VOICEOVER
There's a special kind of violence that only happens in a university cafeteria. It's not physical. Not usually. It's the way girls look at each other from across the room. The way a smile can mean "I hope you choke on your plantain." The way a compliment can be a dagger wrapped in velvet. The cafeteria at MU was a battlefield. The weapons were words. And everyone was armed.
THE CAFETERIA – 1:00 PM
The lunch rush was in full swing. Long lines, plastic trays, the smell of fried rice and betrayal.
Vicky sat at the usual table with Ese, Zuru, and Zizi. They'd claimed the corner near the window; good light, good view of the door. Vicky picked at her food. She hadn't eaten properly in days.
"She's here," Zuru said, nodding toward the entrance.
Nelly walked in with Kelly, Rose, and Mandy. They moved like a unit; synchronized, confident, cold. Nelly's face was a mask. Kelly looked bored. Rose was laughing at something on her phone. Mandy's eyes scanned the room; landed on Vicky's table; moved on.
"Don't look at them," Zizi said.
"I'm not looking."
"You're staring."
"I'm observing. There's a difference."
Ese turned a page of her book. She hadn't looked up once.
Nelly's group sat three tables away. Close enough to hear if someone raised their voice. Far enough to pretend they couldn't.
Vicky picked up her phone. Texted Aaron: Where are you?
He replied: Studying. Anatomy test.
She put the phone down. He was always studying. Or sleeping. Or somewhere he didn't want her to be.
Zuru leaned in. "I heard Mandy's been texting someone. Jon doesn't know."
Vicky's stomach dropped. "Who?"
"Don't know. But she's been sneaky about it. Kelly mentioned it to Rose, and Rose told... someone." Zuru shrugged. "Small campus. Nothing stays secret."
Zizi was quiet. Too quiet.
Ese turned another page.
Vicky looked at Mandy. The way she laughed. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear. The way she glanced toward the door every few seconds, like she was waiting for someone.
She's waiting for someone, Vicky thought. And it's not Jon.
THE DORM HALLWAY – 2:00 PM
Charlie was walking to his room when he saw them.
Three girls. Second-year. He didn't know their names. But he knew they were laughing at him.
"Nice bandage, Charlie," one of them said. "Did you punch a wall or your own face?"
The others giggled.
Charlie's face went red. "It's none of your business."
"Everything is everyone's business at MU. That's the rule."
He kept walking. His heart was pounding. His hands were shaking.
They were still laughing.
He got to his room, slammed the door, and stood there, breathing hard.
Aaron was at his desk, studying.
"Charlie?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I said I'm fine."
Charlie sat on his bed, put his head in his hands. His shoulders started shaking. He wasn't crying; not yet. He was just... shaking.
Aaron closed his book. "Talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm a joke. Everyone knows it. Even you."
"That's not true."
"It is true. You laugh at me. Oliver laughs at me. Wesley looks at me like I'm a fucking insect. The girls laugh. The guys laugh. Everyone laughs." Charlie looked up. His eyes were wet. "I'm tired of being the punchline."
Aaron didn't know what to say. So he said nothing. He just sat there, across from Charlie, and let the silence fill the room.
Sometimes that was enough.
Sometimes it wasn't.
THE GIRLS' CLASH – 4:00 PM
It happened near the library.
Vicky was walking with Zuru. They were heading to the女生宿舍 when they ran into Nelly and Rose.
Literally. Shoulder to shoulder.
"Watch where you're going," Nelly said.
"You watch where you're going," Vicky replied.
The four of them stopped. The air crackled.
Rose smiled. "How's Aaron, Vicky? Still too busy to notice you?"
"Better than your love life, Rose. Oh wait. You don't have one. Just a harem of confused girls who don't know you're using them."
Rose's smile didn't waver. "At least I'm honest about what I want. You pretend to be sweet while suffocating him."
Nelly was quiet. Watching. Her eyes were cold.
Kelly appeared behind them. "Everything okay here?"
"Fine," Nelly said. "We were just leaving."
They walked away. Rose glanced back. "Bye, Vicky. Say hi to Aaron for me."
Vicky watched them go. Something felt off. The way Rose had smiled. The way Mandy hadn't been with them today.
She pushed the thought away.
Paranoid, she told herself. You're just paranoid.
THE BOYS' DORM – 7:00 PM
Wesley had a guitar.
No one knew he could play. He'd kept it hidden under his bed for months. But tonight, he pulled it out, sat on his bunk, and started strumming.
It was a sad song. Slow. Minor chords. The kind of song you play when you're thinking about things you can't change.
Charlie was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Oliver was at his desk, staring at his phone. Aaron was pretending to study.
"That's nice," Charlie said.
"Thanks."
"Where'd you learn?"
"My mom. She plays."
"She teach you any happy songs?"
Wesley thought about it. Then he played something else. Upbeat. Folksy. Charlie started humming along.
Oliver looked up. "Can you play something we know?"
"I don't know what you know."
"Play that one. The one from TikTok."
Wesley played it. Charlie started singing; badly, loudly, with his whole chest. Aaron laughed. Oliver laughed. Even Wesley smiled.
For a few minutes, they were just four guys in a dorm room, being stupid, being young, being invincible.
Then Oliver's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen. His face went pale.
"What is it?" Aaron asked.
"Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing. Aaron could see it in his eyes. The way they flickered. The way his hands started shaking.
He's going to use again, Aaron thought. And I'm not going to stop him.
He looked back at his textbook.
The brachial plexus.
A network of nerves.
A traffic jam in the shoulder.
He didn't remember a single thing.
THE PARKING LOT – 10:00 PM
Mandy was waiting by Aaron's car.
He saw her from across the lot. His heart jumped.
"Hey, Arie."
"Hey."
"Jon's on call tonight. I'm bored."
"Go to bed."
"I'm not tired."
She stepped closer. Her perfume was something floral; jasmine, maybe.
"You've been ignoring my texts," she said.
"I've been busy."
"Liar."
He didn't deny it.
She leaned against his car. "Jon talks about you all the time. 'Aaron this. Aaron that. Aaron gets it.' I'm starting to get jealous."
"Don't be."
"Too late."
She looked at him. The streetlight caught her face.
"Aaron," she said. "Arie. Tell me something true."
He thought about Vicky. About the way he felt nothing.
"I don't know what's true anymore," he said.
Mandy smiled. "That's the most honest thing anyone's said to me all week."
She pushed off the car. Walked away. Didn't look back.
Aaron stood there, alone.
He didn't know that Zizi had seen them from her window three floors up.
Zizi didn't say anything. She just closed her curtain and lay down in the dark.
She'd keep the secret.
For now.