The scent of fried batter, grilled cheese, spicy chicken, and sweet waffles hung thick in the air.
Students chattered and laughed around brightly painted food trucks, their colorful umbrellas casting shade over long picnic tables.
Music blared softly from a Bluetooth speaker near the taco stand, the beat steady and low like a second heartbeat across the busy campus yard.
Lucas stood with Aiden a few feet away from the last cluster of food trucks, half-hidden behind a massive poster advertising a student jazz concert.
He watched the two girls, Lily and Lena. standing by the ice cream truck, the tension between them practically vibrating through the air.
“You sure about this?” Aiden asked, his arms crossed over his chest, jaw clenched.
Lucas didn’t look at him. His eyes stayed locke
