The dorm room hummed with quiet intensity, the kind that came from too many sleepless nights and too much caffeine. Scarlet's desk lamp threw a buttery golden circle across her latest charcoal sketch, illuminating the dark smudges beneath her eyes. Rayla watched her from the bed, noticing how her roommate's fingers trembled slightly as they smudged a shadow into existence - the telltale sign of too many hours without rest, too many days running on nervous energy alone.
Asher leaned against the dresser, his broad shoulders blocking part of the fairy lights strung above them. The tiny bulbs reflected in his eyes like distant stars as he toyed with a vial of silver glitter, turning it over and over in his long fingers. Each rotation sent shimmering motes dancing across his skin, catching on
