"Fill me up with confidence, I say what's in my chest."

It had been a week since Lia had arrived at Blackmore University, and just a few days since classes officially started. She'd had made plenty of friends, or at least acquaintances, as thanks to her newfound friend Amanda, she'd somehow gained the courage and confidence to start talking to people first.

She'd made acquaintances with Mindy's roommate, Anika. She was quite kind and pretty as well, and Amanda described her as a different version of Lia. Lia didn't believe it, but instead just told Amanda she was basically another version of Mindy. This shut the conversation up real fast, as any time Lia brought Mindy up, Amanda changed the subject.

They didn't really see Mindy or Anika much, much to Amanda's dismay. They tended to only really cross each other's paths leaving or entering their dorm, or sometimes during classes.

However, Lia had met a nice girl in one of her classes named Cleo, a girl who has already found herself coming to her dorm almost daily. Her dorm room was all the way across the building, on the side with the smaller dorms. Lia didn't mind, as she got along with both her and Amanda really well.

Lia found herself sitting alone at the table her group always sat at during mealtime, reading some of a book she was required to read in one of her classes. Amanda was almost always late to meals unless she came with Lia, so she probably wouldn't be there for at least another ten minutes. The redhead then took it upon herself to work on some schoolwork while she waited, not wanting to eat before any of her friends had even gotten there. 

This caused her to get lost in the book, as even though it wasn't the most interesting novel she'd ever read in her life, it was still a book, which reading was something she liked to do in most of her free time.

The feeling of someone sitting down beside her caused her eyes to finally leave the page, the familiar brown-haired boy taking a spot right next to her. "Ozzie, hey!" She exclaimed, discarding the book altogether.

She sat it in her backpack where the rest of her belongings were, her mind completely off of homework now that someone had finally sat down next to her.

"How's my favorite girl doing?" He questioned, resting his arms on the table in front of him. He leaned his head against his hand, putting his full attention on the girl sitting next to him.

"Well, I've got to read like eight chapters before Tuesday," Lia answered.

"Ew, that's gross." Ozzie rolled his eyes, "Why don't you just google one of those spark note thingies?"

Lia's brows bushed together as Ozzie sent her a mischievous grin, "How are you a sophomore in college?"

He didn't say anything and instead just put his hands under his chin. Lia rolled her eyes at this, gently shoving him away. "You're weird."

"And you like it," Ozzie said, before glancing around the room. "Where are the others?"

"Amanda's always late, it takes a little longer for Cleo to get here cause her classes are all the way across campus, and I don't know about anyone else," Lia responded, tapping her fingers on the table as she thought about the usual group who sits with them.

"I think Jonah had to do something with Jenny," Ozzie said, his brows pushing together. "I don't remember though."

Lia just shrugged, not really worrying about anyone else and where their whereabouts were. She hated being alone, and since Ozzie was there she finally felt comfortable which was all that mattered to her.

She continued to tap her fingers on the table, glancing around nervously. Ever since that day Isaiah practically cornered her in the mess hall, she'd been worried she'd see him in here again. Thankfully, she hadn't seen him since and although it made her feel better, she knew it was inevitable that she'd eventually see him again.

Her eyes caught someone across the mess hall, and she immediately recognized the eyes to belong to Ethan Landry. She hadn't spoken to him since she'd met him, the same day she was confronted by Isaiah.

They kept eye contact, the girl's cheeks heating up with a blush as he sent a gentle smile toward her. It was just like the other day, except this time she knew the group he'd been sitting with. He was currently sitting with Chad, Mindy, Tara, Anika, Tatum, and another unknown girl. She didn't know how Ethan knew the group, but she didn't really question it much as there are plenty of ways that they could have met considering it's a huge college.

"You know, you could just go over there and talk to him," Ozzie spoke, his voice causing Lia to break eye contact with the boy. She looked over at the boy next to her, shaking her head almost immediately.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She denied, clasping her hands together nervously.

"Oh come on, every meal is the same. Whenever that group is sitting over there, your eyes manage to find their way there. Even on days they're not, you seem to look over there to see if they're there. You could just talk to him. I'm telling you, it'll make things ten times easier." Ozzie explained, pushing the upper part of his body off of the table.

"Has Amanda talked to you?" Lia asked, raising a brow at him.

"What? No, why?" He then asked, causing Lia's face to drop.

This meant her staring really was that obvious, and it wasn't just Amanda saying that. It would have been different if Amanda had said something to Ozzie, but out of the entire group they conversated with, Ozzie was the person Amanda talked to the least.

"No reason," She finally responded, stealing one last glance at Ethan.

He was still looking over at her, seeming to not care about what the group he was with was talking about. He just watched her silently, a look she couldn't decipher written on his features.

"Aren't those your dormmates?" Ozzie asked, glancing over before back at Lia.

"Who?" She asked, looking back and forth between his eyes.

"The group he's with? Aren't two of them in the dorm connected to yours?" He questioned, running a hand through his hair as he thought.

"Oh, yeah. Mindy and Anika. Nice girls," Lia said. "Should- should we get food?" She tried to change the subject.

Ozzie nodded, and Lia smiled to herself as they stood up to head to the cafeteria part of the mess hall to get their plates. Just as she thought she successfully changed the subject, Ozzie spoke up again.

"Why don't you just ask them to hook you up?"

"Ozzie," Lia whined slightly, turning to the taller boy. "Please."

He sent her a look, before rolling his eyes in defeat. "Yeah, fine. You win this time." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, following her as she led him to the empty line.

It didn't take long for them to get their food and find their way back to the table, where Cleo sat. Another boy from their newfound friend group- Joshua, sat by her side.

"Oh, hey guys." Lia greeted politely taking her seat where she usually did.

It's not that they had designated seats at their table, it really switched up all the time. But if Lia could help it, she always chose the same spot where she was currently sitting, one that gave her a perfect view of every single table in the mess hall. Amanda thinks it's so she can almost always keep an eye on Ethan, considering he's in straight view as he always sat in the same spot as well, but it wasn't. She just didn't want Isaiah sneaking up on her again the way he had before.

Of course, she wasn't going to tell anyone that, so she just let them think it was so she could stare at Ethan.

"Shit, you already got food?" Cleo asked, a sad look on her features.

"We waited like ten minutes," Ozzie defended, almost immediately digging into his pizza.

"We were a little late," Joshua said.

Lia took a glance at Joshua, who was already looking at her. She sent a nice smile, to which he just looked away and back at the conversation that Ozzie and Cleo were in the middle of.

"I'm just saying," Cleo said.

"Saying what?" Lia asked, completely unaware of the look resting on Ozzie's features.

Cleo held up a finger, before pulling her phone out. She began typing away, scrolling a bit, and typing some more before reaching across the table. Sitting on her screen was a photo of Andrew Garfield dressed as Spiderman. "Sit here and tell me this motherfucker doesn't look like him?" She asked, glancing between Joshua and Lia, who both stayed silent at first.

"No, I see it." Joshua finally admitted, earning a look from Ozzie.

"Seriously? The dude looks like the world's biggest crackhead." Ozzie defended, before taking a glance at the girl sitting next to him. "Come on, Lee."

She opened her mouth, beginning to protest for him. But then she really got a good look at the actor, glancing back and forth between him and Ozzie. She sent a sorrowful look to the boy, "Sorry, Oz. You look exactly like him."

"I hate it here," Ozzie spoke with a sigh as he slouched in defeat, Cleo exclaiming in joy that the others were on her side.

Lia sent another sorrowful look to Ozzie, who just shook his head in response. "If it makes you feel better, Andrew Garfield has won the hearts of many women."

He just sent her another glance, earning a giggle from her before she finally took a bite of her pizza.

Cleo and Joshua quickly announced that they were going to finally go get their plates, leaving the other two alone once again.

"That was so embarrassing," Ozzie sighed in defeat, taking another bite from his pizza.

"If it makes you feel any better that means you look like Cleo's celebrity crush." Lia shrugged in response, taking a sip of her soda.

"How could that have possibly made it better?" Ozzie asked.

"Because you're an attractive man, Ozzie. Many women would fall at your feet to get a date."

++

After thirty minutes of attempting to sleep, Lia was over it. She'd done everything she could in her power to get some sleep but due to her overthinking, she couldn't. Deciding that she needed some of the crisp fresh air, she got dressed to go for a walk around campus.

Amanda was already in bed and a very deep sleeper, Lia learned. Even though they had their own bedrooms, Amanda often fell asleep on the couch watching TV and although they were plenty of times Lia accidentally made noise, none of it was loud enough to wake the girl up.

She made sure to grab her key and pepper spray in case she needed it, gently shutting the door before making her way out of the dorms. The air was nice and cool, something Lia found herself appreciating as she took a bunch of twists and turns, going nowhere in particular.

It was quiet, nobody present which is just how she liked it. She hated having to try and walk around a bunch of people, having to twist her body in weird ways to avoid touching someone. When it was empty and she was alone, she could walk however she wanted, whether it be backward, on the wrong side of the sidewalk, or even in the middle of it.

She didn't need to worry about possibly bumping into someone, or whether she was walking too slow or too fast. She could be herself, taking her time going where she needed to go.

Someone came up in her sight, however, and a shadow covered the person's face so she couldn't tell who it belonged to. She stopped in her tracks, feeling she somehow jinxed herself for relishing the fact she'd been alone.

They were walking toward her, staying on the right side of the sidewalk. Her grip on the pepper spray tightened as she slowly began to walk again, realizing how creepy and weird she probably looked just staring at the person. 

All she could tell was they had a full head of hair, along with a jacket that went below their butt. It was definitely a male, and her first thought was that there was a chance it could be Isaiah, but realized the person wasn't the same height or weight as her annoying ex-boyfriend.

Just as she left the little light she had from the sidewalk light, the other person walked under a light, giving her a full view of who she was staring at. The familiar curly hair and chiseled features caused her to let out a sigh of relief, for some reason feeling assured that it was only Ethan Landry, the boy she met just the other day.

He stopped as he realized someone was walking towards him, not noticing her before due to him staring at the ground in thought. He'd been so consumed in different thoughts and feelings he didn't even realize he was being watched or approached. He felt nervous at first, but the nervousness quickly faded as the familiar red hair illuminated underneath the sidewalk lantern.

"Lia?" He asked, his brows furrowing together as he squinted to get a better look at her.

She smiled in response, her hand on the pepper spray in her hand loosening. "Oh, thank god it's just you." She stopped directly in front of them, the two illuminated by the light they met up under. "I was really hoping you weren't someone else." She admitted.

His eyes flickered down to the bright pink bottle in her hand that had been attached to her key set. He then looked back up at her, the girl lightly waving it before shoving it in her hoodie pocket. "Pepper spray. Dad insists I take it everywhere." She chuckled, beginning to feel nervous under the boy's stare.

"What- what are you doing out so late?" Ethan questioned, ignoring her comment. He noticed she seemed a lot more comfortable around him than she had the first time he met her, and he found himself to be happy that she was that way. Although he found it extremely cute when she was all nervous and stuttered all of her words, it was nice to hear her regular speaking voice.

"I could ask you the same question," She responded, sending him a small smile. She then sighed, looking around before back at the boy. "I couldn't sleep. The air at night sometimes helps me." She waved her hand mindlessly back and forth, and he took notice when she began to tap her fingertips on her other arm.

"Helps you clear your head?" He then asked, glancing back up at her face again.

She sent a look, before nodding with a gulp. "Uh, yeah. Ever since I was little if I was ever overwhelmed or stressed, my dad would take me on a walk. Guess it just kinda stuck." She explained.

Lia didn't know why she felt so comfortable telling Ethan what she had, but when she saw he just nodded in response as a way of showing her he understood, she didn't regret it.

"I haven't done it that long, but the older I got the more I got out and the more I realized it helped," Ethan explained his own reasonings, moving his weight from one foot to the other. "Are- are you alone?" He then asked, although almost immediately felt stupid as she obviously was considering they were the only two on the sidewalk.

"Yeah. Roommate was asleep, and I didn't feel like waking her." Lia answered, "You?"

"Same," He said. He felt grateful she didn't judge him for asking such a stupid question, and instead just asked the same one in response. He knew she was only doing it to make him feel better, and it most definitely worked. "Do, uh- would you like to walk together maybe?" He then asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

She let herself smile, glancing at the ground before back up at the boy standing in front of her. "Sure, I'd like that." She responded. This only caused Ethan to smile even bigger, as the fear of rejection left his body.

Lia had felt grateful Ethan decided to ask to walk with her, as although they only interacted very few times, she had someone with her in the off chance she were to run into someone she didn't want to.

"Would you like to go this way or the other way?" Ethan pointed behind him at first, before pointing behind Lia.

"I don't mind either way." She answered, shoving her hands in her hoodie pocket. "I was just walking whichever way I could."

"That would explain why you ended up by the boy's dormitories." He responded, turning around to continue walking the same way Lia was heading.

She followed up beside him, the two walking side-by-side in the middle of the sidewalk. "I haven't really memorized the entire campus if I'm being completely honest. I've been here for at least a week and I just can't seem to get it down."

"Well if you ever need help finding anything you can always ask me," He said. "I was here way before almost anyone, so I've had a lot of free time to clear my head." Glancing over at her, he noticed she took in her surroundings as she walked.

"Thank you, I appreciate that." She then looked over at him, her smile falling slightly as she saw he was still staring at her. She felt nervous, but at the same time could tell he felt nervous as well by the way he immediately looked away. He had a pink tint to his cheeks, but Lia just assumed it was from the chilly air.

"So uh, you made a lot of friends yet?" Ethan then asked, changing the subject.

"A good amount, I guess. You?" She returned the question.

"Honestly, no." He shook his head, "I mean, my roommate was kind enough to allow me around his sister and their friend group, but other than them I don't really have many friends."

"Well, it's only been a week so there's still plenty of time," Lia said. "Classes are still new and dorms are still gathering. There hasn't even been an opening weekend party yet."

"True. My roommate said they're going to have one this weekend, but I don't know if I'm going to go." Ethan shook his head, "I'm not good at parties."

"It'd be a good opportunity to find people to talk to, get yourself out there." Lia shrugged, "Although I can feel ya on that. Depending on the party, they can be real duds."

"Have you heard much about it? The party?" Ethan asked, matching his speed to Lia's. They were walking awfully slow, but neither of them minded.

"No. I mean, now that you've brought it up Amanda has said something about a party, but she didn't say whether she was going or anything else." Lia answered, "Besides, I don't like going to things if I'm not directly invited. Feels wrong."

"Well, what if I invited you?" Ethan asked, catching the other girl off guard. "Would you go?"

"Depending," Lia said, "Would it be a dud?"

"Not if you're there," The boy said, glancing at the ground as he walked to avoid Lia's eyes.

She just glanced at him, her cheeks heating up as she looked back at the ground in front of her. "Well, maybe I'd go see if it's worth staying."

Ethan's head shot up, looking over at the girl. She wasn't looking at him and was instead focused on the nature around them. He didn't expect his lowball attempt at flirting with the girl would work, but from what he was feeling, it seemed as if she was flirting back.

"You'd have to promise me something, though." Lia then added, catching Ethan out of his thoughts.

"What's that?" He asked.

"You'd have to escort me to and from, make sure I'm safe the whole night." She offered him a cute smile, one he quickly returned.

"You'd always be safe under my watch, Lia."

++

3320 Words.

:) Hope you enjoyed it! I follow back by the way!

I'll probably be updating a lot tonight, by the way lol.

* This chapter is not edited *