“A bit.” I laughed.

Helping me up, he asked, “What’re your plans for today?”

My heart skipped a beat. Wait. No it didn’t. Scratch that.

“I was thinking about setting my crap down in my room and maybe hanging out with my roommate, depending on who it is. I dunno, I haven’t thought too much about it.” I replied.

“You haven’t even found your room yet? You’re slacking, Thompson.”

“Shut up, Diaz.”

“Tell you what. If you don’t like your roommate, you wanna play a one on one with me? First to 10 is the ultimate basketball captain.”

He ran a hand through his dark hair.

“Deal?” He asked.

“Deal.” I answered, “…if you help me carry my stuff to my room.”

“I’m not your servant.”

I raised an eyebrow.

He bowed. “As you wish, m’lady.”

5 minutes of banter later, we both arrived in front of room 204.

“Moment of truth.” Joked Tanner.

“Oh shut up.” I laughed, punching his shoulder.

A noise sounded from inside.

“…God I know, right? I better have a good roommate.”

Tanner and I exchanged looks as I slowly pushed open the door. Staring back at me was Alexis Cho.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me.” We both exclaimed, stepping backwards away from each other. At least that was something we could agree on.

A moment of dead silence passed.

“Basketball?” Asked Tanner.