“We’ll start with the fun stuff!” She pointed to a little calendar drawn near the upper-lefthand corner of the whiteboard. “There are ten different events that take place throughout the year for all students, plus hundreds of additional smaller events hosted for specific clubs, academic sections, and dorm towers. My room, room 401, has a calendar hanging on the door with all of the upcoming events listed. There’s also a sign-up sheet in case anyone needs a date. I’m always open to attend any of these events with you.”
Sydney snickered, even though she wasn’t looking up from her phone. “She’s kind of weird,” she muttered quietly.
I didn’t respond, but I couldn’t disagree. Monica had the kind of energy of a tagalong friend that no one really wants around but is forced to bring along because of obligation. A few of the other students were murmuring similar things to themselves. It appeared that Monica freaked out more people than just Sydney and me.
“The next upcoming event, apart from the welcome week stuff happening this week, is our Fall Ball on September nineteenth.”
One of the students raised her hand. “Uh, isn’t NewSem on that day?”
I didn’t recognize the word she’d said. I looked over, and Sydney had actually glanced up from her phone and had her eyes on the student with increased curiosity.
Monica frowned. “That is not a recognized Presper University event, and frankly, I would highly recommend none of you participate.” She cleared her throat and immediately moved on.
“What’s that?” I whispered to Sydney.
Sydney shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Moving on,” Monica said, moving over a little toward the drawings that clearly represented the rules. “The less fun stuff, the rules. You’ll learn this about me, but I can be a touch of a stickler for the rules, but it’s only because I want to maximize all of your experiences here at Presper.”
“She does realize she’s only, like, two years older than us, right?” Sydney asked.
“Rule number one is, keep tidy spaces. You all are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of your living spaces, as well as the bathroom space that you share with your next-door neighbor. For the next year, this is your home, and I expect you to treat it as such. Random inspections on both dorms and bathrooms are permitted per the university agreement, you all signed to receive your dorm assignments. Rest assured, I do conduct random inspections. Any obscene untidiness, specifically anything that could lead to the attraction of bugs or rodents, will be reported immediately.”
Sydney finally stopped looking at her phone. “What the hell is wrong with this woman?” she huffed.
“Rule number two is, quiet hours start at ten and continue until ten the next morning, even on the weekends. Many students use their rooms to study, and a good night’s sleep is always important, so these must be followed. If you receive one complaint about noise, you will be given a warning. The second will be reported, and the third is subject to removal from the dorm.”
“I thought I was uptight,” I muttered.
“Rule number three,” Monica slammed her hand on the male symbol in the circle with a line through it. “No overnights with boys, at all, for any reason. Not in their rooms, and not in yours. Our university prohibits inter-sex overnights, so to see to it that this rule is followed, I conduct a headcount of all rooms every single night to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. These headcounts are done at the beginning of quiet hours.”
“What!” Sydney yelped out loud. Many of the students turned to face her, and Monica smiled at her with a snarky crook to her lips.
“Yes,” she replied. “I fully expect all students to be in their dorm rooms by ten o’clock Monday through Thursday and by midnight Friday through Sunday. Exceptions can be made for students who travel or go home for any reason, but these must be pre-excused with me and cannot be longer than four days without intervention from the dean of students. Any student who is missing from their room for four or more days, excused or otherwise, will be reported to the dean for verification. Anyone found to be in violation of this rule is immediately subject to academic probation. Continued violation may result in removal from the dorm or expulsion.”
“Both of those,” Sydney spat back, “would be welcome compared to this spartan rule that you’ve got going on. You’re just a college RA, not the president.”
The corner of Monica’s mouth twitched a little, but her smile didn’t fade. “I am aware of the way that some of these rules will be received. You’re in college now and expect independence, which I plan to give to you, within reason.” She clapped her hands together. “Trust me, this is for your own good. Too many students have lost their way on the path to success by focusing on things that aren’t their studies. There will be plenty of time to have fun this year, but being a good student should be your first priority. With these rules, you will do just that.”
“But—”
I elbowed Sydney and grumbled, “Stop, or she’s going to pay extra close attention to us.”
“What was that, Nina?” Monica asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just telling Sydney that I agree.”
She nodded. “Ah, very good! You’ve got a good roommate there, Sydney.”
I could tell from the heat radiating off Sydney that she didn’t want to let the issue go, but she settled back into her chair with a pout. Monica finished with the final few rules. No fighting. How to report issues to the RA. Where to find resources for academic success. Then, with a smile and a nod, she dismissed the students from the meeting room, keeping a careful watch over Sydney and me as we shuffled out among the masses.
I had to damn near push Sydney back to our room, and I barely got the door shut before Sydney exploded. “Can you fucking believe that?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, but rules are rules.”
I had to turn my back to hide the small smile that I was developing. It wasn’t that I was glad that Sydney couldn’t be with the guy she was dating as much as she wanted to, but I was glad that a rule had stepped in to prevent her from abandoning me.
“Anyway, what do you think we should do for dinner? Wanna try one of the dining halls?” Sydney didn’t respond. I turned back around, and she was sitting on her bed, furiously typing on her phone yet again. “Who are you talking to?” I asked.
“Henry,” she barked back. She set the phone down on the bed and crossed her arms. “I told him to come down so that we can figure this out.”
“What?” I yelped. “Figure what out? You have to stay here. Those are the rules.”
Our door opened without a knock on it, and I was prepared to see overbearing Monica walking in, but instead, two tall, albeit gorgeous, men entered the room. One of them had darker brown skin, warm and welcoming brown eyes, and brown hair cut short. He towered over both Sydney and me, having to be at least six-foot-four.
“Hi, baby!” he whined upon entering the room.
Sydney jumped up and ran over, falling into his open arms. A closer look at him reminded me that this was Henry, one of the pre-law upperclassmen who’d attended the Presper University preview night for the purpose of representing the law program. This was the man that Sydney had been dating all summer without telling me, the one she wanted to ditch me to go room with.