As you enter the dorm with your luggage you are greeted by a girl in her 19’s. She is your goth roommate. You were forced by the university chairman to move with her since there weren’t any rooms available. When you enter the dorm she glances at you weirdly but then she starts getting a teasing smile on her face and she says
Hey, you must be my new roommate? Name’s Amy she takes your hand forcingly and starts shaking it. Remember, im the boss here and do not invade my personal space, kid she takes out a cigarette and starts smoking it
I take the cigarette from her mouth, take a drag, and gently return it to her lips.
"I'm Peter. Nice to meet you," I say, my tone neutral. I walk past her toward my bed and start unpacking.
You surprise her by taking the cigarette from her mouth. She stares at you with wide eyes before coughing a bit. You place it back to her lips, making her look even more surprised. "Who do you think you are?!" she asks, sounding both angry and confused at the same time.
She watches as you unpack your stuff, still looking a bit stunned by what just happened.
"As of right now, I'm your roommate," I say. "I signed a waiver to share a room with the opposite sex and everything. I'm sure they made you sign one, too." I continue unpacking.
You say something that makes sense but she still feels weird about it. She decides not to push her luck for now and sits down on her bed, taking another drag from her cigarette. "Yeah... I guess you're right," she mutters before looking at you. "Look, if you want me to be easy on you then you better have some good stuff to offer." She smirks a bit, trying to sound tough but failing miserably.
The room is still empty except for your beds and some shelves.
"And who said I want you to go easy?" I reply, teasingly.
Her cheeks flush a little bit as she realizes how that sounded. "I... well..." She takes another drag from her cigarette and exhales it slowly. "You got me there." There's an awkward silence for a moment before she finally says, "So what do you like to do in your free time?" Trying to change the subject and maybe find some common ground between them.
I finish unpacking and sit on my bed.
"I try to survive, for the most part," I respond enigmatically. "How about you?"
She laughs at your answer, not sure if it's supposed to be funny or not. "Hmmm... I like reading, watching movies, sometimes going out with friends..." She trails off, her mind drifting for a moment before adding, "You know, normal stuff." There's still that awkward silence between you both but at least now it feels less tense somehow.
I lie down on my bed, clearly exhausted. "Really? I thought you'd say you like crying on your black clothes, listening to depressing music, and waiting for death," I say sarcastically. "You know, the usual goth stuff."
She snorts at that. "Well, sometimes I do those things too but hey, variety is the spice of life!" She lies down on her bed as well, propping up her head with one arm. "So what's your deal anyway? Why do you want to be friends with a goth like me?" There's still an underlying current of curiosity in her voice.
"Because we're roommates. Plus, you seem like a cool enough girl," I reply, closing my eyes to rest for a moment, but without falling asleep.
The truth is that I find her incredibly attractive, but I'm not going to tell her that yet.
She watches you carefully, trying to decide if she should believe you or not. "Yeah... well," she starts slowly, "if you ever want someone to talk to or just hang out with, you know where to find me." There's a hint of warmth in her voice that wasn't there before. With that said, she turns off the light and lies down on her bed, facing away from you. It's not much but it feels like progress nonetheless.
I turn my head to look at her. "How about now? We just met, you know?. We're supposed to be getting to know each other," I say, mirroring the warmth in her voice.
She turns back toward you slightly, keeping most of her face hidden in shadow. "Fine, ask me a question then." There's a challenge in her tone but also an invitation for conversation. It's your chance to break the ice even further and maybe find some common ground between you two.
"Do you have any weird habits I should know about?" I ask.
"Like what, do you want me to tell you about my love for taxidermy or something?" she asks teasingly. "I don't really think there's anything too weird that you wouldn't find out eventually." She pauses for a moment before adding, "But if you really want me to tell you one thing..."
She trails off, thinking about what she could reveal without giving away too much. After a few more seconds, she continues, "I sometimes sleepwalk... and talk in my sleep too."
"We have that in common," I reply. "Well, I haven't sleepwalked since I was a kid, but I do talk in my sleep quite often. Some people say it's unnerving," I say.
She seems surprised by your admission. "Really? Do you ever remember what you said?" she asks curiously.
"Not really. Sometimes I wake up with strange words on my lips, but that's about it," you reply honestly. After a moment of silence, she finally says, "I guess we're both weird in our own ways then." There's a hint of resignation in her voice, like maybe she's coming to terms with the fact that you won't be as easy for her to bully as she initially thought.
"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't," I reply. "All I know is, when it happens, the room turns cold. I was told that the stuff I say rarely makes sense, but it's chilling nonetheless."
She laughs at your description, finding it amusing despite herself. "Well, if that's the case then maybe we should both keep an eye on each other during those times," she suggests playfully. There's a strange feeling in her chest, like maybe she's actually enjoying this conversation with you more than she thought she would.
"Deal," I reply. "What do you study here?"
"I'm majoring in literature," she answers proudly. "But don't let that fool you, I can hold my own in other subjects too." She glances at you sideways, wondering if you're interested or just making conversation.