Maya's POV
I woke up before my alarm again. Maybe it was nerves, or maybe it was because mornings were the only time I felt like I could breathe freely. Everything was still - no footsteps in the hallway, no voices echoing through the block, no group chats buzzing. Just silence. My kind of comfort.
Lily was already awake, sitting cross-legged on her bed, scrolling on her phone with that soft smile she always had. She looked up the moment I moved.
"Morning," she said.
"Morning," I whispered back. My voice always felt too loud in the morning, even when it wasn't.
Last night, she'd tried convincing me to join a dinner with some girls from the next block. I told her no. I wasn't trying to be difficult - I just didn't know how to walk into a group I didn't belong to yet. Lily made it seem so easy. She could start talking to someone and they'd instantly like her. I admired that... quietly.
I moved around the room slowly, packing my bag for my first full week of classes. New faces. New lectures. New expectations. Everyone else seemed ready for it. I still felt like I was warming up to the idea of being here.
"If you want to hang out later, just tell me," Lily said kindly. "I don't want you to feel left out."
"I'm okay," I replied, though a small part of me appreciated how she tried without pushing.
I left the room a few minutes later. The hallway was already getting loud, voices bouncing off the walls, people greeting each other like they'd been friends for years even though we'd all just arrived. I slipped my headphones on - no music, just silence - a small trick to avoid conversations I wasn't ready for.
As I walked, I took in everything quietly. The doors people decorated with pictures and sticky notes. The groups forming in corners. The way some people already moved with confidence, like they owned the place.
Kade, our block rep, was talking to a few people near the stairs. He looked like the type who always knew what to say, laughing easily, making everyone relax around him. He noticed me for a second, nodded politely, then went back to talking.
Rav walked past a moment later - tall, athletic, the kind of guy who looked like he lived in the gym. He greeted a group of guys behind me, but not me. That was fine. I preferred not being seen too much anyway.
I slipped out of the block and into the morning air. Another day of staying in the background. Another day of watching the world from a quiet corner.
For now, that was enough.