-Julien Grayson:
The last class of the day ended slowly.
Students gathered their things, chairs scraping softly against the floor while quiet conversations filled the studio. The late afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows, turning the dust in the air golden. I stayed seated for a moment longer, looking down at the sketchbook resting on the table in front of me.
My first day at the university was over.
It felt strange how quickly it had passed.
Not because anything exciting had happened—nothing really had—but because everything had felt new. Every hallway, every professor, every classroom. My mind still felt full of unfamiliar faces and names.
I closed my sketchbook slowly and slipped it into my bag.
"Leaving already?"
I looked up to see Maren leaning against the table beside me, her arms loosely crossed. Kieran stood next to her, hands in the pockets of his jacket, while Lila adjusted the strap of her tote bag.
