Arrival

It had been the afternoon when they started out on the trip, but now night descended on them. It would take a total of 17 hours to get there. Remy found himself falling asleep as he listened to the quiet chatter of his parents from the front seat. It was very soothing, and he only woke up due to the blinding lights at the gas station where his mom stopped to let his dad take over driving so she could get some sleep.

Remy slept on and off for the rest of the night, waking up completely at around 6 AM when the sun came up. He spent the rest of the time on his phone until they got in the vicinity of the college, where he just stared in awe out the window at all the buildings around him.

At last, around mid-morning, they arrived on the campus. Remy's heart was beating fast as a mixture of nerves and excitement ran through him. He looked all around him, full of adrenaline despite how groggy he felt from the overnight car ride.

As they made their way to his dorm, Remy examined the face of every single student they passed. Though the chances were slim, he couldn't help but feel like he was about to run into Landon and Renee, so he kept his eyes peeled, hoping that one of the hundreds of faces he saw would be one of theirs.

After walking around for almost half an hour, the family finally found the building that housed Remy's dorm. They took the elevator to the sixth floor and came to Room 682. When they went in, they saw that Remy's roommate was already there. He was hugging who they assumed to be the boy's dad. He quickly let go as he saw Remy's family patiently waiting in the doorway.

"Bye, Dad. Love you," he said shyly, acutely aware of the other family listening in.

"I love you too, Allen. Take care, and feel free to call me whenever," his dad turned to leave, and as he brushed past them, they could see tears in his eyes.

"Uh, hi," he waved awkwardly, then turned to his bed which was already made up as Remy replied with an equally awkward smile.

"So, I guess this is me," Remy indicated the side of his room that was not occupied by the boy.

"Looks like it," his dad nodded with an affectionate smile. "I'm proud of you, Rem. I know I've said that before, but I really mean it."

His mom nodded in agreement as Remy said in a jokingly annoyed tone, "Yeah, I know, Dad."

"So, do you want any help setting up your room?" His mom asked.

Remy would've said yes, but with that other kid still in the room, he felt like it'd be weird if they stayed. "No, I think I've got it from here. But thanks. Ya know, I'm really gonna miss you guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to drive me up here."

"Well, of course!" His dad exclaimed. "It's not every day that your kid goes off to college. And we're gonna miss you, too, Remy."

"We love you so much, honey," his mom gushed. "We know you're going to do great here, and we're always just a phone call away if you need anything at all."

"Okay, Mom. And I love you, too. Both of you." He wrapped his arms around both of their necks, pulling them in and squeezing them tightly. They all exchanged "I love you"s again before his parents left with happy tears in their eyes.

Remy quickly regained his composure and began unpacking his stuff. He had begun making his bed when the other kid suddenly spoke up, "So you're Remy?"

"Yep, and you're...?"

"Allen. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

With those last words, the conversation awkwardly ended and both boys went back to what they were doing. Remy was disappointed that he wasn't rooming with Landon. He knew the odds weren't good, but that didn't stop him from hoping. How were they ever going to meet on this huge campus? There were thousands of students attending UB, and remembering that, Remy was overwhelmed by the thought that this was all a huge mistake and that maybe he had just concocted this whole fate and destined-to-meet thing.

He felt slightly panicked, but pushed it down, telling himself that he was here now and it's too late to go back. So he'd just have to keep going, and whatever happens, happens.

Besides, this was only the first day. Anything could happen during the rest of the school year, and Remy was assuaged by this thought.

The next few days go by slowly. Each day, Remy walks around the campus, getting used to the new school, but mostly looking for Landon and Renee. He never sees them. He thinks that he should probably meet some new people, but he can't bring himself to just go up to someone and start a conversation. He would try to get to know Allen, but he's almost always out somewhere with his friends. Remy's parents call him a lot, and he always just tells them that he's doing fine.

But he's pretty lonely. Remy likes his alone time, but he needs someone to talk to and socialize with. He just doesn't know how to make friends. He's had the same friends for forever, and anyone new he's met since that time has been through that friend group. But now he has to make friends by himself. And it's so frustrating to him because it feels like suddenly he doesn't know how to do that. And it always seems like everyone's already made their friend groups, and Remy feels like he'd be intruding.

But oh well. Classes haven't even started yet. So maybe things'll change then.