Chapter :1
709 Words
Campus was doing that thing again where everything felt a bit too bright and a bit too loud at the same time.
Sofia stepped out of class with her bag hanging low on one shoulder, already halfway open like it had given up. Someone brushed past her laughing at something she didn’t catch. Another group stood near the stairs arguing about something that didn’t sound serious enough to argue about.
She just kept moving.
No rush. No real plan.
Her iced coffee was still cold enough to feel good when she took a sip, so she slowed down a little near the walkway, letting people pass.
“Ah, so you’ve finally decided to appear in public.”
Vivian slid into her space like she had been there the whole time. No warning, no pause, just there—already talking, already laughing at something that probably only made sense to her.
Sofia smiled a little without stopping. “I’ve been in class.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Vivian said, falling into step beside her. “You disappear mentally. Like your body is here but your brain is somewhere in a library thinking about life.”
Sofia gave her a side glance. “That sounds peaceful actually.”
“Peaceful?” Vivian repeated like she was offended by the word. “No. That sounds like you need entertainment.”
Sofia laughed under her breath, adjusting her bag strap again. “You call everything entertainment.”
“Because everything is,” Vivian said, completely serious.
They walked like that, not really deciding where they were going. Just drifting with the crowd heading toward the cafeteria.
Vivian kept talking the entire time, jumping between complaints and random observations. Something about a lecturer’s handwriting, something about a vending machine that “had attitude,” something about a group project that was “personally attacking her existence.”
Sofia didn’t always respond properly. She just laughed when it made sense and stayed quiet when it didn’t. It worked between them.
Inside the cafeteria, noise hit first. Chairs scraping, voices overlapping, someone calling someone else’s name from across the room.
Vivian didn’t hesitate. She just walked in like she already knew where she was sitting.
Sofia followed, still smiling slightly at whatever Vivian was saying now—something about betrayal and snacks.
They found a table near the window.
Vivian dropped into her seat first, immediately leaning forward like she hadn’t finished talking since morning.
Sofia sat opposite her and placed her drink down carefully, watching her friend continue mid-sentence without losing momentum.
Vivian always looked like that—like her thoughts didn’t come one at a time, they all arrived together and she just chose which one to say out loud.
At some point she stopped mid-rant, looked at Sofia, and just said it like it was already settled.
“You’re coming later.”
Sofia didn’t even fully react. Just took a sip of her drink.
“That wasn’t a question,” she said.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” Vivian replied immediately, leaning back like that solved everything.
Sofia gave her a small look. “You didn’t ask.”
Vivian shrugged. “Because I already know you’ll come.”
Sofia smiled a little, shaking her head. “That’s a very confident assumption.”
“It’s not confidence,” Vivian said. “It’s pattern recognition. You always come.”
Sofia leaned back in her chair. “That sounds like you’ve been studying me.”
Vivian pointed at her like that was correct. “I have. You’re consistent.”
Sofia laughed. “That’s one way to say predictable.”
“Reliable,” Vivian corrected quickly. “There’s a difference.”
Sofia didn’t argue. She just sipped her drink again, watching Vivian immediately switch topics mid-breath like nothing stayed in one place for long in her head.
A group nearby laughed too loudly at something. Someone dropped a tray.
Sofia let go to my house , no Vivian you know I’m busy ,busy with what ? What are you always doing ? , you will follow me this time that’s the excuse you made last time and it’s not going to work
Sofia decided not to argue this time because Vivian is right
- Writer
