We started our first week at Campus 2 inside a tall building called Utopia Tower.
The name sounded like a joke when people said it out loud. Some said it with pride. Some said it with irony. I said it quietly in my head, testing whether it fit my life or not.
The tower rose higher than anything around it, all glass and steel, reflecting the sky like it was trying to borrow confidence from above. When I stood at the entrance that morning, backpack heavy on my shoulders, I tilted my head up and squinted.
"So this is it," TR muttered beside me.
His voice broke the silence. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, pretending not to care. JP stood a little behind us, scrolling through his phone, pretending to care even less.
"Looks expensive," JP said. "Too expensive for us."
HS laughed softly. He always laughed first, like he wanted to make sure the mood never sank too low. NS didn't laugh. He stared at the building with his brows drawn together, like he was calculating something invisible. PL arrived late, as usual, jogging toward us with his bag half-zipped.
"Did I miss anything?" PL asked, breathing hard.
"You missed the moment where we realized we're actually here," TR said.
PL grinned. "That's fine. I'll realize it later."
We walked in together.
The lobby smelled like new paint and air conditioning. Too clean. Too bright. Our footsteps echoed against the polished floor, and suddenly I became aware of how loud we were. Other students passed by, some alone, some in pairs, some already laughing like they belonged.
I wondered if we looked the same to them.
At the elevator, we stood shoulder to shoulder. The doors closed slowly, trapping us inside our own reflections. I saw myself in the mirrored wall. Same face as high school. Same tired eyes. Same hesitation sitting quietly behind everything.
The elevator jolted upward.
"Hey," TR said suddenly, nudging my arm. "You nervous?"
I shrugged. "A little."
"That's a lie," JP said without looking up. "You're always nervous."
I wanted to argue, but the words didn't come out fast enough. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to our floor.
The classroom was already half full.
Rows of desks. White walls. A projector humming softly like it was clearing its throat. I scanned the room automatically, not even knowing what I was looking for.
Then I saw her.
Kitty sat across the aisle, near the center. Her hair was tied loosely, a few strands falling near her cheek. She leaned toward her friend, listening, nodding slowly. When she smiled, it wasn't loud. It was the kind of smile that stayed close to her face, like she didn't want to share it with the whole room.
My chest tightened.
"Oh," I thought. "I still like her."
The realization didn't surprise me. It felt old, like something I'd been carrying for a long time without checking the weight.
I sat down near the window. Third row. Middle seat. The safest place to exist. TR dropped into the chair beside me, spreading his legs like he owned the room. HS sat in front of us, already flipping through the syllabus like the answers might jump out. JP sat two rows back, spinning his pen. NS chose the aisle seat, closest to the door.
PL slipped in late and mouthed sorry to the lecturer before taking the empty chair.
The lecturer began talking. Welcome to Campus 2. Attendance matters. Assignments are serious. Your future starts here.
I heard the words, but I didn't absorb them.
I glanced sideways. Kitty tucked her hair behind her ear. She caught my eye for half a second. Her lips curved slightly.
I smiled back. A little too late.
During the break, everyone poured into the hallway at once. Voices bounced off the walls. Someone laughed loudly. Someone complained about the vending machine eating their money.
"This place is a maze," NS said. "I already got lost twice."
"You didn't get lost," HS said. "You were avoiding people."
NS didn't deny it.
We crowded around the vending machines. TR slapped the side of one like it owed him something. JP finally looked up from his phone.
"Group chat already has fifty messages," he said. "I muted it."
"Same," PL said immediately. "But I'm still reading everything."
Kitty passed by with her friends. She slowed down when she saw us.
"Hey," she said.
Her voice was softer than I remembered.
"Hey," I replied. My mouth moved before my brain caught up.
She smiled at everyone, then lingered a second longer, like she wanted to say something else. Her friend tugged her sleeve.
"We're going to the cafeteria," Kitty said. "See you later."
"See you," I said.
After she left, TR leaned close. "You're still like that, huh?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to say something important and then decide not to."
I laughed it off. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?" he asked.
Lunch was loud and chaotic. Plastic chairs scraped against the floor. Trays clattered. Someone played music from their phone until a staff member told them to stop.
We sat together, elbows bumping, sharing food like we always had. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed.
"Did you see how many people went abroad?" JP asked suddenly. "My feed is full of airports."
"Good for them," HS said, chewing slowly.
"Yeah," NS added. "Good for them."
No one sounded convinced.
The days passed quickly after that. Schedules filled up. Names blurred together. We learned which lecturers joked and which didn't. We learned which classrooms were always too cold and which ones trapped heat.
Every afternoon, we gathered somewhere. Under the stairs. Near the library. Outside Utopia Tower as the sun dipped low and turned the glass orange.
One evening, we sat on the steps, tired and loud.
"This place isn't bad," PL said, stretching his arms.
"It's not forever," NS replied.
I watched students walk past us, laughing, arguing, falling into step with each other like they already knew where their lives were going.
I didn't say anything.
I looked up at Utopia Tower again. It stood quietly above us, watching.
At that moment, I didn't know June.I didn't know how love could arrive late and leave early.I didn't know how silence could become regret.
All I knew was that we stayed.And staying was already changing us.
Somewhere in the distance, laughter echoed.Somewhere in the future, something was already breaking.