Almost a year ago today it all started. Camrie, Maren, Shawna, and Sami were about to have a conversation that would change the course of the rest of their lives.

Camrie was a senior graduating the next semester just trying to get through. Political Science and English were taking up a majority of her time. She never had any intentions of roommate drama. She never had any intentions of anyone leaving. 

She would always wear jeans that flare at the bottom with either a graphic tee or sweater and a pair of Fila shoes. Her light brown hair was just past her shoulders. Today she would be seen wearing a dark sweater and dark jeans. 

The day started with her going to her 8am class in Lewis Hall, just to go back to her apartment dorm. The cat was there when she got back; Eva was just another inconvenience most days. When she got back, she could feel something was off, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. As the day went on she got a text in the group chat. “We need to talk,” it read, “nothing serious, just a talk.” She knew what this meant. Too many of her old roommates had left without a word. She unfortunately knew what this “talk” actually was. 

Maren was a junior just going through the motions of school. This just felt like another one of those days. Bowling every weekend gets exhausting on top of school, so she was just trying to get through to winter break. She knew things were happening amongst roommates, but was hopeful nothing would come of it.

Maren could be found wearing either leggings or jeans with a simple t-shirt — usually a Morningside shirt — with a simple pair of black shoes that had a white stripe along the bottom. She still wears those shoes even though they are falling apart. Today, she would be found wearing a black shirt and gray sweatpants.

For her, the day felt like just another day. Throughout the last week or so she had been told by a roommate that she was thinking about moving out. Maren and Sami had a conversation about Sami moving out a couple times. She always told her that she wouldn’t actually move out. She always told her that she would give at least a week’s notice if she were to move out. Maren was always afraid Sami would move out without any heads up, but had faith that she wouldn’t.

The entire apartment knew how Camrie’s old roommates left; no words, only packing everything up while she wasn’t home. 

Shawna was a sophomore but a junior in credits who was just trying her hardest to live up to the standards she held herself to. Homework, studying, quizzes, and so much more were all taking up her time. For Shawna, today was just another day. Shawna had many things going on in her mind that never made it out of her mouth. 

She would usually be found wearing either black or green leggings and a black t-shirt. Her black and white sneakers were a solid part of her daily wardrobe, but the thing that stood out most was her chest length, natural ginger hair. 

She knew today wasn’t going to go well, but the other roommates would be none the wiser until that evening. Shawna had multiple discussions with Sami about what today would look like. But the other two roommates were left in the dark. When she got back after her long day of classes and labs, she was ready for bed. That fateful text came through and she tried to hide. “Shawna,” she heard, “Shawna!!” Her name was called many times, though she wanted to ignore it. She knew what she was about to do would upset everyone.

Sami was a junior who just wanted to work with her best friends on getting through the days. She knew her current roommates would be mad at her for what she was about to do. Taking care of her cat Eva was what took up a majority of her time, but she was also caught up in clubs and homework. 

Sami was always wearing straight leg light washed jeans with either a graphic tee or sweater, both usually covered in cat hair. Her shoulder length, dirty blonde hair was usually either straight downwards or up in a claw clip. Her bangs typically how she wanted them.

For Sami, today was going to be a hell of a day. She skipped her first class because she was so anxious about the coming day. Sami knew she would be the start of the end. She had conversations with Maren and Shawna about how she was thinking about moving out, but that she was not planning on it. Deep down, she knew she would never stay in that apartment. Just after Maren got back from practice, the text was sent. She knew everything was about to go down.

“We need to talk,” it read, “nothing serious, just a talk.”

The nerves started for everyone. At the beginning of this semester, everyone agreed that they would not split up for any reason. Everyone agreed that they trusted each other. Everyone agreed to tell each other if anything annoyed them. Everyone lied to each other.

It all started as a simple conversation about who needed to do what in preparation for winter break. Maren was to organize the living room and kitchen. Shawna was supposed to clean the countertops. Camrie was to vacuum. All Sami had to do was take the trash downstairs. Unfortunately these chores would all fall apart, and no one would do them.

Camrie eventually got fed up with talking in circles. She knew what this conversation was about, but didn’t want to stay up all night in an attempt to fix everything. She knew what she had to do. 

Something similar to the following happened:

C – “Can we please address the elephant in the room?” 

Sh – “What do you mean?”

Sa – “Yeah, I’m not sure.”

M – “Oh, I’m pretty sure it’s about the tension in here.”

C – “Yeah. So, who is moving out and when?”

Maren had confided in Camrie that she was being talked to about what was going to happen today, so she had some kind of heads up. She knew she wouldn’t want to be blindsided, so she felt it necessary to make sure Camrie knew what would happen. 

Shawna and Sami didn’t know this. They assumed they had the high ground on Camire.

Shawna ended up moving out the same day. She told the rest of the roommates that she already had a different dorm picked out. 

Just three days later Maren and Camrie went back to their apartment, now having one less person living in it. When they went to unlock the door after climbing three flights of stairs, they heard what sounded like crying. As they turned the key it stopped. They walked in and it started again. Sami’s room was almost fully packed up.

“I’m sorry Maren.” She said to her. Camrie was never issued an apology with her name in it. 

Then there were two. Camrie and Maren stayed out of the way for the weekend as Sami was moving out. They got back to an almost empty apartment and only a couple items that were stolen. They promised each other that they cannot take any more moving, so they decided to stick out the semester. Eventually they got a new roommate, but she was only there to sleep and nothing more. 

Today, in October 2024, Camrie and Maren are still living together. They went through the first official step of adulthood and got an apartment together after Camrie graduated. Now, they both live about 15 minutes from campus, but still have each other as best friends and roommates. It was the growth done through the last year that made them both who they are today. Camrie is an independent woman with a full time job working in refugee resettlement, and Maren who is still in school — a senior now — is doing better in her classes now than she was a year ago today. After she graduates, Camrie and Maren plan on renewing their lease for another year as they both settle into adulthood.