Morning sunlight streamed through the half-open blinds of the room, pulling Elena from sleep. She groaned softly, rolling over to see Tessa already up, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a coffee in hand and earbuds in.

Morning, sunshine, Tessa said with a grin, tugging out one earbud. First day of actual classes. You ready?

Define ready, Elena mumbled, dragging herself upright.

They both burst out laughing, the kind of easy laughter that meant they were getting comfortable with each other. Tessa had a way of filling silence with lightness, and Elena, surprisingly, didn’t mind it.

.......

Across campus, Amara’s room was buzzing with Zoe’s music as usual. Amara sat at the edge of her bed, tying her sneakers. Zoe danced around the room, singing off-key but with so much energy Amara couldn’t help but laugh.

You’re too chipper for 7 a.m.,” Amara teased.

“I was born chipper, Zoe declared dramatically. And I have a feeling today’s gonna be epic.

........

By mid-morning, lecture halls were packed with sleepy faces, smell of coffee, and the quiet panic of new students trying to find their seats. Elena sat between Tessa and a shy boy named Finn in their first Intro to Psych class, clutching her notebook like a lifeline.

It was overwhelming. Professors moved fast, syllabus piled up, and she already felt like she was behind. But in the middle of the chaos, she caught herself smiling. She was really here.

Amara, meanwhile, sat in her English Lit class, listening to her professor’s booming voice and tapping her pen nervously. It was different, harder, bigger than Ravenswood High. But she liked it. She liked feeling like her world was expanding.

........

Later that afternoon, the girls met up at the campus cafe. this is going to be their little ritual.

Elena waved Amara over from the corner table. You survived.

Barely, Amara laughed, collapsing into the chair. My professor talks like a poet who drank too much coffee.

I’ve already forgotten everything I learned today, Elena admitted.

Same.

They shared a quiet moment, watching students spill in and out of the cafe. Different dorms, different friends, different classes… but somehow, their little meet-ups made everything feel the same again.

.......

As the week went by, the rhythm of college slowly began to settle in.

Elena grew close to Tessa and Finn.

Amara and Zoe were already a duo that people noticed across campus.

But at the end of each day, no matter how many new faces they met, they always found their way back to each other, over coffee, late-night phone calls, or walks under the campus lights.