er students, who walked wide-eyed and laughing, maps in hand and dreams in their pock
w. For Brianna, it felt more like an escape - not from h
ement. Her dorm loomed ahead: brick, old, and too quiet for a place that held hundreds of people.
were desperate to feel something. She'd believed it once
anym
he
uilding something that didn't depend on anyone els
ide the room that would be hers for the next year. It
if her heart still
s already h
bright eyes, a messy bun, and a wide grin
oommate!" she bea
g a small, polite smil
uitcase. "You're lucky. I grabbed the side with the view but
d anyway. Lydia's energy filled the room like sunshine trying to brea
, placing her bag
p-where she was from, what she planned to major in, how excited she was about orientation
In fact, she reminded Brianna of someone
stopped tru
sat on the edge of her bed, looking out the window. The campus wa
beside her. A t
e settled. I'm proud o
long time before replyi
fi
s, staring up at the ceiling. The shadows of moving branc
this part of her life would look different - shared with someo
were ju
well, love
broke t
s quiet now
mories crept in-slow, uni
d her heart a little fuller than usual. He had walked her home, hand brushin
down the narrow street like music. She remembered how light everything fel
had told her that day. "Yo
believ
ed her hand or smiled at her like she matte
she
Until she found out that she'd been nothing mo
sked for an
the satisfaction of
she
h polite smiles and deflective words. She promised herself she would never let someone get that clo
ling herself bac
her was still. Her
wall. Maybe the past would always follow her. Maybe it would
was he
n't going t
hat's what sh