Ava’s alarm had already been silenced twice by the time it rang again, and this time she didn’t even bother reaching for it. One of her roommates did instead, followed by a loud groan and the rustling of sheets as the room slowly dragged itself into the morning. Voices followed after that, low and unfiltered, someone laughing too loudly at a video without headphones, drawers opening and closing like no one could decide where anything belonged.
Ava stayed still for a moment before sitting up. She had showered earlier, quickly, before the noise fully took over the room, so her hair was still slightly damp at the ends when she reached for her clothes.
The sunlight coming through the window was already half gone, blocked by a towel someone had hung across it. She looked at it for a second, t
