The next morning started the same way most mornings had been lately.
Alarm.
Class.
Silence.
I walked across campus alone, keeping my head slightly down as people passed by in groups that looked effortless from the outside. Laughter floated through the air from every direction, but none of it felt like it included me.
By the time I finished my last lecture, I already knew the pattern.
Back to the dorm.
No stops.
No conversations.
Just the room.
When I got back, Chloe was already gone again.
Her side of the room looked slightly more chaotic than before—clothes on the chair, an open bag on the bed, hair products scattered across her desk.
But she wasn't there.
I dropped my backpack and sat down slowly.
The silence hit immediately.
I reached for my phone out of habit.
Nothing new.
No messages from Lily yet. No notifications that mattered.
Ryan's chat was still there too.
Still the same unopened reels sitting like they had been waiting for me for days.
I stared at it for a second.
Then locked my phone.
It wasn't even interesting anymore.
Just… familiar.
I leaned back against the bed and closed my eyes.
The room felt warmer than usual, probably because the window was slightly open. Outside, I could hear distant voices and footsteps from the hallway.
Life happening.
Just not mine.
A soft knock interrupted the silence.
I opened my eyes.
The door was already slightly open, and Chloe poked her head in.
"Oh good, you're here," she said quickly. "I thought I missed you again."
I sat up.
"Yeah, I just got back."
She stepped inside, still holding a tote bag and a drink.
"Okay," she said, dropping onto her bed dramatically. "I need a break from people."
I blinked.
"That's new."
She groaned.
"Not like that. I just mean—too many conversations in one day."
I nodded slowly.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "I don't even remember half the names I learned today."
I almost smiled.
Chloe leaned back and looked over at me.
"What about you? What did you do today?"
I hesitated.
The honest answer was simple.
Nothing.
But saying it out loud felt heavier than it should have.
"Classes," I said instead.
She nodded like that made sense.
Then silence settled between us again.
Not awkward.
Just… different kinds of quiet.
After a moment, Chloe sat up.
"You should come with me next time," she said suddenly.
I looked at her.
"Where?"
"Anywhere," she said. "Food runs, study groups, random stuff. You can just tag along."
My chest tightened slightly.
I looked down at my hands.
"I don't really know anyone," I said quietly before I could stop myself.
Chloe paused.
Then she frowned.
"Yeah, but that's kind of the point of tagging along."
I didn't answer right away.
Because it sounded so simple when she said it.
But it wasn't simple for me.
She sighed softly.
"You don't have to talk much," she added. "Just… show up."
Show up.
Two words.
Easy in theory.
Heavy in reality.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed on the bed.
I glanced at it automatically.
Ryan sent a reel.
My stomach sank a little out of habit.
But I didn't open it.
Instead, I turned the phone face down.
Chloe noticed the movement.
"Ex?" she asked casually.
I hesitated.
Then nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
She didn't push further.
Instead she just leaned back again.
"College has a weird way of making you realize what you want to keep and what you don't," she said lightly.
I looked at her.
She wasn't looking at me when she said it.
Just staring at the ceiling like it was an offhand thought.
But it stayed in my head longer than I expected.
Keep.
Or not keep.
I didn't know where I fit in that yet.
Outside the room, laughter passed through the hallway again.
I listened to it for a moment.
Then I slowly picked my phone back up.
Still unopened messages from Ryan.
Still nothing new from anyone else.
And for the first time in a while, I didn't feel sad.
Not really.
Just… stuck.
Like I was still waiting for something to start.
Even though college had already begun without me noticing.