Page 5

She bristles, her bottom lip jutting out in a juvenile pout as her posture stiffens. “It is, short for Anatalia. But if you ever call me that, our friendship is over. I was bullied by a girl in third grade. She kept calling me genitalia and thought she was just the funniest. Needless to say, when you are eight, having your name linked with genitals is quite distressing. So, Tali it is, because Annie sounds like an orphan.”

Wow. Okay. This chick can talk. Which might work out well, considering I don’t like to. I’m a private person, and people often mistake me for being a bitch. Don’t get me wrong, I can be a bitch, but remaining silent doesn’t mean I don’t like someone; it’s just that I don’t like to talk about myself, my past, or my family. My lack of family, more precisely.

“I love your hair,” she exclaims, noting the rose-gold sections intermingling with my dirty-blonde strands. “I’m already getting the vibe that you’re not one of those annoyingly obnoxious chicks. You seem down to earth and kinda homey. I think we will get along great.”

My smile is genuine. Tali is… a lot. But she’s effervescent in a way I am not. She reeks of honest goodness, with a mouth made for talking the leaves off an evergreen. Tali takes in our economical space, the door opening into a living space with the kitchen counter at the opposite end. The refrigerator is large enough for two adult women, and the bathroom behind the wall features a separate toilet I wasn’t expecting. All things considered, these aren’t the broom-closet dorms I heard about. We have space.

“Which bedroom did you take? I mean, I’m not fussy and did arrive later than you, but we can always rock-paper-scissors if we both want the same room, right?”

“I arrived yesterday. I didn’t, um…” Technically I haven’t slept in either room, having only slipped home again around an hour before her. “You choose; I’ll take the other one.”

“Fabulous,” she shrieks, clapping her hands as she steps around me and into the hallway with two-bedroom doors. They are identical in size and layout. One has a view of ponderosa pines, the other of an alcove where the stairwell snakes its way up to the top floor. The view isn’t imperative for me. It could be a windowless box and I’d be fine. It’s a room with a bed, after all. Destined for sleep because I highly doubt I’ll bring a guy back here to face Tali’s machine-gun questioning. But you can never be sure.

“Nice, good size, great aspect,” she hums, pacing over to the window and scanning the tree line. “I don’t remember you from orientation. Please tell me you weren’t in that bitchy pack of girls screaming at that guy who doesn’t talk.”

Bitchy girl? Mute kid? “I was in and out,” I add with a breezy tone. “Couldn’t commit to the whole day, so I picked up the paperwork, worked out where the bot. science buildings were and left. What happened?”

“Oh, fuck. It was this whole thing. Some uptight bitch started yelling at Fox out of nowhere. He doesn’t speak, and he’s kind of weird. Anyway, she accused him of stalking her. Like, what the fuck? Apparently every time she turned around, he was behind her, but duh! We’re on a fucking tour. Of course, people are going to stand behind you. One volunteer thought she was in danger because he didn’t defend her accusations. I mean, I remember him from last year, but I didn’t recognize her, only a couple of the hang arounds. Or you, for that matter.”

“I transferred in. I did first year Botanical Science at Colorado State.”

She hums a low, melodic sound that has me intrigued. I follow her into the other bedroom. Tali scans the view from the window and shrugs. “I think they are the same size. You leave your stuff where it is if you help me bring all my stuff into this one. Deal?”

I’m too exhausted to mount a counterargument. So, I nod and get to work moving Tali’s boxes of stuff into her bedroom.

Tali has most of her boxes unpacked, and my eyes are almost hanging out of my head. Delirium is setting in like a blanket I’m desperate to crawl under.

“So, you’re a transfer. I get it. Why would you move from CSU all the way up here? I mean, we are in the middle of fucking nowhere. If it weren’t for Wyldan having such a prestigious name, most students would study somewhere that has a decent social life and a town bigger than a parking lot. What brings you up here, little tree?”

How much do I divulge? This is day one of our cohabitation. As she busies herself stacking books onto the bookshelf she masterfully assembled with an Allen key on her keychain, I let out a long breath. “I am here on a scholarship.”

Her eyes bug wide. “No fucking way. Serious?”

“As a fucking heart attack.”

“Wow. Wyldan isn’t known for scholarships. You must be one of a few, max. And in Botanical Science, you’re either a big deal, or lucky. Which one is it?”

My lip catches between my teeth. First, her array of dark romance novels is placed with reverence onto shelves in color order and then I attempt to correct her assumptions.

“I’m neither. It was offered, and I almost didn’t take it.”

“NO!” she gasps, before her posture relaxes. “I mean, I’d want to stay in Fort Collins too. Plus, you’ve got Boulder and Denver. But a free ride would be pretty tempting, plus Dr. Bonner is the sweetest view.”

“I’m happy to learn anywhere.” It’s an honest reply. She doesn’t need to be briefed as to the intricacies of why I am here and what I need to find out. She does need to explain about Dr. Bonner being a “view.” “Dr. Bonner?”

“Yes, girl. You are in for a treat. My brother had him for Chemistry years back when he studied here. This year, he’s my teacher for Plant Physiology and Plant Systematics and Taxonomy. I am double blessed.” She makes a heart shape with her hands and bats her eyelids. “He’s so hot. Like molten.”

I blink up at her fluttering eyelids. Every college has some good lecturers, and some not so good. I can’t say I would describe anyone from CSU as molten.

“Oh, and shut the front door, I almost forgot. The rumor is that Professor Wyldan is teaching this semester too! He’s back from some sabbatical he took to study in Europe, and some messy thing with his family. He is supposed to be delicious as well, but alas, not teaching any of my subjects. I’ll have to admire him in the halls.”

“Professor Wyldan, as in a Wyldan family descendant?”

“The same. Otto’s great-great-grandson I think. There might be another great in there somewhere, who knows. All I know is, welcome home, oh gorgeous one.”

Tali holds her hands up as one might appraise a piece of art. With purpose and perspective. Given her literary preferences, she and I should get along fine. More than fine, even. In the dorm-room lottery, it seems like the gods were on my side for once.

“Please tell me you are running in the Larch?”