introduction to being a college student

[self_composed]

Bella packs light. (She can conjure whatever she wants, mooch off Alice for anything she wants to buy. She's wearing her riding gear and riding Tegu and only has a few other favorite-things she'd like to retain in their original forms. The black dress is one of them.) Her swag goes in saddlebags and she goes to Stanford.

It's a road trip; she wants to be able to account for her time, and besides, she likes her motorcycle. She checks into crappy little motels and once spends four minutes watching someone try and fail to disassemble her bike, from her window. (The fellow gives up eventually. Tegu does not want to come apart or move.)

At Stanford, she is there before her new roommate, who is reportedly named "Janine". Bella unpacks, and since no one's there yet, she wishes up some decorations too. She introduces herself to the RA, Maureen, and then loiters in the hall lounge, waiting for more people to meet.

Comments

[self_composed]

Bella helps. "Lotta books. I'm more of a library book person myself. That and the Internet."

[edgeofyourseat]

"They are comfort objects," Janine explains. "So is the internet, for that matter, but differently."

[self_composed]

Bella nods. "Anything in here you particularly recommend? I've always been more of an I-actually-read-the-assignments-for-English-class girl but perhaps I should branch out."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Well, I do not know which ones you would like," Janine says reasonably, "because I do not know you very well!"

[self_composed]

"Fair enough. Some people recommend the same thing to everybody, but I'm not in a hurry to pick through your book collection," chuckles Bella.

[edgeofyourseat]

"If you would like to read some of them later, you may, but please ask me before you borrow any," says Janine.

[self_composed]

"Sure, no problem."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Okay, great!"

Janine smiles brightly, which she hasn't done a lot of since Bella first saw her.

[self_composed]

"Any other things I should keep in mind if we're going to be sharing this itty bitty living space?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Well," says Janine. The cheer in her voice fades a little, and the nervousness in her posture takes an uptick. "You checked the box on the residence questionnaire that says you are comfortable having a transgender roommate, right?"

[self_composed]

"Yeah?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"That is good," says Janine, "because I am. I would prefer if you did not mention it to anyone unless you are sure they already know, because not everyone on our floor checked that box."

[self_composed]

"Sure," Bella says agreeably. "I can keep a secret."

Boy howdy can she ever.

[edgeofyourseat]

Janine relaxes a little. "Okay, good."

[self_composed]

"Do I need to do anything else besides not-tell, like, I don't know, conspicuously loan you tampons in front of people? Because I would like warning before being called upon to do that."

[edgeofyourseat]

She quirks a smile. "No. Thank you."

[self_composed]

"Okay then." Bella stretches her arms after placing the last book. "I don't think I'm too hard to live with. Ask if you wanna borrow something, don't play heavy metal at four in the morning, that sort of thing."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Those are reasonable guidelines to which I will happily adhere!"

[self_composed]

"Excellent!"

Bella flops onto her bed. "I think we're supposed to go get our student IDs in an hour or so."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yes, I had heard a rumour to that effect," says Janine. "I think I will spend the intervening time unpacking my clothes."

[self_composed]

Bella sets up her laptop and goes through the rigmarole necessary to get on the school Internet, and watches clothes march out of Janine's bags.

[edgeofyourseat]

There are a lot of clothes thusly marching! She does end up needing some of Bella's closet space, and also pulls a collapsible storage unit made of poles and fabric out of one of her bags and tucks it in between her bed and her desk.

"There," she says at last. "All set."

[self_composed]

"Is this going to turn into one of those sitcom plots where you decide my wardrobe is too small and you have to take me shopping?" Bella asks.

[edgeofyourseat]

"It will not turn into one of those! If you had as much clothing as me, neither of us would have enough space for it!" she says reasonably.

[self_composed]

Bella laughs. "Good, then. Because I've never gotten the appeal of shopping."