It's day one of the rest of my life

It's day one of the best of my life

I'm marching on to the beat
Of a brand new drum
Yeah, here I come
The future has begun
Day one

- Day One, Matthew West

...

There is nothing harder than saying goodbye to the people you love. Even if you're leaving for a place only three hours away, even if you know you'll come back in a week, even if you're going to spend all the time you have in a phone call with them. Especially if you've lived with them your entire life. So, imagine being in my shoes the day Nathan and I got ready for a three-hour drive to Birmingham.

Aunt Lily had broken down. It pained her to imagine being in the house she had lived for so long without her son. Losing Uncle Brandon years ago just made that pain worse.

Even though Mum was a tad bit sad, she was also excited for me. My mum loved to travel, to roam around to places by herself, to discover what it means to spread out her wings and fly. Mum travelled to Colorado, by herself, when she was 20. All she wanted was for me to learn to stand on my own feet, to learn to survive in the world. She had hugged me tight, asking me to enjoy my college life, but also to stay loyal to my duties as a student. 

Dad, I could see that he was trying to be cheerful for me. But he was scared too. Thinking back, I remembered the day when dad told Uncle Gale that he was scared that someone was going to hurt me, that I was going to break my heart.  

'I won't allow that to happen, dad', I had promised him in my mind. My dad didn't know that I overheard his conversation with Uncle Gale that day. I don't want him to know. It feels wrong knowing it and still moving away.

But the person who would be affected the most would be Nia. She had been smiling, joyous for me, but I knew that she would be miserable. Nia would have to wake up alone in a room priorly shared by the two of us, she would not have her food stolen from her, she would have to recite her study portions to herself, play the guitar by herself. She knew all this, and she was still staying strong... for me. 

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" I had asked her as I stepped out of the house this afternoon. 

"What? You think I can't survive without you? I'm a big girl now, Grace. I can manage without you. You're not my oxygen or something," She had said, smirking. Then, in contrary to what she said earlier, she sighed. "I'm gonna miss you. Don't you dare forget to call me! Or else..." She trailed off, leaving me to fill the blanks myself. Her threat had brought a smile to my face as I pulled her into a tight hug. 

Joy had also been there. She made us promise that we would call her every day, even though we were coming back in the weekend. And after we got in the car with dad and drove away from home, I prayed to God that He would bless them and keep them safe, even when I couldn't see it.

...

The Hargrove University campus was larger than I had imagined, with about a few dozen buildings scattered around the green campus. The atmosphere was filled with the excited chatter of students, both old and new. Flower gardens dotted the campus, making it look much more beautiful than it seemed. Bright lights were strung across the campus, making it seem magical in the evening light.

"Wow. This is a great campus!" Dad exclaims, getting out of the car with us. "Seems like you kiddos are going to have so much fun!" 

"And how does a campus determine that Uncle? Have you seen the cafeteria yet?" Nathan jokes, walking towards the boot of the car to get our luggage. My dad rolls his eyes.

"Try not to live in the cafeteria," Dad pats Nathan on his back and turns to look at me. "You remember what your mum told you?"

I nod my head. "Have fun, but be regular to classes. Call every day. Eat properly. Make friends. Study well. Stay away from trouble..." I drone on and on, listing my mother's advice off my fingers. 

"Seems like your mother has it covered," Dad chuckles. "I'm gonna miss your little music hour at home."

"Nia will continue to do it, Dad," I say, rubbing his arm, "Besides, I'll be home, Saturday."

My dad smiles at me. "I love you, Gracie," he says, pulling me into a hug and warmth fills my very being.

"I love you too, Dad," I say, pulling away. "Now, get back home. Mum and Nia will be waiting for you." 

My dad chuckles once more before looking at Nathan. "Whatever Remi said applies for you too Nate," he says with a serious expression on his face. When Nathan nods, saying he understands, Dad pulls him in for a hug too. They pull away and my dad smiles at both of us before walking to the car door. He stops, turns and looks at Nathan. "Take care of my little girl."

"I will, Uncle," Nathan promises at the same time I groan. 

"Dad! I'm not a little girl anymore! I'm an adult, and I can take care of myself." 

"To me, you will always be my little girl," Dad says, getting into the car and drives away.

...

I climb up the stairs to the girls' residency after being given the directions here. Nathan separated from me a while ago, he was led to the guys' residency. The stairs lead to the lobby, a huge room with a set of sofas at the left, a reception desk in the right and a cylindrical aquarium - with multitudes of plants and fish - in the middle. Girls move about in the lobby, bags and books and all. A dark-haired girl with chocolate skin stands in front of the aquarium, carrying a planner notebook and a pen. She looks up from the notebook to find me at the entrance and she smiles. "Are you new?"

Was I that obvious?? "Um... yeah."

"Great! Pleased to meet you," she greets me, "I'm Joanna Wallace. I'm the WA here." 

"WA?" I ask, as I shake her hand.

"Warden's assistant. The girls' residency warden is Ms Beaumont. In her absence, I take care of things," she answers, tapping the planner with her pen. "I can assure you, I'm not as strict as Madam Beaumont is. I am a student of Hargrove after all."

"You're a student?" 

"Yup! Second-year of my postgraduate degree in Fashion Designing. I became a WA last year," she replies. "What's your name?"

In my curiosity to learn what a WA is, I forgot to introduce myself. Joanna must think I'm mannerless. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Nerissa James."

"That's a pretty name!" Joanna exclaims. "I can't wait to know more about you. However, I have more girls to attend to," she says, gesturing behind me, where a few more freshers are gawking at the huge lobby. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm taking up your time," I say, getting ready to leave there. "Um, wait a minute. Do you have any idea where I should be going?"

"To your room, of course!" She says, flipping the pages of her planner, till she lands on one. "Nerissa James, right? You're in room 14B with two others. You can take your key from the reception desk, right there" She gestures to the reception desk. I walk up to the reception desk and request for my room keys. The girl sitting at the reception gives me my keys, and a register where I should sign my name.

"One of your roommates has already arrived," she informs. "You have to sign the register each time you enter and leave the residency, okay?" I nod in affirmation. "14B is in the first floor, fourth room on the right. You can take the lift, it's right there," she says, gesturing to the lift, opposite to the desk. 

I thank her and take the stairs to the first floor. Mum always says that it's better to take the stairs, even if there's a lift in sight. Anywhere we went together, we would always take the stairs. Keeps us fit, she said. I reach the first-floor lounge area and stroll towards the fourth door on the right. I open the door (without the keys) to find a coffee brown-haired girl lying on a bed reading 'The Importance of Being Earnest'.

"Is that Oscar Wilde?" I ask, entering the room. The girl looks up from her book and pushes her glasses up her nose, squinting at me through them.

"You must be my roommate! Hello! I'm Theresa!! Glad to make your acquaintance!" She chirps, enthusiasm filling her face. 

"Nerissa," I say, offering my hand to shake. However, she reaches out to me, pulling me into an embrace, surprising me. 

"That's a pretty name! I love it!" She squeals. A huge smile lights up her face as she pulls back. "We are gonna be great friends!" Her eyes land on my guitar and she grins. "You play the guitar? How wonderful!"

I grin in return. This girl was so perky, it was impossible to be glum. She was like a ball of sunshine. 

"Hey, I just deduced something. Our names rhyme! You know, Nerissa and Theresa," she exclaims, sitting on the bed and patting the space next to her. 

I take a seat beside her. "Hmm... yes, that is true."

"That just means we'll be the bestest of friends!" She squeals, hugging me again. "I'm so excited!"

"Just how perky are you?" I ask, surprised. Ever since I stepped into this room, Theresa's been squealing or jumping around in excitement. 

"Ah, my mum says I have an excitement bone somewhere in my body which is why I'm perky. But, my twin brother is the exact opposite. He's very quiet and moody." She explains. "You'll get to meet him. He doesn't go here, but since we're going to be best friends, you're welcome at my place!"

"Um... sure," I say. "That would be nice. So, that was Oscar Wilde, wasn't it?" I point to the book, lying open on the bed.

"Yes. How do you know?"

"Well, it was on the cover. And I've read the book before, so-"

"You read?!" Theresa almost shrieks that I have to close my ears. "Isn't this cool? I have a roommate who loves to read! Now we can read together! Do you bake too?"

"Uh, no. I don't know anything kitchen-related," I respond.

"Well, that's a shame. I, for one, love baking. I spend my time in the kitchen if I'm not reading. I wanted to go to a culinary school, but my mum dismissed it as a hobby and not worth pursuing." She says, nonchalantly. 

My reply is hindered by the turning of the doorknob. The door opens and a girl with the curliest black hair I've ever seen enters the room. 

"Hello! You must be our other roommate! I'm Theresa! What's your name?" Theresa jumps up from the bed to the approaching girl.

"I'm Claudia." The girl's voice comes out as a whisper, I wouldn't have heard her if I wasn't listening.

"I'm Theresa and this is Nerissa!" Theresa points to me. "We're your roommates!"

Claudia doesn't say anything. She looks around the room and her eyes settle on the bed opposite to the door. "Can I have that bed?"

"Sure!" Theresa exclaims. "This is so fun! We're going to be great friends! Oh, I forgot. What major are you girls in?"

I wait for Claudia to answer, but she keeps staring at the two of us. When she doesn't attempt to answer, I look at Theresa. "I'm in psychology," I say.

Theresa's green eyes widen beyond her glasses. "Me too! We're sharing classes!" She squeals. Then, she turns to Claudia. "What about you?"

"Robotics and Artificial Intelligence." Her reply is curt and she begins unpacking her stuff. Theresa looks at me, mouthing, 'What is her problem?'

I shrug. Maybe Claudia was an introvert. She would need some time to come around. I would have been an introvert too, but if people start a conversation with me, I tend to take over the conversation with my big mouth.

"Oh, did Joanna tell you?" Theresa asks me, sitting on her bed, as I place my guitar near the bed I claimed. This one had a window on its right, which meant I could see the stars from here.

"Tell me what?" 

"We have to assemble at the cafeteria at 7 pm. The principal would be addressing us before dinner," Theresa says, "We should be going there soon... in about an hour."

"Okay, thank you," I smile at her. Theresa gets back to her book while Claudia ignores us both, unpacking her stuff. I get to unpacking too. This place was going to be my home on the weekdays for the next four years, and so, I begin to give it a little touch of home.

...

"Hey, Nia," I wave through the screen. Nia lifts the phone so that I can see her face.

"Grace! Glad that you called. I was beginning to think that you forgot me."

"Oh please. As if I can forget someone as murderous as you. You would have my head if I hadn't called you," I laugh.

"Haha. Very funny," Nia rolls her eyes. "How's the place?"

"It's very beautiful. I wish you were here."

"Nah, you don't. You think you're finally free from my torture," Nia says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

"Yeah, you're right. I do," I lie. Nia rolls her eyes.

"As if. You miss me a lot. That's why you called. Did you forget I was born in the same womb?"

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" I sigh. "Did dad get back?" Just then, a head full of brown curls peeps from the door.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" Theresa asks.

"Just a minute. I was talking with my sister," I smile at her. "Do you want to see her?"

Theresa nods enthusiastically as she runs over to me. She sits beside me and I angle the phone so that it covers her too. Theresa waves, grinning widely. "Hi! I'm Theresa! I'm your sister's roommate!"

"Glad to meet you, Theresa. Wow, you're very cheerful, you know?" 

Theresa laughs. "I know. Now, I would love to stay and talk to you, but the principal has called for an addressing, so we have to be going."

"Oh, then I'm not keeping you. You should go, Grace." Nia says. Just then, my mother's face fills the screen. "Mum!" Nia shouts.

"Hey, sweetie! How's my little college girl?"

"Mum! I'm not little! First dad, and now you..." Heat creeps up my neck, embarrassment filling my face. My parents have the habit of making me blush in untimely situations. Theresa rolls her eyes in amusement.

"You'll always be little to us, sweetie," Mum says. 

"What if when we're seventy? Will we be little, then too?" Nia asks, sighing. Theresa motions for me to finish up my call and insists that she would wait for me when I ask her to go on without me.

"Then too," Mum says. "You're dad just got back home. Said the campus was very beautiful. I hope you enjoy it there, Gracie. It's Day One of the rest of your life. Live every moment of your life, and remember, God is with you always."

"Thanks, Mum." I smile at her. 

"How's Nathan?" 

"Well, he has a different residency, so I haven't seen him after I came to my room. Probably ransacked the cafeteria."

"Well, ask him to call. Lil's been worried sick."

"I will, Mum. We're leaving for dinner now. So, when I see him there, I'll tell him."

"Okay then, love. I'm not keeping you. Have fun!" My mum says before ending the call.

"You have a lovely family," Theresa says.

"I know. They're God's gift to me and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the whole world."

...

"So, to the freshers of Hargrove University, welcome. I hope you know the true value of being a student. Today is day one of the rest of your life. Fill your days with knowledge and understanding. I wish you the best for your future," Mr Hargrove declares. The cafeteria explodes into applause as the freshers start chattering among themselves. "Dinner will be served in a few minutes. Enjoy it, my dears!" He says, leaving us to find our friends.  I wander through the crowd, Theresa on my tow, to find Nathan. 

"Nate!" I call out, once I have spotted him. Nathan turns at the sound of his name, with a smile on his face. Beside him stands a familiar person. One I saw two weeks ago. My eyes widen in shock as I take in the sight of the boy I thought I wouldn't see again.

"Rayden?"

...

Author's Note:

Hey guys!

How was the new chapter? Who do you like the most? The perky Theresa, the fun Joanna or the reserved Claudia? And Rayden's back!

Hope you guys loved this chapter! More will be coming soon!

Stay safe, stay blessed,

Grace.