A man stepped in with a restless, caffeinated energy that cut through the low chatter. He looked to be in his late thirties, lean rather than bulky—the kind of build earned from movement, not gym mirrors. His dark hair was slightly messy, as if he'd run his hands through it on the way over, and a short, neatly kept beard sharpened his features.
He wore a light-blue button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and charcoal chinos—professional, but not stiff. A pair of matte-black rectangular glasses slipped down his nose as he moved. Instead of stopping at the podium, he walked straight to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote a name at the center:
Johnny Benson
Caroline and Daisy barely had time to put the chocolates into their mouths before his sudden arrival. When the lecturer turned toward the board, Caroline quickly unwrapped the toffee and popped it into her mouth. Daisy did the same.
"Good morning, class. I am Johnny Benson," he said, turning back to face them, his voice deep but conversational. "I will be teaching Mathematics for all Computer Science and Economics students. Before we begin, let's start with introductions. We'll go from left to right."
A boy with glasses stood up.
"Hello everyone, I'm Nathan Finn from Kallia. Nice to meet you all."
"Thank you, Nathan," Mr. Benson said. "And which major have you opted for?"
"Computer Science, sir."
"Good. Since first-year students are free to attend classes outside their registered majors, I assume we have students from other departments as well. Please mention your registered major during your introduction."
He gestured for the next student.
Soon it was Daisy's turn, seated in the middle row. She stood, fingers lightly touching the desk.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Daisy from Mechanical Engineering. It's nice to meet you all. I joined this class hoping to make more friends and I'm also looking forward to learning under Mr. Benson."
She scanned the room with a bright smile—no trace of the anxious girl she had been earlier.
"Thank you, Miss Daisy," Mr. Benson said with a nod, then signaled toward Caroline.
Caroline stood, trying to hide the melted toffee in her mouth.
"Good morning, Mr. Benson."
She turned to face the class. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Caroline from Mechanical Engineering. I hope we all get along. Thank you."
Her tone was even, composed. Her lips curved slightly—not quite friendly, not quite cold—more like a statement than a greeting. She took her seat.
The boy sitting behind her pressed his lips into a straight line, his eyes empty of expectation.
You don't share chocolate or even ask for a name, he thought, yet you expect everyone to get along. If she wanted people to get along, she could start by trying.
Marcus stood next.
"Good morning, Mr. Benson—and everyone. I'm Marcus. I was aiming for Computer Science, but my marks had other plans and landed me in Mechanical."
A brief shrug. "Still, I'm not complaining. I'm hoping we survive—and maybe have a little fun along the way." He said, lightly joking, nothing like the man who had been throwing sharp, warning stares just minutes earlier.
The boy behind them tilted his head slightly, expression unchanged.
Was that supposed to be funny?
Good thing you're not in Computer Science Engineering. I'd have changed my major just to stay away from trouble.
Kevin was the last in their row.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Kevin, also from Mechanical Engineering. I like playing football and would love to meet people with similar interests. Thank you."
A few introductions later, the boy who had bickered with them earlier stood.
"Good morning, Mr. Benson and everyone. I'm Lucas from Hallowell. I enjoy solving puzzles and codes. Thank you."
As Lucas unintentionally glanced toward the front row, he noticed several heads turned his way. Caroline and Marcus both formed a small O with their mouths, while others nodded faintly—as if surprised—before immediately facing forward again, uninterested.
The reaction caught Lucas off guard. He hesitated before sitting, even as the next student began speaking.
Why did they turn for me—and not for others?
This doesn't feel good.
Introductions alone took forty minutes. The class then proceeded to a brief overview of the semester's coursework.
One lecture followed another. Thankfully, Mr. Paulson didn't ask for introductions again and started the subject, though not in depth, it still felt good sitting in the class of their desired university.
Marcus's and Kevin's eyes grew heavy. The moment one class ended and before the next lecturer arrived, both collapsed forward onto their desks, taking advantage of the few minutes to rest.
Caroline rummaged through her bag again.
"Marko, Kevin—eat this after the lecturer enters. It'll keep you awake for a bit," she whispered, placing sour candy into their hands without waking them.
A few minutes later, they tasted it. The sharp sourness made their eyes snap open, nerves jolting instantly.
The bell rang, signaling lunch break.
Students started forming groups, chatting and leaving the classrooms, crowding the corridors.
Despite the noise, Marcus and Kevin found relief in simply lying on their desks, eyes closed.
"I think we should let them rest," Daisy said softly. "We can bring takeout and eat here."
Caroline hesitated, then nodded. As she stood, Marcus caught her hand.
"I'm coming," he said, lifting his head with a slow inhale. "Let Daisy stay here. We'll bring food back."
"Can you even walk in your state?" Daisy asked plainly.
"I can't let you girls go alone," Marcus replied, standing. "And someone awake needs to stay with Kevin."
"Okay," Daisy said, nodding. "Be careful. Bring me anything tasty—with juice."
"Anything with meat for me," Kevin muttered, lifting his head, eyes still closed, before dropping back onto the desk.
That earned a giggle from all three.
Caroline freed her hand but held onto Marcus's arm to steady him as they walked out, already scrolling through menus from different canteens on her phone.
"Let's try Catenburg," Caroline said, picking up her pace. "If it's crowded, we'll grab something from Simpsons across the Galaxy Hall."
"Alright," Marcus replied, already scanning the corridor as he followed.