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͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏⠀⠀ On the other side of campus, there's a visible bounce in Jake Sim's steps as he enters the boys' boarding house. An electrifying buzz has settled in the air, from overexcited freshmen zooming in and out of each other's dorms to senior jocks sending footballs flying down the corridor. But despite the hectic blur, spirits have never been higher, and smiles never wider.
God, Jake loves coming back to school.
He'd woken up with the sun today. Watched the sky turn from soft tangerine to bright blue as he sat beneath a willow tree by the soccer field - his absolute favorite spot on campus - with a dog-eared paperback in hand. After flipping through a few chapters, he kicked a ball around for an hour or two. Despite an admitted lack of training over the summer, he was surprisingly pleased with himself upon watching the black-and-white sphere ripple against the goal netting with every shot attempt. (He's still got it!) And then, he treated himself to some warm coffee and buttery pastries for breakfast with Yang Jungwon.
Already, it's a perfect morning. A perfect start to a perfect senior year.
His year. He can feel it in his bones.
As Jake walks through the halls he's now accustomed to calling home, he catches the eye of almost every person he passes. He never fails to give them a trademark grin, a fist bump of boyish acknowledgement, or the honor of a quick-witted exchange.
"Sim! Digging the new hair on you, bro." "'Preciate it, man!"
"Yo, Jake! How was break? I didn't hear from you all summer!" "My bad! I headed back Down Under for a couple weeks, you know how it is. Same old, same old."
