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( Lol this is kinda funny, the psychology major girl and the self harm guy ) Noah turned once he'd finished unpacking, opening his mouth to ask where she was from, but she looked busy as she studied, so he shut his mouth and turned away. Noah pulled out his current art project, a large sketchbook filled with graphite and charcoal drawings of people. He flipped to his summer work for class and drew the finishing touches. It was around 10ish when he forced himself to stop and put his sketchbook and pencils away. His stomach grumbled, he hadn't eaten since this morning. "Hey, I'm going to go get some dinner, want me to pick you up anything?" He asked politely, sitting on the edge of his bed, his fluffy blue and blonde hair a bit of a mess, smudges of charcoal and pencil led on his cheek and hands. |
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omg just realised that xD) Emery jolted slightly at the sudden interruption, her focus snapping back to the present. She glanced up, her eyes momentarily adjusting to the new shift in the room’s energy.
She paused for a moment, her brain briefly processing the offer. The room was silent except for the soft hum of the fluorescent lights above her. Em could feel the weariness in her bones, the ache of hours spent hunched over her notes. But she didn’t want to break away. The rhythm she’d found in her studying felt too precious to interrupt.
Still, her stomach growled, a loud, embarrassing reminder of how long it had been since her last meal. She glanced down at her notes, then back at her friend, weighing her options. "Uh, sure," she said, her voice a little quieter than she intended. "Maybe just... whatever you’re getting. I’m not picky."
She glanced at her notes again, her mind already wandering back to the subject at hand. But something had shifted—something small, but significant. A tiny interruption, a break in the flow, but it was enough to remind her that she didn’t have to do everything alone. Even in the middle of the deep dive into her studies, she was part of something bigger—this whole college experience, this new chapter of her life.
As the room settled back into its familiar quiet, Em let herself relax just a little. Her focus was still there, still strong, but now she felt a little more connected to the world outside her notes. |
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Noah Carpenter - Noah nodded and grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone off his desk. He went down to his car and drove over to a nearby pizza place he had come to love in his first year here. Noah returned 20 minutes later with a pizza. He didn't know what Em liked, so he just got a plain cheese one. Everyone likes cheese pizza right? He walked into the dorm and set the pizza down on his desk. He put a slice on a paper plate and set it down next to her study books on her desk. He didn't say anything, he just gave her her food and let her focus on her work. Noah put another slice on his paper plate and plopped down on his bed, scrolling through Instagram as he ate. Noah didn't eat much, just one slice, before he threw his trash away. He collected his things, his pajamas, his shower basket, toiletries, and a towel, and then headed off to the showers. Whilst showering, he caught himself thinking about his new roommate. Not in a romantic or anything more way, but just thinking about her, like a friend. Kind of. She was nice, she was pretty and she didn't seem to mind that he dyed his hair blue or wore jewelry. It was nice to meet a stranger who didn't care about all that. |
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Em glanced up from her notes as her roommate walked in, the scent of fresh cheese pizza immediately hitting her senses. She smiled, grateful for the small gesture, even if she was deep in her studies. “Thanks,” she said, her voice soft but sincere as she took the box from him. The warm, gooey smell was a welcome distraction, but she wasn’t about to let herself get pulled too far from her work. She set the pizza down beside her, then returned her focus to the textbook in front of her. She took a quick bite, savoring the cheesy comfort for a moment before flipping the page and getting back to her notes. The pizza would have to wait—she still had a mountain of material to cover. |
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Noah Carpenter - Noah finished up his shower and got out. He found his clothes knocked over and soaked from the water on the ground. He sighed and wrapped a towel around his waist and walked over to a mirror. No other guy was in the bathroom right now. Probably all at that party he'd been invited to but declined. He made that bad decision last year and felt awful and hungover on his first day in class. He brushed his teeth and blow-dried his hair, going from wet dog to nice and fluffy again. Noah didn't like sleeping with wet hair but was too lazy to get up in the morning to shower. So once he was done, he went back to his dorm, just with a towel around his waist. He threw his dirty clothes and soaked clothes into his hamper, and set his shower basket and toiletry kit down on the ground. Noah pulled on his boxers and gray sweats, keeping the towel on until both garments were on. Mostly because he was pretty sure Em wouldn't appreciate seeing him naked or in his boxers, but partially because he didn't want her seeing the little burn marks he'd made on his thigh. Once his bottom half was fully dressed, he took the towel off and hung it up. Noah then put on an old, comfy shirt and checked the time. It was really getting late, and he needed to get to bed so he wasn't a mess for his classes tomorrow. Noah crawled into bed and turned his back to Em, as she was still studying with her light on. Eventually, Noah managed to drift into a peaceful sleep. |
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Em finished her last few notes, her mind tired but satisfied with the progress she’d made. It had been a long day, and as the evening settled in, she knew it was time to wind down. She stood up, stretching, feeling the tightness in her muscles from sitting too long. She grabbed her towel and toiletries before heading to the bathroom, the cool air from the hallway against her skin a brief contrast to the warmth of the shower waiting for her. The water hit her skin, warm and soothing, and she let out a long breath as she let the heat relax the tension in her shoulders. She stood there for a while, letting her thoughts drift while the steam surrounded her. The noise of the water, the feeling of it on her skin, was grounding in a way that everything else seemed to be lacking lately. It was one of those moments where everything felt a little more bearable, a little more manageable. After a while, she rinsed off and stepped out, wrapping herself in the towel as she moved to brush her teeth. The minty taste was refreshing, waking her up just a bit, but she could still feel the weight of exhaustion on her bones. She moved mechanically, trying to focus on something—anything—but it was hard. Her mind kept wandering back to the piles of work, the newness of the college life, and the overwhelming sense that there was always something just out of her reach. Once done, she wiped her face and changed into something comfortable. She grabbed the textbook she’d been working through earlier, glanced at the clock, and sighed. The day had slipped away faster than she thought. She turned off the light and climbed into bed, letting the cool sheets settle around her as she tried to clear her mind. Her eyes fluttered closed, her thoughts slow and disjointed, and she drifted off to sleep, exhaustion finally claiming her. The comfort of the bed made it a little easier to forget about the nerves that had kept her on edge earlier. Sleep didn’t come easily, but when it did, it was a deep, quiet rest that carried her through the night.
The next morning came far too soon, the blaring sound of her alarm dragging her from the warmth of sleep. She groaned and reached out, silencing it with a quick swipe of her hand. The clock read 7:00 AM, and she groggily rubbed her face, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. Her first class was in an hour, and despite everything, the excitement of beginning her psychiatry class filled her with a nervous energy. She quickly pulled herself together, dressing in something simple but put-together, tossing her notes into her bag along with a pen and notebook. Her stomach twisted with the familiar feeling of first-day jitters, but there was also something else—an undercurrent of determination. Today, she was going to make it through, just like she had yesterday, and maybe even with a little more confidence. Grabbing a quick breakfast, she checked her watch and hurried out the door, knowing she couldn’t afford to be late on her first day. Her heart raced a little faster as she walked to class, but she took deep breaths, reminding herself that this was her path, and she was going to walk it, no matter how uncertain it felt. |
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Noah Carpenter - Noah normally woke around the same time as she did as well, so her alarm was actually quite helpful. He got ready too, dressing into jeans and a t-shirt, a silver chain around his neck, and his usual earrings. The first day wasn't really anything special anymore. He brushed his teeth and fixed his hair. Noah didn't eat that morning, as usual. With a yawn he went out to his car and drove to the art building, heading into his first class, Art History. Noah sat in the back of the lecture hall, as always, all alone. He sighed, it was normal to be alone for him. His best friends went to other colleges and he had other friends, but most of them just liked to get drunk or high. So that was really the only time he hung out with them. It did occur to him that Em didn't even acknowledge he existed this morning. That kinda hurt a bit. Normally your roommate at least talks to you. But it was only the first day. |
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Em sat in her psychiatry class, the lecture already underway. The professor’s voice was steady, but her mind kept wandering back to the material, trying to absorb everything. She couldn’t shake the feeling of nervous excitement. The first day of classes had already thrown her off balance, but here, in this room, everything made sense. This was what she wanted to do. This was her path. She scribbled down notes, her pen moving quickly across the page, catching snippets of key points. The topic was familiar but still new in some ways, and Em felt that familiar thrill of learning—connecting dots, understanding more than just the surface details. As the lecture continued, she could feel the uncertainty from yesterday starting to fade away. She was where she was supposed to be. Even with the nerves still sitting in her stomach, Em was focused, absorbing the words and feeling more at home with each passing minute. |
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Noah Carpenter - Noah sat through his classes for the day, absorbing the information and writing it all down in his notebooks. His academic day was done at lunch time, so Noah went to his favorite nearby cafe and got his usual, a bacon, egg and cheese on a everything bagel with an iced coffee. He secluded himself in the cafe corner and pulled out his sketchbook, beginning to add to his new sketch for his class. This time he had to pick a animal and draw it in its natural habitat. Noah had put some thought into this one, and he started sketching out a little humming bird, drinking from a flower. Where he lived, his home, his parents house, there were humming birds everywhere. So these little birds meant a lot to him. It also gave him the challenge of drawing their wings and trying to make them look as if they were moving. |
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Em walked out of her last class feeling drained, her head spinning from the sheer amount of information that had been thrown at her. The material was dense, and no matter how hard she focused, it felt like her brain couldn't keep up. She needed a break—something to clear her head. Her feet carried her to a nearby café, the familiar smell of coffee beans and fresh pastries offering a small comfort. She ordered a strong coffee and a light lunch, then found a quiet corner by the window to sit. The hum of the café, with people chatting softly around her, made the world feel just a little more manageable. Em opened her MacBook, the screen lighting up as she took a deep breath, trying to shake off the exhaustion. She clicked on her notes for the class, hoping that diving back into the material would help solidify everything she had learned. But her eyes kept drifting to the outside, watching people pass by, the cool breeze lifting leaves along the sidewalk. She felt disconnected—like she was still trying to catch up to everything that was happening around her. After a moment, she shook herself out of her daze and focused back on her work, the steady rhythm of typing helping her find a bit of clarity again. She had a long way to go, but right now, this was where she needed to be—focused, if only for a little while longer. |
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Chilly and Clear with Dropping Temps
