Covered in sweat, she finally reaches the door of her dorm room. She pushes both suitcases in the door. 

“If I knew you were coming, I would have told you the elevator wasn’t working, and came to help you. But your cell phone number wasn’t on the list.”

She looks at the girl headed towards her and smiles. “Sorry. I changed my number last minute.”

“Crazy ex-boyfriend. I understand.”

Billie just shook her head, willing to accept the lie, instead of telling her the truth.

“My name is Jackie, your new roommate.”

“Billie,” she says, holding out her hand for a handshake. Instead, Jackie enveloped her into a tight bear hug. Uncomfortable, Billie just waits until it’s over.

Jackie stands back, still holding Billie by the arms, and looks her up and down. “Yup. You’re perfect as my roommate. You’re just as beautiful as me,” she laughs. “You might even be the next girlfriend of Eights.” 

She watches as her new roommate walks into the room and points to a bed. Assuming it’s hers, because its bare, she walks to it and puts her stuff at the desk underneath it. Unwilling to say his name, she just says, “next girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Jackie says, fixing the curtain on her bed. When Billie says nothing, Jackie looks back at her with a giant smile. “You don’t know who Eight is, do you?”

“Not a clue.”

“Honey Girl,” Jackie pulls over the chair that was under Billie’s desk and then sits in her chair. She pats the seat. “Sit down.”

Billie does what she’s told, abandoning her luggage for the moment. “Eight is the hottest… well, maybe not the hottest, but he is extremely handsome and extremely rich. The son of a major company, and runs his own business while still in college. I heard he makes half a million dollars in a minute.”

“And he’s looking for a new girlfriend?”

“Every day,” Jackie smiles. “It was said that a few years ago, he had this girlfriend, a serious relationship, but she was only with him for his company and his money. She broke his heart. So he vowed that even if he dates, it’ll only be for a day. Or some . It sounds stupid. But the point is, he dates a woman for twenty-four hours, and in those twenty-four hours, he’ll do whatever and buy whatever they want. And when that twenty-four hours is up, he moves to the next girl.”

“So he's a playboy,” Billie says.

“Yeah, but imagine the stuff he could buy you, and the dates you could go on. Plus, I heard he’s good in bed.”

Billie could feel herself blush. She, a , wouldn’t know anything about that. “I’m not really the type to date a guy based on what he could buy me. I think that’s a waste of money.”

“Which just means less competition for me. I wouldn’t really make him buy me anything, but I wouldn’t mind a rumble in the sheets of a luxurious hotel. Twenty four hours of… hmmm.”

Jackie laughs at the look on Billie’s face and drags her out of her chair as she smiles. “Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

“My stuff—”

“Will still be there later and I will help you unpack.”

Billie follows her, practically dragged out of the dorms and into a tiny shop near the cafeteria. She had never seen so many choices of sweets before. They even had pastries.

“My treat,” Jackie says.

Billie waves her arm to tell her no, but Jackie just pushes them down.

“They take the ‘Pride Bucks’ that are on their student card, and I plan to blow it on food for the both of us. No worries. I’m not rich or anything, but I have a mother who is scared that I won’t eat enough, and loads up this card with Bucks.”

Billie could understand Jackie’s mother being worried. It was the same with her older brother. 

“A strawberry milkshake please, and a scone. What do you want?”

“I’ll take an ice cream sundae, not nuts please,” Billie smiles at the woman behind the counter.

It doesn’t take long for them to get their treats and sit at a table, but as soon as they sit, Jackie's phone goes off. 

“,” Jackie sighs. “I forgot that my orientation started today. When is yours?”

“Later tonight.”

“Here, finish this for me,” she said, pushing the scone towards her. I’ll be back later to help you unpack. Bye.”

Jackie kisses her on the cheek before Billie even has time to react and is out the door with her milkshake in hand. 

Billie looks down at her huge sundae and then the enormous scone in front of her. There’s no way she’d be able to finish both. Luckily, the woman that was behind the counter comes up to her smiling and gives her a to-go-box. 

“Thank you,” Billie smiles. She wraps up the scone and pulls out her welcome packet that she got in the mail. As she reads it, she enjoys eating her sundae. Her phone goes off, and she looks at the unknown number calling her phone. Her heart beats further, and she’s too busy looking at her phone to notice all the people walking out, or the group of men walking in.

She answers the phone and slowly brings it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hey. You won’t believe what just happened?”

“Jackie? How'd You get my number?”

Jackie: I flirted with the head of your department.

Billie: How d'you even know my major?

Jackie: Maybe it was the ia Wolfe quote on your shirt, and the large sticker of Maya Angelou on your suitcase. Unimportant. Guess what?

There was a pause on the phone as Jackie waited for her to say what, and Billie felt like she would really wait until Billie said something.

Jackie: You won’t believe it, but we just got an invitation to the greatest party. 

Billie: you literally just left, and already you got a party invite.

Jackie: We absolutely have to go. 

Billie: Okay, okay, we will go. Like an opening weekend party?

Jackie: And you won't believe it. It’s Eight’s party!

Billie: Eight? You got an invitation to Eight’s party, the man who has had a million girlfriends? No, I’m not going.

Jackie: What? Why not?

Billie: Because the second that guy walks in or someone says his name, there’s going to be a gaggle of girls rushing to get to him to be his next conquest. And then I’ll have to battle that mob to even get a drink. And I don’t think Eight seems like the guy to have food at his party, and what's the point of going to a party without food?

Jackie: Did you just say… gaggle of girls? Like a gaggle of geese?

Billie: … yes. Maybe I shouldn’t have referred to them as a gaggle.

Jackie: Don’t you think you’re being a little condemning of Eight too.

Billie: Condemning Eight? Me? No. well… maybe. I don’t really know the guy; I can't really tell what kind of party he’ll have?

Jackie: Just about the party?

Billie: Okay, okay, I get it. We’ll go

Jackie: yes!

Billie: But the second there’s a full conga line of women rushing somewhere, I’m leaving.

Jackie: Bye, Girl. 

She hangs up and notices people looking at her. Actually, all the guys were all looking at her. A room full of about seventeen of them. 

“Sorry, that was too loud, wasn’t it? Sorry.” She bends her head down and hurries to finish her sundae.

“A million girlfriends,” someone laughs.

“Gaggle of girls,” comes another chuckle.

“Conga line of women.”

“Will there really be no food?”

Billie stuffs her face full of the last bits of her food, grabs the scone and rushes out, hands covering her blushing face.

“See you at the party,” someone calls out to her.

She just waves back and rushes out, completely embarrassed.