Spirit Legacy by E. E. Holmes Read Free Book Online

already; it looked like my roommate had gotten there first.
    It took until lunchtime to unpack everything. Karen insisted on staying to help; Noah and the freckly kid dragged my stuff up from storage that had been previously shipped, and then Noah excused himself to have a look around the campus. Karen and I had just finished a sandwich break when my roommate came in.
    “Oh good, you’re here!” she squealed, tossing a plastic shopping bag on her bed and bounding forward to greet me.
    Tia Vezga was a very pretty girl, with a heart-shaped face and long shiny black hair that hung in a thick curtain down her back. Her eyes were heavily lashed and deep brown, and they crinkled as she smiled.
    “It’s so nice to meet you! I hope you don’t mind, you weren’t here yet, so I picked the bed on the right.”
    “No, I don’t mind at all. It’s nice to meet you too.” I noticed almost immediately her total lack of reaction to my wardrobe choices; she didn’t appear wary or disappointed—a positive sign. “This is my aunt, Karen Hunt,” I added, hoping to avoid another “is this your mom” moment.
    “Nice to meet you, Ms. Hunt.”
    “You too, Tia,” Karen replied, looking very pleased that my roommate was so obviously friendly.
    Tia turned back to me. “I would introduce you to my parents but they’re still in the bookstore. I think they’re trying to buy one of everything.” She rolled her eyes. “So Jess, where are you from?”
    “Um, all around really, but most recently New York City.”
    “Oh, cool! I’ve never even been to New York! My family’s from St. Louis.”
    “Well, I’ve never been to St. Louis,” I said. Not that I’d ever wanted to go there, but there was no need to mention that.
    “Yeah, well, it’s not exactly the excitement capital of the world, is it?” Tia said, almost reading my mind. “Hey, you’re just about unpacked!”
    “Yeah, I’ve been here for a few hours.”
    Tia looked at her pile of boxes and suitcases, a little crestfallen. “I haven’t even started.”
    “I’ll give you a hand,” I offered. “Just let me walk Karen out.”
    Karen looked up from the empty boxes. She’d been looking for little things to keep her occupied for the last fifteen minutes or so, but everything was put away. She seemed hesitant to go as she and I walked toward the door.
    “I can stay and help Tia, too.”
    “No, Karen, you and Noah should head home. It’s so hot. You’ve done enough manual labor for the day.”
    “What about your books? Do you want me to go with you to buy—”
    “—No, really, I’m fine. You guys head back to the air conditioning.”
    Karen nodded resignedly. “Okay then. You’re sure you have everything? You’ll call if …” her voice trailed off, as though she couldn’t think of anything to say.
    “Sure.”
    “Okay, then. I’m going, I’m going. Have a good semester.”
    I waved her down the stairs, trying my best to look independent or grown up or something, anything to wipe that worried look off her face.
    As I walked back into my room, I was accosted by a girl in a skimpy sundress.
    “Oh my God, do you live here?” she asked, pointing to my room. She was very tall and willowy, with flat-ironed, bleach-blonde hair and a complexion that could only be attained by sleeping nightly in a tanning bed. Her sequined dress was so low-cut it was like her boobs were actually staring at me. Who the hell lugs boxes around in an outfit like that?
    “Uh, yeah, I do.”
    “Oh fabulous! We’re neighbors! I’m Gabby Taylor. I’m just across the hall in 311. It’s nice to meet you!” she gushed. Her eyes raked over my hair, my face, and my clothes. For a fleeting moment, a look of triumph seemed to twist her features, but as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone.
    “Hi, I’m Jess Ballard,” I said as Tia leaned out of our room, tossing an empty cardboard box against the wall. “This is my roommate Tia Vezga.”
    “Hi, Tia.” Gabby performed the