Tasha and Sabrina walked out of the dorm building. The sun was bright, and the campus was buzzing. Sabrina pointed excitedly at everything. "That's the main lecture hall! And over there, the arts building! Oh, and the library looks huge!"
Tasha nodded, taking it all in. It was a beautiful campus. She tried to forget about the rude guy from earlier. He was just a small bump in her big university adventure.
"First stop: the Main Cafeteria!" Sabrina declared, pulling Tasha towards a large building. "I heard they have the best cookies."
Inside, the cafeteria was loud and packed. Hundreds of students were talking, laughing, and clanking trays. The smell of pizza, fries, and something that smelled like stir-fry filled the air. Finding an empty table seemed impossible.
"Whoa," Tasha said, looking around. "It's a madhouse."
"Just follow my lead!" Sabrina grinned, already trying to push through the crowd.
They got in line for food. Tasha looked at all the options: a salad bar, a grill station, a pasta section. She grabbed a tray and started serving herself some chicken and rice.
Suddenly, someone bumped her tray hard from the side. Tasha gasped as her chicken slid off her plate, landing right on her clean white sneakers.
"Oh, come on!" Tasha exclaimed, staring at the mess on her shoe. It was definitely that guy again. She looked up, ready to shout.
And there he was. Liam. (We'll use Liam as the male lead's name for now.) He was standing right next to her, looking annoyed. He hadn't even looked down at her shoe.
"Seriously, watch where you're going," Liam muttered, not making eye contact as he reached for a plate of fries.
Tasha felt her face get hot. "Me? Me watch where I'm going? You're the one who keeps bumping into people! This is the third time!"
Liam finally turned his head, his dark eyes meeting hers. He had a small, almost bored look on his face. "Third time, huh? Maybe you're just always in my way." He shrugged, picked up his fries, and started to walk past her again.
"Excuse me?!" Tasha's voice was sharp. "You just ruined my lunch and my shoes, and you're just going to walk away?"
Liam stopped. He slowly turned his whole body to face her, his eyes still holding that unbothered look. "Look, it's a crowded place. Accidents happen. Get over it." His voice was low and calm, which only made Tasha angrier.
Sabrina, who had just gotten her own food, hurried over. "Hey! What's going on?"
"This jerk keeps bumping into me and won't even apologize!" Tasha fumed, pointing at her shoe.
Liam glanced at Sabrina, then back at Tasha. He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Your problem, not mine. Move." He then turned and walked away, weaving easily through the busy cafeteria.
Tasha was so angry she couldn't speak. She watched him disappear, her hands clenched into fists. "Unbelievable!"
Sabrina sighed, patting Tasha's arm. "Wow. Okay, that guy is definitely a piece of work. Forget him. Let's get you some new food and clean those shoes."
Tasha glared one last time at the spot where Liam had been. She knew she shouldn't let him get to her, but he just made her blood boil. This was supposed to be a fresh start, and he was already making it difficult. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.