I slammed the car door shut in the driveway of my boyfriend's house. Rummaging through my purse to find my keys, I pulled open the mailbox. There was an envelope addressed to me. I frowned, wondering what could be inside. Tucking it into my purse, I ran up to the door and unlocked it. The lights were off. He must be asleep, or drunk. Or both. I stepped into the house and locked the door behind me. As I stepped into the kitchen, my foot nudged against something. An empty bottle of beer. I switched on the lights to find more on the table. I sighed, knowing what that meant. Setting the purse down on back by the front door, I ventured into the living room, taking the mysterious envelope with me. Grabbing a letter opener, I sliced it open. Two crisp white sheets of paper were folded inside- two copies of the same thing- addressed to Ms. Feyre Archeron.

Dear Ms. Archeron,

We are happy to announce that you have been accepted into the prestigious University of Prythian.

I read the first sentence over and over again, my mind not quite believing what my eyes were seeing. Scanning over the rest of the page, I was overcome with joy. There was also contact info for my new roommate. Hearing a door creak open, I quickly pressed a kiss to the letter of acceptance, and stuffed it into my purse. I took out my phone and pulled up a game, pretending to idly play.

"Feyre. You're home."

I looked up, locking my phone. "Hey, Tam."

"Don't 'Hey, Tam' me. You were supposed to be home 15 minutes ago!" He growled.

"I'm sorry, I- I got stuck in traffic on the way back," I stuttered.

He snarled, and I involuntarily fliched. "Make it up to me then." I knew what was coming next as I lowered my eyes. He grabbed my wrist and tugged me into his bedroom, then shut the door. His breath reeked of alcohol as he pressed a rough kiss to my lips. I made no move to stop him as he began to strip himself and me.

I had started dating Tamlin a little after New Year, about six months ago. He was amazing, at first. I had loved him with all my heart. He had loved me too, I think. He had given my endless gifts, all his attention, and always went out of his way to please me. When his birthday rolled around in spring, I had no objections as we made love. Then things started changing. It was almost as if he had put a mask on, those first few months, to hide his true nature, to get me to love him. He started drinking more, and became possessive. He always wanted to know where I was, was super protective, treated me like his own pet, and, got crazy jealous if a guy even looked at me for too long. But he did it all out of love for me, and I understood. Kind of. At least he still bought me art supplies for painting, my greatest passion. I would often lose myself for hours at a time, when Tamlin wasn't home, pouring my heart and soul into my work. I posted pictures on my blog, then sold the painting. Tamlin always claimed the money, saying that if he paid for the materials, he should take the fruits of my labor. He also said it was payment for me living with him.

My love of art is also why I applied to U of P, all those months ago. I didn't tell Tamlin; I was planning on surprising him later today. I would also move out, getting my own dorm, which I would share with a roommate. My letter had said I would room with someone named Morrigan Gold. I was relieved that it was a girl- Tamlin would go nuts if he learned that I was living with another guy.

I started in a few weeks.

The next morning, I got ready for work at tattoo parlor. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. The number looked familiar, but it wasn't in my contacts. The message read:

Hey, this is Mor, your new roommate. Is this Feyre?

I blinked. Right. Mor- Morrigan Gold. I replied:

This is Feyre. Hi Morrigan.

Great! Call me Mor.

OK, Mor.

"Who are you texting?"

I jumped, turning to Tamlin's voice. "Uhh- no- no one. Just playing."

He growled, but thankfully, settled back into the sheets.

"Hey, I'm leaving for work now, ok?" I announced. He mumbled something inaudible and I stepped out of the house. The tattoo parlor wasn't far, and I pulled into the parking lot of Ink Stars.

As I finished up the last tattoo for the day, a text alert rang on my phone- from Mor.

Hey Feyre- would you like to maybe meet up before U of P starts? To get to know each other.

I replied:

Yeah, sure! When is a good time for you?

How about Friday night?

I bit my lip thoughtfully. I would have to tell Tamlin about my acceptance, and he might want to tag along, but I really wanted to meet Mor…

Sounds good. Around 8ish?

Sure. Do you mind if my cousin who also is going to U of P comes?

No problem. The more people I know before college, the better.

We texted each other the details and bid each other goodbye. As I drove home, I wondered how the hell I was going to explain this to Tamlin.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"Tam, calm down and just-"

"WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME?!"

"I-I- Tam, please, just listen." I pleaded. "I love you, you know that." That seemed to placate him a little. I took a deep breath. "I applied to get an Art Major so long ago I forgot. Until yesterday-" He snarled and I involuntarily fliched. "I received this." I handed him the letter of acceptance.

He read it over once. His eyes lingered on the information of my new roommate. Roommate. He growled and ripped the paper into pieces. I cringed. At least I still had the copy.

"You're moving out." Rage flickered in his eyes.

"I'll visit whenever I can, nothing would have changed other than where I live!" I cried. "I- I love you." He calmed down a little. I took another deep breath.

"I- uh. Mor- Morrigan is- she wants to- We agreed-"

"SPIT IT OUT."

"Mor, her cousin, and I are meeting tomorrow night and she is picking me up at 7 to go out for food," I blurted out.

A muscle feathered in his jaw.

"And I-" I swallowed and held my chin high for once in my life. "I am going and you can't stop me!"

"Fine."

"I mean it I- what?"

"You three girls go. You and Mor and the girl who is her cousin. I don't want to come."

I blinked. "Ok."

The next day was a blur. Soon, before I knew it, it was time to get ready.

I took a hot and steamy shower, washing my hair. I decided to wear a beautiful dress that Tamlin bought me a couple months ago. It was an exquisite strapless evening gown, with a gold bodice and a floor length teal skirt. Mor had said to dress formal, and I hoped this would do. I also wore gold hoop earrings, a gold necklace, gold heels, and a teal and gold purse. I left my hair down, but curled it slightly. I added some black mascara, gold eyeshadow, and light pink lipstick, and was ready to go.

My head was spinning with questions- will they like me? What if they think I'm trying too hard? What if they think I was too dumb, or poor, be going to U of P?

Breathe, Feyre. I sighed and glanced at my watch. 10 minutes. Right then, I got a text from Mor.

Right outside. Come out whenever you are ready. I'm the red one. QZO 6848.

I took a deep breath and let it out. Tamlin was out, and would probably return drunk around 11, most likely a few hours before I got home.

Shrugging on a light jacket, I stepped out of the house and locked the door behind me. A red car was parked next to the curb. QZO 6848. Oh my god. Damn, that's a nice car. I wondered how much money Mor had to be able to afford it. Another text came from Mor.

Door's open.

I opened the car door. A gorgeous blonde with brown eyes sat at the wheel. She seemed to be my age, around twenty. There wasn't any other girls in the car, and I wondered where her cousin was. She wore a red gown that hugged her curves and showed skin.

"Hey, I'm Mor. Nice to meet you!" She held out a hand.

I sat inside, closed the car door, and shook her hand. "Feyre Archeron. Nice to meet you too!" She started driving.

"I'd hug you, but I kind of can't. It is so great to see you in person. You seemed great over text, but you really shouldn't go by that. But you are definitely good looking, which is great! Boyfriend?"

I blinked at her, stunned. But I recovered enough to say, "Yeah. That was his house back there. I live with him, because I can't exactly afford a place of my own, but- well, I'm moving into a college dorm with you."

"I know! We are going to have so much fun, you and I. By the way, my cousin will be meeting us at the restaurant."

I nodded. "So, what classes will you be taking?"

We chatted the whole drive there. I was surprised at the ease I felt around her- she was very easy to talk to. Eventually we reached the restaurant. It was a really nice place- definitely not something I could ever afford. We went inside, continuing our conversation. I slid of my jacket.

"Mor," A man's smooth voice that sent pleasant shivers down my spine called behind us. We turned around.

Standing before me was the most beautiful male I had ever seen.