BF4EVR

"Mother, I'm starting my fourth year," the dark haired young woman said into the cell phone, rolling her eyes.  "I think I'll do fine getting settled in by myself."  She nearly had, already, as the neatly hung clothes in the closet and plush bed attested.

"I know dear... we just so wanted to be there to see you off again.  Your father and I didn't expect that New York deal to require us to go there in person," came the response, in a crisp voice.

"How is it going, anyway?" 

"Well enough, Harlan.  Another few days, and we'll be back in Portland." 

There was a convenient noise outside her door.  Harlan seized the opportunity.  "Good - I've got to get going.  I think I hear my new roommate." 

"All right then.  Talk to you later." 

"'Bye."  She switched off the phone, and set it on the bedside table before standing and heading toward the door.  Before she was able to reach it, however, it was wrestled open by a small blonde who looked young enough to be a freshman carrying far too much.  Cute...

"Oh, hi... I was told I'd been assigned to this room.  I'm Briana Larson."   Harlan moved to grab a box that was about to fall, and gestured her in. 

"That's right.  Welcome to Westberg U. - I'm Harlan Shale." 

"Last name's kind of familiar... ooh..."  Briana had her back to her new roomate, but Harlan could tell she was impressed.  The wealthy young woman had always viewed the housing as nice, certainly, but nothing as special as the newcomer did.  "Are they all like this?"

"No, this was the master suite," she answered.  "I got it, because I'm the only senior in the house."

Briana turned, giving her a slightly quizzical look.  "And I'm a junior transfer - why didn't someone else snag the second bed?"

Well, no time like the present to handle that little issue. "Because no one else wanted to room with the lesbian." 

"Ah."  Briana nodded, and Harlan couldn't tell whether it's one of agreement or slightly sarcastic.  "Must not have clued them in about that great window seat." 

Harlan laughed... so far, it was shaping up to be a great year. 



Briana could see her father didn't know quite what to make of her new lodgings.  Neither did she.  She'd known taking that scholarship and coming to an upscale school would mean being with a different group of people, but was only just realizing what that meant.  Things like the fact that there were two walk-in closets, each bigger than the one her father had at home

"Well, you certainly have enough space, Briana.  How're you feeling?"  She gave him a half smile.

"Okay.  I'm definitely nervous, and already a bit homesick, but it's going to be good to be out on my own."

He nodded, and patted his daughter's shoulder.  "Harlan seems like a nice young woman.  I'm sure you'll be friends before too long."  She'd gone downstairs to read... Briana thought that was a tactic to give them some privacy.  Why is it I have to wait till Thanksgiving to go home?

"I hope so," Briana answered.  "I get the impression she'd be a good one."  He'd left his hand on her shoulder, and that lead easily into a hug.  I don't want to wait till Thanksgiving to hug him again, either.

"Well, it's time I got going."  Their eyes meet a moment, green to green.  Briana had always thought his especially kind, set in a weatherbeaten but still handsome face.  She repeated her mental vow to repay all the sacrifices he'd made for her by seeing that he was able to stop working the farm when his health dictated.

"Love you - have a good drive back."

"That's a lot to ask, Kitten.  But, I'll try."  She felt him let out a sigh.

"We'll be fine... c'mon, I'll walk you down to the truck."  He let her lead him down the front stair which curved gracefully down to the entry.  Neither of them really trusted themselves to talk, so they didn't, storing up memories for the months ahead. 

The truck looked neater than it had, now that her stuff had been cleared out of its bed.  But, it still stuck out like a tear in an antique lace tablecloth.  He went around to the driver's side, opened the door, and slid in.  Briana leaned in the open passenger window. 

"Give me a call when you get home..." 

He started up the truck.  "I will."  She moved back, so he could pull out.  Briana tried to think of something to say, but couldn't - for once.  After a beat, the truck moved and within moments all she could really see was the silhouette.  He's going to get a ticket, I just know it.



"Harlan?"  Harlan was surprised to hear Briana's voice, having decided to give her some space.  Even she could tell Briana and her dad were close, and that was a perfect setup for an emotional scene.  She wasn't opposed to those, but found it strange to just witness one.

"Yeah?"  Harlan turned, and saw she'd decided to occupy herself with getting moved in.  Not that there was all that much to put away.  Harlan thought there might be something to learn from that simplicity.

"Can you help me with the TV?" 

"Sure." She headed over, taking one side of the modest set.  Being several inches taller, Harlan had to keep stooped slightly, even as they moved it to the top of what was supposed to be Briana's bedside table. 

"That's good."  Briana dusted off her hands, with a touch of triumph.  "I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't bring one, with that little fridge, and the sound system..."

Harlan shrugged.  "I've never really been into watching, so it made sense to use the space in the car for things I'd get more use out of." 

Briana nodded agreement.  "Kind of the same thing for me and my photos... I just picked out the ones I'm really attached to, and put them in one album." 

Experience had taught Harlan that one could learn a lot about a person from things like that.  "If you don't mind, I'd like to see it sometime." 

For someone who brought the subject up in the first place, Briana's face became reserved awfully fast.  "Yeah, sometime.  I'm starting to get hungry - you mentioned dinner?"

"Lilley House tradition... everyone eats together the first night.  The first group of girls in here in 1956 started it, and it even survived the iconoclasm of the sixties so no house leader - like Colette - wants to be the one to let it go.  Should be in about half an hour."

Briana smiled.  "Why do I get the impression you're the one to go to if I need any information on pretty much anything around here?"

"Must not've looked your campus map over too closely yet.," Harlan responded, with a bit of a snort.  "Check out the business and accounting building."



Harlan had said no one wanted to room with her because she was lesbian, but to Briana the other girls - Colette, Rebecca, Jennifer, Sarah, and Bethany - didn't really seem hostile as the various dishes got passed around, and conversation rolled along.  She noticed Harlan encourage this by not calling attention to her sexuality.  Given that the subjects had stayed fairly innocuous... professors to get, ones to avoid, majors... it hadn't been all that difficult. 

Colette, though nominally house leader, seemed to recognize and accept gracefully that in pure charisma Harlan was clearly superior.  Rebecca and Sarah had been best friends since middle school, and taken the room next door.  Bethany seemed to be the quietest of all, so Briana had been surprised to learn she was a theater major. Jennifer, her roommate, was the most extroverted.  It would be interesting to see how that went.

"Oh, is there any more of the potatoes?" Rebecca asked, glancing over the table.  That dish happened to be closest to Briana.

"Yep - it's on its way."  She started it around, then turned her head to hear what Harlan was saying about a particular political science professor.

"...slime.  Adams treats anyone without a Y chromosome like..."

"Harlan," Colette warned. 

She smiled sweetly.  "Dirt, that's all I was going to say."  Uh huh, and after dinner I'll show you my Oscar for directing Briana thought, amused.  "Anyway, I have no idea why he's still on the faculty." 

"He's a prolific writer," Colette said, sagely.  "He brings that to the university." 

Harlan considered that briefly.  "Point."  She changed the subject.  "Dr. Lehman, though... she's great.  Tough, but you learn more with her than anybody else in the department."

"There's a teacher like that in the theater department - Waters," Bethany offered.  It was about the first time Briana'd heard her speak without having been spoken to directly. She gave her an encouraging smile, and popped a bit of the grilled chicken into her mouth. 

"You haven't told us all that much about your previous school, Briana..." Jennifer commented.  Briana swallowed.

"Well, there's really not all that much to tell.  I went to the community college, planning to just get a lot of my Gen Ed requirements done.  It was a decent place, but nothing special, and I lived at home." 

That got a few comments from those who just couldn't wait to be out on their own.  It was a definite majority.

Briana shrugged.  "To each her own, I guess.  It made sense financially and I wasn't really ready to leave my father alone."  Those who couldn't wait to get out really didn't know how to respond to that.  She felt kind of sorry for them actually, not to have the family she'd had.



Harlan set a weekly calendar sheet, which had spaces for times from 8 AM to 8 PM, on the desktop next to her printed class schedule and laptop, and began sketching out her time this semester. Good, I'll have an hour between International Relations and Macroeconomics.  She was pleased with the courses she'd chosen, thinking they would be a challenge but doable.  A quick application of colored pencils satisfied her aesthetic demands.  After checking it over for accuracy, she thumbtacked the schedule to the bulletin board just above her desk. 

There were seven identical desks, one for each resident, lining the walls of the study.  Most hadn't been completely moved into yet, their owners determined to deny the fact that they were back at school and had to do homework for as long as possible. 

Harlan didn't really understand that sentiment.  Yes, she enjoyed time on break, either to just relax or do things like overnight skiing trips, but she liked her classes too.  Otherwise, she felt, they were just a waste of time and money. Her family wasn’t old enough to count that a virtue.

It was 11:30 before an exhausted Briana pushed her covers aside and slid into bed. Harlan had done the same not too many minutes before, and was still awake despite having closed her eyes. Briana flicked the lamp by her bed off, and tucked the comforter up to her chin. The weather was still warm, and would be for at least another month, but she still had to have her shoulders covered.

"’Night, Briana." Harlan murmured, already sounding sleepy.

"‘Night, Harlan."

Harlan couldn’t help but stare for a moment at the nameplate on her office door. ASC PRESIDENT. She hadn’t felt the little flutter she did now since just before attending her first meeting as freshman class representative. You’ve come a long way since then — get to it.

That thought made her smirk slightly at herself as she opened the door, and entered the office. She’d been able to get the basics set up, but knew she wouldn’t finish decorating for a while. Her predecessor had been a very efficient man, but the job had still taken an almost ridiculous amount of time.

She settled herself in the leather computer chair, and booted up the school-issue desktop. Within minutes, she’d downloaded the e-mail she’d gotten over the school system.

"I’m happy for you, really… No, no, no… Nice to hear from you, Mr. President." She quickly composed a response to that one, agreeing to meet the next day for a general chat. Though she’d met him as VP last year, they’d be working a lot more closely together this year. Harlan was cautiously looking forward to it.

There was a knock, and then her VP let himself in. Adam Wynter was about her height, or just taller, with a distinctly Nordic look. Their families would approve of one another.

"Hey, Prez. Getting settled into the, uh, Rectangle Office?"

Harlan had to laugh. "Kind of. You?"

Adam smiled sweetly. "Well, I was seeing if the presidential mystique with the girls extended to me."

She shook her head. "Did Zach spike your coffee again? You’re in too weird a mood." Harlan handed him a stack of papers for him that had immigrated to her office.

"Tch, that could just as easily have been Joe and you know it." Harlan snickered — such a trick did seem more Joe’s style. Adam accepted the papers gracefully, tucking them under an arm. "Anything else?"

"No… just don’t ‘private conference’ with a class rep!" Harlan did, after all, want a clean administration.

The blonde young woman surveyed the results of a twenty minute work blitz. The work-study applications laid out around her on the floor now had most of the basic information — things like her name, phone number, major, references — filled out. Another session or two like that and they would be ready to turn in.

She gave a stretch, and mentally patted herself on the back. Briana suspected she’d be an early applicant, increasing her chances of getting a job in the first place and her eventual earnings.

There was a knock,

"Come in." It was Jennifer, a smile on her face as usual.

"Hi, Briana. What’re you up to?" she asked, eying the papers.

"Filling out work-study stuff ."

"Yuck. Is it at least going well?"

Briana nodded. "It’s not hard, just boring."

"That’s good, then…" Jennifer seated herself on the floor facing Briana. "I’m happy to talk with you, but I was actually looking for that tall dark-haired roommate of yours."

Briana decided she could wait to know why. "She left about an hour ago, said she had some things to take care of."

"Ah.." Jennifer grinned. "I bet she’s at the ASC offices."

Briana’s brow furrowed slightly. "why would she be there?"

Jennifer blinked. "She’s our President this year. You mean to tell me she never mentioned that?"

"Nope. Somehow it doesn’t surprise me though." A nagging question recurred. "You seem pretty comfortable with her… so why am I here?"

"Briana…"

"She told me it was because she was lesbian, but I just don’t see that. Rebecca initiated a hug last night, and… well, it just doesn’t fit."

"Harlan gets away with a lot just by force of personality. But, you’re right. I don’t have a problem with her sexuality, even though I don’t really understand it, and I haven’t heard any nasty remarks from anyone who’s taken the time to get to know her."

"So, what is the problem?"

Jennifer sighed, and didn’t speak for a long moment. "She’ll probably kick my butt for this, but it’s not like you aren’t going to find out anyway. Harlan gets these nightmares, Bri, maybe two or three times a week. They’re really bad ones… she’ll scream at the top of her lungs and thrash around like she’s being tortured. And when she wakes up, she can’t remember a thing about it."

"That’s awful…" Briana murmured, having dealt with nightmares after her mother’s death. "Any idea when all this started?"

"According to her, when she was fifteen. She was in counseling to see if there’s some underlying cause, but it didn’t help at all." Jennifer looked distinctly uncomfortable giving this information, and Briana found herself annoyed at her housemates. She recognized it had to be hard to have one’s sleep disturbed so often, especially by someone else’s reactions to a nightmare, but some part of her already felt irrationally protective toward Harlan.