"—And then I bumped into her boyfriend," Taylor whined as she twirled around the straw in her drink. "He seems like such a sweet guy, but he doesn't at all look like the type of guy a girl like Karlie would go out with."
"Why?" came Abigail's voice from the phone. "Cause she's tall, wears a leather jacket, and is smoking hot?"
Taylor blushed. "I didn't say she was 'smoking hot'," she denied childishly, "I said she was hot, and that I think she smokes. Two separate things, Abs."
"Well, we both know I'm right."
Taylor took a sip of her frappé.
"Okay, well, maybe it wasn't the best first meeting, but it could have been worse!"
"Really?" Taylor stabbed the foam in her cup. "How."
"Well, you could have blinded her with the guitar pick, I guess." Abigail laughed at her own joke. "Come on, Tay! Stop stressing. So you have a hot roommate with a nerdy boyfriend. What's the big deal? She clearly likes you already, so you have nothing to worry about."
Taylor groaned and slammed her forehead on the picnic table.
"No slamming heads!"
Taylor rolled her head to the side, just enough so that she could look at the clear blue sky. "I don't know, Abs." She thought about Karlie. She thought about having to live with Karlie. "I just... don't want this to be another Dianna situation."
"Well, it won't be," Abigail assured. "She has a boyfriend. Just don't be a homewrecker and don't make things awkward."
"I wouldn't do that," Taylor argued with a frown. "And besides, even if she were single and into girls, which I doubt she is but that's a moot point, I'm not her type."
"Her boyfriend is a dork."
"Yeah?"
"So are you!"
Taylor lifted her head with an amused smile and brought her phone to her ear once more. She jokingly scoffed. "Abigail! Stop trying to get me to like her! Besides, she's probably, like, nineteen."
"So? That's only, what, like three years? You were nineteen when you met Dianna."
"Abigail," Taylor warned with a roll of her eyes. "You know what I mean. Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway. Like you said, she has a boyfriend. End of story."
"Yeah, don't worry about it, Tay." Abigail paused for a moment. "So, how's New York? The Big Apple?"
Taylor took the opportunity to look around. She sat in the busy greenery of Washington Square Park. The Arch loomed overhead, and the fountain in the middle sprayed water upwards with no regard to its surroundings. There were so many people, far more people than Taylor had ever seen all at once in a place like this. "It's really amazing, Abs. So much more amazing than U Tennessee."
"Aw, U Tenn isn't that bad. Go Vols!"
"I'm serious! There's so much life here and there's never a dull moment!"
"You really were made for the city. I'm glad you're liking it there! When do classes start for you?"
"Monday," Taylor responded with a sigh. "At least I was able to transfer some credits, so I don't have too many classes. And I've got a free day on Fridays."
"Woo! Party time!" Abigail cheered over the phone. "Hey, you're legal now! Go live it up, girl!"
Taylor couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, maybe! Alcohol is kinda gross, though. But hey, when in Rome."
"Exactly! Just don't overdo it, but make sure to have fun."
"Of course!" Taylor took a deep breath in and admired her surroundings. She loved the way the buildings looked as though they could touch space, and she loved the constant chatter and laughter. "How are you doing?"
"I'm alright, junior year kind of blew, I'm not going to lie." Abigail punctuated her statement with a giggle. "But hey, it could be worse, I guess. Are you excited to be a freshman again?"
"Kind of. It'll be weird being a couple years older than most of the people in my class, but I'm hoping this time it'll work out," Taylor responded honestly. "I really am passionate about English and writing! I'm thinking of double-majoring in English and music. And hey, maybe it'll even help me in my songwriting."
Abigail gasped. "Ooh, Taylor! Are you going to make music again?"
Her friend's excited tone forced a deep smile on her face. "I never stopped! You know me, I can never get a song out of my head. I just haven't been recording them or putting them anywhere other than in a notebook and my phone's audio recorder, but maybe it'll be nice to start singing again." Taylor's gleeful ranting took a more serious tone. "This time it'll be just for fun, though. No more driving around with demo CDs and desperately throwing them at any record label that seems like they might listen."
"Heck yeah! Good for you Tay. I'm proud of you."
Taylor smiled and the rest of the conversation went by just as easily. Abigail had told her of a new boy in her life but claimed it was nothing serious, which Taylor believed, but she hoped the best for her friend. After some lighthearted gossiping, Taylor decided it was probably time to head back.
"It was nice talking to you, Abs!" Taylor said, getting up from her seat. She picked up her cup to throw it away. "Let me know if anything happens with that guy."
"Yeah, okay," Abigail agreed. "And you fill me in on this Karlie girl."
Taylor rolled her eyes in amusement. "Sure, whatever. I'll call you tomorrow!" With that, she hung up the phone and placed it in the pocket of her jean shorts. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she skipped over to the nearest trashcan and deposited her cup.
New York truly was the greatest city in the world. She could practically feel it already. From the bustling city noise to the beautiful skyline, it was all Taylor had ever dreamed of.
She hummed to herself. A song that she had written some time ago in response to people's mean comments about her. A song that never saw the light of day, but remained one of her favourite concepts. "One day, I'll be living in a big old city, and all you're ever gonna be is mean," she mumbled under her breath as she joyfully walked back to her dorm building.
Taylor strolled back through Washington Square Park. She let herself enjoy the breeze. It was slightly colder than she was used to, but she figured she would enjoy the New York warmth before it disappeared in time for winter. Around her, the laughter of other students lifted her mood to even greater heights. Music filled her ears, and her curious feet brought her toward a small group of people busking. Bongos and guitars. She laughed and dropped a five-dollar bill in their guitar case.
And after all was said and done, she arrived back to her new home for the school year. The dorm building, Brittany Hall, was a short walk away from Washington Square, which Taylor was ever so thankful for. She took one last look up at the brick building and entered. Hopefully, Karlie was done setting up her room. She didn't want her roommate to feel pressured, after all. And most importantly, Taylor didn't want to bear witness to any behaviour that was meant to be private between her and her boyfriend.