In the past few days, Lexi had come to a few conclusions:
Everyone liked her.
Except Reg.
The hottie seemed to despise her with a passion. Reg had disappeared from the dorm all weekend, and when she finally returned, she barely acknowledged Lexi.
It was morning when Reg walked past her, coffee in hand, exuding indifference. Lexi tried not to care, but then Reg casually peeled off her shirt.
Lexi's eyes betrayed her, greedily soaking in every sculpted muscle as though they were works of art. Reg glanced at her, and Lexi quickly dropped her gaze to her toast.
Reg reappeared minutes later, her damp hair dripping onto her basketball jersey. A ball tucked under her arm and a bag slung over her shoulder, she headed out.
Lexi knew she should mind her own business. She really should.
But her curiosity got the best of her, and soon she found herself following Reg to the basketball court.
It was early morning, the sun barely up. Lexi sat in the most inconspicuous corner of the bleachers, wearing all black with a baseball cap and nose mask. She might as well have been in stealth mode.
Reg had a crowd, of course. Fan girls and boys cheered every time she scored. Some filmed TikToks, others livestreamed on YouTube, and a few shamelessly tried to flash her for their audience.
Lexi couldn't help but feel out of place. Reg wasn't just popular—she was on another level.
Someone sat next to her.
"Hello."
Lexi turned to see a cute guy with kind brown eyes and neatly styled hair.
"Hi," she replied with a smile.
"You're really pretty. Can I get your number?" he asked, pulling out his phone.
Lexi blinked in surprise. Pretty? Her?
Across the court, her gaze briefly locked with Reg's piercing blue eyes. Lexi couldn't tell if Reg had noticed her or not, but the connection was enough to make her heart race.
At least someone thought she was pretty, unlike certain people.
She gave the guy her number and decided it was time to leave.
As she walked back to the dorms, a girl with long brown hair and kind eyes waved at her.
"Hey!" the girl called out cheerfully.
Lexi waved back. "Hey."
"I'm Frida, a med student," the girl said, jogging up to her.
Lexi found herself jogging alongside her, though she didn't know why. "I'm Lexi, also a med student."
Frida's face lit up. "Oh, that's awesome! Hey, I'm trying to start a small study group. Would you like to be my first member?"
Lexi's face broke into a grin. After two lonely days in college, she had finally made a friend.
"Sure," she said, feeling a sense of relief and excitement.