The dorm felt different after lights-out.
The hallways hummed with whispers, footsteps, and the soft beat of someone's playlist leaking through a door. Ridgeway was officially alive.
In Room 3A, fairy lights glowed above the beds, and Khadija was sitting cross-legged on her comforter with a tub of popcorn between her knees.
"You know what we need?" she said, her eyes bright.
Maliya glanced up from unpacking her last book. "Please don't say karaoke."
"Even better," Khadija grinned. "A dorm game. First-night tradition."
There was a knock, and Leo's voice came through the door. "Permission to invade?"
Khadija rolled her eyes but got up. "Enter, peasants."
Leo came in with Amir trailing behind, both carrying snacks and that chaotic energy boys always brought into a clean room.
"You already made it cozy," Leo said, dropping into a beanbag. "Our room looks like a shoebox compared to this."
"That's because we have taste," Khadijah said.
Amir snorted. "You have chaos. There's a difference."
"Anyway," Leo said, clapping his hands, "we were bored. So what's the plan?"
Khadija grinned like a mastermind. "Truth or Dare. Classic, harmless, slightly dangerous."
Amir groaned. "We're not twelve."
"Speak for yourself," Leo said, already reaching for the popcorn. "I live for chaos."
Maliya smiled quietly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to play, but it felt good to just be here — to feel part of something that wasn't heavy.
The circle formed on the rug: Khadija, Maliya, Leo, Amir. The fairy lights flickered as the first round began.
"Okay," Khadija said, pointing at Leo. "Truth or dare."
"Truth."
She smirked. "Who was your last crush?"
Leo pressed a hand to his heart dramatically. "Easy. Miss Rivers, tenth grade literature teacher. Those metaphors changed my life."
Everyone groaned.
"Boring," Amir said.
Leo pointed at him. "Fine, your turn. Truth or dare."
"Truth."
Leo grinned wickedly. "Do you like anyone in this room?"
Amir froze, then gave a very bad attempt at laughing. "Next question."
Khadija arched a brow. "Suspicious."
Maliya hid a smile behind her sleeve — she noticed the way Amir's eyes flicked toward Khadija for half a second before darting away.
The next few rounds were pure chaos — dares to text random emojis to classmates, truths about embarrassing moments, and too much popcorn.
Then Leo turned toward Maliya.
"Your turn," he said. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
He hesitated for a moment — the teasing faded, replaced by something curious. "Okay… what's something people don't know about you?"
The question hung there — simple, but sharp around the edges.
Maliya blinked. "Um… I don't know."
"Come on," Khadija nudged, still playful. "It's just us."
For a heartbeat, Maliya thought about answering — about saying something small and safe. But instead, her chest tightened, and the words stayed stuck.
Finally, she said quietly, "I used to love thunderstorms."
Leo smiled. "That's cute."
"But not anymore," she added, voice soft, almost lost under the hum of the lights.
No one said anything for a moment. Even Khadija's smile faltered.
There was something in the way Maliya's eyes dropped, in the quiet ache behind that sentence — like the storm she mentioned wasn't about weather at all.
Amir was the first to clear his throat. "Okay, okay. My turn," he said quickly, shifting the mood. "Khadija — truth or dare?"
Khadija blinked, then forced a grin. "Dare, obviously."
He smiled. "I dare you to sing that old Moroccan song you keep humming."
She gasped. "No, no, no—"
But it worked — the tension broke as she started singing, half-laughing, half-embarrassed, her accent rolling the words beautifully. Leo joined in off-key, Amir clapped along, and Maliya laughed until her sides hurt.
By the time the game ended, the room was a mess of laughter, empty snack wrappers, and soft comfort.
Amir and Leo finally left after midnight, with Leo insisting that "Team 3A" was officially the fun dorm.
When the door closed, Khadija looked over at Maliya. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Maliya said, smiling faintly. "That was… actually nice."
Khadija yawned. "See? Dorm life isn't so bad."
They turned off the lights. Silence settled — the good kind.
Maliya lay staring at the ceiling, the glow of the moon painting soft shapes across the room.
Khadija was already half asleep when she whispered, "Hey, Maliya?"
"Yeah?"
"Whatever made you stop liking thunderstorms… I hope one day you get to love them again."
Maliya didn't answer — her throat was too tight — but her heart whispered thank you.
Outside, somewhere beyond the dorm walls, thunder rolled faintly in the distance.
And for the first time in a long while, she didn't flinch.
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