Conversations Between Roomates
By Lina Lashin
- 2024-2025 Issue
The story recounted here began at the Supreme Court on an afternoon in September, back when the novelty of law school was exciting enough to overpower the urge to flee (an urge that now comes as frequently as the chatter of non-law students at our beloved FTX library). On this grand September day, two law students, arriving separately but both chronically late, spent their afternoon mingling and meeting peers yet did not cross paths until the end of the event. Lina and Judy were introduced to each other through a mutual friend, who had no idea back then what forces she was setting into motion by bringing these two together. They took an Uber home from the event that day and have shared each journey with each other since (Judy literally has Lina’s Uber location).
Over the next month, they grew inseparable, and their friendship formed effortlessly.
There are many reasons why these two made such a good team. Both being Arab, their humour, music taste, etiquette, and values aligned perfectly– not a single “can you e-transfer me $1.46 for your coffee” was ever uttered (if you know, you know). They also shared an understanding of their respective tendency to operate under controlled chaos (though the exact meaning of that is difficult to articulate). What can be said is that they formed an unbreakable rhythm.
What brought these two closer together than anticipated, however, was Lina’s housing crisis and her many issues with her landlord (whom she now wishes very unpleasant things upon). After weeks of living out of her suitcase at Elgin’s Metcalfe Hotel, Lina worried about her housing problems persisting through her first set of law school exams (spoiler: they did). Judy offered to have Lina stay with her during exam season and sort things out after the holidays. And so, the two endured long study marathons together, drafting 15 different summaries for a class because the last 14 didn’t feel right and frantically searching for notes from the TRC sessions for the Property Law exam.
Their mornings started to look a little like,
“Hey, do you want a coffee?” with one replying, “Is that an offer?”
Alas, they (barely) survived, went home for the holidays, and returned for the new term.
Upon her return in January—on the week of her birthday, no less—Lina received an eviction notice from her landlord. One really cannot blame her for viewing them as her number one public enemy to this day. With no viable short-term lease options and only a semester of legal knowledge in her arsenal, Lina was once again worried about where she would stay for the remainder of the school year. After a few weeks at yet another hotel, Judy asked her to move in and would not take no for an answer (did I mention she’s Arab?). Over the next few months, Lina’s initial “temporary” stay turned into the ultimate testament to the respect, support, and love they both had for each other and their friendship. They took on the massive, haunting black hole that is law school as a team, sharing notes, summaries, exam tips, and many, many midnight rants. This past September, Lina and Judy signed a lease together, marking a year of sisterhood that began with a shared Uber and led to shared property rights (the apartment). Lina and Judy each found their perfect, chaotic counterpart, and they’ll share every all-nighter, existential crisis, and unexpected adventure to come.
And there you have it—the story of the Supreme Court introduction between two law students, turned best friends, turned roommates.
Here’s to law school, a friendship more binding than a contract, and a future that—on a balance of probabilities—is looking pretty bright.