The air around the campus hummed with life. Students hurried across the courtyard, dragging expensive suitcases, chatting into their phones, and laughing like they didn't have a single worry in the world.
Ava tried to take it all in — the rows of palm trees, the grand glass buildings, the huge fountain that glittered under the sun. It was overwhelming and beautiful and intimidating all at once.
"Okay," Lina said, adjusting her backpack. "Let's not act like lost chickens. Administration block should be this way."
Ava nodded, clutching the handle of her suitcase as they followed a line of students toward a white marble building with tall columns. Every step felt surreal. This was it. The place she'd dreamed of for years — the university that only the elite could afford, where opportunities were endless and expectations even higher.
She wanted to feel proud. But instead, a small knot of anxiety twisted in her chest.
The girls walking ahead of them wore designer shoes that clicked perfectly in rhythm, their perfume sweet and expensive. A few boys leaned lazily against their cars, watching with the casual arrogance of people who owned everything.
Ava looked down at her old sneakers, their edges slightly scuffed, and tried not to think about the debt her mother had taken just to get her here.
Lina must have sensed her silence. "Hey," she said softly. "Don't do that thing where you overthink everything. You belong here, Ava. We both do."
Ava smiled faintly. "I'm trying to believe that."
"Good," Lina said, looping her arm through hers. "Now let's go find where we get officially welcomed into the land of spoiled rich kids."
---
Meanwhile...
On the other side of campus, Ryan Blake slid his sunglasses up onto his head and glanced around the courtyard with a lazy smirk.
Starlight University hadn't changed much. The same pristine walls, the same whisper of money in the air. Students turned as he passed, some waving, others whispering his name.
Ryan Blake — son of the famous Blake Corporation CEO, top investor in half the school's research programs, and the most well-known heartbreaker in the student body.
"Blake! Over here, man!"
The voice came from Noah Carter, his best friend since high school — tall, grinning, always dressed like a walking fashion magazine. Ryan's second friend, Ethan Hale, stood beside him, leaning casually against a car, a quiet smile playing on his lips.
"Took you long enough," Noah said, clapping Ryan's shoulder. "I was beginning to think you ditched us for another yacht party."
Ryan smirked. "Would've been more exciting than unpacking."
Ethan chuckled. "You're hopeless."
"Realistic," Ryan replied easily. "Same thing."
The three of them started walking toward the admin building, their confidence effortless, like kings returning to their palace. Girls' eyes followed them — whispers rising in waves as they passed.
"Ryan Blake's back." "Isn't he the one who dated three girls last semester?" "He's even hotter in person..."
Ryan ignored it all. He'd heard the same comments for years, and they didn't mean anything anymore. He was used to being noticed, used to the attention — it was just part of who he was now.
Still, something about the new semester felt different. He couldn't quite explain why.
---
The Administration Block
Inside, the air was cooler, perfumed faintly with the scent of flowers and new paper. Students stood in line at the registration counters, holding documents and chatting nervously.
Ava and Lina joined the line near the back.
"This place looks like a palace," Lina whispered, glancing around at the chandeliers. "I swear, even the walls look rich."
Ava laughed quietly. "You're ridiculous."
"I'm serious," Lina said. "If I lean on one of these walls, I bet I'll owe it money."
Ava couldn't help but smile. Lina always had a way of making her laugh, even when her stomach was in knots.
Ahead of them, a group of girls were comparing the colors of their latest phones, talking about their family-owned companies like it was normal. One of them turned and glanced at Ava — her gaze sharp, assessing.
"You're the scholarship students, right?" she asked in a polite, practiced tone.
Ava blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... yes."
The girl smiled — though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's nice. It must be... exciting to be here."
Lina's jaw tightened. "It is," she said sweetly, "especially knowing we earned it instead of buying it."
The girl's smile faltered before she turned back around. Ava nudged Lina with her elbow. "You didn't have to—"
"Oh, I did," Lina whispered. "Someone has to remind them the world doesn't revolve around their last names."
---
When it was finally Ava's turn at the counter, her heart pounded. The woman behind the desk barely looked up as she typed on her computer.
"Name?"
"Ava Thompson."
The woman's fingers moved quickly. "Dormitory C, Room 204. Orientation is tomorrow at eight a.m. Your student card will be issued then."
"Thank you," Ava said softly.
As she stepped aside to wait for Lina, a rush of pride filled her chest. Her name. Her room. Her place at Starlight University. It all felt real now.
"Roomies again," Lina said happily when she joined her. "Can you believe it?"
Ava smiled. "I really can't."
They started walking toward the exit, weaving through the crowd.
And that was when it happened.
---
The Almost-Meeting
Ryan and his friends entered through the opposite doors, laughing about something Noah had said. Ryan's phone buzzed, and he glanced down, distracted as he walked.
At the same time, Ava was checking her dorm map, her brows furrowed. She took one small step to the side — and collided lightly with someone coming the other way.
"Oh, I'm sorry—" she began, looking up.
The words died in her throat.
The guy in front of her looked like he'd stepped out of a magazine — dark hair, strong jaw, perfectly relaxed posture. For half a second, their eyes met. Hazel met brown. Something flickered, quick and strange, before both looked away.
Ryan shifted slightly, steadying her automatically with a light touch to her shoulder. "You're fine," he said, his voice low and smooth — a voice that carried just enough confidence to make it sound like a fact.
"Right," Ava murmured, not sure why her heart had skipped a beat.
Neither said anything else. They simply moved aside, passing each other without another glance.
But as Ryan walked past, something in him hesitated. He caught a faint whiff of lavender and paper — something simple, human, grounding. He almost turned back, but Noah called out, breaking the moment.
"Come on, man, let's go! The coach wants to see us at the courts."
Ryan pushed the thought away and followed.
---
Later That Afternoon
By the time Ava and Lina reached their dorm, the sun had begun to dip, casting warm gold light over the campus. Dormitory C wasn't as flashy as the upper-class ones, but it was cozy and clean. The walls were pale cream, the beds neatly made.
Ava stood by the window, looking out at the campus from above. From here, she could see the basketball courts in the distance, the fountain, the busy crowd of students below.
Her chest swelled with a quiet pride. I made it here. I really did.
Lina plopped down on her bed dramatically. "Day one: survived. Barely."
Ava laughed. "You say that like we ran a marathon."
"We kind of did," Lina said, throwing a pillow at her. "Between the walking, the judging looks, and that rich-girl attitude from Miss 'Exciting to Be Here,' I'm exhausted."
Ava caught the pillow, smiling. "Well, at least we didn't get lost."
"True. And you got us dorm keys without crying. I call that a success."
Ava rolled her eyes. "You have no faith in me."
"I have faith," Lina teased. "I just also have eyes. You looked like you were about to faint when that admin lady asked for your name."
Ava laughed, and the tension she'd carried all day began to melt. She unpacked her things slowly — a few folded clothes, her mother's photo, and a worn notebook filled with dreams she'd written since high school.
When everything was neatly arranged, she sat on the bed and stared at the photo. Her mother's smile shone back at her — proud, gentle, strong.
"I'll make you proud, Mom," she whispered.
Outside, laughter echoed faintly from the courtyard below. A group of boys walked past, their voices carefree. One of them — tall, confident, familiar — tossed a basketball in his hand.
Ava didn't see him. But Ryan, glancing up toward the dorm windows, caught sight of a silhouette against the sunset — a girl sitting quietly, head bowed, framed by the golden light.
He didn't know why he noticed. Or why something about her still lingered in his mind.
He just shook his head and said to Noah, "Let's see if the court's still open."
And somewhere above, Ava whispered again, half in awe, half in disbelief —
"We're really here."