“Where are we going?” I asked Mila, who just tossed me some clothes and my backpack.

“School,” Mila told me. “It’s touring week for first years. Dad told us about it when we moved down here, remember?”

I had almost forgotten that I was in Travis’ room the whole time I was sleeping. The posters were a nice reminder.

“Hello?” Mila waved her hands in my face. “You’re gonna need to be quick when you change. Monroe is driving us and he has to head to work after, and I don’t think he’s the type that’s chill with being late to work.”

I looked at the clothes that Mila brought to me. “R-right.” I got up and started changing as soon as she left the room.

But not even a minute after I pulled down my pants, the door opened and I saw Travis coming into the room. We immediately made eye contact after they noticed me struggling to pull my pants back up, and they covered their entire head with their sweater. They started apologizing over and over as they tried to make their way out of the room, keeping their face covered. It felt like I was in one of those sitcoms where someone walks in on someone else changing or using the bathroom, or even in the middle of doing someone, but it was much more awkward and embarrassing. And I don’t have an attractive body, so there’s that.

I finally get changed with no further interruptions and I grab my backpack, noticing that it was very light. I couldn’t remember if I ever got any school supplies for my classes, so I began to hope that there was some place on campus where I could find some.

Mila and the others—including Mal, who I assumed also spent the night here— were just hanging out in the living room when I left Travis’ room. They looked like they were having a pretty nice conversation before I showed up.

“There you are, Sleeping Beauty,” Monroe said. “For a minute I thought you were just gonna keep sleeping.”

Mal walked up to me and looked like she was examining me from the way her eyes darted around on my face and everywhere else. “You feeling better?” She asked me.

There was something sort of off—or maybe just weird—with the way she asked me that. I couldn’t figure out why I thought this, though.

“I’m… alright, I guess?” I didn’t exactly know what I was feeling besides still being tired. “I’m a little stiff, but I guess I didn’t sleep all that much.”

Mila snorted and sounded like she was trying to stop herself from laughing. I was very confused.

“What’s up with you?” I asked her, watching as she tried to get a grip on herself.

“Dude,” she began to say. “You been sleeping for like, three days already. It’s Monday.”

I noticed Mal seemed to start cracking up as well. Monroe just had this grin on his face, probably also trying to keep himself from laughing. Travis won’t even look me in the eye (which I can totally get after they walked in on me stripping down).

“Th-three days?” I was starting to think that they were joking. I waited for someone to say “Just kidding,” or a “Sike!” But no one was saying anything.

I slept for three days? I was starting to get concerned with no one saying anything.

“We should probably get going,” Monroe said. “I gotta head to work in thirty minutes.”

“Ah, right.” Mal grabbed my hand and pulled me along as everyone started heading toward the door. “My dad said he can drive us back if we finish up early.”

I forgot I still had the juice box in my other hand and just stared at it as we walked out. I didn’t notice that as soon as the door was opened, the parking lot was right before us instead of the hallway. This was definitely magic, and I definitely wanted to learn how it works.

We all got into Monroe’s truck—I was surprised that Travis, Mal and I were skinny enough to fit in the backseat—and Monroe began to drive us over to the Academy.

I didn’t know if I should’ve drank then or later, or before we even left. I just kept the juice box in my hand and stared at it from time to time. I didn’t exactly feel hungry. I think I was still mentally trying to wake myself up after all that sleeping I did.

Maybe when we get on campus, I thought, the others will want to go eat somewhere. I’ll drink then.

It didn’t take us long to get to the parking building near the Academy, considering that Monroe and Travis lived fairly close by. I had expected there to be just a big lot for the parking, but there was a whole five-story building instead, like the type for really big malls. It probably made sense when whoever created the Academy was planning out the building arrangements to just have a building for all parking and save up some land space for expanding the campus.

If I’m being honest, I was completely impressed with the planning that was made when building this campus. I was sure it was not easy at all.

Monroe had parked in a reserved lot on the first floor (which I learned Monroe had paid for the spot when he was a first-year student), and we all got out of the car. An unfamiliar person had hollered at him and Travis from a couple spots away, and we all ended up walking over to their area.

This person—a seventh-year student who goes by Lee Nguyen—was a good friend of Monroe and Travis’, from what I gathered as they walked with us out of the parking lot. I tried hard not to listen to the conversation they were having and tried to focus on what Mal was telling me and Mila.

“We can go whichever way you want from here, “Mal told us, pointing out all the buildings. “Over here is the Food Court. It’s literally dead center on campus. There’s also little carts that just hang around near certain buildings in case students didn’t have enough time to go and get something here. And right over there behind the Counseling Office is the Financial Aid office. If you need any help with how you’re paying your tuition, that place is where you need to go.”

Mal pointed out the Bookstore across from the Food Court and Day Care, and I immediately made a mental note to go there once this tour—or whatever this was turning into—was over.