Veronika Parker-Santos

One day someone will hug you so strong that it will bring together all pieces.

You’re soft, soft like spring flowers and sunsets and the white feathers inside your pillow.

   —– with a stack of flyers in her bag and a big smile on her lips, juno was basically bursting with energy. this wasn’t rare for her; juno was quite often a w h i r l w i n d of excitement, and being back on campus was making her even more energetic than usual. “hey, hey!,” she exclaimed, holding out one of the flyers. “my band and i are having a gig coming thursday, you should definitely come. it’s going to be a blast. and the bar it’s in has, like, REALLY GOOD beer, so if you don’t like it you can always get super drunk.”

She hadn’t expected to be approached but maybe the light she was desperate to fill herself with was radiating outward and drawing people in. Maybe. The flyer was bright and the band names were amusing but the girl was even more so, of both. “Oh, yeah I love live music!” lie. “And beer.” Lie. “You play?”

Nate was outside of the apartment complex, sitting on a bench with his guitar in his hands. His fingers moved along the strings and the frets, his voice carrying the lyrics to a melody that he had written both himself. The empty guitar case in front of him was merely for convenience, so he was surprised when someone dropped change into it. He laughed a little, “Oh I’m not..” His voice trailed off, not getting to finish explaining because the stranger had already walked off before he could explain that he wasn’t a street performer. 

she was exploring the grounds, making sure she was aware of every little stone path and garden, for reasons she kept to herself. The music drew her toward some benches and it wasn’t hard to recognize the amber locks of Nate, or the guitar in his arms. She was just behind a stranger who dropped a five dollar bill in his open case and she stifled a laugh as Nate scrambled to explain, bending to scoop up the bill. “Looks like you’re buying lunch.” She teased as she offered him the unexpected money.

vanessa hated move-in day;; the fact that their door had been propped open, the incessant chatter that seemed to fill the halls. it left her in a vast amount of disarray, something she was intensely uncomfortable with. so she stayed in her apartment, surrounded by papers and applications and books, pencils holding back her hair and and brows furrowed. and so, when she heard footsteps coming to a stop in her doorway, she was less that pleased.

boxes filled the various rooms of the place, with its white walls and wood floors, it was an invitation to create. At least, Nika felt she could breathe life into it and she was hopeful at the prospect of it feeling just as warm and complete as H O M E had been. Nessa didn’t seem as full of joy as Nika tried to inflate herself with at every watchable moment and she understood her sister in ways she never thought possible. Pausing in her doorway she forced a gentle smile, in place of her usual radiant one, to keep it soft for the person in front of her.