Chapter Text
Miranda stumbled into her apartment, eye starting to swell. It wasn’t abnormal that someone had taken exception to something she’d said, but getting assaulted was typically not the outcome. After staying on her feet besides the first slap, no doubt deserved but she didn’t actually remember what she’d said, the punch that came next knocked her to the ground.
Through the ringing of her ears, she vaguely heard her assailant being escorted out of the store by a few helpful bystanders. Laying on the floor as she’d been, she had felt more exhausted with her life than she had in years. After one glance at her gushing nose, her boss had sent her home with the strong suggestion of a doctor’s appointment.
Miranda stood in front of her bathroom mirror, prodding her nose and eye socket. They hurt, but not enough to be broke. The worst case scenario was that she’d have a gnarly black eye for a couple of weeks, and that wasn’t too bad. If she was looking on the bright side, (through her still-good eye) it made her look tough.
She knew she was worth so much more than getting punched while she stocked shelves. She knew she was smart. She knew that she deserved so much more. But life clearly didn’t care about what she knew or didn’t know.
Tears started falling and she scrubbed them away, frustrated with herself. After a hefty debate between sulking on her bed and crying herself to sleep versus going for a run to calm down, she sighed, strapped her taser to her ankle and exited her crappy apartment.
An hour of running did its job. Jog slowing, Miranda checked her pulse. She really did love to run. The burn in her chest, her ponytail swinging wildly, the all-consumingness of it, running was amazing, second only to swimming. Swimming had all of that and more.
While she made her way over to the apartment’s mailboxes, she caught a glimpse of her horrendously frizzy hair in the metal’s reflection. Wincing, she hastily smoothed the blonde monstrosity down. The effect was minimal.
Once she’d got her mail and went home, Miranda plopped on her bed to shift through the envelopes. A bright red seal flap caught her attention, and she pulled it, dropping the rest of the stack. The return address wasn’t familiar, she’d never heard of a Rosie Baughm before, but she slit it open anyway.
‘Dear Miranda Slider.
It is a pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as a recipient of a full ride under the condition that you swim for Rosie Baughm University. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
Your swimming achievements and awards, along with academic performance, have set you apart from a highly competitive pool of applicants.
As a recipient of this scholarship, you will receive funds to support your educational expenses for the upcoming academic year.
Yours truly, Jimothee Whacks.’
Miranda screamed at the top of her lungs, leaping off her bed. This couldn’t be real! On swimming?! The best thing she knew how to do?!
She’d been on some sort of swim team virtually all her life, and she wasn’t humble enough not to admit she was amazing, but a full ride to a college? As far as she had been aware of, school hadn’t even had a scout visit since her class was so small.
Even though she was practically vibrating in place, imagining the team she would finally get to be on again, the wishful thinking screeched to a stop when she took a deep breath and reminded herself that it was only good if it was real, and it might not have been. She would factcheck the University before letting the excitement that had already bubbled up in her chest to grow.
***
Miranda had never been so conflicted in her entire life.
It was an ivory college. So, on top of everything she had always wanted, she got a four year period of a bunch of power-crazed people running around with paddles and rulers smacking random students while walking down the hall, Umbridge style. Although… even that was better than slowly fading into a monotonous life surrounded by mediocre people doing everyday things. So… she supposed… if she was getting swimming, a degree, and a kickstart to her life, she could swing with such an insane college.
She’d done decidedly crazier things.
***
p‘Hey. I know it’s been a while. I just wanted to let you know that I’m moving for college. I got a great scholarship on swimming… y’all remember I used to do that? Anyway, just wanted to let you know.’
Miranda was already regretting sending the message, but after waking at four, she had, perhaps a little too eagerly, packed up the entirety of her bedroom and called to quit her job. She had then spent a couple of hours writing a formal letter to the landlord, who upon her hand delivering it to him, had really seemed to not care if she was in or out of the apartment, so long as it wasn’t being actively burnt down.
After spending the entirety of the morning considering telling her parents, she had finally decided that if they lost their minds and showed up at the apartment after she’d moved, the poor soul that would be bothered by them probably didn’t deserve such misery. Besides, if her parents had a huge temper tantrum then that was their business.
Technically, she wasn’t even required to text them anyway. She didn’t live with them, hadn’t, for a long time. As soon as she had turned sixteen, she’d gotten herself emancipated. It was easy, her family had had enough reports filed against them from her school that the judge wasn’t extremely hesitant to get her away.
Swimming wasn’t an activity that got many bruises.
Despite all of these facts, her mother called her almost instantly. Holding back a groan aloud and straightening from where she’d been packing everything below bathroom sink, she clicking the green button.
“Miranda! You can’t… leave town without even asking me and… your father… He’s very upset!” Judging from the long pauses, mommy-dearest was nodding off.
“Uh huh. Sure, sorry. Look, mother, I’m pretty busy with packing.” Miranda responded numbly, holding the phone away from her ear in anticipation for the shriek.
“You aren’t going anywhere! I’m putting my foot down! I’m saying no! It’s not happening!” Rage flooded through her body, and her hands started to shake.
“You aren’t the littlest bit proud of me? Seriously? I get a full scholarship to finally escape this awful place, and you don’t care at all?”
“You don’t get to escape. I never did and you don’t deserve… to.”
Miranda bashed the button to hang up and hurled her phone into the mirror. Glass rained into the sink and she shattered into sobs.
Why had she still had that stupid, foolish, hope deep down? That her parents would be happy? Why had she thought her mother would be anything but disappointed that her one child was as successful as she could never make herself be? It wasn’t as though they were always at her swim meets cheering her on from the sidelines. Who did she think she was?
She was a child to think that they’d be a little proud, and Miranda was eighteen years old, not a child, and far too old to cry in the bathroom because she didn’t have a friend in the world.
***
Setting the last box into her car’s backseat, Miranda walked round and climbed into the car. This was it. After several deep breaths, she shifted her car into gear and drove out of the wretched parking lot for the last time, taking great pleasure in the fact that no matter what, she wouldn’t come back here.
Miranda put on her hype playlist, which consisted of ridiculously happy pop songs such as I Will Get Back Up Again from Trolls. Singing and head-bobbing, she pulled onto the interstate.
***
Miranda shuffled into the Admins office, chin tucked as she weaved through the people. It took her a second to figure out where she was supposed to be going, but a woman waved her over. Sitting on the other side of the desk, she focused on the lady.
“Name?” Sharp eyes appraised her over rectangular glasses.
“Miranda Slider.”
“Full name, please.” Miranda felt her face get hot.
“Oh— um, Miranda Rosà Slider.” The registrar typed it into her computer and looked back up at her. Miranda wished she wouldn’t, her eyes were piercingly blue.
“Scholarship student?” Miranda nodded. “Please fill all of this out.” She took the clipboard, reading through all of it carefully, signing and marking when necessary. Feeling the excitement come back as soon as she had the pen in her hand, she let it sink in that this was real. Handing the paperwork back to the woman, she fidgeted excitedly until she was given a few more papers to sign and had a picture taken for her student I.D.
“You’re in Residence Hall Number 4. You marked that a co-ed dormitory room was not a problem?” After receiving a hasty nod, the woman went on. “You’ve been assigned an Accountability Partner for your freshman year. Your RA will give you more extensive information once you get to your hall that’ll tell you specifics, orientation dates, your dynamic test scheduling, stuff like that.” The woman handed her a campus map and pointed to the hall on it.
“Thank you.” Miranda stood, fiddling with her backpack straps.
“Of course. Please come back if you have any questions at all.”
Exiting the building, she climbed into the car and chucked her backpack into the passenger side. The college was more normal than she’d expected. If she was being hones, she hadn’t read too much focusing on the discipline side of it all (she hadn’t had time in her race to get to the college) and aside from driving past a few questionable statues and a couple on a bench, containing one stern-looking girl and one bawling guy even though she appeared to be doing nothing to him– Miranda couldn’t rule out mind control–it didn’t really give her dungeon and torture vibes.
***
Clutching a thick folder she’d been given by her RA, she unlocked the dorm using the key she’d also been given. Looking around, she slowly raised her eyebrows. It was a suite-style, as her RA had said, equipped with a small kitchenette, a couch, and a kitchen table big enough for four. Two doors were on the far wall of the living room, both had papers on them with the names of the occupants. She was sharing with someone named Olivia May Jordan. All in all, it was a lot nicer than she had expected.
After throwing her backpack on one of the bed, she trudged back down the stairs to get back to her car. Miranda stared at the three boxes in the back seat, deciding on whether or not she wanted to risk carrying all of them or make multiple trips. She was not walking down those stairs more than once, she decided stubbornly, before pulling all three out and shutting the car door with her foot. Almost halfway positive that she could walk upstairs with an obscured field of vision, she tarried on.
Evidently, even walking on flat ground with an obscured field of vision wasn’t happening. She immediately tripped over her own foot and just managed not to drop anything, Considering the fact that she didn’t drop anything to mean she’d succeeded, Miranda walked a few more steps further, before stopping when she noticed someone in her peripheral vision.
“Hey, can I help you out?” The thick southern accent surprised her, but she nodded.
“Yeah, if you want to.” The guy took two boxes, and she heaved a relieved sigh.
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” The brunette shook his head against her thanks.
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Where’re we headed?” He responded, smiling brightly. Who was ever that happy? It was almost ridiculous.
“I’m on the fourth floor.” Having a hard time not staring at the man beside her, she chose to stare at the ground instead. The heroic effort he made to open the door for her was truly adorable, but after a while of laughing at his struggling, she took pity and helped him out.
“Is this the last of your stuff?” Pink from his attempt at chivalry, he followed her into the stairwell and up the stairs.
“Nah. This is all of it.” Miranda opened the door to her floor.
“Wow, you must’ve left a bunch at home.” Disguising a wince, she forced a laugh.
“What’s your name?” Eager to switch topics, the question was a welcome diversion.
“Oh, sorry. I’ve got some awful manners, dun’I? I’m Jason. How about you?”
“Miranda.” After answering automatically, she paused. Jason simultaneously stopped, and the two stared at each other for a moment.
“Are we roommates?” Miranda blurted after a moment. Jason nodded, then cracked up.
“What are the odds that we met before going inside the dorm?” Laughing lightly, they reached their floor. Unlocking their dorm, they set her boxes on the kitchenette table.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, miss.”
“Ditto. Thanks again for helping me out.” Shrugging, he fixed her with another one of his smiles.
“‘Course. Don’t mention it.” She stood there for a moment, heart racing a little. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he glanced back at the door.
“Well, I left my parents at the car, so I’m going to head back and unload.” Her head twitched as though she was coming out of a daze.
“What? Oh, yeah. See you later, then.” Jason left the dorm room and Miranda stood there for a minute before shaking her head once more.