Chapter 14

   Unlike Ashley, Alice just had on a simple pair of jeans and a simple red t-shirt that was a couple sizes too
big and glasses that were a little crooked. Somehow Rebecca knew that Alice and her would probably become
friends. Glad to be done with her awkward first encounter with her roommate, Rebecca eagerly took the chance to
go meet some of her other dorm mates. 
 Rebecca asked Alice,” So where are you from?" Alice pushed up her glasses as she responded,” I come
from Oakland, If you can believe that. But I was really born in Switzerland and our family immigrated here when I
was 2. I don’t remember much. There are still some things I do remember sometimes though. I have spent most of
my life in California.” 
 

   Alice was just about to ask Rebecca where she was from when Ashley cut in,” So you used to live in
Oakland. I hear that Oakland is really poor. You don’t look like you’re poor though. And you definitely don’t look
like you used to live in Switzerland. You look like you belong in Ireland or something like that. But I guess you
can’t help that you came from Switzerland and that you came from a place as poor as Oakland.”  
 Ashley must have seen that look on Alice’s face, because she changed the subject very quickly but before
Ashley could even start to say something else Alice said with an almost impeccable Irish accent, ”Well it’s a good
thing I don’t have the Irish temper or else you’d be in really big trouble. Us people in Switzerland or more known
for being passive than anything else.” 
 

  Rebecca just had to give a little smirk at that little remark. If she had been able she would have said,”
You go girl.” She figured it might not be the most appropriate time to say it though. At least she could see that
Alice didn’t mind standing up to these types of girls and putting them in their place. She was starting to like Alice
more and more. 
 As they started to leave the dorms and actually head toward the dining room Rebecca was taken aback by
the size of the dining area. She had seen it in the brochure, but she didn’t expect it to look as impressive at it did.
Her current roommate issues disappeared as she basked in the idea that she was going to be eating in a hall this
nice. You could tell Ashley was impressed as well. Alice just looked up with this look of wide eyed wonder as more
people started to poor in the common dining hall.  

   Rebecca was most impressed by how many different types of people she saw. Some people were
identifiably Asian, while there were quite a bit of students that looked like they were of middle -eastern descent.
She could see some black and Mexicans here and there, but she was most surprised to see how many Asians and
middle- eastern people there were.  
 She wondered if they had all come from different parts of the world or if they had lived in America their
whole lives and just transferred in from different parts of California. In her town in Texas, you might see your
occasional black person that would come through. Every once in a while you might see a Mexican here or there but
she had never come into contact with so many different types of people in one place. It was overwhelming but
wonderful at the same time. She wanted to say hello to all of them and to know all their stories.  
 

   There was a part of her that wanted to know if everyone had come from as far as she had or if they had
lived in California their whole lives. As Rebecca made her way into the actual dining room, Ashley made a high
pitch squeal. She almost knocked Rebecca over as she bolted through the dining hall. At the end of the hall was a
girl who was a little shorter, just as blonde, and just as thin as Ashley. 
 As they all poured into the dining hall Ashley quickly left Rebecca behind as she went to meet her other
friend. It didn't take Rebecca very long to see why she was such good friends with this girl. Her name was Angel
and she had gone to the same high school as Ashley. Rebecca just cursed her luck. She could hardly deal with

   Ashley without having to deal with her equally ignorant and bleach blonde lackey.  
Almost on cue, Angel looked at Rebecca with a dirty and indignant smirk and said, "Who is that supposed to be? I
really hope she doesn't think she is going to sit with us?" Before Rebecca could say anything Ashley replied, "Just
ignore her. She is my roommate. Can you really believe it? They actually put me with someone like her? I might
just die. I wonder if it is too late to sue the school I should at least get some sort of compensation for having to
deal with her."  

    At that moment something broke in Rebecca. A pain started to form in her chest and her heart felt heavy.
An immense pressure began to build up inside of her. She felt herself losing control and there was a full blown
sense of anxiety and panic that began to take over her. Even though she wanted to run there was a vice like
pressure that had taken over her body. All of the pain, anxiety, frustration, anger, and disappointment from her
past began to well up to the surface in that one instant.  
 The last thing she wanted was to show just how weak she was; especially to someone like Ashley. She
thought she had gotten rid of all of her emotions about her past and dad but in that moment she realized just how
wrong she was. Her vision began to blur and she felt herself blacking out. Just before she was about to pass out

  Alice gently patted her on the back. With this almost angelic and childlike smile, she looked Rebecca straight in
the eyes and said, "Its ok. You are beautiful. You are safe. You are whole."  
 Almost immediately, Rebecca felt herself become lighter and her anxiety just melted away as if her
whole body, mind, and spirit were absorbing her positive words of affirmation. Even though her family went to
church; she was never really a believer in God or the bible in general. She had convinced herself that it was just
words in a book that people took way too much stock in. In the back of her mind she wanted to believe. The only
thing that was holding her back was the fact that she saw the hypocrisy in the churches in Texas.  

   So many people who said they were people of God and yet openly judging people the most. Even the
stories in the bible didn't make sense to her and only confirmed her idea that it was simply written to control
people and that it didn't relate to what people were dealing with today. All of that didn't matter though. What
ultimately kept her away was this deep seated resentment and anger at God for allowing her dad to get as bad as
he did. She openly blamed God for not saving her or answering her prayers for salvation and she especially hated
the people in the church for not doing anything about it. 

   In that moment it was like a light bulb went off in her head. Alice was an angel. She just felt it. Alice
radiated light and love and this healing energy that she had never felt before, especially from someone she had
just met. There was something that was filling inside of her that she had never experienced before. Without even
realizing it, she was hugging Alice with all of her strength and crying into her as shoulder.  
 With an almost comical nod of her head and a smirk on her face, Alice lovingly placed her hand under her
chin and raised her head so that she could be eye level with Rebecca and said, "You are making quite the scene
aren't you? What am I going to do with you miss Rebecca? It seems like I am going to have to watch after you. We
are going to have to watch after each other. We are not so different. We misfits have to stick together." 
 
 Alice returned the hug as she lifted Rebecca off the ground and held her hand as they led each other out
of the dining hall. It was at that instant that she felt a calm come over her. Somehow she knew things would be
ok.