Pushing open the double glass doors, I heard a harmonious bell resound throughout the decently sized lobby that was about twice the size of my house back in the shabby southern district resting at the very edge of the city.
Across the lobby, and behind a white desk, was a short elderly woman with silk white hair and kind blue eyes.
I nervously pulled my suitcase along the red carpet marking the logo of a black cat at its center. Most likely the school mascot for Ace Academy. Which if you forgot was both my new home and school for the next six months.
Dragging my obnoxiously heavy suitcase, and propping it next to the desk I gave the woman a very forced smile and pulled a id badge with my name, dorm number, and phone number on the card's lower section just below a crappy picture of myself.
I had shaggy dark chestnut colored hair that either curled or didn't depending on whatever caused it's style on that specific day, and overly bright blue eyes between the bridge of my tiny nose.
This morning I woke up quite late and only had time to throw on whatever I had at the top of the clothes drawer of my dresser, which just so happened to be a bright red shirt with the symbol of an extremely popular car brand with bolded letters for its name.
As for my pants, they were really just a pair of gray sweatpants that were two sizes too big around my ankles.
The kind-looking lady at the desk picked up the card and lifted it so that the QR code was sitting just below a red glowing chip below her computer.
The loud beep caused me a flinch, which she just laughed off casually and pointed toward one of several elevators tucked into the corner of the Eastern-most hallway.
"Have a good first day, Mr. Arrons."
She waved gingerly, with her wrinkled right hand, as I stepped between the heavy metal doors of the first elevator.
Looking down at my identification badge in my right hand, with the handle of heavy suitcase weighing down my left, I let out a shaky sigh as the metal doors started to slowly shut.
I reached up to the panel with a bunch of odd numbers scattered around it, and clicked the second highest number I could find.
[Room 264]
Just before the elevator doors could close, a meaty hand shot straight between the metal doors, and instantly a bone chilling scream echoed through the lobby of the dorm building like one of those death whistles you could buy off of an online third party shopping website.
I recoiled back in fear as my back hit the elevator wall, still confused beyond belief at what had just happened.
Then the next thing I knew as the elevator ceased closing and the doors slowly began to open back up again: The elderly lady from the front desk started screaming at the boy in front of the elevator who now that I got a good look at, I could quickly tell that he was a lineman for his middle school football team.
That or a previously convicted theft, as his hair had been buzzed clean off, leaving only a couple of patches of black hair on his shiny head.
Looking up in fear as the lobby worker's footsteps grew louder, the boy quickly shot up and ran into the elevator.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
I yelled as he began to mash at every button on the elevator.
"Jackie! What did I say about causing a scene this early! You embarrassing brat!"
The once kind old lady screamed from the other side of the second attempt of the closing metal doors.
With a look of petrification on my face, I couldn't tell whether to be fearful of him or the kind old lady who could have just been wearing a jolly facade for all I knew.
As if the previous minute had not even happened the boy who had been called "Jackie" lifted his chin and grinned at me, striking even more fear into my shaky body.
"My name is Jack. Ignore my crazy grandma, she won't actually bother ya."
He chuckled humorously, as he set his bag down on the tile floor of the quite spacious elevator.
Hesitating at first I only swiftly continued to glance between him and the elevator door.
"I- I just need to get to my room..."
Jack tilted his head, and cocked an eyebrow.
"Nah, I don't care. What's your name man?"
He said flatly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh... Uh... Oliver."
I stuttered, trying to regain my forced calmness from before.
Standing straight again, I scratched the side of my cheek and awkwardly glanced around the elevator, probably clearly showing that I didn't really want to converse so early in the morning.
Jack's face scrunched up, as he tried to find what I was seemingly looking at, until his eyes met the elevator panel, then glanced back at me.
"What room did you get?"
He asked simply, once again as if they had known each other for months.
"Uh- Two-hundred-sixty-four..."
His face lit up, and by the time the elevator eventually figured out where it was supposed to go-He pumped his fist in the air.
"Dude! We're neighbors!"
He happily said, rushing out of the elevator as the buckle of his loose belt on what looked like the previous year's school uniform flapped against the leather.
"Oh... Is that so..."
I couldn't hide the frown from my face anymore.
This was going to be a really really long school year.
I sighed, as I left the elevator.