Faith
The frigid weather outside mirrors the atmosphere inside me. Irritation pulses through my veins as the step-monster my father married scrutinizes my dorm. Per her usual witchy ways.
“It’s dirty,” she tells the room, narrowing her eyes in my direction. My new roommate isn’t here yet, thank God. I’m hoping she won’t show until after my dad and step-monster finally leave me in peace.
“I don’t mind,” I say, trying to usher her along faster. “It just needs a little wipe down. I can do that.”
Sadie turns, her nostrils flaring like they do when she thinks I’ve said or done something stupid, which is almost always.
“Your father and I aren’t paying for you to clean,” she huffs. “That’s the school staff’s job.”
I bite my lip. Reminding her that whatever money is being paid into this institution for my schooling doesn’t come from her won’t change her mind. She already knows father is funding this excursion. Which is even worse because Sadie got to choose which college I enrolled in, and the only one I actually wanted, far away from her and far away from Seattle, wasn’t an option.
But what Sadie says, goes. It’s been like that for years since my mother died and my father remarried a woman who, unbeknownst to me, had been his mistress for years.
Fucked up, right? Yeah, I think so, too.
“I’d better get settled in,” I say, hoping my dad will take the hint. I’m so tired of being under the scrutiny of my stepmother.
Seriously, I’m 21 freaking-years-old. Finally, in college. Already left the nest. Free at last... yet, I can’t seem to shake the beast of a woman. Even now, sitting in my dorm room, I’ve been forced to dress in what Sadie refers to as “appropriate” clothing. A knee-high skirt from the Stone Age. Leggings so I don’t show too much skin. Oh, and a dull, brown sweatshirt that makes my skin itch against the coarse fabric.
“Honey, Faith is right,” my dad says, finally finding the balls to speak up. It’s rare, but it happens. “Let’s let her get settled in.”
As Sadie considers, the front door opens. A young woman who must be my assigned roommate pokes her head in, flashing the three of us an awkward smile as she pulls a heavy suitcase in after her.
Rising from the bed with a grin, I hold out my hand, grateful for the distraction. Maybe they’ll leave.
“Are you Tara?” I ask. “I’m Faith. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yes.” She’s beaming as she shakes my hand.
Her ripped skinny jeans, tie-dyed tank top, black pixie cut, and nose and eyebrow piercing fill me with glee. This girl is the last sort of influence Sadie would’ve picked for my roommate, and that fact alone has me inwardly gloating.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she says, and it’s impossible not to catch the way her eyes take in my conservative, ridiculous outfit. Anything to appease the step-monster, I want to tell her. We’ll get to that later.
“Darling,” my father says, trying to snag Sadie’s attention again. He’s bored and I don’t blame him. “Let’s leave the girls to get to know each other, shall we?”
Sadie rips her disapproving gaze away from Tara for a moment before she wheels on me, hands poised on her hips like she’s preparing to scold a toddler. “Rules. What are they?”
Heat rises to my neck and cheeks as anger boils in my chest, but I close my eyes and recite what she wants to hear. If I don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it, no matter how humiliating this will be.
“No drinking. No smoking. No parties. No boys,” I say, inwardly cringing as the words leave my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I see Tara’s jaw drop as she settles herself on the empty bed, but I can’t meet her gaze.
“And?” Sadie persists, her cold blue eyes boring into mine. As I meet her gaze, my jaw locks, and I resist the urge to knock her flat on her ass.
“And no dancing,” I mutter, dropping my gaze to the floor.
I’m weak. I can never hold my own against her abusive, manipulative ways.
“That’s right,” Sadie says. “We’re paying a pretty penny for you to study economics at this school, and I refuse to sit by and watch you throw it all away for a chance to show off your half-naked body to a bunch of men.”
I grit my teeth without answering, wondering what Tara thinks of me now. With my luck, she’ll have requested a new roommate before Sadie reaches the edge of campus.
“Time to go,” Dad says, crossing the room to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Call if you need anything, honey.”
Yeah, right.
“Sure, Dad.”
“Behave,” Sadie demands, not bothering to hug me goodbye as she follows my father to the door.
Behind me, Tara waves cheerily at them.
“Nice to meet you,” she calls, but Sadie’s selective hearing kicks in as she shuts the door forcefully behind her.
Finally, I can breathe.
A migraine tugs at my skull as I turn around to look at Tara. Humiliation colors my cheeks as I replay the lecture in my head. But she doesn’t seem disgusted by me, not at all. Her lips are curved up in the corners, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Stepmom?” she asks as I cross the room to sit on the edge of the not-so-cozy bed.
I don’t care that it’s not expensive or fancy. I’ll sleep on a concrete floor before returning home and living under her roof. There’s not enough money in the world to pay me to go back to that.
“How did you know?” I undo the outrageously tight clip in my hair, letting my golden blond curls escape from their prison and cascade down my back.
“The dynamic between you two,” Tara says with a laugh. “The hate is real. She seems like a right bitch, that one.”
“She is.” I can’t defend her, not even a little. Sadie’s beyond a bitch. That woman is a fucking monster.
“You seem like a smart, well-rounded woman,” Tara continues, her bold brown eyes scanning me, sizing me up. “Why do you let her treat you like that?”
“It’s a long story.” I sigh. “She might look like a bloodsucking demon from the outside, but on the inside, she’s so much worse. Trust me, you don’t want to tangle with her.”
Tara shrugs and lifts her suitcase onto her empty bed. I watch her unpack for a moment, smitten with this girl already. She’s unabashedly her, and I like that in a person. It’s been a long time since I could be unapologetically me, too.
As Tara unpacks, humming silently under her breath, I decide I should do the same. I pull out all the shitty, conservative garments Sadie had bought and packed for me. More long skirts with leggings to go underneath, and too many sweaters to count. As I fold and stuff them into a tiny drawer on my side of the room, I notice Tara watching me.
“Is that all you have?” she asks. “Sweaters and pioneer skirts?”
I laugh, although it’s not funny, and nod.
“The majority, yes,” I say, shoving a pair of stockings into the top drawer before slamming it shut. “But it’s not everything.”
Nibbling my lip, I pull out the rest of my clothes, the ones that had been safely hidden beneath Sadie’s mess of crap. A glittery spaghetti strap top with the word Dance scrolled across the front, a pair of fishnet stockings, frayed denim shorts that make my ass look amazing, and a pair of ballet flats that would give Sadie a stroke. As I drape my outfit over the bed, Tara’s eyes light up.
“Damn girl,” she says. “Maybe you’re not the lost cause I thought you were.”
“I haven’t always been like this,” I say, glancing down with disgust at my current outfit. “This is all Sadie’s doing. But… Sadie’s not here now, is she?”
Tara beams.
My insides warm as I realize I’ve made my very first friend here.
“No, she’s not,” she confirms. “So how about you throw that spicy little number on, and we can take a tour of the campus.”
Running a hand through my loose curls, I lean into my suitcase for one last thing; a small bag of hidden makeup. I hold it up and grin at Tara. “Give me five minutes.”
