Page 1 of Beautiful Beginning

ChapterOne

Journey

“My mama told me to pick the best one, and you are not it.” Pretty sure that childhood rhyme was not intended for picking between fine men. But it was the first day back on campus, and the men that passed reminded me how wonderful it was to be there.

The melanin that surrounded me—midnight blue, creamy chocolate, caramel, and a tint of orange that could have been mistaken for a good tan— was something to gawk at. That’s exactly what I was doing too.

I was taking it all in. Every single inch. From the over 6 feet, to the darling 5-foot somethings, the slim and toned, and even those with a little more weight.

Every man who walked by had me wide eyed and wanting. Back home, I didn’t have as many men to entice me. The summer felt like I was in a drought of epic proportions. And on campus, all my thirsts quenched. Drip by glorious drip.

It helped that most of the guys were helping with freshmen move-in. So, their muscles bulged, and their philanthropic spirits beamed. I could hardly concentrate on my duties of welcoming the freshmen into the dorms. Guiding them to their rooms and answering questions didn’t seem as important as taking note of the men who walked by.

Then one guy walked in carrying a box over his shoulder, and his tattered shirt did nothing to cover his abs. “Did you see that?” I asked once he walked up the stairs. “Is he new?”

“Girl.” Lauren plucked at a loose braid. “No. And if I think hard enough I can remember every girl on this campus he’s screwed over.” My roommate was a cynic. She saw the guys for what they were, I saw them for what theycould be.

“Maybe he changed.” I winked. “Welcome to Destiny Hall,” I said to a girl walking in with her parents trailing behind her. Destiny Hall brought back memories of my first year on campus. It’s where I met my roommates and dearest friends. It’s where my dream solidified. I stepped foot on the same exact campus my parents graced decades earlier.

“I swore freshman year would change my entire life.” I dangled my feet over the side of the couch and huffed. “I looked like them.” I watched another girl with her family walking through the hall. “Like the world was my oyster….” I laughed. “Or whatever it is they say.”

“And now?” Nia twirled her keys in her hand as she sat on the edge of the couch. A couch that remained from our freshman year, four years prior.

I hunched my shoulder. “Reality hit.” I frowned. “There’s nothing about my years on this campus that went as I hoped.” I thought about my classes, the parties, men I didn’t connect with. “Well, except you two.” They were the best part of my college experience so far.

Lauren gushed, “Of course, we are part of that whimsical dream of yours.” She waved her hands in front of her. “The rest of it. Pretty sure we could ignore it.” She looked at another freshman girl walking toward us. The girl looked plenty lost, and ready to put us to work. “Can we help you?”

She fumbled a piece of paper in her hand and said, “Please.” Her eyes flashed behind her. “We’ve been circling the floor trying to find my room with no luck.”

My eyes narrowed. Destiny Hall wasn’t overly complicated. Like every other building on campus, they numbered the rooms according to the floor.

“It’s room 404.”

Well, except for one. I looked to Lauren and Nia then smiled wide. “Ah, I can show you exactly where that room is.” I looked at the box in her mom’s hand and asked, “Need help with that?”

There was relief written all over her face when she said, “Yes, please.”

“I’ll take it.” I walked beside my new freshman bestie and said, “So, where are you from?”

There was a gulp before she responded, “Rocky Edge.” Then a little hesitation before she asked, “And you?”

“Lake Side.” It wasn’t a known city, and not anywhere near campus. “It’s about six hours north of here.”

“Must be hard not being nearby your parents,” her mother chimed in from behind us.

I hunched my shoulders. “Not too bad. Once you are all settled here, you start to figure things out on your own.” I tried to assure them, “There isn’t much she’ll need from home while on campus.” I asked the girl beside me, “What’s your name?”

“Halle Garrison.” She had a warm smile and inviting eyes. Still, not a lot of confidence though.

I could relate to that. When I stepped on campus as a freshman, I was a shell of the person I grew into. Then, I didn’t know many people. Had no friends on campus with me, and only had the stories my parents shared about their time there. It was my first choice of colleges, but when I stepped on campus I thought I made a mistake. I should have gone to college with at least one other friend. Somewhere I wouldn’t have to work so hard to figure things out.

“Here it is.” I pointed to the door of room 404 on the first floor. “A little misleading.”

Halle pulled her key from her pocket and unlocked the door. When it didn’t open when she turned the knob I stood beside her.

“You have to wriggle it to the left a little.” Guess something else that hadn’t changed about that dorm in four years. “This was the same room I stayed in freshman year.” It was also the room my mom stayed in when she was on campus.

I placed the box on the ground and asked, “Did you pick your roommate?” Both sides of the room were empty. “Someone from back home maybe?”

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