Dangerously Right

4

Siena POV

Benny drops my bags on the floor beside the bed, startling me. I spin around, suddenly aware that I’ve been caught watching his friends from the window.

“You ready?” he asks.

“For what?”

“I’m gonna show you the campus, remember.”

“I forgot.”

I grab my phone and slip it into my pocket before following Benny out of the house.

“I figured we should walk. It’s not a long walk, but we have football training early most mornings, so I won’t be able to give you a lift to campus. I do have a bike you can borrow, though.”

“Walking’s fine. I like walking.”

Benny was right. The walk to campus doesn’t take long. Twenty minutes, and that’s at a slow pace, with Benny filling the walk with stories about the things he and his friends get up to.

As we round the corner, Carver University comes into view, and I slow my steps without meaning to.

I’ve seen pictures of the campus before, but they don’t do it justice.

A wide stone pathway stretches ahead of us, lined with towering oak trees whose branches reach over the walkway, their leaves creating patches of shade across the pavement. Beyond them, the university buildings rise on either side, their pale stone facades softened by years of ivy winding around tall windows and dark wooden doors.

Everything looks old. Not neglected or outdated, but established. Like it has been here for generations.

Midnight-blue and antique-gold flags hang from tall poles along the main walkway, stirring gently in the breeze. Banners in the same colors are fixed to the lampposts, each carrying the Carver crest, a gold lion against a midnight-blue shield.

The sight of them makes it suddenly feel real. Really real.

Carver University.

Students are scattered across the grounds, though there’s none of the frantic rush I imagine there will be once classes begin. Some are dragging suitcases across the paths, while others sit on the grass surrounded by bags and boxes, talking and laughing as they settle in. A few groups are gathered outside the student center, coffee cups in hand, already looking like they know exactly where they belong.

To my left, an open lawn stretches between two of the older buildings, dotted with benches beneath the trees. Beyond it, I catch sight of a stone courtyard with a fountain at its center.

Further ahead, a clock tower rises above the rooftops, its dark face standing out against the pale stone.

A large Carver banner stretches across the front of the student center.

For a moment, I just stand there.

I’ve spent years imagining what it would feel like to finally get here.

I’ve worked for this. Saved for this. Studied for this.

And now I’m standing in the middle of it.

Carver, my new home for the next four years.

“This is Prescott Hall,” Benny says as he stops outside a large, imposing building.

Three stories of pale stone rise above us, framed by tall arched windows and dark wooden doors. Ivy climbs one side of the building, breaking up the stonework, while a carved stone crest sits above the entrance.

“This is where most of your lessons will be. All the business courses are based around here, so you’ll be spending a lot of time in this part of campus. Dorian’s major is finance, so you might run into him.”

I glance up at the building again. Carver’s business programs are among the best in the country, recognized around the world. I knew this was where I needed to be the moment I decided what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Now, standing here in the shadow of the building, it feels surreal.

“Oh, let me show you the dining halls. Carver Hall is the best one. That’s where we eat if we eat on campus.”

I follow Benny as he points out a few of the other buildings. He shows me the library, a few of the dining halls, and where the dorms are before making his last stop at the football stadium.

We round the corner, and I see it.

The stadium rises beyond the trees, enormous compared to everything else around it. Rows of dark blue seats climb high on either side of the field, the upper sections stretching toward the sky. Tall floodlights stand above the stands, ready to turn the field into a beacon on game nights.

Banners hang from the railings, each carrying the Carver crest. Larger flags fly from poles around the entrance, snapping in the breeze.

Above the main entrance, huge lettering stretches across the stone facade.

CARVER LIONS.

Even from here, I can make out the rows of seats closest to the field, the players’ tunnel leading onto the turf, and the giant scoreboard towering above one end zone.

The field itself is immaculate. Deep green turf fills the space, with CARVER painted in enormous white letters across one end zone and LIONS across the other. At the center of the field sits the gold lion crest, almost bright enough to catch the sunlight from where we stand.

More banners line the walkway leading toward the gates, even the light poles carrying smaller flags.

I can already imagine what this place must look like on game day.

Thousands of students packed into the stands wearing blue and gold. The marching band filling the air with music. Cheerleaders on the sidelines. The roar of the crowd rolling across the campus when the Lions score.

Right now, though, it’s quiet, like it’s waiting.

And somehow, that makes it even more impressive.

“This is where you play?”

“This is where I smash it.” Benny smiles, that cute, boyish smile that’s impossible to say no to. I smile back. “We have our first game on the first day of the semester. You’ll come, right?”

“Of course.”

“Great. We should head back. I need to get ready.”

“So studious,” I mock, causing Benny to laugh.

“You have no idea.”

I can’t help glancing back one last time at the campus.

My whole life, I’ve dreamed of this. Walking through these doors, earning my place in the world, building a future that belongs to me.

And now I’m finally here.

I smile to myself before turning away and following Benny back toward the house.