Page 1 of His Promise

Chapter 1

Maci

I wave goodbye to my bestie as my parents’ car turns the corner. I’m on my way to college, about to be miles away and without her for the first time in my life. Tears fill my eyes as I worry if I can make it on my own, surrounded by strangers, and with the stress of the heavy course load I insisted on signing up for.

“You’ll be on the phone with her in a few hours,” my mom says from the front seat, handing me a tissue. “It is a shame she’s not going, though. She has so much talent.”

“Which is why she doesn’t need to waste her time with college,” I say loyally.

Both my parents work blue collar jobs—well, my dad was laid off, but I’m sure he’ll find something new soon. They think the only path to success is a degree, and I agree for myself, but my best friend, Wren, is a great artist and has an amazing internship lined up.

“She’ll be fine. We’ve both got good strategies for the year.”

“It’s always good to set goals like that. You’ll both be fine.” My dad smiles at me in the rearview mirror.

I smile back at him, tuning out their excited chatter while reciting Wren’s and my self-improvement plans in my mind. Exercise, journal, read something educational every day, set goals and stick to them, and most importantly, don’t get distracted by boys.

I fully intend to stick to my study goal to help me get through this first year at the top of my class. In addition to the goal Wren and I set together, I might have also written out a list of things I want to see if I can achieve. Some of them are standard, like avoiding the freshman fifteen, but …

I have a top-secret goal I didn’t really want to share with Wren, and certainly not with my parents. I want to see if I can find someone to lose my virginity to. It’s not that I’m ashamed of being a virgin, far from it actually. I just feel like it’s something I need to get out of the way. I want to focus on my dreams, after all. I’m not looking for love or anything, just someone nice enough and sweet enough that I trust them with my body. And then, when it’s done, it’s done. It’s a milestone I can check off and not have to worry about finding time for later on.

When we arrive at the dorm, I stand my ground about letting my parents upstairs. We already visited a few weeks ago, and I know where my room is, have already met my roommate, and can carry my own duffel bag and backpack. I think they’re just as excited about their new, child-free life, and they rush off with only a little insistence on my part.

So, this is it. I’m on my own for the first time. I keep my eyes peeled, checking out any prospects for my secret mission as I pass the common room and head upstairs. There are people everywhere, it’s almost shocking compared to my quiet life back home. It’s going to take me a while to get used to this, but at the same time, the atmosphere makes me excited to start this next step in life.

In my new room, I wave to my roommate, who already has her side mostly set up. There’s another girl here, busily hanging a poster while an open suitcase spills her things all over my bed. I feel my face scrunching up and my stomach twisting as I look around the small double room. There’s no room for a third bed.

“Umm, hi,” I say.

My roommate looks at me with a flood of color on her cheeks. The other girl greets me cheerily and asks which room is mine.

“This one?” I say, forgetting my goal of being more assertive. She says the room number and tells me I’m mistaken. “No,” I say more forcefully, taking out my phone to find my dorm details.

She has hers in my face before I can get to it. Sure enough, she seems to be in the right room, but my welcome email says I am, too.

“Go see the RA,” she suggests, not budging. “His office is at the end of the hall. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.” She goes back to putting her underwear in my drawer.

My roommate shrugs. “I don’t know what happened,” she says, clearly not wanting to get in the middle.

I find the resident advisor’s office easily enough at the end of the hall. His door is half-closed, and his hours are posted in huge black letters, right under his name, Kirk Underwood. His hours make it look like he’s about to leave, but my impending homelessness is an emergency. I knock once and push through the door. Kirk’s unfriendly look at me suggests he’s not impressed with my intrusion.

“There’s something wrong with my room,” I say, backing up as he presses out the door to leave. No, I need help! I block the door, and he glares down at me.

“My hours are done for the day,” he frowns.

“I really do need help now. My room was assigned to three people, instead of two, which means I have nowhere to stay.”

Kirk’s gaze softens slightly, and he sighs. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you with that. You’ll need to go to Student Housing. Welcome to Danforth College.” He pushes past me out the door, leaving me standing in the now empty space.

Pulling out my phone, I look up a map of campus and find the Student Housing office is on the opposite side of campus. I groan at the thought of lugging my bags such a distance. I’m suddenly grateful my mom convinced me to pack light and just buy what I need later, and set off for the campus admin building.

Soon, I’m pushing open the door of the Student Housing office only to see a long line in front of a large counter where three people sit in front of computers. Apparently, I am far from the only one who is having trouble with their dorm assignment. For the next thirty minutes, I play a word game on my phone while I wait for my turn. When I’m finally called up to the counter, I approach a young man who looks to be only a few years older than me.

“Welcome to Student Services and Housing, how can I help you?” he asks in a lack-luster voice that suggests helping me is one of the last things he wants to do.

“Hi,” I say, forcing positivity into my tone. “There’s been a mistake with my room. It was assigned to three people, but it’s a double.”

He mutters something about being glad this is his last year and turns back to his computer. I watch his long fingers fly over the keyboard.

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