Rachel and Nicole had been best friends for as long as they could remember. They lived about 30 miles apart, so never attended the same schools growing up, but that didn't keep them from being inseparable. Late night phone calls. Talking about cute boys and mean girls. Sleepovers. Family vacations. The two were together as much as they could be and, when the time came, there was no doubt in their minds that they were going to the same college and rooming together.
Their excitement and compatibility was contagious. They were so fun to be around that they were always the life of the party and, soon, their freshman dorm became the place to be. Everyone wanted to be friends with them, not because they were overly hip or trendy, or because they were hot (I mean, they were hot, but not in a vain way), or rich, or threw insane parties. There was just a spark in the room when they were together, and everybody around them fed off of it.
That energy made for an incredible start to their college journey. Partying late into the night. Dancing together at the club. Football games on Saturdays. Laughing too loud in the library. One night stands with frat boys (and, in Rachel's case, maybe a few professors). Sharing each others clothes (and sex toys). Making out with each other for applause at parties (and more passionately as they laid alone together in Rachel's bottom bunk). Exploring each others' bodies and their sexuality, all with the comfort of their most loving and trusted friend. This was their first semester, and it was like a dream. Until Nicole met Noel...
Noel was a grade-A douchebag. A jock with massive jealousy issues. Very hot at first glance, but not hot enough to overcome his personality. Nicole met him walking through the quad at the beginning of second semester and spent every waking moment with him for the next 3 years. It was like he had placed a spell on the naive college student, and Noel drove a wedge between the friends like never before.
Of course, Rachel and Nicole each had their share of boyfriends over the years, but they had always put their friendship first. There was something about Noel, though, that was off from the beginning. Nicole's attitude and personality began to change, she stopped going out with Rachel and their group of friends because Noel thought they were sluts and didn't want Nicole to associate with them. She started sleeping at Noel's place every night and, before long, moved in with him.
Rachel desperately wanted her friend back and knew Noel was no good for Nicole, but after months and months of trying, and fighting, and crying she just gave up. A year that had started as a dream next chapter of their lifelong friendship quickly turned into a nightmare for Rachel. Eventually, the two friends stopped talking to each other altogether and, even though they would see each other from time to time on campus over the next few years it began to feel like running into a stranger rather than a dear friend.
This lasted nearly three years, until, right before their three-year anniversary, Noel abruptly dumped Nicole for some new freshman girl. She was heartbroken and felt betrayed. She had isolated herself and lost most of her friends for this guy, and here she was, halfway through her senior year, having missed out on years of college fun, friendship and memories.