was louder tha
at that wasn't surrounded by overly energetic freshmen. Most tables werpart. The tryin
a group of students. Her hair was pulled up into another messy bun, and
slowly, keeping he
a started, but the g
ss from him. He didn't smile. Just looked at Brianna with an unreadable expr
sat
t for the bri
art of it. His hair was dark, a little messy, and his posture was annoyingly relaxed, like n
not really offering his hand
ian
od, then looked d
at wa
things that would've annoyed her enough to dismiss him.
reason, that
barely five minutes, barely a conversati
at the table move
and some professor who was already infamous for giving surprise quizzes.
in his chair, chewing slowly. The way his fingers tapped the side of his tray in
irls asked across the table
on science
eased. "She's our smar
iled faintly. She glanced up-a
star
watc
.. lo
, calm as ever, lik
ething stupid. Sh
But somehow, she left the table with Malvin's name echo
-
er laptop on her knees and her fingers motionless on the keyboard.
gone. Of cour
That's what she told herself. But somewhere beneath
ld probabl
sn't ready
she liked hi
endly. He seemed like the kind of person
.. that made
sity was
like scattered stars across the quiet night. Somewhere out there, he exis
ng to, Brianna wh
something you
lvin
but no music playing. The buzz of the welcome event filtered out through thd've bee
minutes of standing under cheap lights and heari
uch n
retending they we
ing at the sky. No stars to
illingly, to the girl
trange about her. Not in
he space with words or fake smiles. She had just existe
econd-just one-he
ough she was. Not because she
like someone who had learned
underst
le always took more than they gave, and when they left, they n
omething in her eyes
t felt like to be disappoi
school for. He had goals. A plan. A future that didn't
gotten stuck in
annoyed