"I never expected that you of all people would..."
"Just do it."
Karyn put the rock in her pocket and before letting it go, said "I wish Sarah would forget about this stone." She suddenly couldn't look directly at Sarah and blinked. Sarah was still there, with a slight look of confusion on her face. "I... never mind. What was I going to say? And no, that's not a bimbo act."
"I didn't say it was," Karyn said. "Look...do you know how annoying it was for people to compare me to you? You're the complete opposite of me."
Sarah looked at her. She seemed to pause. "Look, Karyn...we aren't friends. We don't have much in common. But I don't hate you. I mean...junior year I was mad at everything. My Mom and Dad lived in the same house like strangers...then they got divorced..." she sighed. "My dad married this VP at his company. Mom has a different boyfriend every time I see her. I'm sorry if I wasn't always nice to you. But we're living together now. Let's just live with it."
"Why didn't your parents get you a private room?"
Sarah tried to change the subject. "So, if you want to borrow any of my clothes..."
"They aren't really my style," Karyn said.
"Well, why don't you give it a shot? I mean...remember that green thing you used to wear every day? Whatever happened to that?"
Her mother had declared it, and much of her wardrobe too immature for college, and gotten her some new clothes. There had been some compromising there, but there was nothing worn, ripped, or grungy in the bunch. "It's gone," Karyn said.
"Well, there's a freshman orientation mixer tonight. Why don't I loan you something? I mean, you want to make a good impression, right? And as your roommate, how people see you affects me."
That was the Sarah that Karyn remembered. She'd improved. She didn't seem as much of a bitch, but there was clearly still some self-centeredness there. Karyn couldn't have lived with old Sarah. But the new version...seemed tolerable.
