MY ROOMMATE!

One thing that completely baffled me was why she looked at me like I'd just crawled out of a horror movie.

'Do I have a clown nose on or something?' I wondered.

And then, as if she had a personal vendetta against my presence, she practically yelled,

"Who the hell are youuuu?! And why did you just waltz in on my super-secret experiment?!"

Caught off guard, I stammered, "Br… Brenda!" My brain scrambled for an explanation.

'Don't they at least give students a heads-up before throwing a new roommate into their lives?'

She finally yanked off her lab coat with a dramatic sigh and turned back to the desk, wiping away whatever chaos she had just created.

"So, Brenda! Mind explaining what exactly you're doing in my room?" she pressed, not even sparing me a proper glance.

I stood there, blinking at her, feeling more out of place than ever.

My eyes drifted to my luggage stacked neatly in the corner… .clear evidence that I was, in fact, in the right room. So why was she acting like I was an intruder?

Once she was done dealing with her little science disaster, she tossed her gloves in the trash, pulled out the hair tie from her ponytail, and let her hair fall freely.

And wow.

Her hair was thick, full, and absolutely stunning.

Now that I wasn't distracted by her outburst, I noticed other things too.. .big, expressive eyes lined with impossibly long lashes, a nose piercing that gave her an edgy look.

Then, just as I was admiring her features, she stepped closer, staring at me like I was some kind of specimen under a microscope.

Her hand hovered over my arm.

"Uuuuh… hairy!" she mumbled, twirling her fingers through the fine strands as if she hadn't just screamed at me five minutes ago.

I stiffened instantly. It was a mix of ticklish and downright uncomfortable.

'Okay, what is happening right now?'

She furrowed her brows, tilting her head.

"Brenda…" she repeated, placing a hand under her chin like she was deep in thought.

Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"Ahaaa!" she exclaimed so loudly I nearly jumped out of my skin.

'Oh great, what now?'

"I knew I'd heard that name before!"

Her mind replayed some distant memory… .when the dorm overseer had mentioned a new roommate.

Judging by her reaction, she clearly hadn't been paying attention at the time. Probably too busy planning some mad-scientist experiment.

Then, her excitement went from zero to a hundred.

"MY ROOMMATE!!" she shrieked.

She spun toward my luggage, pointing at it.

"That's yours!"

"Uh… yeah," I said, nodding slowly, still trying to process the rollercoaster of emotions she was throwing my way.

And before I could brace myself…BAM!

She wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug, lifting me off the ground and twirling me around like we were long-lost best friends reunited after a decade.

By the time she set me down, I was so dizzy I had to grab something to steady myself.

The whole world felt like it was spinning.

"Ah ummm, sorry about that! Just really excited to have a roommate!" she beamed, completely unfazed.

Still gripping my head to make sure it didn't fall off, I managed a weak nod.

"I'm Ali—" she started.

But before she could finish, I filled in the blank.

"Alicia!"

Her eyes widened. "Ohhh, you already know my name! Well, full introduction then… .Alicia Kapoor! Proudly from India. Lab Science. And you?"

The name clicked with her slight accent. It wasn't super thick, but it was there.. .just enough to hint at her roots.

And then, as if this day couldn't get any more surprising, I realized we were in the same program.

"Same here," I grinned. "Brenda Charles, also Lab Science."

Her hands clapped together in excitement. "Uuuhhh!"

In her mind, this probably meant she had a new partner-in-crime for her wild lab experiments.

'Yeah, no way am I getting roped into that mess,' I thought, remembering the minor explosion I had just witnessed.

Fast forward a little.. .after a whirlwind of introductions and Alicia giving me the grand tour of our tiny dorm room…

"That's my side," she pointed. "You can set up your corner over there."

I eyed the space where my luggage sat. Finally, a chance to make my corner feel like home.

"I'll just step out for a bit!" she announced before disappearing out the door.

The second she was gone, I pulled out my diary.

"ALICIA KAPOOR.. .My roommate, from India. Calm, beautiful, and an absolute maniac when it comes to lab experiments."

I chuckled to myself as I wrote it down, shaking my head.

Tucking my diary back into my bag, I stretched…. .ready to start unpacking.

And then, just as I turned toward Alicia's side of the room, something caught my eye.

Something sitting right beside her bed.