Chapter 3 Three

Emma

My eyes flew open and I bolted upright in bed, heart racing. The room was dark. Way too dark.

I grabbed my phone from the pillow beside me and nearly had a heart attack when I saw the time.

7:12 p.m.

“Shit!” I whispered, rubbing my eyes. I had only meant to take a short nap. Instead I slept for almost five hours straight.

The room was quiet. Jade’s bed was still empty — she wasn’t back yet. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything since the light breakfast on the plane. I was absolutely starving.

Thankfully, the scholarship covered my meal plan. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about buying food.

I quickly fixed my messy hair, grabbed my phone and cafeteria ID card, and checked the campus map on my phone. The main cafeteria wasn’t too far from the dorm. I slipped on my shoes and headed out.

The evening air was cool as I walked across campus. I was halfway there when I spotted a familiar head of purple-tipped curly hair coming toward me.

“Jade!” I called out.

She looked up and grinned. “Emma! Hey!”

“I thought you got kidnapped or something,” I teased as she reached me. “You’ve been gone forever.”

Jade laughed, looking genuinely apologetic. “I’m so sorry! I ran into some people from my graphic design orientation and we ended up talking for way longer than I planned. I didn’t mean to abandon you on your first day.”

“It’s fine, really,” I said, waving it off. “I actually just woke up from a really long nap. I’m starving though. Want to come with me to the cafeteria?”

“Absolutely. Good thing I have my meal card in my wallet,” she said, patting her bag. “Let’s go. I’m hungry too.”

We walked together toward the cafeteria, chatting easily. When we got there, I was honestly impressed. The place was huge and the food actually looked really good — grilled chicken, pasta, fresh salads, stir fry, and a massive dessert station.

“Wow, this is way better than I expected,” I said as we scanned our cards.

“Right? Hawthorne doesn’t play about their food,” Jade replied, already piling pasta onto her plate. “Wait till you try the butter chicken. It’s dangerous.”

We found a quiet table near the window and sat down with our trays. The food smelled amazing and tasted even better.

“So,” Jade said, taking a bite of her pasta, “tell me about yourself. Where are you from?

We kept talking as we ate. I told her about my little sister Lily and how much I already missed her and my mom. She told me funny stories about her gap year travels. The conversation flowed so naturally.

By the time we were done eating, we had already exchanged numbers.

“You know what?” I said, smiling across the table. “I have a really good feeling about us. I think we’re going to be great friends.”

Jade grinned back at me. “Same. Welcome to Hawthorne, roomie. I’ve got your back.”

We finished our food and stood up to return our trays. As we dropped the plates in the used section, Jade suddenly nudged me.

“Hey, good news! We can actually take desserts to go. It’s part of the meal plan. Want something sweet?”

My eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? We can just… take dessert out?”

Jade grinned. “Yup. Welcome to Hawthorne, baby.”

I was genuinely amazed. Back home, we could barely afford regular meals, let alone free desserts. I walked over to the dessert station like a kid in a candy store. After staring at everything for almost a minute, I picked out a beautiful slice of matcha cake, a strawberry milkshake, and a small tub of cookies and cream ice cream.

Jade picked a chocolate brownie and a vanilla milkshake for herself.

As we were heading toward the exit, the cafeteria doors opened and three tall guys walked in. The moment I saw the one in front, my breath caught.

It was the same guy from last night — the one from the room directly opposite mine. Kai.

He was walking with two other guys, all of them laughing about something. As we passed each other, our eyes met for a few seconds. His gaze was intense, dark, and unreadable. My heart skipped a beat. He didn’t smile, didn’t speak — just kept staring until we walked past each other.

The second we stepped outside, Jade grabbed my arm and let out a high-pitched squeal.

“Oh my god! Oh my god, Emma!”

I jumped, nearly dropping my milkshake. “What?! What’s wrong?”

“That was him!” she whispered excitedly, practically vibrating. “That was Kai Draven! And his two best friends — Marc and Theo! Holy shit, they’re all so hot it should be illegal.”

I blinked at her. “You’re really excited about this…”

“Of course I am! Kai is like… the campus legend. He’s a third year, stupidly rich, and fine as hell. Marc is the loud playful one, and Theo is the quiet hot one. They’re always together.”

We started walking back to the dorm as Jade continued talking non-stop.

“I swear every girl on campus has a crush on at least one of them. Especially Kai. He’s got this dangerous vibe, like he could ruin your life but you’d thank him for it.”

I laughed. “How do you even know so much about them? You’re also a freshman like me.”

Jade suddenly went quiet for a second, then smiled shyly.

“Okay… don’t judge me. I’ve actually known Theo since middle school. We were in the same school back then. He was my crush for the longest time. Still kind of is, honestly. That’s why I know so much about their group.”

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely surprised. “Wait, really? So you have history with Theo?”

“Not really history,” she sighed. “He barely noticed me back then. But now we’re in the same school… maybe this is my second chance.”

I smiled at her as we reached Evergreen Hall, desserts in hand.

“Looks like this year is going to be very interesting.”