Page 6 of Starstruck

I twist my head to the side; the smile I had no idea was on my facefalling as I locked eyes with Daisy. Her blonde curls were even wilder than they were at the end of last night, cascading down her back as she propped herself up on her elbows, in a bed that was identical to mine and only a few feet away.

“Well,” I ponder, twisting in my sheets to face her. “I’ve nevershared a room with anyone before, so I could potentially always wake up smiling, but I’ve just never known about it.” I shrug at her, my eyes scanning the room, thinking about what that would mean if I always woke up smiling, what part of my brain had to be active to do such a thing.

"How about this?” she yawns, as both of her legs swing off her bed and land onthe wooden floor, before she reaches over to our shared bedside table to grab her glasses, putting the big, circular things on a moment later. “If I wake up before you tomorrow, I’ll let you know.”

“And if I do wake up smiling?”

My eyes hover over her as she stands up, her beige, plaid pyjamaset catching the sunlight as she pulls open the curtains. The light does nothing but illuminate the smirk growing on her face as she replies, “Then I’ll be marching us both down to reception to see if I can trade dorm mates for someone who isn’t a lunatic.”

I shake my head at her and mutter, “And I was just beginning tolike you.” Before she dashes me a smile and heads for our kitchen.

Kitchen is probably the wrong word. Even calling the three cabinets,mini fridge, and half a stove a kitchenette was being generous.And I was confident that my hopes of romanticising the space would start and end with cute coffee syrup dispensers that took up most of the worktop. Thinking that, I made a mental note to delete my 'dorm kitchen inspo' board from my Pinterest. Nothing aesthetic was happening in that tiny kitchen.

But it’s your tiny kitchen, Goldie.

“Do you want some coffee?” Daisy stole my attention, my eyesfalling on her and the drip coffee pot we decided to set up last night, then vowing, after both burning our mouths and nearly hurling the sips back up from how bad it tasted, to save for an upgrade as quick as we could.

I gave her the same disgusted look that was plaguing her face fromacross the room, which had been all smiles since we met. “You know, Pin’s isn’t too far from here. How about we treat ourselves to some good coffee?”

Holding the coffee pot like it’ll explode any second, Daisy slides thething back into it’s resting place, where I’m sure it will stay for the rest of the semester. The rest of the year, actually. Just as the pot dings into place, she turns to me, her sage doe eyes wandering the room before they land on me; at the same time, her brows knit together, and the corner of her mouth quirks up. “What’s ‘Pin’s?”

My elbows scoot me up as I rest on them. “You know… the Rolling PinBakery.” I say, more like a question.

My roommate pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and after amoment of silence, she shakes her head at me. “Never heard of it.”

I don’t think I’ve ever leapt out of bed faster than when she saidthat, only slowing down once the sting in my knees reminded me of the gashes. A montage from last night played in my mind—the unforgettable moments I’d cherish even at ninety, blurred with the chaos that left behind those red imperfections. Though I suppose the scars were a better souvenir than a t-shirt I’d never wear.

I bolted my eyes back to Daisy, surprise that she hadn’t heard ofthe soon-to-be international sensation that was The Rolling Pin waking me better than the alarm that never went off. “You’veneverheard of it?” I ask, sympathy coating my words.

“Nope.”

Stretching up from my bed, I squint my eyes at her as she stands to her full height. She was around five-seven, and had the most prominent hips, like me, which made the conversation we’d had about potentially sharing clothes all the more exciting.

“Where did you say you were from again?” I ask.

“Montana.” She replies, the subtle Western murmur in her voicebeing answer enough.

Her answer rang in my ears again.

Montana: known for its otherworldly landscape, mountains that takeyour breath away, cowboys that do the same, and being one of the few states I knew of without a branch of The Rolling Pin.

I let my head fall forward as a smile bloomed across my face.

“What is it?” Daisy laughs, the sound forcing my head back up toface her."Lunatic?" Her brows arch. "Ambulance?"

I shake my head, my smile cementing. “I’m about to change yourlife.”

“Should I be scared?” More breathy laughs wove between her wordsas she wanders over to the closet. Our closet, I suppose.

Heading over to the fridge to grab myself some water, I stopped asI passed her, “Your wallet should be scared. Because after today, I promise you that’s where most of your money will go.”

As I visualise my savings account descending ever so quickly, a thankful pang chimes in my heart.

The fact that I got to be excited about bonding with a roommatebefore my first day at Liberty Grove made the imaginary cartoon hearts float over my head, and a smile I never wanted to forget the feel of stretch across my mouth.

The fact that, in just a few hours, I’d be sitting in a class andtyping up notes that I’d look back on during my first midterm made the last bit of panic about being on my own and going after my dreams disappear, like mist off a waterfall.

These little moments—they’re everything I’ve been dreaming ofsince the second I saw what path my parents had planned for me.

---