The campus was alive with energy. Students hurried across the quad, laughing and talking, some carrying books, others balancing coffee cups in one hand and phones in the other. Layla clutched her bag tightly, feeling both excitement and nervousness twist in her stomach.
"This is really happening," she whispered to herself. "I'm really here."
Her first class was in a large lecture hall filled with strangers, all eager faces and whispered conversations. Layla felt out of place at first, wondering if she truly belonged. She glanced at her notebook, then back at the sea of students, and felt a flicker of doubt.
"Hey," a gentle voice said. Layla looked up to see Shane, leaning casually against the doorway, holding a coffee cup.
"What… what are you doing here?" Layla asked, surprised.
Shane smiled. "I wanted to make sure my favorite student survived her first day."
Layla felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I can survive, I promise. You don't have to hover."
"I'm not hovering," Shane said with mock seriousness. "I'm supporting. Big difference."
For a moment, Layla let herself relax. Shane's presence always made things feel… easier. Even when the lectures were long and the assignments were harder than anything she had ever done, knowing he believed in her gave her courage.
Over the next few weeks, college was everything Layla had imagined and more. She met friends who encouraged her, professors who challenged her, and subjects that opened her mind. Yet the more she achieved, the more she felt the pressure.
One evening, as she walked back to her small apartment after a long day of classes, Layla's phone buzzed.
"Hey," Shane's text read. "Dinner tomorrow? I want to hear about your first week."
A smile tugged at Layla's lips. His support wasn't just financial—it was personal. Emotional. And every day, she realized how much she relied on him, not just for tuition, but for the quiet reassurance that someone believed in her when she doubted herself.
As she looked up at the city lights shimmering against the night sky, Layla felt a mixture of hope and determination. College was only the beginning, and she was ready to face whatever came next…
Even if it meant stepping into a world much bigger than she had ever known.