Liam and I spent almost the entire weekend relaxing on the beach. It was easy to enjoy the days tanning on the soft white sand, watching Liam skim board across the subtle cool waves. We both found that we had bright tan lines to remind us of our long days lounging after showering Sunday night. I let Topher stay a silent subject throughout the weekend as I didn't want to put Liam in a sour mood.

I found Zoe hunched over her text books when I finally arrived back in my dorm room Sunday afternoon.

"Hey stranger," she says as I kick the door shut behind me, "I didn't know when I'd see you again."

I dump my duffel bag on to my bed and move the contents into the dirty hamper, "I know, I'm sorry. I spent the weekend at Liam's place." She pulls her wild red hair into a messy bun as she turns and faces me, "I'm not complaining. It's like I'm living in a single." She says and her smile reassures me that she didn't mean that in a bad way. She leaps up from her desk chair and heads to the mini fridge. I see her text book is for her anthropology class and realize I have some homework of my own to do. After grabbing a glass bottle of kambucha, Zoe strides back to her desk and picks up a highlighter, "I see you got some sun this weekend," she says, "Make sure you are wearing lots of sunscreen. I once knew this girl who went in to the emergency room for a weird mole, turns out she had melanoma and died the next day."

I stop sorting my laundry and glance at my floor-length mirror. I instinctively touch the small freckle on my shoulder and inspect it by trying to look behind me. I make a mental note to swap the tanning oil out for some sunscreen next time Liam and I make it down to the beach.

"Thanks for the tip," I mutter back to her knowing that story will now scar me for life. After emptying out my duffel bag, I find my backpack and go over the homework I have. It's not much but I decide to text Mischa asking her if she wants to meet up to go over our lab homework together. I love Liam but sometimes a girl just needs some girl time. Mischa is quick to text back and I discover she lives in the dorms right across from me. It's just warm enough outside to be able to meet at the common area tables. I grab a lemonade from the mini fridge and wave to Zoe before heading outside.

Some of the tables are already filled with other studious students but I find a small table in the shade. Mischa finds me a few minutes later and quickly settles onto the bench across from me. She has such an easy bohemian style and I gush over the floppy brown brimmed hat she has on over her soft spiral curled hair. She makes lounge clothes stylish and I regret my Soffee shorts and Splendid cotton tee ensemble.

"Hey, how was your weekend?" She asks and I quickly fill her in on my beach time with Liam.

"What did you do this weekend?" I ask her back and she grabs a few pens before answering, "Not much. I explored the small Malibu shopping area and finished getting my dorm put together." I am giddy to learn she also enjoys bumming around a mall and will use this knowledge the next time I don't feel like shopping by myself.

"Yeah, I kind of stopped putting my dorm together after I thought about joining a sorority. It seems like a lot of work to just pack up and move again in a couple of weeks." I say as I riffle through my pencil bag searching for a black pen. We both have our lab notebooks out but we continue to chat as we answer the easy questions on our papers.

"So you are going to rush week then?" She asks and even though I haven't talked to Liam about it, I know I am going to end up doing it. I know I'll regret not trying to get in every time I see the Greek activities going on around campus.

"I think so. I promised my best friend I would look into Kappa Delta. She has a chapter at Louisville, so she thinks it would be fun to be sorority sisters." The mention of best friends makes me realize I haven't spoken to Lily since classes started. She is three hours ahead of me but I try and make it a point to remember to call her after I finish my homework.

"That would be fun. I don't have my mind set on any one sorority. I might just pick whoever will take me." We both laugh and I wonder how many pledges are accepted each year. I haven't really put too much thought into the fact that even if I pick Kappa Delta, they might not pick me.

"Did you finally talk to your boyfriend about all the sorority stuff?" She asks after a few moments of silence while we scribble away in our lab books.

"Not yet, he kinda has a lot going on in his life right now so I'm waiting for the right opportunity," I reply as she puts her pen down and I look back at her.

"I totally want to see a picture of your boyfriend, are you on Insta?" She asks as she grabs her phone sitting on the table beside her notebook. She looks me up and starts scrolling through my photos, "Shit, look at those baby blues." She flips her phone around to show me a picture of Liam and me at the beach. The lighting was perfect that day so Liam's blue eyes literally dance off the screen.

"Those baby blues still give me butterflies," I say back to her.

"Damn girl. Those eyes and those abs. How do you ever leave the bedroom?" She winks at me and goes back to scrolling through my pictures. My stomach flips as I hear her silently drool over more pictures of Liam. I enjoy showing him off but it's also hard to ignore all the sexual thoughts girls have about him. I see her thumb stop swiping and she flips her phone around again, "Okay I see these two girls in your pictures a lot. You guys look like real-life Snapchat filters or something. You three are flawless." I look at the picture of Lily, Harper, and me from our senior prom and I remember Harper dragging us to a beauty bar to get our hair blown out and our makeup airbrushed on. We did walk out of the salon feeling like we were on our way to the Oscars instead of to Highland Park's Senior Prom.

"Those two are my best friends in the whole world," I say with nostalgia taking over my voice. I can't believe how much I already miss them. I reach for my phone and accept the friend request Mischa just sent me. I'm now getting the skinny on her life outside of Pepperdine and her friends look similar to Stephanie and Cassie. Bohemian chic, always looking like they are on their way to Coachella or the beach. They are pretty in a natural way and they are all beautifully sun-kissed with dark ombre hair.

"So you grew up here in Los Angeles?" I ask her with my eyes still on her profile. From what I can see in the pictures, she lived a similar lavish lifestyle that I can relate to.

"I grew up in Calabasas which is a little south of here. My parents still live there too."

"Oh, I've heard of Calabasas. That's a really pretty area from what I've seen in the movies. It's where all the famous people live right?" I ask and she laughs, "Yeah we had a few celebrities in my neighborhood."

"That's so cool!" I gush as I put my phone back down on the table.

"Yeah I plan on going home on the weekends to do laundry and stuff so maybe one day I'll bring you down and we can lounge at my pool and go shopping down there!" She suggests and I excitedly shake my head yes! From her Free People outfits and large Balenciaga handbags, I know she likes to shop where I like to shop. I'd like to get on a friendly enough basis where we can borrow each other's clothes because I've already eyed a couple of dresses I've seen her rock. We go back to our homework and I'm starting to feel comfortable making new friends. Harper and Lily have been my security blanket since middle school so I had major anxiety about finding new friends out here. I like that Mischa seems like a genuine person and her thoughts match her actions, I don't feel like she's being fake with me.

We finish our biology homework and part ways in the middle of the commons right before sundown. Before she strides off, she fishes out the rush week pamphlets so I can use them when I talk to Liam. Mischa and I discussed it further and I decided I'm going to approach the subject with him tomorrow. I can't put it off any longer because rush officially starts in one week and the informational meeting is on Wednesday. I know he's been bombarded with information this past week and he needs time to sort through his family issues but I need to make him understand that this is important to me too.

When I make my way back to my dorm, I hear what sounds like African tribal music seeping through our door. I stand outside just listening to the ruckus coming from our room and realize I need to join a sorority for more than creating a lifelong bond with sisters. I need to join so I can get far away from my eclectic roommate.