Right on schedule the following week, Raj, Cassie, and Cassandra took his old truck on the four-hour drive to Central University. Tears were shed, but they were happy ones. Cassandra's first roommate in the Eudelia Fitzmorris housing facility was a quiet Japanese girl named Keiko. She was from Kyoto and was quite studious and very smart. She had a double major in computer science and business and was on a scholarship paid for by a large Japanese multinational corporation. After a few months, Cassandra began to think that Keiko's academic skills made her graphics arts major look like finger-painting!

The two freshmen got along tolerably well and found no reason to change anything so they roomed together for three years in the Virgin Vault, which was the unofficial name most students on campus called the women's only dorm. Each summer they both went home. Cassandra worked at the family market to make a little money. Even with that, she was maxing out the student loan program. After her first semester of college, Cassandra refused to take any more money from her parents. Neither Keiko nor Cassandra ever had a boyfriend during those three years. Keiko went on a few group dates, mostly with Japanese and Japanese-American social groups but nothing serious. Cassandra hid her five foot ten, eighty-five-pound frame in baggy sweatshirts and the like, and most guys didn't pay much attention to her anyway. She often thought to herself: I guess that I am invisible; that must be my superpower!

Cassandra's food aversions slowly subsided, but she never seemed to gain any weight. During the state-mandated annual physicals at the student health center, the nurse always chided her about her weight. When she asked the mandatory questions about sexual activity, Cassandra just shook her head. The nurse wrote something down and gave Cassandra the obligatory plain white plastic bag which contained a box of condoms and pamphlets about STDs. At the checkup before her sophomore year, she put Cassandra on birth control pills to try and regulate her irregular periods but said that the real solution was still to gain weight. Cassandra nodded glumly and thought: no shit!

Cassandra had never considered herself to be good at math, but near the end of the spring semester of her junior year, she figured that if she wanted to graduate on time, she would have to do her senior portfolio over the summer. Cassandra hated to miss out on the chance to go home and work and be with her family but had no choice. The seemingly endless number of mandatory classes had choked off her schedule and got her to a roadblock of sorts. All students were required to take Cultural Sensitivity this, Ethnic Studies that, Human Encouragement 201, Conflict Resolution 202, etc. Everyone on campus had to take these mandatory electives if that is a term. If one couldn't get a section the only option was to try again the following semester. The bottom line for Cassandra was summer school.

So on June 1st, she said goodbye to Keiko and packed her stuff into boxes. Cassandra took the first one across the dorm quad to one of the newer buildings. Unlike The Icehouse which was the other unkind term for EFM where two girls shared a single room, the newer buildings were four room quads where four roommates each had their own small room and shared a central living area. She took the steps up to the third floor, paused a moment, and then went down the hall to her new home. The door was open. The tall skinny girl stepped in and said meekly. "Hello, um, hi, I'm your new roommate."

Two girls were sitting on the couch laughing about something. They couldn't have been more different from each other. The girl on the left stood up and smiled. "You must be Cassandra. I'm Suzi and that's Jenny. Do people call you Cassie?"

She shook my head. "No, just Cassandra."

Suzi nodded pleasantly. "Okay, just Cassandra it is. You are in #C. Here, let me help you with the door. Suzi was surprisingly taller than Cassandra was, at over six feet tall. She had short-cropped blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and she was in incredible shape. She was wearing workout shorts and a tank top which said CU on the front and had a red number one on the back. Cassandra marveled at the muscles of Suzi's arms and legs and shook her head. Once again, she resolved to gain weight.

The other girl was dressed for what Cassandra though must be a hot date or something much more formal than dorm move-in day. She was wearing a stylish black dress which nicely showed off her ample cleavage. The red pumps and faux gold necklace were a perfect match and really made the look. Cassandra looked down at her own threadbare outfit and was a little embarrassed at her baggy sweatsuit and an oversized T-shirt. Suzi showed Cassandra to her new room and asked. "You're moving over from EFM right?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yeah, it's not open during the summer."

Suzi nodded. "Yep, this is the only game in town. How many more boxes do you have over there?"

She thought for a moment and answered. "Um, two boxes of books, some camera equipment, and a couple of duffels with my clothes."

Suzi turned her head and raised her voice. "J put on something normal, we're gonna' help Cassandra with her stuff. Between the three of us, we ought to be able to make it in one trip."

From the other room, Jenny's pleasant voice responded. "Okay, just give me a sec to get changed."

Cassandra smiled at Suzi warmly. "Thanks, that's very nice of you."

The two of them went back into the main part of the quad and Cassandra asked. "I'm not; I mean Jenny was all dressed up..."

Suzi laughed and showed off her killer smile. "Nope, she dresses like that every day!"

A few seconds later Jenny's door opened. She was wearing a plain white blouse and well-fitting but, tight jeans. Jenny was very curvy and evidently looked great in any wardrobe. As the three women walked out of the building and across the quad, it seemed like everyone knew Cassandra's new roomies. They introduced her to so many people that there was no way she could possibly remember all of their names. When they got to Cassandra's old room, Suzi immediately took charge. She put the straps of the large duffel around her arms like a backpack and then picked up the two heavy boxes of books; one on top of the other. With a wicked grin and a wink, she said. "Think you girls can handle the rest?"

Cassandra nodded in awe. "Thanks, Suzi, I'll just go find the RA to take my key and sign me out."

As Suzi was leaving the room Jenny said. "I'll wait here with Cassandra, see you back home Suzi."

As soon as Suzi was out of earshot, Cassandra whispered to Jenny. "That girl is amazing. I could barely lift one of those boxes!"

Jenny had a twinkle in her beautiful brown eyes and a big smile, she nodded and said. "Don't let her act scare you. Deep down inside she is a real sweetheart."

After the RA signed off on Cassandra's checkout sheet, she and Jenny carried the rest of her stuff over to her new room and the first day of the start of Cassandra's new life.