Caroline leaned back against the cool corridor wall, the concrete pressing through her jacket. Luckily, she had slipped her Bluetooth earphones into the pocket earlier without thinking much of it. She pulled them out now, connected them to her phone, and let quiet music fill her ears—low enough to stay aware, steady enough to calm her thoughts.
The corridor remained dark and empty.
She closed her eyes for a moment, listening.
Time passed slowly. Too slowly.
Nearly two hours slipped by.
Her legs ached faintly from standing, but she didn't move. She stayed where she was, leaning against the wall near the window, her attention divided between the music and the faint movements outside. When she noticed motion below, she paused the track and pulled one earphone out.
Students began to leave the building in small, uneven groups.
Some stumbled slightly, leaning on others for balance. A few looked tipsy—faces flushed, steps loose—while others hugged their arms around themselves, heads lowered, shoulders drawn inward. Some walked as though nothing unusual had happened, talking loudly, laughing too much, pretending the hour didn't matter.
They were accompanied again.
Seniors.
Caroline watched closely now, her jaw tightening as she tracked them. The seniors walked alongside or slightly behind the groups, close enough to guide, far enough to avoid looking like escorts. Their presence was subtle but unmistakable.
Ten minutes passed.
Slowly, the building emptied.
When the last group exited, Caroline didn't move immediately. She waited another five minutes, forcing herself to stay still, to be certain no one lingered. Only when the entrance remained quiet did she finally straighten.
A separate group crossed her line of sight farther below, moving toward the other dorms. From this angle, she couldn't tell where they were headed. she rubbed the window glass with the sleeve of her jacket, clearing away a thin film of dust. Leaning closer, she focused on the figures outside.
Her breath caught.
Derik.
She recognized him immediately. He had one arm hooked around a boy beside him—not in support, but in control. The boy walked unsteadily, not drunk enough to excuse it, not sober enough to resist. The others laughed as they walked, reacting to something Derik was saying. The laughter sounded wrong even from a distance.
Caroline stayed frozen, watching.
Five more minutes passed.
When the group turned away from view, she didn't hesitate. She slipped away from the window and took the stairs down, her steps quick but quiet. At the door, she paused, listening. Silence.
She opened it, stepped out, and immediately ran—ducking back into the shadows to check again.
The night air hit her as she burst outside. The group she had seen earlier was already entering Bat dorm.
Caroline stiffened.
She circled around the back of the buildings, sticking to darker paths, checking twice before crossing open spaces. No one else was nearby. When she reached Bat, she scanned the structure carefully.
The girls' wing lights were off.
A few rooms in the boys' wing were still lit.
She slipped inside through the back entrance near the canteen, her heart pounding louder than her footsteps. The hall was empty. Without slowing, she took the stairs on the girls' side and rushed upward.
A voice stopped her cold.
"Now tell me—where is the room?"
Derik.
Caroline pressed herself against the wall and leaned just enough to peek through the stairwell door. She could see Derik clearly. The other boy stood with his back to her.
"That way," the boy muttered, pointing.
"Good," Derik said. His smile carried even without seeing it. "Then let's go greet my dear junior."
They turned toward the boys' wing.
Caroline didn't breathe until their footsteps faded.
Only then did she move—quiet, fast, controlled. She slipped down the hall, unlocked her room, and stepped inside just as footsteps echoed again somewhere beyond the stairwell.
She closed the door and locked it.
She stayed there for a full minute, back against the door, listening.
Nothing.
Only when she was sure did she remove her sneakers and pad quietly to the washroom. She splashed warm water onto her face, gripping the sink as the tension finally loosened its hold.
After a moment, she returned to her bed, set her jacket aside, and lay down.
Sleep came slowly—but it came.
Morning. Three alarms chimed at once.
Marcus slapped his phone and rolled over, already drifting back into sleep.
Kevin sat up, groaning softly as he turned off his own alarm. He stretched his arms, blinking. Another alarm was still going.
He turned toward the sound.
Caroline.
Kevin glanced at Marcus first and reached out, giving his shoulder a light shake. "Marcus."
Marcus mumbled something incoherent and turned away.
The alarm kept ringing.
Kevin exhaled, then stood and walked over, careful with his steps. The sound was coming from her jacket, not the bed. He raised an eyebrow, then gently lifted the jacket, unzipped the pocket, and found her phone.
He turned it off and set the jacket back exactly where it had been.
Brush in hand, he headed to the washroom.
Ten minutes later, Kevin returned and tried waking Marcus again. No response.
He checked the time and grimaced.
"Dude," he whispered sharply, shaking Marcus's shoulder. "It's eight. We have to go."
Marcus mumbled something incoherent.
Kevin sighed, then smiled.
He leaned close, draped an arm over Marcus's shoulder like a hug, and whispered,
"Derik is here to sleep with you."
Marcus froze.
Then shot upright, eyes wide, heart clearly racing.
"F*** you, Kevin!"
Kevin was already backing away.
Marcus lunged, tripped on the sleeping bag, and hit the floor.
The noise woke the room.
Daisy rubbed her eyes. "Good morning…"
"You guys are… very active," she added, yawning.
Caroline glanced at them once, unfazed, then reached for her phone, realizing it wasn't on the bed. She grabbed it from her jacket, checked the time, and sat up, stretching.
"See?" Kevin smirked. "You woke the girls."
Marcus climbed out of the sleeping bag, folded it roughly, then head-knocked Kevin without warning.
"Say it again," Marcus said lightly, "and I'll make you sleep with Derik. What do you say?"
"I asked you to sleep in," Caroline said evenly, resting her jaw on her hand, "so you'd get rest without Derik's disturbance. But if I'd known you were missing him—"
"NO!"
Marcus and Kevin shouted at the same time.
"Okay," Caroline said, her tone suggesting disbelief—while her expression made it clear she was playing along.
Daisy burst into laughter.
Despite the long night, despite what waited outside, the morning began with smiles—easy, unforced, and light.