𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐈 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔?

Chapter Forty-Two

Daedae Watkins-Graham | 19

I sat there, nodding my head like I was really paying attention, but the professor was just talking the same old talk, introducing herself and breaking down how her class was gonna go. Man, I was tired as hell. It felt like every class today had been on repeat—same rules, same warnings, like I hadn't heard it all a million times before.

I was fighting to keep my eyes open, my head starting to dip now and then. But, thank God, this was my last class of the day. Just had to power through this one, and then I was home free. I looked around the room—yep, I wasn't the only one struggling. This one dude in the back was straight-up dozing, his head jerking up and down like he was about to fall out his chair.

The professor started talking about the first assignment, and I scribbled down some notes, hoping it would keep me awake, but my mind kept drifting off. I was thinking about what I was gonna do once I was outta here—probably hit up some fast food, maybe just head back to the crib and crash for a bit. Anything to get outta this boring-ass class.

Then, outta nowhere, the professor called on me, and I snapped back to reality real quick. "Uh, my bad, can you say that again?" I asked, trying to play it cool, hoping she didn't peep that I was zoning out.

She smiled, like she knew what was up, and repeated the question. I managed to mumble out some kinda answer, not even sure if it made sense, but at least I wasn't falling asleep no more.

I kept sneaking peeks at the clock, counting down every damn minute. Finally, the professor wrapped things up, and I was outta there before she could say anything else. I grabbed my bag and dipped, feeling that sweet relief of freedom as I stepped outside into the fresh air.

I took a deep breath, ready to leave this long-ass day behind. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I started walking, already thinking about how I was gonna spend the rest of my night.

I walked all the way back to my dorm, feeling like I just wanted to crash for a minute. As soon as I stepped inside, I was met with my new roommate, Ian. Yeah, they just moved him in with me recently, but I didn't mind. Ian was a cool white boy, for real—chill vibes, easy to get along with, and didn't cause no drama.

He was sitting on his bed, messing around with his phone or something when I came in. "Yo, what's good?" I said, dropping my bag by my bed and kicking off my shoes.

Ian looked up and nodded, "Not much, man. Just relaxing. How was class?"

I shrugged, "Same old, same old. Just glad it's over. What about you?"

He chuckled, "You know, the usual grind. But hey, I was thinking about ordering some pizza later if you're down."

"Bet," I said, flopping onto my bed. "I'm starving, so that sounds good."

It was nice having a roommate like Ian—somebody you could just vibe with and not have to worry about no extra nonsense. Living with him was turning out to be better than I expected.