Happy now

Round 17: September 2027

Sara Midlock is 18.

(Emily and Frieda are 19.)

Narrated by Sara Midlock.

I feel like I'm more used to the gruelling schedule now than I was during my first semester. I used to be totally exhausted every night but I've worked out a system that works for me. After our midday practise I often come back to the dorm, get some lunch and take a nap.

The professors have promised us that especially during our junior and senior years there will be less theory and more dancing but in order to actually graduate we have to study too instead of just dancing all day. So for now on top of all the dance practice I still have to finish my written assignments and term papers. It helps that mom and dad brought my ballet bar from home and dad installed it in my dorm room so now I can do some basic training in my own room.

It's been fun hanging out with Emily again. She went a little crazy after Ethan's death and I know that I probably could've been more supportive at times but then again she was out of line most times. It's much better now. I can't say I was really surprised about her and Aaron after I'd seen them together a few times before they actually got together.

Frieda also has a boyfriend and now it seems like their life mission is to find me a man. I try to tell them that I'm perfectly capable of finding someone if and when I want to. I was actually chatting online with this guy from Allerdale and it was fun. Our messages were getting quite flirty but then I mentioned that I'm a freshman and he was a bit shocked to realize I'm actually only 18. So the flirting sort of died down after that but we still talk as friends. I think he's about 25 so it's not like he's decades older but I can understand why he sees it's too much. Not to mention my dad would totally freak out if I had a 25-year-old boyfriend. Oh well, I'll continue to chat to him as a friend and keep the flirting to a minimum.

I told Frieda about it and she was adamant that I should stick to guys my own age. It's just that they all seem so childish. It feels like most of the guys in my dorm are these meathead fratboy-wannabes who only care about sports, partying and sex. It's not like I expect them to be completely mature - I know I'm not either - but they act like children most of the times.

So I've decided to take a break from dating. It's not like I need a man to fulfill my days anyway. I have plenty enough on my plate with my studies and dance practices and upcoming performances. Sometimes I just miss the times when I was with Freddie. I don't think I'm even missing him, just the feeling of being with someone.

There are other students living in my dorm but they're all strangers. They all seem nice and I hang out with them a bit but I have to admit that at times I feel kind of lonely. Luckily that'll change next year because the university has started assigning next year's freshmen into their dorms and Riley was assigned to mine!

Riley came to Brixton for a tour on the campus and I volunteered to be his guide for the day. Obviously we checked out the faculty buildings but fun stuff is important too so I took him to hang out at Circus.

Obviously we had to have burgers at Betty's diner before Riley's bus to Wellington left. I explained to Riley that burgers at Betty's is like a mandatory thing at least once in a semester. It'll be so much fun when he moves here in a few months.

My no-dating rule didn't last very long after all. I met Spencer at the student union one day and we hit it off immediately. At first it was just friendly banter and sharing our views about music and movies and such but it's been getting a bit flirtier since.

He eventually asked me out on a proper date and took me to Exmoor to have dinner at Casa di Mama. I don't know if it's going anywhere beyond casual dating but he's fun to be with so I might as well just keep going.

Grades:
- Sara: Ballet (Drama), B+, GPA 3.3


Notes:

• Title from "Happy now" by Zedd & Elley Duhé
• I've had a draft of this update half done for a long time but then I just decided to power through the rest and get an actual update ready. Sara and Spencer are not officially dating, they've only gone on one date so far. But they seem to get along very well so maybe it'll become a real relationship.
• I don't know if anyone's even reading this blog anymore because I rarely update but I still haven't given up on this hood. I hate it that it takes me years to get through one round so that has to change. I'm actually trying to come up with a system where I can play more and update the blog more frequently even if it means that some households have to be put on the back burner.