2.1

New York, September 2016.

Few students can afford the freedom of a dormitory. A room for two people is much pricier than a room for four. But Hannah can't imagine sharing a room with three other girls, so she doesn't even have to ask her mother to make an exception for her. The woman wants the best for her daughter. She also believes that too much crowding in one room is not good if one wants to focus on studying.

Hannah sometimes feels as if, because of her mother's money, she is starting to become a spoiled brat, as her cravings are getting bigger and bigger, and she takes advantage of this, seeing that she is allowed to do everything.

She feels silly, but ultimately, everyone wants the best for themselves. Money only makes it easier. Is she doing something wrong if her family owns property?

She looks at the building and sighs loudly when it finally dawns on her that today she is starting life as a student. She gets excited like a child. After all, for her, this is something new. She's watched many movies about it, and every day she dreams that high school will pass more quickly, and she can step into the madness and get a taste of her new life.

When she goes inside, she sees that the dormitory is lavishly decorated. There's a reason they take a huge amount of money from students for renting a room. Looking at the decor, it makes one want to live here.

She looks around the corridor and notices the guys passing by, measuring her like hunters on the hunt. Their smiles suggest that they are pleased with the girls who will be joining the dorm this year.

Hannah is confident in her beauty. She can admit to herself that she has definitely grown in these two years. Her style of dress has changed: it's bolder and, above all, she's more focused on all the news and follows trends.

She opens the door to the room in which she will spend the next four years. The first thing that catches her attention is the posters hung all over the wall. On it are probably all the most fashionable idols of recent years, who make teenage girls and young women's hearts beat faster. And apparently her new roommate too, since she sits on the bed and stares at the wall as if she saw something unusual there.

It looks funny, but Hannah isn't about to laugh at her, since she's been raving about a few singers herself lately.

— Hello? — she speaks up uncertainly as she closes the door behind her. The blonde turns her face toward her and blinks her eyelids when she realizes it's her roommate.

— Oh — she utters with concern in her voice as she jumps off the mattress. She runs up to Hannah and extends her hand to her. — I believe I will be jealous of having such a nice roommate. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Bella.

— Hannah. — The nineteen-year-old reciprocates the handshake and looks around the interior with joy in her eyes. — You have to admit that the room is very nice and, more importantly, we have our bathroom. I'm not at all surprised that rent costs so much.

— It's true. At first, I wanted to choose a four-bedroom, but my parents did not agree. They stated that I wouldn't be able to focus on my studies.

Hannah nods and squats on the bed she will use for the next four years.

— What direction did you choose? I'm accounting — she says after a long moment, carefully looking at her heavily bleached hair. He has to admit that she looks beautiful in it, especially since not everyone is comfortable with such a bold color. Perhaps it's due to her blue eyes, which she highlights with graphite shadow.

— Me too — Bella replies, then squats down on the bed. — What luck. Not only are we roommates, but we will be attending lectures together.

Bella is very enthusiastic, and you can see that she enjoys the craziness. She has a unique personality and is a reflection of the person Hannah misses the most. The girl longs to meet Tom and feel his joyful aura. No one is as good at improving the mood as he is.

— Do you know what hurts me the most? — She looks at the blonde's sad face and shakes her head. — The fact that bringing boys in the evening hours is strictly forbidden. Nevertheless… I will not give it up. I hope you won't mind me when I sometimes bring some handsome guy with me.

The brunette reacts to this with laughter.

— Relax. I also have friends of the opposite sex here, so I'm afraid they will often make unexpected visits to me.

— Are they handsome? — Hannah sees her eyes begin to shine with wild joy.

— Infernally hot, until you wonder who I mean.

Bella sits down in a Turkish chair and watches her roommate, clearly curious about her words.

— Looking at your appearance… — she pauses for a moment and takes in air through her teeth — I have no doubt that you surround yourself with handsome colleagues. You must introduce me to them as soon as possible.

— No problem. Only, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to get along with one. He has a nasty character," he announces, smiling at her in a friendly manner.

— And did you hear about the fact that the best cookies from the dorm gathered in one room? Female students are trying to get close to them at all costs. Rumor has it that there is a girl who managed to sleep with all of them last year.

Hannah chokes on her saliva. She opens her eyes wider, looking at her as if demanding a detailed explanation.

— Really?

— I found out everything before I got here. I have a friend who is just starting her senior year. She introduced me to this place, so I would know what to expect.

The brunette squeezes the bedding in her hands. Without knowing why, she feels monstrous anger.

— With everyone? — She repeats, raising an eyebrow. — Amazing. This girl is exceptionally talented, or she's such a hottie that she brings Scarlett Johansson herself to her knees.

— I haven't seen her yet. I don't know who she is, so I won't tell you that.

8

Bella is familiar with the entire building, so she eagerly takes Hannah on a walk to show her the most important rooms in the dorm. At first, it's hard for her to remember everything because the interior comes off as much larger than it appears from the outside.

From the back pocket of her pants she slides out a vibrating phone. She looks at the display and smiles slightly when she sees who is calling her. She stops in front of the stairs that lead to the first floor. On the first are the girls' rooms, while on the second are the guys' rooms.

Her roommate takes advantage of the moment of freedom and leans with her back against the wall. She measures each student with precision. She assesses their figure, face, and style.

— Have you arrived, little girl? — A smile appears on Hannah's face when she hears Joseph still calling her that.

— These are not the days of high school. Remember, I'm an adult now," she replies, looking at her long nails, painted with silver polish. — I've been in the dormitory for a long time. Why have I stilled not met you guys? Haven't you guys arrived yet?

— Because my roommates don't know that you chose our university. I want to give them a monstrous surprise. Let them fall down in horror when they see you.

— Do you think I'm so ugly that I'll scare them with my appearance?

— Eyes painted with black crayon and purple lips make you look like a character from a horror movie. Wait… there was a mask that decorated her face with similar makeup. What was her name? — She falls silent, and then Hannah looks around the corridor to find Joseph. He must be somewhere nearby, since she can see what he looks like. — Wasn't that the Rotting Bride? Yes, that's the very ugliness of the ghastly fairy tale.

— Do you watch fairy tales? Because I don't know what you're talking about. I first heard — she bites back, tilting her head as her eyes catch sight of a silhouette leaning against the opposite wall. — And I remind you that earlier you also highlighted your eyes with black crayon. You looked like the husband of the Rotting Bride then. Ha!

Bella crinkles her eyebrows when she accidentally hears her roommate's words. She has no idea what topic she is talking about.

— How do you know what her husband looked like if you haven't seen the fairy tale, silly girl? — Hannah tightens her lips in anger. — I stopped using crayons with my high school graduation, so it's been unfashionable since then.

— So you're saying you started the trend?

— Yes.

Hannah opens her mouth in indignation as Joseph raises his hand. Several girls begin to wonder if the gesture is directed at them, but lose hope when the boy approaches his younger colleague. The feverish whispering picks up pace as everyone wonders who the freshman is, since she knows the academic whiz so well.

The blonde opens her eyes wider and, with trembling hands, enters the gallery of her phone to make sure that the boy pictured is the same person her roommate is talking to.

She wants to say something, but gets the hiccups from the sensation.

— You look awful with that makeup. You certainly won't make a good impression on Jin, if that's what you mean — he says in greeting as he stands next to her.

Joseph doesn't know anything about the letter until now. He has no idea that Hannah has removed a certain day from her memories. She and Jin are connected by some dark secret, but she doesn't intend to tell anyone about it until she discovers it herself.

— Where are they? I truly miss them. I haven't seen them for a very long time.

She notices the mischievous grin on his face.

— They are somewhere, and you will meet them eventually. You have a whole year ahead of you," he replies, out of the corner of his eye, glancing at the lurking girl. He wrinkles his eyebrows when he notices that she held her breath at the sight of him. — What about her? Is she a friend of yours?

— My roommate.

— At least in college, you won't be alone in a room. I hope you won't go crazy this time. Do you go to a psychiatrist all the time? — She asks more quietly so that no one can hear. Hannah nods in response. — That is, if this fails then eventually a psychiatric hospital awaits you.

— Joseph! — She raises her voice, outraged by his statement. — Don't talk about it. It's already a closed chapter. I'm starting college and although here I want to enjoy the fun.

— Studying is not fun, girl. — He shakes his head and smirks, letting her know that she came here with the wrong attitude. — Parties are forbidden in the dormitory, drinking alcohol as well, you can only do it outside the building, but every student must return to his room before two in the morning.

— Really? — Hannah is disappointed by these regulations. The dormitory is not much different from the boarding school she lived in when she was still in high school.

It's ridiculous because they are already adults.

— Will she look at me for a long time? — He turns his attention again to Bella, who starts blinking her eyelids with stress. — It's annoying.

— I just promised her that I would meet her with my friends. Her name is Bella and… — She can't finish because Joseph enters her sentence.

— I don't care. I don't talk to children. — Seeing her puzzled look, he immediately adds. — You are the exception, little girl.

8

Bella runs after Hannah into the parking lot, when the girl remembers that she didn't take out of the trunk the bag of food the housekeeper had prepared for her. As long as she remembers, she intends to take it to her room and hide it in the refrigerator she shares with her roommate. She doesn't want the food to go to waste unnecessarily.

— How do you know him? Why didn't you tell me earlier that you have a good relationship with the biggest hunk at the university?

The brunette guesses that her roommate won't give her a break until she tells her everything. That's spectacular for a person she just met.

— It's a long story. I've known him for about three years — she replies as she walks to her car. She opens the trunk and takes out a pink commercial that hides all sorts of delicious things. — The night is very long, and I'm afraid I won't sleep tonight from the excitement. I can promise you that you will find out everything.

— Luck favors me, since I got such a wonderful tenant. The other girls will rather hate you or want to get close to you at all costs if the rumor spreads all over campus.

Hannah starts laughing.

— I'm used to being hated because in high school everyone shunned me because of Joseph. He's obviously pulling some kind of curse on me.

— You don't even know how I envy you.

— You won't envy me when I tell you what my high school life was like. It was not cheerful at all, and acquaintance with Joseph and the other boys from the beginning did not result in sweetness. A lot has happened. — Her eyes become sad, but Bella doesn't notice it. She still looks excited. Apparently, this is her character.

Hannah closes the trunk and looks around. The university is nearby, so it takes about five minutes to get there from the dormitory.

— Did you take everything? — She nods in response. — Then let's go back to the room. You still need to unpack, well, and above all, tell me about your life. It seems interesting, looking at what acquaintances you have.

The girls are about to go back inside, but Hannah stops in mid-step when her attention is caught by a boy who gets out of the car. Despite the distance, she notices his cheerful smile, which he directs to his friend. Tom makes strange movements with his hands that look funny even from a distance.

The brunette smiles at the sight.

A strange shiver runs through her body when Jin's eyes accidentally find her. The boy opens his mouth in astonishment and stares at her for a long moment, as if wondering is it's definitely her. He leans against the hood of the car with his hand, looking surprised.

Hannah closes her eyelids. Her heart rises to her throat. She recalls the letter and the brief flashes that are memories of the past.

For a long moment, they just look at each other, not knowing how they should react. This situation is saved by Tom, who finally notices her. His eyes begin to shine with happiness.

— Wife! — he shouts, not caring that he is in the parking lot, where many students are hanging around. He runs toward her with his arms spread wide, and when he catches up to her, he squeezes so tightly that the girl can't get air. — It's you, isn't it? — He looks at her closely when she can finally take a breath. — I don't believe it… what are you doing here? Is it possible that you got into New York University? Destiny still connects us to each other. It's been so long since I've seen you. I am so happy.

As Tom winds up like a tray cote, expressing his indescribable joy, she smiles at him the whole time and only nods, as her gaze sometimes finds Jin, who is walking slowly toward her.

She is nervous about meeting him after such a long break.

Bella watches them from the side, putting her hand to her mouth. She doesn't know what else she might encounter that day.

— Hannah. — A strange hug appears in her chest as Jin looks at her for a moment, then embraces her in greeting. — It's been a while since we last met. I think something has happened in our relationship. Should we talk?

The girl doesn't answer. She glances at Belle and Tom, who are standing to the side.

— All right, Hannah. Give me your commercial. I'll carry it to the room," the blonde speaks up, reaching out to take the packed food from her. — I'll put everything in the refrigerator.

— Thank you.

Tom follows her with his eyes for a moment and finally points his finger at Hannah.

— In an hour, I'll get you and hug you for all time. Expect me! — The brunette smiles at these words. — Meanwhile, I'm off to greet our devil. He must have missed me by now.

Hannah lowers her gaze to her shoes as Tom walks away.

— I think I know the reason that caused you to limit our contact. — She lifts her gaze again and opens her eyes wider when Jin speaks. — I know that three years ago you forgot everything, but I guessed that it was a matter of time when the memories of that day would return.

— What are you talking about? — He asks quietly, pulling down his eyebrows.

— You know very well what I'm talking about. I told you this back in high school. From the very beginning, I didn't see Danielle in you. I recognized you.

— Did you recognize me? — she repeats, guessing that she was right after all.

— We are both adults. We shouldn't tear this up any longer. — A strange grip around her heart causes her to gasp for a moment. — We've known each other for three years, but we should put the past behind us. — He takes her face in his hands and smiles serenely at her. — We may be hiding a secret, but let's not let it affect our relationship badly.

What really happened more than three years ago, and how did it happen that Hannah met Jin even before high school?