Prologue
Sade walked back to her dorm room absent minded. She had been excited for the summer and now everything seemed out of place. The pretzel kiosk on the street did not matter on a day like this. She had been so sure that she submitted her project a week before the deadline. Heck, she never missed a task, everything she did was meticulous, her days were planned right before she started them, just so she could avoid piling homework and projects.
The free slot for interior designing was the one thing she had wanted more than anything. It was her hard work, her parents had no idea she had entered the contest, there was no way they had stretched their privileges to get her that spot. It was all her. Her sweat, the nights she sacrificed to research, the parties and dates she missed just so everything was perfect. She almost lost her relationship with Johnson because she would not take a break.
She laughed at that thought and slowly sank to her knees and the tears they came down, rushing like a brook in the meadow. As if that was not bad enough, the drizzle started, then the pour. She could hear students scrambling to find shelter, but it did not matter that she was soaked. Maybe the rain knew she needed it in the moment.
After what seemed like forever, she stood up, tears still falling but made her way to her room. She loved the rain but it was just a foreshadow of the event that would change her life that day.
Tanya would cheer her up. That she was sure of. Tanya was her Ethiopian room mate since her second year. They had gotten so close that they had not bothered to get new roommates. That was a one of the times Sade appreciated her nepotism. Her parents were rich enough to let her not get another roommate. Well, except Jada who spent most of her weekends in Sade's room, seeking a safe haven from her fashion design lectures.
Good. It was a weekend. Jada would come in and Sade will tell her roommates the bad news. Then they would order pizza and chipotle and drink one of her expensive wine as they consoled her. It would be all right, because she had girlfriends who loved her and would comfort her.
Jazz music was playing audibly before she unlocked the door. On a normal day, she was always excited to get back to her apartment, she could not muster enough strength to barge in today. The smell of lavender hit her nose, at least the diffuser Tanya had bought was working well. A deep laughter stopped her in her walk, then there was a familiar giggle.
The world was spinning but she quickly regained her balance. The living room lights were bright and she could see them. She paused an admired her roommate and her boyfriend, dancing together and having the time of their lives. They swayed to the jazz music. They looked so happy, so... in love as they kissed numerous times. Her chest tightened. Then she smiled for unknown reasons. Maybe she could forgive them and even encourage their relationship. After all, she had ignored her boyfriend to chase her dreams, but she thought he understood and supported her. An American football star player and a first class international relations student. She could already picture how their relationship would end but she could support it. That was until Tanya spoke, still oblivious that someone had come in.
Why the fuck did they leave the door unlocked? Did they not think that I might walk in at any time? Or maybe they knew that she might and they did not care.
"Imagine an IR student winning the best interior design competition. That would be a shocker." Tanya's sweet voice said. Johnson just laughed.
"You are a conniving bitch do you know that? But I dig thatAnd how did you manage to hide it from Sade that you changed faculty since a year ago?" He asked her. A bucket of ice drenched Sade. How was that possible? Tanya just snorted.
"It's easy to plot against someone when they are too engrossed in their own world. It was after meeting her I realised that interior design was for me. I guess I should thank her for that. And leaving her laptop open before submitting her final design? Such an idiotic move." Tanya had never spoken with that much malice to anyone before.
Sade would not have believed it if she wasn't present. But how? How had she been so blind? All the times she had spotted Tanya in her department. She had always said she was just waiting for Sade. All those times and she had thought she had the best roommate, the best friend.
The rain, lavender scent and jazz music, she would never be able to experience them without a feeling of shame and inadequacy crawling into her belly. There was nothing left to hear. She quietly walked out of her apartment. The apartment she paid seventy per cent of rent for. By the time she stepped out of her building, it was still pouring.
She did not care as she made her way to her best friend's apartment. Jada's dorm was across the campus but she would get there. She just wanted to get the rain off her body, it felt like she was being mocked and not comforted.
Jada lived alone in her studio apartment, she was not expecting anyone. In fact, she was on her way to spend the weekend with Sade when they rain started. Her calls went to the voicemail when she called her. Hence why the constant knocking almost made her give up her ghost. She checked the peephole and saw a shivering Sade. Quickly, opened the door, excited to see her favourite friend. Her smile dropped when she saw the tears. Jada pulled Sade into a hug and practically dragged her sobbing friend into her apartment.
Asking questions would not cut it. She ushered Sade into her bathroom and boiled water for a cinnamon and milk drink.
