Ali was glad her roommate hadn't followed her. She had only walked a few blocks to get to a small park. She always came here to think. And boy, did she have a lot to think about.

When Ali had first shown up at the door step to NYU, she didn't know what to expect. She had taken three college tours there and truth be told, she was incredibly anxious. She studied a map of campus for weeks before the term started, and she still confused the dining hall with the Foreign Languages building, where she was taking German. The first day of the term, Ali was confident. That was, until she saw Ashlyn. 

The keeper's thick and spiky hair and the orotund voice that would usually make Ali turn away in disgust,  sent shivers down her spine and made goosebumps stand up on her arms. She knew she should give the blonde a chance, but how could she accept that Ashlyn was a total doofus? A romantic and beautiful one, but still. 

Ali reached a hand up to her head and ran it through her dark brown hair, sighing. In placing back in her lap, a patch of tulips growing near by caught her eye. She turned towards them and gave them a closer look. They stuck together in clumps; some intertwined gracefully while others leaned on another, looking dead. 

Even though the flowers looked super dehydrated, Ali still found beauty in them. But, she found beauty in everything. Everyone. 

Ali pulled out her camera and snapped a few photographs. Photography always seemed to take the brunette back to reality, centering her like meditation. The pink flowers were particularly easy to capture. Every angle, every view, looked magical. Ali snapped a last photo and started scrolling through them. One caught her eye. A grey Nike sweatshirt blocked the lens. Ali instantly recognized it. 

She looked up. Ashlyn. 

"Pretty," the keeper commented casually. Ali wan't sure if she was talking about the flowers or herself. The defender watched as Ashlyn bent over the patch and picked a few. She stood up, observed them for a minute before offering them to Ali. She blushed, but accepted them. 

"That was my subject," Ali reminded her. Ashlyn frowned. 

"Sorry." 

"It is okay. They are much prettier this way." 

Ashlyn sat down next to Ali but didn't speak. 

"You like photography?" She asked finally, not meeting her roommate's eyes. 

"Yeah, I've been studying it since I was little," Ali shrugged, running a hand through her hair. Ali couldn't help but notice Ash's occasional glances at her legs and arms. That girl needed a lesson is how to secretly check someone out. 

"Wanna practice?" 

Ali looked at her, confused. "Uh, what?" 

"Like, i'll be your model, and you'll take pictures."

Ashlyn posed and Ali had to giggle at how ridiculous she looked, raising one eyebrow and making a gun with her left hand. 

"Are you laughing at me?" Ashlyn laughed, making a i-don't-believe-how-you-could-do-that face. Ali nodded. 

After taking a few pictures of Ashlyn, she stood up and smiled. 

"We ought to get back to campus," Ashlyn said, swinging her bag onto her back. Ali nodded. Before the keeper could turn away, Ali started talking. 

"Listen Ash, I'm really sorry about earlier... I didn't mean to hurt you in anyway."

Confusion was etched on Ashlyn's face. She was supposed to be hurt? Ali must of realized because she took a step backwards and frowned. 

"I have to go," Ali said, embarrassed that she thought the keeper actually cared about her. Once again, Ashlyn watched her roommate scurry away without following . 

-

A gust of wind swept over Ashlyn, and she shivered, sliding her jacket on. To be quite honest, the keeper felt guilty about how she acted to Ali. How the hell was she supposed to know that Ali was hurt? 

Maybe it was just a common knowledge that when someone insulted you, you were supposed to feel a little broken. Ashlyn never felt that way. She had spent about seventeen years of her life acting tough- and when you act tough, you become tough. And when you're tough, nothing can get through.