The Seventeen Years Difference {Sansa Stark}

[Shelby]

"God Damn it," Hope couldn't help but groan out as she looked down to sift through her little bag, only to find that she had lost, or forgotten rather, her key to her room. Of course something like this would happen to her; it was just her luck! The thought made her roll her eyes as she brought her hand out of the bag, frowned to herself, and then pulled her phone out of her pocket so that she could call her roommate to ask where she was and when she would be back to the room. But when she got no answer from the other line, Hope merely shook her head before she sent a text to the girl, one that she had known since high school and was lucky enough to actually be attending the same college as her at Texas State University so that she wouldn't have to suffer through the time of getting to know a stranger that she would have had to live with for an entire year. At least she already knew how crazy her roommate was and didn't have to find out through a terrible circumstance or scenario that 'crazy roommates' tend to do.

Or, at least, those circumstances had only been told to her by her older brother who would be graduating college come the winter time. But she knew to take his words, and his storytelling, with a grain of salt, especially given the fact that he more than loved to pester his little sister to try and scare her out of something. Not that his words generally worked, however she couldn't deny the slight sliver or worry that had overcome her when something like that came to mind.

'When will you be back in the room? Forgot my key.' And she refused to pay the money to have someone open her door and unlock it for her. No, she knew that her key was in the room somewhere, or so she hoped anyway, so all she had to do was wait for Lauren to come back with her key and open the door. Except she knew that her friend had gone to some party that was on campus, one that Hope opted out of going because she didn't particularly feel like being harassed by anybody, and because, to be honest, she wasn't much of a partier. Sure, going to a few would be fine, and she had convinced herself that, yes, at some point she would go to one, but she wanted to get a better feel for this place before delving into that part of the college experience. After all, she had four years to experiment and figure herself out, as well as this college, given that she was only a freshman now and this was her first semester in college.

She felt her phone vibrate shortly after her text had been sent, and by that time Hope had leaned herself against the wall right next to her door, noises from the other girls in the hall penetrating through their doors and muffling their voices out into the halls. Well if this was any indication for how loud things would be... 'Lol! I knew you'd be the first to forget your keys!' Despite herself, Hope couldn't help but smile at the text, even if it was a jab at her own forgetfulness. 'I don't know when I'll be back. Later tonight. I'll text you when I get back if you're not there.'

'Fine. But be sure to tell me!' Hope sent back before she pocketed her phone and blew out a sigh. So, what to do now? She could either sit in this hall for probably the next few hours while she wanted for Lauren, or she could go sit in the lobby and mingle with the people that would undoubtedly be occupying the space, or she could venture around campus for the time being to blow off more time. And the last option seemed so much better than the other two.

So with the decision in mind, Hope pushed herself from the wall and headed out their section of the hall way, went down the three flights of stairs since she was on the third floor and figured that it was pointless to use the elevator unless she was bringing something heavy up, and then headed outside. The night air was warm, not too warm but it was just right for her. No clouds in the sky, the stars were hard to see because of the lights that lit up the campus, and few cars milled about as they rolled their way to their destinations. Overall, it was a nice night. A little shiver ran down her spine as a little gust of wind blew her way, but after tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and started walking along the side walk.

Despite the fact that she had visited the campus a few time before she had even sent in an application to this place, she still took note of where she was and which buildings were around her as she walked, also taking into account which directions she went. She just wanted to make sure that she knew where her classes would be and wanted to make sure that she wouldn't get lost, though, in a sense, she wouldn't necessarily blame herself it that happened. But, regardless, it was nice. To listen to the sounds that were around her, to see the few people that walked as well, though usually them with other people. Hadn't her dad told her to be careful if she ever ended up walking outside on campus at night by herself, or better yet to not do that if she could help it? The thought made her grin a bit. Nah, she could take care of herself, she figured.

She wasn't aware of how long she had been walking for, but eventually she sat herself down on a bench and leaned back against it, blowing out a breath as she went to check her phone again. The charge on it was getting low, and Lauren still hadn't been back to the room. Of course not. Now, she figured, this was turning into a waiting game.