Ally's pov:

I clung to my phone in my hand, looking at my schedule for what must have been the 100th time today, making sure that I was in the right building, and standing outside the right classroom.

It was the first day of classes, and today I only have two lectures. I had my first lecture this morning at 10, and this one at 2.

It was weird not having to wake up at six in the morning for school, which must have been the worst part of high school.

My earliest class this semester is at 10 am, which I think is the perfect time to start my day.

Claire didn't get so lucky. I heard her getting out of bed at 7 am for her statistics class, and I was grateful that it wasn't me.

Since my major is still undecided, my classes are just general credits to get me started. I decided to have a mix of classes, including writing, science, psychology, history, and math. I already knew that any type of computer, data, or cybersecurity class wasn't for me.

I can barely make a graph in excel, let alone know how to do anything with a computer at all.

Anything technical is out of the picture.

The classes that I am looking forward to the most are psychology and writing. I enjoyed my writing classes in high school, and I've always had an interest in learning about psychology.

Taking a deep breath, I step into my second class of the day, wondering what compelled me to put a math class on my schedule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After my class, I decided to stop at the cafe and grab a drink. I texted Claire to ask if she wanted something too, but getting no response, I guessed that she is probably asleep.

Even though I haven't known Claire for long, I found that we share a lot of similar traits.

We both love fashion, we had an embarrassing long glee faze, and we appreciate a good nap no matter the time or place.

Of course, there are more amazing qualities, but those are definitely the most important.

I planned to get in, get my drink, and leave. If I was correct and Claire was taking a nap, then as her roommate, I have no choice but to take a nap as well.

Rules are rules.

So when I got to the cafe and received my drink, I planned to do just that.

It's unfortunate how things work out.

My name is shouted from the other side of the cafe, and I turn my head to see Bre waving me down at a table with her group of friends.

"Hey! Ally, right?" Bre says as I take small steps toward her table.

The five girls sitting with her look me up and down while tilting their heads, whispering to one another.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, and I only hope that they are saying good things.

Maybe even complimenting my outfit that took me thirty-five minutes last night to decide on as Zoe, Sophia, and Claire all laughed at me.

Nothing comes between a girl and wanting to look good on her first day.

I was able to recognize two of the girls from my first lecture this morning. They sat in the back of the class and were talking pretty loudly to each other, even when the professor was introducing himself.

Claire told us that Bre was popular on campus. She was in almost every club, and her sorority was the well-known for holding the best parties.

We were thinking about going the other night, but we decided to just hang out in my dorm since we were still recovering from the previous night.

"Yes, how are you?" I give her a nervous smile, not like the way the other girls were staring at me.

It's not that they were staring at me in a mean way, it was more of a 'Who are you and how do you know Bre' kind of way.

"I'm good," she says, before introducing me to her friends at the table.

They all gave polite smiles and waved, which calmed my nerves down a bit.

"You and your friends should have come to our party the other night, it got pretty crazy," Bre says, as the other girls nod.

"We were thinking about it, but we decided to just stay in. Thank you for the offer though, we will try to come this weekend." I say, taking a step back to hint that I wanted to leave.

They didn't get the hint.

"Of course!! You girls are always welcome, and you can even bring guests if you want." Bre says, her eyes flicking to her friends.

"Thank you, it might just be Zoe, Claire, and I though. We haven't been the most social with others yet." I rub the back of my neck, letting out an awkward laugh.

"What about Axel?" One of Bre's friends asks, who already forgot the name of.

My eyes widen at the sudden question, not expecting Axel's name to be brought up.

"Oh... we actually aren't that close. We only talked once." I could see the disappointment in their eyes, and it made my stomach drop.

Did they only think to invite us because they thought we would bring Axel?

I really hoped that it wasn't the case.

But if it was, I wouldn't be surprised.

The four of us stopped getting looks after that day in the dining hall, and it was nice to hear that just as rumors start, they end just as quick. With the size of this school, there is always new drama to talk about.

"Oh really?" Another girl says, the side of her head laying on the palm of her hand as she stared up at me from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, we didn't exchange numbers or anything, he just walked my friends and I home."

And helped me with a sick Zoe, but that's not their business.

"Figures, he never gives out his number." The girl who brought up Axel says, shrugging her shoulders. But I couldn't help but notice the relief on her face as if she wanted me to admit that all he did was walk us back.

Bre said that this would happen. That there were lots of girls who wanted Axel.

I didn't realize she was talking about the girls in her very own friend group.

We all went silent for a moment, and I turned my head back towards Bre. "As much as I would love to talk with you all some more, my roommate is probably wondering where I am." I pretend to look upset, but really, I was just dying to leave.

Because it was a lie of course. Claire was no doubt passed out in her bed. I bet she won't even hear me walk in.

"Of course! It was nice to see you again, maybe we can grab lunch sometime?" Bre asks.

Or maybe not.

"For sure, it was nice meeting all of you!" I wave to her friends, even though it wasn't nice at all.

Maybe it would have been nice if they didn't hint that they wanted us to bring Axel to their party.

After her friends say goodbye, I leave.

I don't think getting my drink was worth having to meet Bre's friends.

Once I get back to my dorm, I open the door to see that I was in fact right. Claire was asleep, and even though she probably wouldn't hear me anyways, I quietly slip under my covers with the intent of taking a nap as well.

Since it was only the first day of classes, I didn't have any work to do. I plan to take advantage of that as much as I possibly can before I won't be able to take afternoon naps.

But no matter how hard I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't.

The conversation of earlier kept playing over and over in my head.

I decided to keep it to myself and not let Zoe, Claire, and Sophia know what had happened. Especially for Claire, I don't want her to know that we weren't invited for the sake of making a new... acquaintance.

I still don't know how I feel about Bre yet. On one side, I think she's a very nice girl, but after meeting her friends, I can't help but see her from a new perspective.

After tossing and turning for about thirty minutes, I decide to get out of bed and take a walk. I think about asking Zoe and Sophia to come, but I remember that they are in class.

I decide to take a walk around campus. Since we've been here, the four of us have taken lots of walks around campus to find our classes and the best spots to just hang out if we get tired of the dorm.

There are lots of quiet seating areas around campus, but one of my favorite spots was under a large oak tree at the corner of the campus. It was away from all the chaos of students walking to their classes but gave the perfect view of everything happening.

The perfect place to people-watch in peace.

I take a seat under the tree and pull out my air pods that were attached to my keychain.

And there I sat in peace, listening to my music, people-watching, and occasionally texting my sister to let her know how my first day went.

I was texting her about my one professor when a shadow of a person appeared before me. I look up, squinting my eyes, noticing the familiar dark hair and wild green eyes.

I didn't think I'd be seeing him so soon.

"Fancy meeting you here." The voice says with a deep chuckle, a blush appearing on my cheeks as he sits himself in front of me, his backpack still hanging off the side of his shoulder. I remove my air pods from my ears and give him a shy smile.

I feel my heart skip a beat as I respond, "I'm surprised you saw me from all the way over here." You would have to be looking around at your surroundings to spot me since I was such a far distance from the nearest building.

He grins, "What can I say? I have fantastic eyes."

I playfully roll my eyes, even though he wasn't wrong.

He does have fantastic eyes I stare at them for a long second before quickly looking away.

"What class did you come from?" I ask, changing the subject so I wouldn't accidentally compliment how fantastic his eyes really were.

"Public speaking, it was not very fun." He admits, his backpack falling off his shoulder and onto the grass as he leaned back on his hands, facing me.

I was slumped back against the tree with my legs crisscrossed and my hands in my lap.

I wince, "One of my biggest fears is public speaking. If I'm ever in that class, it's because I was forced against my will."

He laughs, his eyes crinkling and his head cutely tilting to the side, "then let's hope that isn't the case then."

For a second, we sit there just smiling at each other, and I have to admit that it's weird seeing him in broad daylight. Somehow, he looks even better today. His face was brighter, his muscles more profound.

He was the kind of guy you would see on a day out, stealing glances at him any chance you can get because he was that good-looking.

Except this was no stranger, and he was sitting right in front of me, only a few feet away.

Everything makes more sense now that I know who he is. With his looks, it is impossible to doubt that he is the boxer that everyone is talking about.

"Did you have a nice weekend?" I cringe at my sudden question, but if there is one thing I hate, it's awkward silence.

He nods, "I did, and it was pretty chill. What about you? Did you go out again this weekend?" He asks, his eyebrows lifting, eagerly waiting for a response.

"No, we decided to just chill out in my room, after, you know." I find myself making hand gestures as I talk, something I normally do when I'm nervous.

I don't know why I'm so nervous.

"That's understandable. My roommate forced me to go out again, it wasn't very enjoyable." His mouth forms into a thin line, as if recalling the night.

I laugh, "You could have just said no."

The corner of his lips lift as he shrugs, "He's pretty convincing," he pauses and thinks for a second, "but I was also hoping to run into you again."

Butterflies. Lots and lots of butterflies.

I sit up a bit, trying to push the strange feelings down as I try to act like his words didn't have the effect that they did, "Missed me already?"

He smirks, running a hand through his hair, "You were pretty alright to talk to I guess."

I giggle, shoving his shoulder, "Liar, I am pretty amazing to talk to."

"Someone's a bit self-conceded." he teases, his pearly, white team showing.

"Or just extremely truthful."

He laughs before checking his watch, his facial features drop as he looks at the time.

"Got somewhere to be?" I ask, trying to hide my disappointment. He hasn't even been here for more than three minutes.

He sighs, dragging his hand across the side of his face, "I have practice in fifteen minutes, and coach isn't the nicest when it comes to being late."

"It must be exhausting having practice right after class."

"It is, but I rather get it over with now so that I have the rest of the day to relax." He slowly stands up, as if doing so is painful.

"You're not wrong. How long is your practice?" I ask.

"Two hours, four days a week. Four to six." He responds, shoving his hands in his pocket while looking down at me.

I don't say anything as I nod my head. There was silence for a couple seconds before he asked, "What are your plans for the rest of the day."

I think for a second, "I'll probably get dinner with my friends."

"The ones that I walked back?"

"Yes, and Sophia." I answer.

I expected him to stop there, but he keeps going.

"In the dining hall or one of the cafes?"

"Probably the dining hall, they have more food there."

There was a long pause.

"What time?"

"We always go at 6."

He nods, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Save me a seat." He winks at me, before turning around and heading to his practice.

And with his back turned towards me, I blush.