SJ5: ENDINGS IN MINOR

Genre: NA contemporary

Word Count: 70,000

During her freshman year of college, a socially inept soprano shirks her singing studies in favor of juggling a nerdy drummer and a sexy baritone.

My presence had never caused a party to spontaneously erupt. So why I thought I’d show up on campus and everyone would be like, “Hey, Neelie’s finally here! The party can start now,” was a mystery I was not equipped to solve. No one said hi to me. No one acknowledged me. My roommate plopped one box of crap on her bed, turned around, and left. I hadn’t seen her since. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see her again.

I hoisted my backpack over one shoulder and pulled my hands inside my oversized flannel shirt, which was both too warm and too Angela Chase-in-1994 for the present day, but it was part of my look, my vibe, and I was not about to abandon my vibe on the very first day. I had principles to uphold. Besides, I think I also had pit stains on my T-shirt. Flannel was probably not the ideal fabric choice for repeatedly hauling boxes up and down three flights of stairs on an August day that felt like hot, crispy death.

As I stood on the curb outside my dorm, my new home, watching my parents’ car peel down the rood and away from Indianapolis as fast as its engine could go, scenes unfolded around me in slow motion silence. Parents hugged their kids like boa constrictors, and the kids held on just as tight. Girls greeted new roommates with shy smiles and nods of recognition, all while a porch full of fraternity brothers performed an elaborate Kama Sutra mime in the background.