Eighteen-year old Reina looked around the campus; it was bigger than she had imagined it. She had visited once a few years ago when she was entering high school, her father wanted to get her a head start on college before she got close to graduating. Always proud of her for being so smart, making small comments like ‘Reina is going to make a great doctor someday’. Reina shook her head, wishing he would go and put some pressure on her brothers who are older than her anyways. In her father’s eyes, they had already let him down and Reina was his only hope. Much to her dismay she entered college to become what her father wanted, Reina had wanted to play her music and be alone, and college was the chance for that.
Reina walked around, looking at the number on the piece of paper. It was not a long walk they told her, but she felt like she had been walking around for hours. A sigh escaped her lips as she brushed a strand of loose auburn hair out of her eyes, it was a lovely autumn day and she was glad for the walk. Reina just didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially men. She had a great distrust of them, especially with what happened in high school. Finally she found the apartment number and walked up to the door; she turned the key and opened the door. Reina looked in, noticing there was stuff already around and immediately looked at the number on her paper and the door again. This was defiantly it, but she had requested a room by herself and this looked lived in already. “H-Hello, is there someone here?” She called out softly hoping she didn't startle who ever lived here.
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Twenty-two-year-old Darren had already been in college for a whole year, taking electives that really did nothing. He was here to party and let loose, and then finally settle down and take an actual degree. But for now, parties. All the time. His apartment was littered with empty beer bottles, pop cans, chip bowls and female undergarments. The last party he had had was a lingerie party, the majority of the guests being girls and a handful of guys. The light shone in through his open window onto three sleeping figures: himself, and two other females around the same age. He opened his eyes and groaned softly, pulling himself out of bed and pulled on some jeans, leaving his muscular chest bare.
"H-hello, is there someone here?" a female voice called out from the doorway.
Darren shook his head in confusion and came out of the bedroom, when he saw the auburn haired girl. He gave her a crooked smile and leaned against the wall nearby, looping a thumb through his jeans. "Well, hello there," he said, his eyes grazing her up and down. "You missed the party last night, but I'm sure we can rouse the other girls for round three." The brunette male threw her a wink, the smile never leaving his face.
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Reina was looking around the dirty apartment, hoping each time she looked at the paper and it would prove to be the wrong apartment. Perhaps the paper would magically change into a different number, proving this was the wrong apartment, of course it didn’t. When the man came out shirtless, Reina almost screamed. Even having two brothers, neither would come out shirtless, especially shirtless. It was utterly distasteful and what made matters worse was how he spoke. “T-That is rude! I’d never lower myself to such standard. Reina turned to leave when she stopped short, figuring she would ask him if this was the right apartment. All Reina wanted to do was run far away and not look back; instead she walked up to the man and handed him the paper. “I-Is this the right apartment? Dear God, I hope not—“ She frowned looking around once more, hoping this matter could be dealt with. “I strictly requested apartment to myself!” Reina picked up her phone from her purse and began to call the office.
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He was a little taken aback at her outburst, immediately changing his posture and taking the paper from her, glancing down at the number. There had to be a mistake! He was supposed to be getting a male roommate, and she, apparently, was supposed to be alone. "This is the right number," he said, but she was already on the phone. Darren could hear the receptionist on the other side: "I'm sorry, but there were no other apartments available. That was the only room we had left," she said. The brown haired boy smirked and held the paper back out to her, waiting for some sort of smart remark or retort.
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Reina could not believe her ears, they had no available room? She lowered the phone down and hung it up. This was the worst possible thing that could happen to her; she clung to her bag as she looked at man. “Well, it looks like we are—“Reina found a chair and took a seat, almost losing her balance when she was standing. “R-Roommates—“She could feel herself becoming more and angrier about this, they had promised her an apartment by herself and now here she was sharing a room with this guy. Reina looked around the room, seeing what a mess it was caused her to shutter. “Well, I have a few rules if we want this to work out as much as possible—“She reached into her bag grabbing a paper that had a bunch of words on them. “First off, do not watch me while I sleep, you seem like a pervert and I just want to make that clear. Two, I require some alone time while I am studying, don’t bother me—“ Reina read out a few more rules she had written down when she was at the boarding school she had gone to. “One more thing, I don’t like men, so if you could just stay away from me, that would be great!”
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Darren grimaced, but quickly changed that look to a smirk as she stumbled to get out the word roommate. It was rather comical actually, something you'd see in a movie or a television show. His eyebrows raised a little when she pulled out a piece of paper and began reading off of it. Rules? He didn't have rules! Don't watch her sleep, don't bother her, stay away from her...pushy, pushy, pushy! "Oh, trust me, doll face, I wouldn't want to ruin your perfect little innocence anyways and have you falling in love with me and s**t," he said, turning away from her to go back to his bedroom. "Your bedroom is across the hall. Laundry is done on Thursdays. And I don't like starch in my underwear." With that, he closed the bedroom door behind him...
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Reina was absolutely appalled at his total disrespect of her, wash his underwear? She would soon wash pigs before even considering doing such a thing, Reina glanced around and let out a sigh. This place was a disaster and if she wanted to be able to study she’d have to clean. First Reina went to her room, glad it was semi clean, not to her liking but it wasn’t too bad. Rolling up her sleeves she went straight to work, pulling out her gloves and began to clean. Reina was glad it didn’t take too long, she stepped back and took a look around, it was perfect to her. She had piled any of Darren’s things in front of his door, not caring one bit if he stepped out and broke his neck on his own crap. Reina sat down and looked around; sadness took over her as she remembered being hurt by someone just like Darren. Fall in love with him? Reina knew she’d never allow such a thing to happen, not ever again.
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Darren could hear Reina moving around outside his room, but thought nothing of it. The two girls in his bed had gotten up and dressed when he returned. He smiled to them and kissed them both on the lips, opening the bedroom door for them to find a huge mess of stuff outside his door. "What the hell?" he said aloud, and hopped over, reaching his hand for the girls to take so they wouldn't fall while stepping over. He cast a glance at Reina, who was still busy cleaning, and escorted the girls out of the apartment. When he shut the front door behind him, he leaned against it for a moment, head lowered. He breathed slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. So far, this didn't seem like it was going to be a good relationship. He walked back to his door and stood in front of the pile of stuff, realizing it was his. Scooping it up, he took it into his room and set it down on the floor. "So, what's for lunch, Doll face?"
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Reina watched the two girls walk out with Darren, getting a sick feeling in her stomach. She simply tried to ignore it as she grabbed her bag, taking out a few medicine books and one music book. Her face was the same serious look as always, in fact Reina could not remember the last time she smiled. With the books on the table, she began to flip through them. She looked up at Darren when he spoke, wanting to laugh at him. “Please do not call me that, my name is Reina and you will refer to me as that—“She kept looking at her books, not even looking up at the man. “I usually skip lunch, so figure something out for yourself; in fact it would be great if you would just not speak to me. I don’t like men, especially ones like you!” She spat as she continued in her studies, feeling a bit bad for snapping.
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He rested his hands on the table and leaned forward, bringing his gaze down to hers. "Listen, toots," he began, his voice low, "this is my home. You came here after I did, so I am the King. If I ask 'what's for lunch', you better give me a damn answer. As for not liking me, I don't like you either." Darren pushed himself roughly away from the table, shaking it slightly in the process. He walked back to his bedroom and grabbed a shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head and headed to the door, grabbed his coat from the hanger, checked his pockets for wallet, cell phone, and keys, and shut the front door behind him. Loudly.
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Anger filled her whole being on his demands, especially after what he said. King? Did he really think she was going to accept that, but then again this little outburst did scare her a bit. Maybe it would be best if she just avoided him, but how they were living in the same house. Frustration filled her; she really knew it was not fair to be so rude, even if he was like the guy who hurt her so badly. Reina stood up; she looked around at the stuff and figured it would be ok to make a peace offering. Reina still had every intention on avoiding him, only trying to make up for some of the harsh words. Not being that great of a cook, she made a grilled cheese sand which, leaving it on the counter she put a note on it that simply stated ‘I’m sorry for my harsh words, as for you being king I’d rather go to the pit of hell then accept that. Have a great day.’ After that Reina grabbed her bag and headed towards the building which had the orientation for freshmen.
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Darren sighed as he walked down the hall to the stairs that went onto the roof. He used it as a gathering place for his parties that were a little too big for the apartment, and he also went here to sit and relax. He needed that now, especially after dealing with Reina. It surprised him that she wasn't lured in by his charm, like almost every other girl, but it humbled him to know that there were women out there to fight for. And that's what he'd have to do: fight to get this one. But, she was just so damn annoying! He let out a large sigh and figured he should go apologize to her for being so rude. So, he went back down the stairs to the apartment where he found a grilled cheese sandwich with a note. He bit into the sandwich with a smile as he read the note. He shook his head and taped the note to the fridge, figuring that would be a good joke to show his buddies later, finished the sandwich and decided to go for a walk.
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As Reina walked home from the orientation frustration built in her. She somehow managed to snag a fan; she was still trying to figure out how. Granted all she did was say one word to the guy and he was now following her and wanting to talk. Reina just tried to make her way back to the apartment, the man was yelling and at one point even began to sing. Oddly enough, Reina felt glad when she made it back to the apartment. “I love you, Reina!” The guy yelled as she closed the door. He loved her? How dare he just throw powerful words like that around? She took off her shoe, opened the door and threw it at him. “Ow!” Reina simply slammed the door, glancing up and noticing Darren sitting there. She cleared her throat, as she made her way towards the table. “I just remembered that I don’t know your name, so mind telling me what it is?” Reina sat down at the table, putting her stuff to the side.
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He glanced up from the table when she walked in, snickering as he heard an exclamation of love, followed by a loud thump and a cry of pain. Darren finished his sandwich and brushed his hands together to get rid of the crumbs, leaning back in the dining room chair for a moment as his new roommate rounded the corner. He hadn't introduced himself properly, that's right! He stood and walked over to her, extending his hand towards her. "Darren," he said simply, his face practically emotionless at this point. "I am sorry for snapping, and if we're going to get along, we can't have any of this battling back and forth."
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Reina looked at Darren’s hand, taking it into hers a bit reluctant at first. She was surprised how warm and soft, yet strong it was. Reina quickly let go of it, looking away for a moment before looking back at him. “Yes, we should at least be civil since they are not going to change our living situation. I won’t be too troublesome, I spend most of my time studying—“She sat down; pulling a few books out, as she began to look over what homework she would need to do tomorrow. “In fact I don’t even like to talk much so we can just pass each other and perhaps say a hi every now and then.” Reina began to jot down a few notes from earlier, before looking back at him once more; her green eyes shone brightly but had a bitter, sad glow to them. “One more thing, if you’re going to have people around, all I ask is warn me so I can go to the library.” With that she looked down at her books, hoping he’d just go do his own things. Reina was scared of the man, mainly because she could see herself falling for him.
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Darren noted with unusual attention how small her hand was. It fit almost perfectly in his, like two puzzle piece fitting together. He looked away at the same time she did, mentally kicking himself for thinking like that. Civil. Yes, that's what they would have to be. Just like she said. She then told him if he was going to have people over to warn her so she could leave. "Well, you might as well live at the library, because I have parties here almost every night, sweetheart," he said, looking at the books she had pulled out for studying. She was in classes he would never dream about being in, and they were all a lot harder than what he was taking now! "Jesus Christ, girl! What the hell are you taking these courses for? They're not useful for anything!"
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Frustration filled Reina, how could she have ended up with such a guy like this? Parties every night? She looked down at her books when he made his comment about them. “I am in the medical department here, granted some of these are advanced for the classes I am in, but I do enjoy getting ahead so there aren’t any surprises.” Reina let out a sigh, much to her dismay she was going to have to compromise with this man or end up living at the library. “Listen, do you think you can tone it down for a little bit? Just till they move me into a different apartment, I hate things that disturb my studying.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke; her words were cold and didn’t have much feeling behind them. There were many things about this man that annoyed her, but the thing that annoyed her the most was the fact she could see herself falling for him. Reina had to make sure that she never did, no matter what.
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Darren shook his head and grumbled under his breath as he walked away. "Tell me to tone down my parties, will you? Get ahead of everybody in class, will you?" he seethed, heading to his room. He hadn't spoken loud enough for Reina to hear, but he felt better after saying it. After he had closed the door behind him, he stood in the middle of his room, venting: "Who does she think she is? Telling me to tone down parties. This is my apartment. I was here first. She should be bending to my will, not the other way around. No, I won't bend to her will. Screw this s**t! I will have a party tomorrow night!" With that said and done, he reached for his cellphone and began dialing people, letting them know that he was going to be having a party tomorrow night, and he wasn't going to tell Reina...
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Reina let out a sigh, grabbing her books she walked over and flopped down on the couch. Was she being to unreasonable? They were both put into a terrible circumstance, not just her. Still the fact of the matter was, she was stuck in this position too, the thought of being around a lot of people in a party surrounding was enough to make her go crazy. Reina had been to a party once in high school, but it ended in her getting hurt so bad she never wanted to be around anyone, especially men again. Looking down at her books, Reina felt bad bad for being so harsh. Judging, remembering the days she had been happy and care free. Reina got up and walked over to Darren's door, knocking softly. "I--Uh--Oh, never mind." She said in a soft voice, she walked towards her room and flopped down on her bed. Frustration filled her as she laid there. Reina wished she could talk to him, make amends or who know's maybe even become friends. But, guys like Darren annoyed her to know end.
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Between phone calls, he heard a soft knock at the door. He stopped, his ear perking up for a moment. He heard a soft, female mutter, then a strong 'never mind'. He looked down at the phone in his hand, contemplating whether to continue or not. He'd already called the three people, the only guy friends he really had, and they'd all confirmed they were coming. He couldn't back out of that now. That would look good on his reputation!
But, she had come back to his door to tell him something. Maybe apologize for her harshness? Or was she coming to yell at him more? Darren had had a girlfriend like that at one point, always on edge, never knowing whether she was going to apologize to you or blow up in your face. She had ruined his view of woman almost completely.
Maybe he could have a guy's night. Pizza and video games, or whatever a small group of boys did at night. Sounds gay, he thought to himself, but shrugged. Maybe that was a good idea, still have the guys over, but nothing too big as to disturb Reina. He'd have to tell her though, just a small group of guys, nothing loud or obnoxious. He put his phone in his pocket and walked out, going to Reina's door and knocking loudly. He winced at the sound. Soft, Darren! Jesus Christ! his mind yelled at him, strangely sounding like his mother at that point. "Reina? I'm having some guys over tomorrow night, just three of my buds. Figured I should tell you, ya know? So uh....thanks?" He listened for a reply.
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Reina lay on her bed, just trying to think how she was going to live with a person like Darren. A small smile played on her lips when she thought about how much in one way or another she and he were alike. Sitting up quickly, Reina shook her head, trying to figure out why that made her smile. Reina didn’t want to be anything like Darren, plus the fact remained men like him frightened her. She was about to lay back when she heard a loud knock on the door, causing her to jump. Hearing Darren’s voice, Reina listened in silence to what he had to say. He was telling her about his friends coming over tomorrow? Usually people would use her insecurities to their advantage or to get back at her, but Darren wasn’t. Reina slowly got off her bed and walked over to the door slowly opening it. She stood there a moment, just staring at him. Without even thinking, Reina wrapped her arms around Darren and hugged him and did so for a minute. Once she finally realized what she was doing, Reina pulled back and nervously looked away her cheeks a slight pink. “Uh, well—“ Reina let out a small cough, looking down before speaking again. “I suppose I Have been unfair to you for making such demands, I was wondering if we could maybe sit down and talk—“ Reina looked at Darren a moment, trying to give the man at least a small smile. “M-Maybe we could be friends—“
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He glanced down at her face as the door opened, a little surprised that she had opened the door for him. They hadn't gotten off on a good start, and it was almost awkward to be around her. She stared at him, almost as if she was contemplating something. Darren was about to ask her when he felt her arms wrap around him and hug him. His eyes widened in surprise and before he could react, by wrapping his arms around her, or by shoving her away, she pulled away and looked down, her face showing traces of pink. She coughed gently. God, that was so cute!
The boy cocked his head to the side a little as he regarded her, listening to her talk. Friends? She wanted to be friends now? Well, it would make the living arrangements a little bit easier, right? "Uh...sure? Now or did you wanna talk later? I don't mind either way..." Darren stopped mid-sentence as he looked at Reina. She had beautiful eyes, and they completely captivated him. It was strange. He'd seen beautiful women before, he'd had sex with lots of women before, but there was something about this one that was different...Stop it! God damn, man! What are you? A friggin' sparkly-assed vampire? Jesus!!
Phoebe Majere Community Member 
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