Lectures began with more confusion than learning.
The hall was full — students scrambling for front seats like it was a concert. Some took notes like their lives depended on it, others came to show off hairstyles, phones, or new-found accents. Pearl found a spot in the second row, notebook in hand, eyes wide.
The lecturer entered with the kind of swagger only tenured professors had — glasses hanging low, stomach leading the way, voice deep and uninterested.
"Welcome to GST101," he barked, "where some of you will pass, and some of you will repeat."
A few people laughed nervously.
Pearl didn't.
She scribbled down his every word, determined not to get lost in the wave of campus madness.
The second week of lectures felt like standing in the middle of a storm — noisy, fast, and chaotic, yet oddly thrilling.
Pearl had begun to adjust. She found her department, memorized the routes to her lecture halls, and figured out which lecturer liked attendance and which one never showed up.
She wasn't close to anyone yet, but she recognized faces. A girl with blonde braids who always asked questions. A guy who wore the same hoodie every day. A group of three girls who laughed too loud and chewed gum like it was a performance.
---
It was Friday evening when Frederick knocked on her door, smiling like he had just won something.
"You're not going to say no," he said, before she even looked up from her notes.
Pearl narrowed her eyes. "Say no to what?"
"The freshers welcome party," he replied, arms stretched dramatically. "Tonight. 7 PM. Music. Suya. Girls. Vibes. You're coming."
She scoffed. "I'm not a party person."
"And I'm not an early riser," he shrugged. "Yet I've been waking up for 8 AM lectures every day. Life is about sacrifice."
She raised a brow. "You just compared partying to morning lectures?"
He walked in fully, hands in his pockets. "Pearl, come on. This is part of campus life. You've been doing books and bath-and-sleep since we got here. You need balance."
"I don't do loud places," she muttered.
"You don't have to dance. Just observe. Eat something. Watch people embarrass themselves. It'll be fun — for you and for me."
She stared at him for a long second, then exhaled. "One hour. If I don't like it, I'm leaving."
"Fair enough."
*7:47 PM*
The venue was already a war zone.
Neon lights spilled across the field like spilled highlighters. A huge speaker blasted loud music that thumped in Pearl's chest more than her ears. A crowd had gathered — some dressed like it was a club, others like they were just passing by and got trapped in the chaos.
Pearl hesitated at the edge of it all, arms folded tightly.
Students were dancing like their bones were made of rubber. Girls in crop tops and lashes longer than their sense of shame were grinding to the beat, shaking their waists like a protest.
Some guys just stood back with their phones, recording.
Others — bolder ones — grabbed girls by the waist and moved with them like they had rehearsed it.
There was smoke. Drinks. Laughter that bordered on hysteria. And food — meat on sticks, fries, puff-puff, coke in sweating plastic cups.
Pearl's eyes widened at the sight of a girl literally sitting on a guy's lap, hips moving as she laughed into his neck.
Frederick was beside her, already nodding to the music. "Wild, right?"
Pearl didn't answer. She was still processing.
"University life," he added proudly. "We're really in it now."
She turned to him. "If this is freshers' welcome, what do finals look like?"
He laughed. "Probably naked graduation parties. Who knows."
Pearl shook her head. "I'm going to wait outside."
"What? No, you just got here."
"I've seen enough."
Frederick placed a gentle hand on her arm. "okay, I'll see you one hour later, Have fun."
She sighed, nodded, and walked back toward the building's entrance to stand in the shade.
Outside was quieter, but not quiet.
People still walked around, music still bled out from the walls. She leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, wondering if she'd ever understand this side of campus.
Suddenly, a soft voice spoke beside her.
"You too?"
Pearl turned.
A girl about her age stood there — slim, dark-skinned, with natural hair pulled into a puff. She wore jeans and a modest floral top, her face slightly flushed.
"You don't like parties either?" the girl asked again.
Pearl blinked, then smiled faintly. "Not really."
The girl exhaled in relief. "Thank God. I was starting to think I was the only boring person in this entire university."
"I don't think we're boring," Pearl replied. "We just have different interests."
The girl laughed. "I'm Amanda. Year one. Sociology."
"Pearl. Zoology "
"Nice." She looked toward the chaos inside. "My roommates dragged me here. Said I need to loosen up. I told them if I loosen up any further, I'll vanish."
Pearl chuckled. "Frederick convinced me."
Amanda a nodded. "Let me guess. Tall, cute, always smiling like he has secrets?"
Pearl tilted her head. "You've seen him?"
"Girl, I've seen almost *everybody*. Campus radar works fast."
"he's kinda popular you...know"
They laughed again — this time, warmer, more real.
They stayed in silence for a while.
"You just got in too?" Pearl asked.
"Yeah. It's been two weeks, and somehow people have already formed cliques, relationships, and TikTok groups."
"I noticed that."
Amanda gave her a sideways look. "You don't talk much, do you?"
Pearl shrugged. "I talk. Just… not to everyone."
"I like that. You seem grounded."
Before Pearl could reply, Frederick appeared, slightly breathless, phone in hand. "Sorry, I took longer than I thought."
"No worries," Pearl said.
Frederick glanced at Amanda. "Hi."
She nodded politely. "I'll leave you guys. It was nice meeting you, Pearl. Let's exchange numbers?"
Pearl hesitated for half a second — then pulled out her phone. "Sure."
As Amanda walked away, Frederick gave Pearl a sly look. "Friend already?"
Pearl smiled. "I guess I'm not as boring as you think."
Frederick chuckled as they began walking home. "You'll see. Campus will change you."
Pearl looked up at the night sky, faint stars peeking through city haze.
"Maybe," she whispered. "But only if I let it."