30 parts Ongoing MatureDARCY
When Darcy packed her life into two suitcases and left Australia for college in the U.S., she thought she knew what to expect-long lectures, late-night study sessions, and a constant ache for the family and home she left behind. What she didn't expect was how lonely it would feel trying to fit into a world that doesn't quite feel like hers.
Nursing school is demanding, and most days she's just trying to keep her head above water. But slowly, she begins to carve out a place for herself: a group of friends who make her laugh, nights filled with cheap pizza and endless chatter, and the quiet, unshakable hope that maybe she belongs here after all.
She isn't looking for love. Not yet. But sometimes love has a way of finding you in the most unexpected places-across a crowded campus, under the lights of a late-night party, or in the steady gaze of someone who sees you for exactly who you are.
LANCE
College was supposed to be simple for me-train hard, play harder, keep my head down, and focus on the future. Soccer has always been my anchor, the one thing that makes sense when everything else feels too loud. I've got teammates, a busy schedule, and more attention than I know what to do with. On paper, it looks perfect.
But sometimes perfect feels empty. The parties, the casual flings, the noise-it all blurs together, and I can't help wondering if there's more to life than being "that guy" everyone expects me to be.
And then I see her.
Not in the way you notice someone across a room because they're trying to be noticed. She's quieter, almost guarded, like she's still finding her footing here. There's something in the way she carries herself, something that makes me want to know her story.
I wasn't looking for anything real. But maybe real has a way of finding you-when you least expect it.