PROLOGUE

Two students are forced to share off-campus housing due to a housing crisis. Strict house rules are set- no late nights together, no touching, no crossing lines. But shared kitchens, midnight strolls and conversations, and stolen glances make the rules unbearable.

HOUSING TROUBLES

~~RACHAEL~~

“BEEP BEEP” I jumped up from my bed as I heard the sound of my alarm going off. Oh my God, I am so late, the time is freaking 7:35am, how many times did I snooze this shit. Mum is so going to blow my head off. Quickly, I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face and hightailed it out of there to my closet. “Dress responsibly Rach”, mum said yesterday. What did she expect me to wear when my whole wardrobe consists of sweatshirts and joggers, I quickly put on a black T-shirt with my favourite ash joggers while putting a black scrunchie on my wrist, looked at the mirror to confirm that I didn’t look like my current predicament. I ran down the stairs into the kitchen, snatching a candy bar from the counter top when I heard the door knob rattling, ‘Oh fudge’ I was so going to get it now. Mum entered in her scrubs looking more tired than when she left yesterday, I just stood there, she was still trying to lock the door, I knew the moment she turned back I would be done for.

“Rach!!! Why are you still here, did you forget you have to be at the Dean’s office by 8 sharp, especially if you want a good room?” she said while looking at her watch for the time. It is currently 7:45 and I am still here, ‘Bye Mom’ I said while running out the door, because I knew I was about to get an earful which I am currently not ready for. I jogged to the bus station, paid to get to the train station, then took the train to school. You see what I have to deal with if I don’t get any accommodation in the school’s dorms?.

I jumped down from the train with a candy bar in my mouth, while trying to tie my hair up with the scrunchie on my hand. I looked at the information board at the gate and immediately knew where the Dean’s office is located, I all but ran there, while looking into my bag to carry my files out, the moment I looked up, I felt my body collide with a rather muscular one and I fell to the ground with a loud thud. I looked up to see that the person who had a full head on collision with me just kept walking like nothing happened, with the little energy I had left, I got up and dusted my bum off with my hands while making my way to the office. The time was already 8:30 and I knew I was already so freaking late, as soon as I got to the office, a girl walked passed me smiling like her life goals had been met, I saw the guy who ran into me some minutes ago looking so pissed and honestly, a little bit stressed. I walked up to the secretary smiling “Hello, Good morning, please I am here to secure a slot in one of the dormitories”. The secretary looked at me with a sad smile and said “I’m sorry dear, we just gave the last slot for the female halls to the girl who just left, and all the dormitories are filled. Did you not see the memo sent to your email that the hostel allocation starts by 7am sharp?”. I felt my smile leave my face immediately, I didn’t see anything like that yesterday, I quickly looked at my phone to see that truly an email was sent yesterday, how did I not notice this?. Mom will be so pissed at me.

I turned back to the secretary, “Please is there anything that can be done, I really need a school dorm, I can’t keep coming from home for classes?”. She looked at me sadly then her face brightened like she just got the best idea ever. “There is something that can be done, there is a house available off-campus beside the school, it has exactly the same feature as the school dorms, but you have to register for it with a roommate and currently, he is the only one available who is looking for accommodation “ she said pointing to the boy who knocked me to the ground some minutes ago. Oh no no no no no, life can’t do this to me, why me, he didn’t look like someone who was going to be a suitable roommate but I guess this is what I get for sleeping like a log of wood. “Okay, I agree to the housing arrangements”, I said, the guy looked at me like I had three eyes on my head. The secretary smiled and asked him if he was okay with the housing arrangements, he just shrugged his shoulders, she smiled while clicking her keyboard. The next thing I knew, she printed two papers and she gave them to us with two keys. “Welcome to Peace University, I hope you have the best experience school has to offer”. ‘Thanks’ I said while taking my paper, the other guy grunted some words and walked off.