K-Hoes

Room 104

Arlo sprinted through the heavy double doors of the lecture hall, out of breath. He quickly scanned the room. It was huge, shaped like a theater with rows of desks curving upward.

He quietly slipped into an empty seat near the very back, hoping the professor wouldn't notice him. He let out a soft sigh, glad to have made it. But as he settled his books on the desk, he felt eyes on him.

He looked down toward the front row. Sitting right there together were Greer, Bobby, and Cleo.

Greer caught his eye instantly. She flashed a massive smile and gave him a energetic wave, her short blonde hair bouncing.Bobby looked over and nodded politely. Next to them, Cleo didn't even look up; she was scribbling down something on her notebook,completely ignoring the world. Arlo awkwardly offered a tiny, shy wave back to Greer before quickly looking down at his notebook, his face burning hot.

The lecture felt like it lasted for hours. By the time the professor dismissed the class, Arlo's head was spinning with syllabus dates and assignments. He packed his bag as fast as he could, wanting to escape the crowd.

"Hey! Bumpy!"

Arlo froze. He turned around and saw Greer standing over his desk. Up close, she seemed even taller than yesterday, completely blocking the aisle. Bobby stood just behind her, while Cleo loitered near the door, looking bored."I saw you ran into Cleo earlier," Greer said with a laugh, crossing her arms. "You gotta watch where you're walking, kiddo. She’s got a mean bite."

"I-I'm sorry," Arlo stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "I was late."

"Don't sweat it," Bobby stepped forward, giving a reassuring smile. "We're actually heading to the campus diner. You want to join us?"

Before Arlo could even process the invitation, Cleo sighed loudly from the doorway, checking her nails. "Can we go already?"

Arlo shrank back slightly. "Oh, um... thank you, but I should probably get back to my room to study."

"Suit yourself!" Greer shrugged playfully, giving his shoulder a firm, confident pat. "We'll catch you later, Arlo."

Arlo watched them leave. Once they were out of sight, he walked back across the campus to his isolated dorm building. The afternoon sun was setting, casting long, creepy shadows across the empty grass around his block.

When he opened the door, Jude was already there, sitting on the bottom bunk sorting through a stack of old papers.

"Hey," Jude said, looking up. "How was your first day?"

"It was okay," Arlo said softly, dropping his heavy bag. "Hey, Jude? Why is our building so far away from the other dorms?"

"I don't know, really." Jude shrugged "But at least we are far from the others.No noise"

"Yeah, you are right"

They both smiled.

"So what are you studying" Arlo asked Jude

"Cooking stuff and some cooking arts"

"Culinary arts?"

"Yeah.Amazing , right?"

"Wish I could cook." Arlo said wistfully.

"Everyone can cook Arlo." Jude laughed.

Arlo joined him laughing softly climbing to the top bed.

[Leaving the cafeteria]

"Do you think we'll get caught skipping our classes and joining the first years classes?" Greer said ,kind of laughing

"Well the professors don't care so much to notice" Bobby said.

"How long have you been doing this?" Cleo asked.

"Since second semester of being Freshman" Bobby and Greer said together

"Isn't it so fun?" Greer said

"I don't know." Cleo replied.

"Oh Cleo!" Bobby said, putting her arm around Cleo's shoulder.