Different

9.

We arrive on campus after a short fifteen minutes, and I feel my heart sink slightly, knowing I'll be without him in a second. I'm pathetic.

"Thank you for the ride," I tell him, opening the car door.

"I had a good time," is all Jace says, flashing his usual smirk.

"Me too," I smile back at him.

I want to ask when I'll see him again, but I decide not to. I don't want to be clingy. We say our goodbyes, and I head up to my dorm room. When I open the door, it's empty. Bree must still be at that guy's place. I wonder how she met him. I can't wait to hear about it later. For now, I change out of yesterday's clothes and into my cozy yoga pants and a big sweater. I grab my iPad—the one I bought just for college—and open the Notes app. I create a folder for each of my seminars and begin reading the introductory texts.

I'm excited to study media and communication because I've always been interested in journalism. The idea of working in marketing or PR really appeals to me, but lately, I've found myself drawn to writing. I even enrolled in a creative writing class, even though it doesn't tie directly into my major. I'm just curious to see where it leads. After a few hours of reading and organizing, I actually feel ready for tomorrow.

Despite all the excitement about my uni experience starting, a familiar sense of anxiety creeps in. What a surprise. I've never been good at sitting still for long periods. Sure, I could leave the room of the seminar if I start to feel overwhelmed, but I could never handle the stares of everyone if I got up too early. I really hope I'll make more friends soon. Being alone so much is starting to weigh on me already.

To distract myself, I open Netflix, but my anxiety is still buzzing in the background. I can't fully concentrate—I need more than one thing to do. So I grab my phone and start scrolling through Instagram to see what people back home are up to. After graduating high school, I didn't really try to stay in touch. Everyone was so focused on partying and doing things just to show them off. Honestly, I'm relieved to start over.

Around five in the evening, Bree finally returns. She stumbles in still wearing her clothes from last night.

"Hey you!" she says in her usual perky voice.

I immediately close Netflix and turn toward her. "Tell me everything," I say eagerly, pushing my laptop aside.

"Well..." she flops down onto her bed. "His name's Austin. I met him at the party yesterday. He's amazing—super sweet and kind. I think I had a little too much to drink, so I just crashed at his place instead of trying to find a ride home. He'd been drinking too, so he couldn't drive. Don't worry, nothing happened... but I can't say I didn't want it to," she rambles, clearly still in dreamland. "What about you? Spill!" she demands, kicking off her shoes.

I feel like I can tell her what happened, just maybe not every single detail. "Actually, something similar happened to me," I say, and Bree lets out a loud screech. "I drank a lot of wine and ended up staying at Jace's place. We talked a lot, had some really nice conversations," I say, now the one daydreaming.

"Look at us!" she says, grinning. "So... what about the rumors? Are they true?"

"Yeah," I admit, glancing down at my feet. "But... I still want to give this—whatever it is—a shot. He's been really kind to me." I smile awkwardly, never quite sure how to do this whole "girl talk" thing.

"Oh my god, Mila, that is so cute!" Bree screeches again and pulls me into a hug. "We'll talk more later, okay? I need a quick shower—Austin's picking me up again. What are you up to?"

"No plans. Just Netflix for now," I tell her. But I already know my anxiety will come rushing back the moment she walks out that door.

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit," she says, grabbing her shower stuff.

I start another episode of Queer Eye and finally begin to relax. I love this show—so many good vibes and so much positivity. It's the one thing that can calm me down and distract me. Just a few minutes in, I feel the buzz of my phone. I check it, expecting a message from my mom. An unknown number. That's odd. I open the message skeptically.

Still busy?

Frowning, I try to figure out who it could be. Did I forget to save someone's number?

Who's this? I type back. I hit send, assuming it's just a wrong number.

The scary, mysterious stranger. Coming over in 30 minutes.

My heart skips a beat. Of course—it's Jace. I just saw him this morning. Why would he want to hang out again so soon? Isn't Sunday his social day or something? Doesn't he have a million friends to see?

How did you get my number? I ask him over the phone.

He replies: I have my ways. See you soon.

I don't bother answering. He has his ways? Did he look through my phone while I was asleep? I guess I'll never know. And honestly, I don't even care. I save his number in my phone and try not to overthink it. He's coming over, once again without really giving me the option to say no. And somehow, I love that.

Just then, Bree walks back in from her shower.

"So..." I say. "Jace is coming over. In like twenty minutes."

Bree screeches for the third time today. "Oh my god, really? Good thing I'm getting out of here so you two can have some alone time." She winks at me.

"It's not like that. You should know that by now," I laugh.

"I know, I know. But hey, you never know what could happen." She giggles. She finishes getting ready, and then she's out the door to meet Austin. "See you later. Or tomorrow—I'll probably spend the night, so don't wait up," she says, winking again.

"Alright, have fun," I say, smiling back.

I debate whether or not to change into something cuter. We're probably just going to stay in, so I decide to keep the yoga pants. I do swap my oversized sweater for a cropped t-shirt and touch up my makeup a little. After brushing through my hair, I decide I'm done.And right then, there's a knock at the door.

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