how did this happen. . ?

03 - no friends, yes friends

Another week passed, and you'd settled into a solid little routine: go to class, do your homework, eat something halfway decent, then head off to your shift at the gas station.

It wasn't glamorous, but it worked.

Especially when your... strange group of regulars kept things interesting.

Jeff had taken to stopping by almost every night, mainly to steal a slushie and interrogate you about the worker he was hunting. You'd learned that Jeff was, for lack of a better word, a hitman. The old night worker had seen him in action and reported it to the cops... but no one took the guy seriously, since he was high at the time. Now, Jeff was trying to silence the witness before things escalated.

You'd promised to help.

When you got your schedule, you took a screenshot and showed it to Jeff. It had everyone's names and shift times on it. You hoped something would spark recognition.

It didn't.

Still, Jeff had you send the picture to him so he could scope out workers during different shifts. "Process of elimination," he said with a casual shrug, like he was planning a lunch run, not tracking down a witness to murder.

Then there was Jack, the masked man from your first night. He still dropped by occasionally, usually helping you with whatever you were struggling with: finance problems, inventory issues, even your busted locker. Afterward, he always bought a water and a sweet treat.

You'd asked him about it once, and he told you the sweets were for his little sister. He even promised to bring her by sometime.

You'd also grown closer to the guy from your lectures. Strangely, it took you a while to realize you didn't even know his name—and he didn't know yours.

You started sitting next to him every day. Sometimes, to give him notes, but mostly to whisper sarcastic commentary about your classmates. Your lecture hall was tiered, with desks that overlooked the professor like you were all silently judging a TED Talk. You and the guy always sat in the very top row, observing the chaos. One day, you caught a student Googling how babies are made mid-lecture.

You had to bite your tongue to keep from laughing out loud. When you nudged your desk buddy and showed him, he sighed and shook his head in amused disappointment.

~ ~ ~

"I think that's all I have for today, so I'll let you out a little early," your professor said, powering down the projector. "Remember to read the start of Chapter Three, we'll cover that next time. Have a great rest of your day."

Students began packing up.

So did you.

You quickly followed your desk buddy into the hallway.

"Hey!"

He turned, waiting for you to catch up.

"I just realized, I never asked for your name. Or told you mine. I'm Y/N."

"Tim," he said, with a grin. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

Your jaw dropped.

"You knew I didn't know your name, and you didn't say anything? What a great friend," you said sarcastically, giving him a light shove.

You both walked outside. It was a pretty day,the kind that made you hate being stuck in class or locked behind a gas station counter. Puffy clouds drifted across the sky, occasionally hiding the sun. It was still technically summer, but the breeze made it feel like early fall. A cool gust blew your hair into your face as you tucked a strand behind your ear.