Mixed Signals

Caught off Guard

Boxes stacked to the ceiling, my new dorm room was beginning to resemble a cardboard fortress. The walls were bare, the bed was hard, and the unfamiliar scent of industrial-strength cleaner filled the air. It wasn't quite home, but it was mine now. I glanced at the dusty beam of sunlight streaming through the window and tried to convince myself that this was the beginning of something exciting, even though my stomach was doing backflips.

I was here—finally, at college. Thousands of miles away from the life I knew and anyone who knew me. And honestly, that was kind of the point. No more high school drama, no cliques, no more people who thought they had me all figured out. This was supposed to be my clean slate, where I could focus entirely on the future I wanted to build. I wasn't here to meet people. Well, okay, I was here to meet some people—friends, study partners, mentors. But definitely not guys. No, thank you. I'd had enough distractions in high school, enough whispered "sweet nothings" that turned into "absolutely nothings" in the end.

I was set on being laser-focused this year. Eyes on the prize, hands on the books, and definitely not on some guy's hand. I could picture it now: girl moves to college, gets swept up by some cute boy, and boom—distraction city. Not me. I didn't come all this way to let my future get derailed by a good-looking distraction.

Just as I was stuffing the last of my clothes into a drawer, a knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened it to find a girl with bouncy curls and a grin so wide it could've rivaled the Cheshire cat.

"Hey! I'm Amelia, from down the hall," she chirped, like we were already best friends. "Thought I'd come and say hi before things get crazy."

I forced a smile and nodded politely. "Hey, I'm—"

"—the girl who's going to be my best friend this year," she interrupted with a playful laugh. "Come on, there's a mixer on the quad. Everyone's going."

Oh no. Socializing with strangers, pretending to be interested in small talk, the possibility of making an awkward impression—it was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid today. But Amelia's enthusiasm was relentless, and before I knew it, I was trailing behind her across campus, trying to keep up as she zigzagged between students like she already knew where she was going.

The quad buzzed with energy, a sea of new faces all trying to fit in without looking like they were trying to fit in. There were people playing Frisbee, a guy strumming a guitar under a tree, clusters of students laughing as if they'd known each other for years instead of hours. It all felt so... overwhelming. I glanced around, wondering if anyone else felt as out of place as I did.

"Relax," Amelia said, nudging me with her elbow. "You look like you're about to bolt."

"I was considering it," I admitted with a half-hearted laugh.

And that's when I saw him. Standing near a group of people, hands in his pockets, with a face that looked annoyingly charming. He wasn't talking much, just listening, his eyes crinkling at the edges when he laughed. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about him—just another boy on campus. But for some reason, I couldn't quite look away.

Nope, I thought, turning my attention back to Amelia. Remember the plan.

"Don't get any ideas," I muttered to myself. "I'm not here for that."

But the universe clearly didn't care about my plans, because as I was busy giving myself a mental pep talk, Amelia was already dragging me toward his group.

"Hey, everyone! This is my new friend—" she paused and looked at me. "Wait, what's your name again?"

I could feel my cheeks redden. "It's, uh, Lily," I said, barely making eye contact with anyone.