Chapter 1 One

Emma

I still couldn’t believe this was real.

I stood in the middle of Hawthorne University’s main courtyard, my heart hammering as Mom and my little sister Lily helped me drag the last of my suitcases toward Evergreen Hall. The campus was beautiful — old stone buildings covered in ivy, students laughing everywhere, the kind of place I used to only see in movies. After years of dreaming, I was finally here.

“Emma, slow down,” Mom called, slightly out of breath. “You’re going to pull a muscle before classes even start.”

I turned and smiled at her. At forty-two, she still looked tired all the time, but today her eyes were shining with pride. Raising two girls alone after Dad left when I was ten hadn’t been easy. She worked double shifts at the diner for as long as I could remember just so we could eat and keep the lights on.

Lily, my thirteen-year-old sister, bounced beside me. “This place is huge! When I grow up, I’m going to come here too. But I’m going to study art, not boring law stuff like you.”

I laughed and ruffled her hair. “Law isn’t boring. It’s going to help us. Help people like us who got screwed over by the system.”

That dream had started when I was fourteen. Mom had lost her job because her boss refused to pay overtime he owed her. We almost got evicted. I watched her cry at the kitchen table that night and promised myself I would become a lawyer so no one could take advantage of my family again.

I studied like my life depended on it. Every weekend, every holiday, every late night. Top of my class, perfect SAT scores, mountains of extracurriculars. When the full-ride international scholarship letter arrived last spring, Mom cried harder than the night Dad left — but this time they were happy tears.

Now here we were. Hawthorne had accepted me into their pre-law program on a complete scholarship. Tuition, books, and housing covered. All I had to do was work my ass off and make it count.

We finally reached room 412 in Evergreen Hall. The dorm was gender-inclusive, which made me a little nervous since I applied late and this was the only spot left. Boys and girls mixed on the same floor. But I was here to focus on my future, not boys.

The door opened before I could knock.

A girl with curly purple-tipped hair and a bright smile greeted us. “You must be Emma! I’m Jade Rivera, your roommate. Come in, come in!”

Mom and Lily helped carry everything inside. The room was decent — two beds, two desks, a small shared bathroom. Jade was twenty, a freshman like me but after taking a gap year. She was majoring in Graphic Design and already had posters and string lights up on her side of the room.

“You’re going to love it here,” Jade said as she helped me make my bed. “The people are cool, the parties are wild but optional, and the campus food isn’t completely terrible.”

Mom hugged me tight before they had to leave to catch their flight back home. “Call every day, okay? And study hard, but don’t forget to live a little. You’ve earned this, baby.”

Lily squeezed me next. “Bring me back a hoodie.”

I watched them walk away down the hall until they disappeared, a lump forming in my throat. This was it. I was really on my own in a new place.

Jade stretched and grabbed her bag from her bed. “I’m heading out to grab some supplies from the campus store. Want me to show you around real quick on the way?”

I shook my head with a small smile. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I really need to make an important call first. Rain check?”

“No worries at all,” Jade said, waving it off. “Take your time settling in. I’ll be back in a bit.”

The door clicked shut behind her, and the room suddenly felt very quiet.

I pulled out my phone and FaceTimed my best friend, Mia. She picked up on the second ring, her face filling the screen. She was sitting on her own dorm bed, surrounded by boxes.

“Emma!” Mia squealed. “Oh my god, you’re actually there!”

I laughed, feeling a wave of homesickness hit me. “I’m here. Just got dropped off by Mom and Lily. How’s your side of the world?”

“Chaotic,” she groaned, but she was smiling. “My dorm is tiny, and my roommate snores like a truck. But tell me about yours! Is it nice?”

“It’s actually pretty good,” I said, looking around. “It’s a gender-inclusive dorm, so boys and girls are mixed on the same floor. My roommate Jade seems really cool though. She’s twenty, took a gap year, and she’s doing graphic design. We’re already getting along.”

Mia sighed dramatically. “I miss you so much already. We were supposed to do this together, remember? Late night study sessions, complaining about boys…”

“I know,” I said softly. “I miss you too. But we’re both here now. We made it.”

We talked for almost an hour — about the long flight, how scared we both were, our classes starting soon, and how much pressure we felt to succeed. By the time we hung up, I felt both lighter and heavier at the same time.

After ending the call, I spent the next few hours unpacking. I arranged my books neatly on the shelf, set up my study desk, and folded my clothes into the small closet. By the time I was done, it was already 2 p.m.

I looked at my neatly made bed and felt exhaustion crash over me. The long flight, the emotional goodbye with Mom and Lily, and the whirlwind of arriving… it was all catching up.

I kicked off my shoes, crawled under the covers, and closed my eyes.

Just a short nap. That was all I needed.