Raquella bent down quickly, gathering her scattered papers with shaky hands, her cheeks still burning from the quiet laughter around her.
"I'm so sorry," she said softly, not daring to look up immediately.
A low voice reached her ears, calm but edged with something cold. "If anyone collides with me again today…" he muttered, to his friends beside him, "…they might as well be ready to meet their grave."his tone sounded frustrated.
A brief silence followed—then his friends laughed, exchanging knowing looks.
Raquella froze for half a second. Again?
So someone else had run into him earlier… or maybe his day had already gone wrong before she showed up. Either way, she wasn't about to find out.
She finally glanced up just in time to see the three of them walk past her, their presence parting the hallway crowd slightly before everything slowly returned to normal. The noise of students crept back in—chatter, footsteps, distant laughter—but a few lingering eyes remained on her.
Her grip tightened around the papers as she quickly looked away, embarrassment settling deeper into her chest.
Kneeling down again to pick up the last sheet, she suddenly noticed another hand reaching for it.
"Hey… ignore them."
Raquella looked up to see a girl offering her a small, reassuring smile. She handed her the remaining papers. "Here you go."
"Oh—thank you," Raquella said, her voice softer now, but steadier.
"I'm Hilary," the girl added, brushing her hands together lightly as she stood.
"Raquella," she replied, managing a faint smile. "Nice to meet you."
Hilary nodded, her expression easy and warm—completely different from the tension Raquella had just been in. "You're new, right?"
"Is it that obvious?"
Hilary laughed lightly. "A little. Don't worry, everyone has their first-day moment."
Raquella let out a small breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Well," Hilary continued, "you'll need the assistant admin's office to get your dorm number and access key. I can show you, if you want."
Relief flickered across Raquella's face. "Really? I'd appreciate that… thank you."
"Come on then," Hilary said, already turning, motioning for her to follow.
This time, Raquella paid closer attention to where she was going.
They moved through the hallways, passing clusters of students, notice boards filled with announcements, and open doors that revealed glimpses of lecture rooms. The campus felt alive in a way that was both exciting and overwhelming, but walking beside Hilary made it easier—lighter somehow.
After a few turns, they reached the assistant admin's office. The process was quick, and soon enough, Raquella had her dorm number and access key in hand.
"See? Not so bad," Hilary said with a small grin.
Raquella smiled back, more genuinely this time. "Yeah… not so bad."
Hilary helped her find the dorm building and even stayed while she settled in—placing her luggage by the bed, glancing around the room, making sure everything was in place.
When everything was finally set, Raquella turned to her. "Thank you, Hilary. Really… I don't know what I would've done without you."
Hilary waved it off lightly. "You'll be fine. Trust me."
With one last smile, she stepped toward the door. "I've got to get to my own dorm. See you around, Raquella."
"Yeah… see you," Raquella replied.
The door clicked softly behind her.
Silence settled into the room.
For the first time since she arrived, Raquella was alone.
She glanced around slowly, taking in her new space—the unfamiliar walls, the stillness, the quiet. The excitement she had been holding onto all day flickered slightly, replaced by something softer… something uncertain.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the dorm key.