Futa Cum Laude Bk. 02: Freshmen Ch. 01

Ramona turned and gave an earnest smile. "Thanks, Willow."

"No worries." The cheery girl waved as she backed off. "Good luck, guys."

+++

"Letters of Acceptance, please." The petite spectacle-clad woman in her forties asked the girls outside of the glistening brick building. After passing the crumbled page, Shawna craned her neck upward and counted three stories. She stifled a sigh of relief. If this would be their dorm assignment, she already appreciated its cozy appeal--more welcoming than a massive campus.

"Ah..." The woman pursed her lips before she smiled. "You ladies fill the last room in Lavender House. That's right here." She gestured. "I'm Dr. Umi Saito, Dean of Students at Moringa." Dr. Saito sharpened her almond-eyes and looked them over. "You two are certainly traveling light for your first semester in college."

Ramona nodded, clutching her single duffle bag in embarrassment. "We're from Staward House, the futanari group home in Austin."

Umi's face reddened. "Oh, yes." She snapped her fingers. "You got my last two need-based scholarships. I'm so sorry for the comments. You're also my last two girls here in Lavender House. The common living area on the first floor. Three dorm rooms on each of the second and third floors with showers and bathrooms on each. Be mindful of which dorm you're walking into; All four buildings are set up identically. You ladies are on the 3rd floor, Room 303."

+++

"Thank god, we're here." Ramona groaned as she tossed her bag on the closest bed. "I fucking thought my shoulder was going to fall off." The room wasn't much; Two simple twin beds on opposite sides of the double room were coupled with modest computer desks. But it was enough privacy and space for two girls from a group home to be elated.

"This--" Shawna choked up. "This is going to be great."

"Hey." A faint voice called out from across the hall. An overly slender girl with fine, straight raven hair waved dainty wrist as she passed. "Welcome to Moringa."

"Thanks," Ramona said. The two paused a moment to meander towards the doorway. "I'm Ramona and this Shawna."

"I can speak for myself." Shawna elbowed Ramona's side before turning back. "I'm Shawna."

"I'm Maddi." She laughed. "I see you two'll lighten up the floor." She side-stepped the doorway to reveal a shaggy-haired redhead read on her bed. "That's Mallory," Maddi said under her breath. "But good luck getting her to talk to you."

"There's a lot of that going on here." Ramona cocked her brow.

"And I see you've met The Golden Queens," Maddi concluded. "Yeah, this place is, unfortunately, very clique-y."

"Wait," Shawna inched closer and peered at the girl. "Mallory Wright?" She called out.

Mallory turned her head and stared at the doorway. She brushed the messy bang her from the face and sat up. "I remember you. Both of you. You were at Round Rock High when I was a senior. Shawna and Ramona?"

"Holy shit!" Ramona perked up. "You were at Staward House, too!"

Mallory nodded with zeal. "Yeah, I think I left a month after you guys got here." She sprung off the bed and rushed over, her feet slapped loudly against the thin carpet. Mallory passed Maddi's sullen frame and embraced Ramona--and then Shawna. "If you guys need to learn the ropes here, I'm only a hall away. Welcome."

"Oh. Great." Maddi mocked. She rolled her eyes as she walked down the hall. "Now, there are two more people in this building that won't talk to me."

Once she was sure Maddi out of earshot, Shawna questioned. "What's up with her?"

Mallory scoffed. "Oh. You didn't catch her last name, did you?"

"Well, no," Ramona admitted.

"She's a Masters." Mallory watched Maddi disappear around the corner and down the stairs. "She's actually *the* Masters.

+++

Maddi Masters tramped down the stairs one-at-a-time, taking her time, mainly because she possessed no idea where to go. Her girlfriend Savannah was set to move to Moringa Island, but her plane wouldn't land for another few weeks. Then they could find an apartment in town. That was the plan anyway.

"I am not going back to that room." Maddi scolded herself as her flats hit the ground on the first floor. "I don't know where I'm going, but I know I'm not going back there." Then she paced back and forth near the door, seething like a caged tiger. "Stuck up, bitch..." She growled. Maddi repeated the insanity until a girl shuffled through the front doors carrying a duffle bag and pillow.

Maddi watched the girl hobble to the line of sofa benches spread out in the room's center, and it appeared that she was about to set up camp. "Hello?" Maddi called out, walking over and forgetting about her troubles for a while. "Can I help you with anything?" She tried to catch a glimpse of the girl's face, but thick locks of frayed jet black hair continued to conceal her identity.

"I'm just going to sleep here tonight," She replied while spreading out a blanket. "And maybe tomorrow. I'm not sure." The girl look pulled back her hair, which appeared to be cut using scissors. She turned to face Maddi, and her piercing blue eyes focused on a familiar face. "Madison Masters." She said with a surprised grin. "Fancy seeing you here."

Maddi scrunched her face, taking several steps closer before, at last, recognizing her acquaintance. "Sunny?" She finally said. "Sunny Skye? Did you just dye and cut your hair? Like... just now?"

"Um," Sunny dragged out her thought. Her fingers touched the uneven strands as clippings floated off. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. Long story." She sat on her newly-made bed and beckoned for Maddi to join. "You're staying in this dorm? Thought for sure you'd be in Goldenrod House."

"I snuck on the roster." Maddi sat down beside her. "Not many people know I'm here."

"That's what I should have done," Sunny said. "It's a bit rowdy over there."

"Rowdy?" Maddi sounded shocked. "How so?"

"How much time you got?" Sunny asked.

Maddi decided to raid the vending machine. She had the feeling she was in for a long story.