Wren

Chapter one: The drop off

I'm sitting in the back of my moms SUV, my parents are holding hands up front, Olympia is wrapped up in my university merch which is quite perfect for her, a green sweater with a giant yellow O on it, she has the snapback on to match too. Josephine and Bash both have the Oregon Ducks sweaters, Grey with a duck in the centre and "The university of Oregon" written in an arch around it. Mom has the snap back, the sweater, the vest underneath and she even bought the sweat pants, her and mama both matched, it was absolutely mortifying!!!

"I'm going to miss you" Bash says placing his little hand over his car seat and onto my arm beside him.

I look sideways and take his hand squeezing it a little "I will miss you too you little monster" I return and he grins, his dimples deepen and I take him in, his innocent little face that hides his devilish side, just like Olympia. I would miss Bash, much more than I missed my sisters, because they could at-least text me and still bother me from afar, but Bash was only six, I would only see him when my moms put him on the phone.

"Can I have your TV" he asks "and your Nintendo switch... and also your comforter that I like with the rainbows..."

I shake my head jovially "do you want my soul too" I ask and he smiles and laughs huskily, his voice just as raspy as Olympias, moms genes were strong in these two.

"Wait are we divvying up Wrens stuff" Josie interjects from behind us.

"Are we" Olympia asks suddenly sitting forward and entering the conversation with enthusiasm.

Mama turns, her red hair flinging sideways with the quick action "Guys, Wren is going to university, she isn't leaving forever... she will be back for winter break... she's going to need to have her stuff" she says and then she eyes me up "my baby" she whispers and tears fill her eyes again at the thought of me leaving.

Mom places her spare hand on mamas "Harper don't start you will start me off too and I'm only just holding myself together"

Mama turns back to her. Olympia and I make eye contact as we roll them up. We knew they would cry, but we had literally only just left home for the university halls. I thought they would last longer.

"Teddy I can't help it...she was just born... where did it all go" she says through tears.

Mom lifts her hand and kisses it and I observe the action and look out of the window, my parents had given me ridiculous expectations of love and of partners. I wanted what they had, god I wanted that, to be so loved and adored by someone who would invest their life in you as you did them. My parents found their end game, and now my ideas of love were heightened by what I grew up witnessing. I push the thoughts away and focused on the landscape changing as we drove. I wasn't going to obsess about love or relationships, I was going to actually take love out of the equation all together and enjoy girls, enjoy the flirtation and the fun of it all, and leave my heart at home.

***
It was quiet the day my parents pulled up to the residential halls I would be staying in, move in day was in September for most students, but the soccer season started in August and we would be here that little bit earlier, focusing on the soccer for a month before my classes even began.

Apparently my room mate would be from my team, it kind of made me nervous, my mind went to Ava and I freaked out, mom called the university and spoke with a lady who did the room allocation, and she made it known that Wren Nomikos and Ava Montgomery should not be paired up under any circumstances. The lady said she didn't have the power to change allocations and then my mom turned on the charm, revealed her name, used her local celebrity to get her way, she hated to do it but sometimes, needs must, and we were guaranteed to be apart.