After a hellish high school year, Cole is ready to start his university year. He has managed to get an apartment five minutes away from the school for reasonably cheap. The only downside is that he has a roommate. "It can't be that bad though, '' he thinks. When Cole was in high school he was not the most popular kid. He was athletic but he was nerdy. So there was this one girl Jenn, who would make fun of him. He wouldn't take this so he talked back. They had a rivalry throughout their high school years. Being the top two students in the class they would always argue. But enough about the past, it's now the present. And he's in front of apartment #23. His new home for a while. He takes a deep breath and walks in. He's greeted by a small kitchen leading to a slightly bigger living room with a couch and a television. Then three doors to the right of that. He figures his roommate isn't here yet so he walks into the room on the left. He isn't surprised to see a small room with a closet taking up a quarter of the room. Then a bed and a desk are right by each other.
"Well, this is home for now." He mumbles as he starts to unpack his clothes. As he's doing this he hears the main door open. He doesn't bother looking around because he assumes it's his roommate. "He'll see me and go to the other room." he thinks. But out of the blue.
"Cole?!" He turns around and sees Jenn staring back at him.
"What! Why are you here?!" he's audibly confused.
"This can't be right!" she says. "Boys and girls can't share a place!"
"That's what I thought! Now I'm stuck with you!" he responds.
"Hey!" she sounds insulted.
"Okay, let's just go to the front desk and ask if everything is correct," Cole suggests. They both walk out with agitated faces to the front desk.
"Where's your manager!" Jenn shouts at the person at the desk.
"Oh hello I assume you are room number twenty-three?" the person responds with a smile.
"Yes! And from what I read people of different sexes can't be in the same apartment!" Jenn is obviously getting angrier by the second.
"I understand your confusion. Allow me to explain. When we put the students in all the apartments we had one extra boy and one extra girl. We saw that you two attended the same school for your high school years so we figured it would be fine. Also just to be more convenient we cut the rent down by five percent. If you wish to be moved it costs a fee and your five percent will be discarded." The person at the front desk looks at them both. Jenn is shocked and it looks like she's considering paying the moving fee.
"That's totally fine," Cole says. "We were close friends in high school so this is okay. Thank you for the discount. We are very grateful." Cole looks at Jenn with a stern face. "Right Jenn?"
"Fine!" Jenn says she runs back down the hallway to their room.
"I'm sorry about her," Cole says.
"It's fine." the front desk person says to Cole as Cole walks away.
Jenn runs into her room without saying anything to Cole. Cole just continues to unpack his stuff. They don't talk. In fact, they would only speak if they had their share of rent. It stayed like that for around three months before Jenn broke the silence when she was in the living room.
"So what are you majoring in? You finally give up on the stupid novel stuff?" She says with an evil smirk towards Cole.
"Surprisingly not. I've published one too." Cole has a smart tone as he responds.
"Can't be that popular. I haven't heard of it." She still has that evil smile on her face.
"Well, at least I know what I want to be! You still have no clue don't you?" Cole shoots a response back.
"Shut up okay! I know I want to do something related to science." Jenn blushes with embarrassment.
"Alright, so what science are you doing?" He sits in the reclining chair he bought recently.
"Biology. You're doing English I assume?"
"Nooooo. I'm an author and I'm not doing English! Obviously, I'm doing English!" The sarcasm in his tone is apparent.
"Okay well, you don't have to be like that!" Jenn says in return.
"I kinda did. Anyway, what happened to Skyler? Y'all couldn't get a place?" He gives the evil smile Jenn gave him earlier. Jenn and Skyler were best friends throughout all of their school years. And they would always talk about living together.
"She went to live with her boyfriend. You can't say much! You and Marcus were going to live together! Where's he?!" She shoots back clearly not liking the fact that Cole called her out.
"Well, he failed. I'm planning to get a spot with him next year. Then I won't have to be with you." He has a wide smirk on his face as he says this.
"Hey!" She says, sounding insulted. "So you're stuck here too?" the anger and embarrassment seem to have disappeared.
"I ain't got any better options." He says, looking away from her.
"Heh. so you don't seem to be as planned as you think."
"It wasn't my fault! Marcus failed!" Cole says, trying to defend himself.
"Get better friends. Skyler would never fail on me." Jenn says almost like she's his boss.
" … She left you for her boyfriend."
"S-Shut up!" Jenn is blushing from the embarrassment.
"Blushing now? You must like me a lot." Cole says laughing.
"No! Of course not!" Jenn looks away from him blushing more.
"Well, we should talk more." Cole gets up from the chair. "But I'm going over Marcus's. You mind picking me up after?"
"Why should I?" She retorts.
"So I don't go drinking and driving," Cole says almost matter-factly.
"That's why you shouldn't drink!" She pauses and it appears that she's thinking if she should or not. "But fine. We pretty much share a house. I can. But don't be too late! I'm not waking up just to pick your drunken ass up!"
"Jeez. you're some cranky. But thanks." Cole begins to walk out of the apartment.
"Don't mention it," she says as he leaves. Once he's gone she stays sat down. "Wait…" she says to herself "I don't have his number!" Just as she says this, Cole walks back into the apartment.
"Hey, I forgot to give you my number!" Cole says.
"I was just thinking about that. Sometimes I wonder how you got this far." She has this smirk on her face but unknowing to her, her face is entirely red.
"Likewise. Anyway, here." Cole gives Jenn his phone with his contact information. "His place is only down like five streets I believe. Thanks by the way!" Cole says with a comforting smile on his face.
"D-Don't mention it as I said." Jenn looks away from Cole as she gives him back his phone. "We have classes tomorrow, right? Why are you going somewhere? You should have stuff to study for right?" Jenn is still not looking at him.
"No? Or I don't at least. I don't know about you though." He says with a confused look on his face.
"Tomorrow's Sunday isn't it," Jenn says realizing.
"Yup," Cole says. "Anyway I'm gone bye!" and with that, he leaves. Jenn is still sitting down on the couch.
"He'll probably not come home till like one won't he? He's so stupid." She laughs. Despite their past hatred, she doesn't mind staying in the same place with him. They both just mind their own business. "Maybe… No." she thinks to herself. She still can't shake the past hatred just yet. She believes Cole has to prove himself. Earn her respect. Earn… her. On the other hand, Cole doesn't have a thought in his mind as he hops into Marcus's car and they drive off.