Today was her first day in School.
Belford College hit her like caffeine on an empty stomach. Loud, chaotic, and just bitter enough to make her question if coming here was really the right choice.
The second Merlina Sanchez walked through the iron gates, the campus swallowed her whole.
Different groups of students spilled into the courtyard, chatting and laughing so loud it drowned out the sound of backpacks rustling and a soccer ball bouncing on the pavement far away.
Clutching her bag tighter, she moved through the crowd, her white brand-new sneakers brushing softly against the over polished floors of the main building.
Bright campus lights, moans from kisses, uncomfortable amount of perfumed air and heavy stares surrounded her.
It felt less like a college and more like she was stuck in a bad dream, the kind where you walk into a party you were never invited to.
Thanks to her dad, who dropped her off late like she was some errand he almost forgot to run. He never wanted her to come here in the first place.
Not after everything this school had done to their family.
Belford was never really top of her college list. It was the place where her mother had died. A 'tragic accident' they said.
Falling from the top of the science wing like gravity had caught her off guard. Some people whispered suicide. Others preferred to not say anything at all.
But Merlina knew better. People don't just fall…they're pushed, forgotten or silenced. Someone here knew what really happened to her mom.
She wasn't just here to get a college degree, she was here to finally get the truth after one year of unanswered questions. She was here to get justice.
As she stepped into the classroom, the chatter quieted down like someone hit the mute button.
Heads swiveled to check her out, but not because of her looks, not in the friendly manner, it was more like 'who's this?' with a side of judgment plastered all over their faces.
Without bothering to know why they all gave her the worst possible welcome, she found an empty seat near the middle, trying her best not to look like a walking panic attack.
The chair screeched across the floor as she pulled it out, loud and awkward. She hadn't even set her bag down when a girl strutted in.
Tall, blonde, and radiating icy attitude, she carried herself like a self appointed Queen of the campus.
Her heels clicked sharply with each step, as if the whole room was watching her every move, while her entourage of two followed close behind, like they were her backup dancers.
Her eyes snapped to Merlina, the only outsider in the room. Sudden silence fell over the classroom, one by one, heads slowly turned toward her again, the unwanted attention made the air feel heavier, even the walls were waiting to see what would happen next.
"Hey, new bitch. You're in my seat. Move it." Her voice cut through the silence, sharp and icy, as everyone waited to see how Merlina would respond.
But it took her a second to process. Newbie or New bitch? Was that an insult or some kind of badass welcome for every new student ?
Before a reply could form, Megan, her room mate, leaned forward in her chair and laid her arm over Merlina's. Her smirk was small but steady, the kind that said, 'you're not alone.'
"Girl, please," Megan said to the blonde, voice thick with sass. "This isn't High school, and you don't own oxygen. Go sit somewhere else." A few chairs creaked, but still, no one spoke.
The blonde blinked, batted her lashes in slow exaggeration, then let out a sigh so dramatic it almost echoed. She spun on her heel, hair flicking over her shoulder like it had been rehearsed, and walked off without another word.
Still stunned and out of words, Merlina slumped into her chair as she watched the girl leave.
Has she been officially been marked by the Campus queen bee?
The door creaked open again, revealing a man who looked like he hadn't slept in three days. The name tag on his wrinkled shirt said 'Professor Harper'
His hair looked like it was having it's own rebellion, and the red mug in his hand read, This Might Be Vodka.
He strolled up to the desk, smirking at the class like they were all part of an inside joke only he understood.
"Good day, class," he drawled. "It's been a boring week, hasn't it?"
A few chuckles. Mostly groans.
"Now let's spice it up with a pop test. Quickly, turn to your Law 101 handbooks." The Professor added.
Another collective groan echoed like someone just banned weekends, this time louder. Merlina stomach dropped, she had literally just started College, today.
She raised her hand like it might shield her. "Um, excuse me, sir? I don't have the handbook. I… literally just resumed college. Today."
The Professor paused, his brows lifting just a little, as if trying to place her face. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to ask why she was only showing up now, but he didn't. Instead, he said, "Then go get yourself one. Test starts now."
Merlina stormed out, fury bubbling under her skin. The hallway felt colder now, every sound sharper and meaner.
She needed that handbook, a Library pass or a miracle, anything but another reason for this day to get worse.
In the yard, skateboarders zoomed past. Somewhere, someone blasted trap music while students vibed like midterms don't exist in this school.
The noise pressed in from every side, but her eyes caught on someone who didn't seem to notice it at all.
He sat on a sun-drenched bench beneath a willow tree, an odd stillness in the chaos. Like a painting come to life, untouched by the noise around him.
Earbuds plugged in, a turned off phone beside him, and the same Law 101 handbook in his hand, flipping through it like it was some Forbes magazine.
The sunlight made his hair shimmer. He looked…peaceful. Like he belonged to a different kind of calm and in that moment, she wanted to be in it with him.
Merlina inhaled and walked towards him, her footfalls loud against the gravel. "Hey, uh… excuse me?" she took few steps closer.
He looked up, slowly as he noticed a presence before him. His eyes were green, a deep cutting green, the kind that held you in place and made it hard to look away. Merlina's pulse jumped, she wasn't sure why.
"What?" he asked. His jaw was sharp, his lips parted, a single curl dangling over his forehead.
His voice was smooth, with a bored tone laced with venom that made Merlina lose a tiny bit of confidence.
"Uh…" Merlina started, her composure slipping as one foot edged backward. "I need to borrow your handbook. Please, just for a few minutes," she said, words tumbling faster than she meant. "For a pop test. I just transferred in and—"
"Can't see that I'm busy with it?" He asked, without flinching. Just turned a page like she wasn't even there.
Her mouth opened. "Um…I just resumed today, and I don't know where the library is. Even if I did…no library card yet. Please—"
"And that's supposed to be my problem because?" his tone calm and curious, like he was genuinely trying to see the connection.
"Whoa, okay, diva. Sorry to bother you," she said, trying to sound casual but the half an eye-roll escaping gave her irritation away.
She turned to leave, since there was no point sticking around for his royal attitude. But then, right before she could even take two steps, he sighed. The kind of sigh that said 'decency was exhausting'
"Hey," he called out, then he held out the handbook towards her.
Merlina blinked. "Oh… thanks! You're…" she caught herself mid-thought, unsure what label fit him, annoying or helpful, "…a lifesaver."
He didn't answer. Just stared at her like he was memorizing her face for later. She bolted back to class anyway.
The test was pure academic cruelty, brain-melting essay questions and trick multiple-choice options. By the end of it, she was certain she'd flunked at least half.
Phoebe and Megan, her roommates, were waiting just outside the classroom door, the kind that looked like it had survived five generations of angry students and still squeaked like it had tea to spill every time it opened.
"So?" Phoebe asked, grinning as she popped her gum. "How many brain cells did he murder?"
"Honestly?" Merlina let out a dramatic sigh. "I think I blacked out during the last question."
"Professor Harper needs therapy," Phoebe said, adjusting her tote bag like she was ready to file a complaint. "Or maybe he just needs to get laid tonight."
"Or both," Merlina added. "He looked at my paper like it was a fresh pile of dog poop."
Megan snorted, shaking her head as she tossed a pen up and caught it like it was nothing. "Maybe if you stopped crying on your sheet of paper, you'd actually write something believable."
Merlina rolled her eyes, smirking. "Sweating, Megan. I was sweating on my forehead, big difference."
Their laughter bounced down the hallway as they walked side by side, dodging a sketchy vending machine that was flashing red like it needed CPR. It let out a weird buzzing sound, like it was tired of existing.
For the first time all day, Merlina felt almost normal. Her chest felt lighter. Like maybe she could survive this place.
Until she saw him again.
Same bench. Same tree. He sat there, calm and polished, phone in hand, scrolling like time moved slower for him. Even the way he leaned back, one arm resting lazily over the bench, it looked deliberate, and refined. Too smooth for a college guy.
She gave Phoebe and Megan a quick nod, then grabbed her chance to slip away. Taking a deep breath to stop her nerves from bubbling over like a shaken soda, she walked over.
"Hey." She said softly, just enough for him to hear.
He gave her a quick look, then his eyes dropped back to his phone. He lifted his hand halfway, not bothering to look up again. "You're done?" The words sounded more like a statement than a question.
Merlina blinked. "Uh… yeah." She placed the book gently in his hand, half-expecting him to at least look up.
He didn't. His fingers closed around the cover, and that was it.
There was a pause between them, she wasn't sure what she was expecting next, but at least a 'you're welcome' maybe? Anything ? But all she got was silence.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried again, pushing the words out before the silence consumed her. "Although, I could swear you were about to have a heart attack handing it over."
"Sorry?" His eyes finally flicked up, eye brow raised and just a little annoyed, like she had just said the dumbest thing ever.
"Earlier," she said, trying to hide the embarrassment from forming on her face, "It looked like sharing wasn't really your thing."
He gave her a quick look up and down, eyes sharp and cold like he was trying to figure out if she was worth the trouble or just a waste of his time.
When he turned back to his phone without saying a word, Merlina felt her cheeks burn like someone had lit a match on her face. Her stomach dropped, cursing herself quietly, she wished she could disappear right there.
Why try talking to someone who acts like he'd been raised by wolves?
She turned away, stepping faster, heart thumping like a drum in her ears.
"Hey," His voice called out, low and rough, but something about it made her stop dead in her tracks.
Her heart jumped, a weird mix of nerves and hope flooding in. Maybe, just maybe he was finally about to behave like a decent human being.
She spun back around, eyes wide, watching him stare down at the handbook like it was filth he didn't want to clean up.
"You ripped my handbook?"