CHAPTER 9: HOPING FOR BETTER

"Hey there!" Kyle enters my room and calls out. "Is there anything else you need help with?" His cheeks are red, his hair a little damp, and he's carrying a bag. It's clear he's just returned from the gym.

"I think my dad is bringing in some boxes. Do you want to help?" I give a shrug, and he nods, but his response seems a bit odd. I'm in the middle of moving my bed right under the window when I hear a door open across the hall. Kent has arrived.

Even though he's sweaty and disheveled, he's still very attractive. In that tank top, I can clearly see his muscles and shoulders. God, I don't know how I'm going to handle this.

"Hey," I try to be polite and say something, but he doesn't respond. Did he even hear me?

"How long are you planning to live with your family in our apartment?" He asks me rudely, and my whole body freezes. My hands stop in mid-air, my body straightens up, and my eyebrows furrow. Why is he talking to me like this? I don't even know how to respond.

"Um, I'm not sure. Maybe for a while?" I walk up to the doorway and shrug, but he puffs out his chest and stands there, looking angry that I'm talking to him right now. "They just want me to find a place to live, you know? I think it's bothering them."

"No matter what, make sure none of them bother me." He answers immediately, and I close my eyes in frustration.

"Excuse me?" I ask, my arms crossed. "I can promise you that none of them care about you," I reply with an eye roll.

"Get your stuff in here, Julianna. I can't stand how cluttered the halls are." He responds, and as soon as he finishes, he slams the door to his room shut. I'm left standing in the doorway of my room, filled with questions.

When I first met him, he seemed to like me. He was even happy that I might be moving in, so what changed? Did I do something wrong?

Maybe he was just having a bad day or it was just a minor disagreement that would blow over by the time we talked again. Nevertheless, my opinion of Kent had changed significantly. Initially, I thought it would be challenging to live with him because I found him so attractive. But now, I see it's more because of his bad attitude and a personality I don't appreciate.

"Where do you want this to go, Julianna?" I hear Mark bringing a box into the hallway.

"Oh, just on the floor until I clean up," I reply quietly.

I'm genuinely upset and disappointed by his behavior. Even though I had been friendly to him, he acted as if I had done something wrong.

Kyle and Mark continue to help me bring things inside, which makes me believe they still like me. After everything is inside, they leave me with my parents for a while so I can get settled. I put the new mattress on the iron bed frame and start putting up curtains and lights around the top edge of my room.

After the major tasks were completed, I bid a heartfelt farewell to my dad and brother, who didn't want to keep getting in my way.

"You can call home whenever you want, right?" Dad asked, and I nodded. "Don't be a stranger; come back to see us every so often, okay?"

When I said, "Okay," he gave me a hug.

"Julianna, I love you. Enjoy yourself," he whispered, and I smiled. Jesse gave me a quick hug too, and then he and his friends left, leaving my mom and me to take care of the rest.

Mom had a keen eye for design, so she helped me arrange things where they made the most sense and hung up my clothes to fit well in the closet. She assisted me in assembling my new large bed, which took quite some time and a lot of rearranging until it resembled my room back home. Everything felt cozy, warm, and inviting.

"Alright, do you need help with anything else?" she asked, and I sighed and shook my head.

"No, Mom, I think I'm good," I admitted.

"Then let me give you a big hug," she whispered, squeezing me tightly until I could hardly breathe, and I smiled. I promised to come home every now and then so she wouldn't feel alone. "I love you, okay? Whenever you need help, you can call home."

"I know," I replied softly, and she nodded. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you lots," she whispered in return, and I smiled.

She was about to leave, and if I kept doing what I was doing, my parents would no longer be there when I got home. I hadn't even been thinking about this, but it suddenly made me feel quite sad.

She gave me a long hug, and I sighed, trying to cherish it as much as possible. Eventually, she pulled away, and I smiled at her.

"You've grown up so much!" I chuckled when she whispered. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'm sure I will," I assured her. I knew I could figure out how to handle this in the best way possible. It would take some effort, but it wouldn't be impossible.

"Alright, then I'll let you settle in and hang out with your roommates for a while," she said, smiling.

I walked her to the front door, and as she left, she gave me one last hug, kissed me on the cheek, and waved.

"Goodbye, Mom," I smiled back at her as she walked up the metal stairs.

I waited by the door and watched as she got into her car and drove away. It was only now that I realized I was truly moving away from my family.

"You're close to your family, huh?" Mark asked, and I nodded. I turned around and saw him walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. "I guess you had to stay at home for quite a while."

"Yeah, we're pretty close," I shrugged. "H-how long will it take for this place to feel like home?" I asked him, and he chuckled.

"Probably a few weeks," he said, shrugging. "It'll get easier."

"I hope so," I shook my head and sighed. "It's cool and all, but it changes so quickly."

"At least your family is close by if you need them," he said, shrugging.

"Where are you from?" I asked, and he laughed.

"Salt Lake," he replied, and I gave him a curious look. "I know, that's quite a distance, isn't it?"

"Well, it's not that close," I admitted, walking to the counter to make it seem like I wasn't too far from him while we chatted.

"I couldn't handle living there and doing everything my parents wanted me to do," he says with a shrug. "They are devout Mormons."

"Wow, that's it?" I ask, and he chuckles, giving me a shrug. "Are you?"

"Nope, not even close," he asserts. "My mom may try to convince you that I'm just 'lost' or whatever, but it's not my religion, it's theirs. I don't want to live my life that way."

"I like that," I remark. I give him a shrug and rest my elbows on the counter. "I think that's what happens when you grow up: you find out who you are."

"Yeah, I agree with all of that, but if I couldn't drink coffee, alcohol, have sex, or do anything fun, I couldn't live there," he says with a nod, and I laugh in agreement.

"I agree, that's true."

"What do you have planned for tonight?" he asks, and I exhale and shake my head.

"I'll probably clean up my room, grab something to eat, and keep it low-key," I reply with a shrug, glancing at my hands. The faux pink granite appearance of the countertops in this room was quite peculiar.

"What if we all went out?" He shrugs, and I blink at him. "Just the four of us, a roommate trip."

"Are you... um," I murmur, leaning in closer from the other side of the counter. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Why not?" he asks, looking confused. "Kent might get a little hot-headed at times, but I'm sure he's fine. We'll all grab a roommate beer and some fries." I just shrug in response.

"Alright, I'll go get ready," I tell him with a shrug and turn to walk back down the hall.

After spending the whole day moving in, I was sweaty and looked like I didn't even have a place to live. Dressing up wasn't my priority; I just wanted to freshen up.

I brush my hair and apply some dry shampoo, making sure it's evenly distributed. I put on some mascara to conceal the dark circles under my eyes. Finally, I change into a pair of jean shorts and a ribbed tank top. It's a casual outfit, but it looks a bit more put together.

I grab my purse from the back of the door and slip my phone into it. I still have to move my things into the bathroom and take a shower, but I figure I'll do that once I know where I can store everything.

I smile and return to the main room, where Kyle and Mark are already putting on their shoes.

"Julianna, you know you can bring your shoes, coats, and other stuff out here and put them in the closet, right?" Kyle asks, and I smile and nod.

"Yeah, I just haven't gotten to it yet," I assure them. "That's a task for tomorrow."

"I'd say you've already done a lot to get settled in," I reply, looking down at my shoes as he laughs. "Who's Kent?" he asks, glancing behind me, and I blink.

"All day long, he's been acting like a little brat," Kyle answers as he walks past me and down the hall to knock on Kent's door again. "Come on, dude! We're taking Julianna out to dinner, get up!"

"It's fine if he doesn't want to come," I tell Kyle as Kent's door opens, and I shake my head. Kent emerges looking grumpy and upset about something, and I bite my lip. But, oh my god, he's so beautiful; he could be on the cover of a magazine.

"Alright, let's go, no need to stand around," he grumbles, heading through the door right away. Moody. Very gloomy.

Mark grabs his keys from the counter, smiles, and motions for Kyle and me to follow him. Kent walks ahead of us with his hands in his pockets. Since none of their legs are as long as mine, I have to walk twice as fast to keep up with the group.

"Kent, you have no idea where we're going!" Kyle calls out when we reach a fork in the road. "We're going to Flanagans!" He points to the right, and the three of us go in that direction. It's clearly a joke on Kent, who was already heading left.

By the time he catches up, he's walking next to me, and I just try to hide the fact that I'm breathing so hard while he's so close.

"Why are we going to Flanagans? Headhunter's is bigger," Kent grumbles.

"Because Flanagan's has a deal on pitchers tonight," Mark responds. "Could you stop being such a spoiled brat?" Kent clenches his cheek as he replies.

When we arrive at the place Mark and Kyle had mentioned, it looks like an old student pub. I walk in with the three of them, and we pick a table. When I sit down next to Kent, he immediately gets up and trades seats with Mark.

"He's clearly mad at me," I mouth to Mark. "What's going on?"

"Julianna isn't usually like this, so he's not used to it," Mark reassures me. "It might just be an adjustment period, as Kent likes things his way."

"I wouldn't have signed the lease if he didn't want me to live with you guys."

"He did, and he was excited about it. I don't know why, but change sometimes throws him off," Mark says with a shrug. "Let it go, I think he'll get over it."

"Okay," I sigh and try to relax by pulling my hair away from my face. I have other things to think about, like school starting in five days, my work shifts this week, and getting settled. Kent will have to get over it.

"If he really gives you trouble, come talk to me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I nod and smile weakly, and he picks up the menu in the middle of the table.

"Let's change the mood, and if he wants to be a downer, so be it. We're here to have fun," he says, and I nod and smile a bit wider. Mark is a great guy. "Have you been here before?"

"No," I reply, and he nods.

"But you drink, right?"

"Yeah, I do," I tell him, and he nods. I haven't been drinking much lately, and I'm sure these guys could outdrink me, but now I'll have the chance to catch up.

"Do you like beer?"

"Yeah, I like it," I nod. "Grab a can, sit in the sun, and chug it down, especially on a hot day."

"Julianna, I think we'll all get along just fine," Kyle chimes in, and I laugh.

It's not a lie to fit in; I genuinely like it. It's usually what I drink at home, and it's always been the beverage of choice at parties when I was a kid.

"Of what?" Mark asks, and I give him a shrug. "I'm fine with just about anything," I assure him. Mark orders a few pitchers of Budweiser and two orders of fries for us to share. When they arrive, we all pour ourselves a glass of beer, and Kyle raises his.

"To Julianna, our new roommate," he toasts, and I smile and tap my glass against his. Kent reluctantly lifts his glass and clinks it with ours. I glance up at him, expecting him to be looking elsewhere.

But he isn't. He's staring right at me with this strange look in his eyes. It's almost as if he's intimidated or annoyed, and I don't know why. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, and it'll make sense. But I should've known better. Assholes never change, so the best thing to do is probably keep my distance from Kent.

I just want things to stay the same.