We Were Never Strangers

ISLA The black SUV had barely stopped before Isla pushed the door open herself. Warm late-summer air brushed against her face as noise immediately surrounded her—students dragging suitcases across pavement, volunteers shouting directions through handheld mics. Westbridge University looked less like a college and more like a luxury resort someone had accidentally filled with academically gifted rich people. Tall glass buildings reflected the afternoon sun while ivy-covered stone walls gave the campus an old-money elegance that felt almost intimidating. Isla adjusted the strap slipping off her shoulder and looked down at the two enormous suitcases beside her. “Dormitory registration is inside the administration hall!” a volunteer called loudly. A student bumped into her suitcase with a muttered apology before rushing away. Chaos. Absolute chaos. Isla exhaled quietly and pulled both suitcases behind her, wheels rattling against the pavement. Inside the administration hall students crowded around counters according to departments. After nearly twenty minutes of waiting in line, checking documents, and trying not to lose patience, finally received her dorm assignment. Dormitory C. Room 407. Four roommates. Wonderful. By the time she somehow managed to drag herself and her embarrassingly heavy luggage to the fourth floor, her mood had already declined significantly. The door to Room 407 was half open. Voices drifted out from inside. Isla pushed the door gently with her foot. The room was surprisingly spacious—five beds, large windows, study desks lined against the walls, and soft cream-colored interiors that looked far more expensive than any dorm she had imagined. Four girls turned toward her almost immediately. Then a curly-haired girl sitting cross-legged on one of the beds grinned first. “Please tell me you’re the last roommate,” she said dramatically. “Because if one more person walks in, I’m moving out.” A small laugh escaped Isla before she could stop it. “I am,” she replied. “Unfortunately for you.” “That’s acceptable,” the girl declared, pointing toward the empty bed beside the window. “I’m Maya.” She had warm wheat-toned skin, thick dark curls tied messily above her head, and the kind of loud confidence that immediately filled a room. “I’m Serena,” another girl said with a smile from near the closet. The third girl gave a small wave from behind her laptop. “Olivia.” Short. Quiet. Efficient. And the last girl—who looked effortlessly expensive in an oversized sweatshirt and gold jewelry—looked up from her phone briefly. “Chloe.” Definitely not the talkative type. Maya leaned forward immediately. “And you?” “Isla.” Maybe this wouldn’t be unbearable after all. The next hour passed in a mixture of unpacking, awkward conversations, tangled charger wires, and Maya continuously talking enough for at least three people. By the time Isla finished arranging her books neatly across the shelf above her desk, she could already hear Maya complaining dramatically from the other side of the room. “I’m starving. If I don’t eat within the next ten minutes, I might actually pass away.” “You said that thirty minutes ago,” Olivia muttered without looking up from her laptop. “And yet the suffering continues.” Serena laughed while fixing her hair into a ponytail. “We should explore campus anyway. Orientation starts tomorrow.” “Exactly,” Maya said, standing abruptly. “Campus tour first. Food second. Emotional stability third.” Chloe finally looked up from her phone. “I support the food part.” And somehow, less than fifteen minutes later, all five girls were walking through the enormous university campus together like they had known each other longer than a single afternoon. The campus buzzed with life around them. Students crowded the pathways, music drifted faintly from somewhere in the distance, and expensive cars continued pulling into the university entrance one after another. Isla quietly observed everything around her as the others talked. The university cafeteria was bigger than some restaurants Isla had been to. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the central campus lawn while warm lighting reflected against polished wooden interiors. Conversations blended together with the sound of trays, coffee machines, and distant laughter until the entire place buzzed with noisy energy. “This place is ridiculously fancy for a university,” Serena muttered, balancing a tray in one hand. “It’s giving rich people hunger games,” Maya agreed solemnly. After nearly five minutes of debating food choices and Maya changing her order twice, the girls finally settled at a table near the far side of the cafeteria. Isla placed her iced coffee beside her tray and sank into the chair with relief. “So,” Maya said dramatically, unwrapping fries like she was beginning an interview. “Tell me something interesting about yourselves.” Isla found herself relaxing slightly for the first time that day. Maybe because none of them were trying too hard. Maybe because the awkwardness had slowly started fading into something easier. She had just reached for her drink when the noise level in the cafeteria shifted subtly. Conversations lowered. Several heads turned toward the entrance almost at once. Maya paused mid-sentence. “Oh?” Curious, Serena glanced over her shoulder first. And immediately straightened. “No way.” “What?” Chloe asked. “The band guys.” Maya turned so fast to check. “Oh my God.” A group of boys entered the cafeteria casually like they had absolutely no idea half the room had noticed them. Which, judging by the confidence in their posture, was probably untrue. There were five of them. Tall. Loud. Comfortable with attention. One of them laughed at something another said while students nearby openly stared. “Who are they?” Olivia asked quietly. “That,” Maya said, leaning forward dramatically, “is Midnight Echo.” “The campus band?” Serena added immediately. “They perform at university events,” Maya continued excitedly. “And apparently they’re already semi-famous online.” “Music majors,” Serena explained to the others. “I saw them on the university page before admissions.” The boys moved further inside while people continued watching openly. And then Isla noticed him. Walking slightly ahead of the others. Dark hoodie despite the heat. Rings on long fingers. Calm expression. Completely unbothered by the attention surrounding him. Not trying to stand out. Still somehow impossible not to notice. Maya let out a low whisper beside her. “Okay… the lead singer is unfairly attractive.” Serena nodded immediately. “Actually criminal.” Olivia glanced up from her drink. “Which one’s the lead singer?” “The one in black,” Maya said without hesitation. Isla rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her coffee. Maya turned toward her immediately. “Don’t tell me you disagree.” “He’s not that good-looking.” Four heads snapped toward her. Even Chloe looked up this time. Maya stared in genuine disbelief. “Excuse me?” “I’m serious,” Isla said calmly. “That man looks like he walked out of a Netflix drama.” “He looks tired.” Serena choked on her drink trying not to laugh. Maya pointed aggressively across the cafeteria. “That is objectively a beautiful man.” Isla shrugged lightly, looking back down at her food. “If you say so.” But before she could take another bite, a strange feeling crawled up the back of her neck. Like being watched. Her fingers paused slightly around the fork. Slowly, Isla lifted her eyes. Across the cafeteria, Adrian Blake was already looking directly at her. Just watching her with the same familiar irritation she felt rising inside herself. Then, after one unreadable second too long, he looked away first. “Anyway,” she continued dramatically, “if he ever falls in love with me, I just want everyone here to be supportive.” Isla let out a quiet breath and muttered under her breath, “Your chances are safe.” Maya gasped dramatically beside her. “That sounded personal.” “It wasn’t.” “Mhm.” Serena leaned forward against the table with narrowed eyes. “Wait. Why did that sound like you already know him?” Isla calmly stabbed another fry with her fork. “I don’t.” Not technically a lie. Chloe hummed softly like she didn’t believe her for even a second. Thankfully, Maya got distracted almost immediately when one of the boys near the counter waved at their table. “Oh my God, was that directed at us?” she whispered urgently. “It was directed at the empty chair behind you,” Olivia replied dryly. “Let me live.” The conversation dissolved into laughter again, and slowly the atmosphere returned to normal. Outside the cafeteria windows, the late afternoon sun had started softening into gold, casting warm light across the campus lawns. “So,” Serena said after a while, sipping her drink, “what majors are you all in?” “Business management,” Chloe answered first. “Computer science,” Olivia said. Maya groaned loudly. “You people are smart-smart.” “What about you?” Isla asked. “Media and communications,” Maya said proudly. “Future famous person energy.” “That explains a lot,” Chloe muttered. Maya ignored her completely. “And you?” “Business.” Serena raised her eyebrows slightly. “Really? You actually look like a business major.” Isla let out a small laugh. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.” “It is,” Serena assured her. “You have that organized scary-person energy.” “She arranged her books by size earlier,” Maya added dramatically. “I noticed.” “I was trying to make space.” “Mhm. Future CEO behavior.” “And you?” Isla asked Serena. “Economics.” “Business and economics students share some classes, right?” Chloe asked. Isla nodded slightly. “Probably first semester electives too.” “Oh thank God,” Maya said dramatically. “At least some of you are suffering together.” “You say that like your major is easy,” Serena laughed. Maya placed a hand over her chest. “Do you understand the emotional labor behind being creative?” “No,” Chloe replied instantly. The table burst into laughter again. For the next twenty minutes, the girls talked about schedules, professors they had heard rumors about online, orientation events, and how absurdly huge the campus was. By the time they finally left the cafeteria, evening had settled comfortably over the university. Campus lights flickered on one by one while groups of students wandered through pathways with maps and phones in hand. Maya stretched dramatically as they stepped outside. “My social battery is somehow exhausted and overactive at the same time.” “That makes no sense,” Olivia said. “It makes perfect sense emotionally.” The girls continued laughing all the way back toward the dormitory building. By the time they reached Room 407 again, exhaustion had finally started settling over all of them properly. Suitcases remained half-opened. Chargers tangled everywhere. Someone’s skincare products had already occupied an entire bathroom shelf. Maya collapsed face-first onto her bed dramatically. “If orientation tomorrow starts before nine in the morning, I’m dropping out.” “You say that now,” Olivia muttered while opening her laptop again. Chloe disappeared into the bathroom with a towel over her shoulder while Serena started setting alarms on her phone. Isla quietly changed into comfortable clothes before climbing onto her bed near the window. Outside, the campus still glowed softly beneath the night sky. Music drifted faintly through the open window. Tomorrow would officially be their first day here. New classes. New people. New beginnings. Her phone suddenly lit up beside her. Unknown Number. Isla frowned slightly before opening the message. ~ We are behaving strangers.