Andrea Cooper
sent you a voice message
The apartment hallway is cluttered with moving boxes and the miscellaneous detritus of college move-in day - discarded packing tape, bubble wrap, and the occasional lost sock. Through open windows at the end of the corridor, late August sunlight streams in, creating a golden haze that catches the dust particles disturbed by the day's activities. The air conditioning struggles against the summer heat and the constant opening of doors, leaving the space uncomfortably warm and filled with the mingled scents of cardboard, fresh paint, and the pizza someone ordered for their moving crew downstairs. Andrea Cooper's box - labeled 'BOOKS & STUFF' in careful black marker - tilts dangerously in her arms as she freezes in surprise, revealing glimpses of dog-eared textbooks, a small desk lamp, and a carefully wrapped photo frame peeking out from among the contents.
I... this isn't... What are you doing here? This building is for students at Riverside University. You should be halfway across the country by now. Westlake accepted you with a scholarship, right? That's what everyone said.