A Brief Fall: Meeting Elissa Black

Fiery and browning leaves rustle as a gust rushes by Riley and me, ruffling our hair. My nerves are unsettled, jumping and vibrating because I’m finally free. Free from the pressures of living up to the Black family name. Free from my father’s manipulations and expectations. I allow the September sun to rest on my face, risking the chance of freckles speckling my cheeks. The warmth of the afternoon sun seeps into my skin, and I close my eyes, taking in a deep breath of autumn air. It even smells like freedom: soul-cleansing fresh air that lifts and spirals you to new heights.

I peek my eyes open, little slits take in the building before me. Ivy-covered limestone walls, archways with rounded stairs leading up to the sturdy oak doors, and picturesque windows from the Renaissance decorate the structure. Leading up to it is a fence lined with bike racks, and bicycles chained to them. Students bustle in and out of the doors, laughing and hollering as a smile twists on my face. I’m absolutely giddy because here, here I can finally be myself—whoever Elissa is. Navy, yellow, and red banners with Queen’s University crests on them blow in the wind as they hang off the lampposts lining the walkways across the expansive campus.

Suddenly a hard, sharp object launches into my shoulder, shoving me forward.

“Whoops, sorry!” A deep chuckle rumbles in his words. Cannon-sized arms bulk out of his t-shirt as he wraps a football under his arm. His tight polo leaves little to the imagination as his broad chest expands with each breath and the defined ridges are etched into the shirt from his abs. I haven’t even looked at his face and I’m struggling to find words to put them into sentences. He leans forward, and a rich, woodsy aroma fills my senses. My eyes flutter as I breathe him in.

When I look up after taking him in for as much as I could, a goofy grin sprawls across his face. His sharp, piercing eyes captivate me. My breath catches as my lip rolls in, teeth sinking into it. I feel his eyes burn as they roam my body, and I need to clench my thighs together as I throb. The overwhelming urge to straddle this… man is outrageous. Below my slick, virgin lips quiver as his eyes feast on me. My chest presses outward, my thin tank top boasting the swell of my breasts. “I’ll see you around, Red,” he quips, running a hand through his chestnut hair. He turns, tosses the football back at his buddy, and jogs off. I glue my eyes to him as I watch powerful thighs split in strides. My mouth salivates.

Riley giggles from beside me, nudging me with her shoulder while tossing her raven glossy hair and pulling my gaze away.

“Did you see those dreamy baby blues?” Riley asked. “Gorgeous,” she said, her voice sounded far off and her eyes glazed over in a daze. My best friend, since diapers, knows all too well that I’m partially colour blind. If his eyes were blue, it never would have known. I shake my head at her.

She is going to be my dormmate for our freshman year. Riley’s rich espresso eyes spark with laughter as she links her arm through mine and tugs me along, our bags rolling against the cement behind us. The men my father hired to help us move into our dorm carry the rest of our belongings with the dollies behind us into the main building so we can check in.

My pink Converse smack against the concrete as we reach the front entrance to our dorms. Ban Righ Hall, the women’s residence on the campus. Riley squeals as she skips towards the doors, pulling them open and jerking her head for me to follow. The men push the dollies and follow close behind me.

Our dorm is on the second floor, which is a relief to the already exhausted movers since they only have to go up a single flight of stairs. Where’d my parents find these guys?

As we curl around the last corner of the stairs, we come to our hallway. It’s brilliant. I mean, it’s a college dorm, so it’s plain, musty, and busy, but it’s freedom. I’ve been surrounded by wealth and material possessions all my life and I’ve never felt more like myself than today.

The movers stack our boxes in the one free corner of the room. It’s a small double-room where our beds lie on opposite ends with narrow dressers and a cupboard separating our sides. Along one wall are two desks with shelves, which leaves a narrow space for the person in the far corner of the room to walk past.

Once we’ve unloaded our things, Riley immediately gathers her makeup bag and heads to the washroom.

“Girl, we need to hurry and get ready if we’re going to make it to the parties tonight,” Riley squeals and jiggles up and down as her feet patter on the floor and out the door. I huff and groan as I let myself fall back onto my mattress and my body bounces on the bed slightly. My long, copper hair halos around my head, and I can almost feel the tangles forming. I slide off my bed and onto the floor, folding my legs underneath me, and settling with a plop.

I tilt my head back, letting my head rest on the mattress as I take in the solitude. I’m used to being alone, but for once, it’s freeing. I can’t believe my father had relinquished control for once and let me choose the school I wanted to go to. I kick out my legs and jiggle them a bit, a preamble to psyche me up as I bounce onto my feet and root through some of the dresser drawers I just filled up.

I weave my fingers through my wavy bronze hair, trying to unkink the knots but a broken nail gets snagged into one of the strands. Carefully working my nail out of the hazard, I give my hair a quick fluff and twist my bangs into a braid, tucking it behind my ears. I look at myself in the mirror, studying my face, wondering if I’m ready for this new adventure.

My deep blue eyes (so I’ve been told) are enormous round orbs that sparkle when the light hits them. They’re decorated with sculpted brows (thanks to Riley’s handiwork) and some shade of green shadow. My nose is narrow with a slight upturn, making it like the perfect little ski slope. And my full lips are shaped like a heart. I rub my lips together for a moment, studying them. I tiptoe over to Riley’s side of the room and rummage through her makeup kit, finding the perfect shade of cherry red lipstick to smear across my lips.

I head back to my side of the room and look at the tight, absurdly short dress Riley has laid out for me. I slide the luxurious, silky fabric over my head and tug it down my body. It’s a darker shade of green that loops around my neck and scoops in the front, a ripple of silky fabric drawing the eyes to the cleavage. It fits snug to my body, clinging to every inch and curve. Wrapping around in a tight mould, it makes my ass pop and has just enough material to cover it while still leaving a tasteful inch past my cheeks.

I tie my black pumps onto my feet when the door swings open and Riley comes bounding in like a dog waiting to go for a walk.

“Damn, girl! You look fucking smokin’,” her voice trails off into a low whistle. Her glossy black hair is twisted half up and looped from the curling iron, her bangs sitting flat across her forehead. Her makeup is all done up, flawless. She twirls around in her black Chanel mini-dress and saunters over to her cupboard to dig out a pair of hot-pink heels.

“Let’s get our drink on. I head in the washroom there’s a party at one of the third-year guy’s houses.” She purses her lips and smacks a kiss at me when her hand grips my wrist, pulling me along…

FOR MORE ELISSA AND RILEY in A BRIEF FALL CLICK HERE!