I'm settled into my dorm. My bags are unpacked. My new classes start tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to pick new seats in new classes. I always go front row. I also can't wait to get my coffee from the campus lounge. Best latte around.

For now, I'm cozied up in my oversized college hoodie, sitting legs-crossed on my bed. Tasha, my roommate (if you can even call her that), isn't back yet. She's likely going to show up either at midnight, after some back-to-school party, or tomorrow morning, halfway through classes. We aren't exactly cut from the same academic fabric, her and I.

"Elle! Hey girl!" Nikki bursts through my door and jumps onto the end of my bed. Her long golden blonde hair is like a blur of sunshine.

"Hey!" I laugh. "Just get back?"

"Nah, came last night. Wanted to squeeze in a date night before all the craziness started and campus was flooded again. How about you?" Nikki asks.

"Just got back an hour ago maybe. Where's Chloe?" I smirk.

"She's back in her suite now. They got a new suitemate this semester so they're all bonding." Nikki puts air marks around bonding.

"Gotcha. Hey, are we in English Lit together again?" I ask.

Last semester we always walked to class together. Tuesdays at 10:10 AM. Nikki always complained it was too early for a class.

"Huh, I think I signed up for the one you picked. I'll have to check my courses tomorrow." Nikki shrugs, rolling over on my bed.

"You don't know your classes?" I scold. "They start tomorrow."

"Not everyone knows their class schedule by heart, Elle. You worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough." I shove her arm.

"No? Maybe you can memorize my schedule too. If you haven't already." Nikki rolls her eyes.

"And maybe I should just take your classes too," I quip.

"Save me some time for sure. Plus, I need to show my brother around the buildings tomorrow." She groans, pulling at split-ends.

"Your brother?" I ask.

I only met Nikki down the hall at the beginning of last semester. Aka my first semester in college. But I don't remember her ever mentioning a brother in the whole four months of our friendship.

"Yea," she shrugs. "He got decent grades at community last fall, so my parents caved and let him start here for spring semester."

"Oh," I nod. "He's a freshman too?"

"Yup. He's a twin. I know, I know. There's two of me." Nikki smirks.

"Then he can't be all that bad," I shake my head.

"Don't worry. He is." She grins, rolling over and propping herself up on her elbows. "So, I have to deal with him now. And Chloe is on me about getting outfits for our first Valentine's Day together.

I watch Nikki pick at her French manicure. Always picking at something.

"Probably matching outfits, knowing her." Nikki laughs. "Love the girl, but come on. Oh, and I saw Darren in the lounge earlier. He wants to have a thing here. Maybe this weekend."

"Thing? Here?" I ask.

Darren is the RA (Resident Advisor) for our wing of this dorm hall. Although, he hardly spends any time advising unless you count telling you which parties to attened and which not to.

"Yea, thing. Just in the rec center downstairs. Just the building, I think. Sort of a welcome back from winter break thing." Nikki waves it off, but I know better. Nikki loves a good party, big or small.

"I probably won't go," I say, not even paying attention.

"Please. You're going. I'm going to make you socialize this semester. It's my mission," she says matter-of-factly.

"You're going to make me socialize?" I laugh at her.

"Sure am. My new year resolution." Nikki smirks.

"Good luck with that." I tease.

...

My alarm goes off at 5:00 AM.

I roll over to see that Tasha's bed is empty. So she didn't come back yet, or maybe stayed off campus at her pseudo boyfriend's frat house.

Yes, 5:00 AM is early, but I like to have my morning regimen maintain balance for the day. Up. Shower. Coffee and breakfast. Read my textbooks for the day's lessons. Prepare. Pack. Check my bags for everything I'll need. Stop at campus coffee shop before class.

A sudden chill grips the room and I hope my sweater is thick enough for a frigid walk across campus. My fingers pull back the cheap see-through curtain hanging in my window. Holy snow!

There is at least one foot of snow covering the grounds, as far as I can see. It covers both walkways leading away from my hall and I can't even see the street that campus security drives golf carts around on. I get up and turn on my mini-Keurig and pour what's left of last night's water bottle into the top. In minutes the sweet smell of hazelnut coffee is filling my tiny dorm room.

I shower quickly and partially blow out my hair until it's dried enough to twist into a low bun. I typically hate to waste time blow-drying it, but snow means it's cold outside and I am not trying to have each strand of hair become a tiny icicle.

By 8:00 AM I am ready to meet Nikki at the coffee shop before our first class. I wonder if she's checked her course schedule yet. Probably not.

Carter, my study buddy whom I met in Humanities Lit last semester, already texted me cancelling our library rendezvous for later. Something about a stomach bug. I roll my eyes at my phone and drop it into my shoulder bag.

I slip into my gray snow boots and pull on my puffy, quilted black coat. The door clicks shut behind me when I hear someone call my name.

"Elle! Hey!"

I turn and see Lucy, speed walking down the hall. Her hair is even more pink than last semester and she's wearing the same dangling strawberry earrings. She loves fruit. She has this clear bag with painted bananas all over it. It's her favorite bag.

"Hey Lucky. Welcome back."

"Thanks girl. You too. How was break?" Lucy asks, stopping beside me.

"Quiet. Which is good." I laugh at her rolling her eyes.

"Quiet it never good. Quiet is boring." She shoves my shoulder.

"It's good for me." I shake my head.

"I spent most of the time prepping outlines for my upcoming vlogs," Lucy sighs, exasperated.

"Still vlogging then? Not just a phase," I tease her. Video blogging is a relatively new hobby for Lucy. And it's all I heard about last semester.

"Are you walking to class? I'll come with. I need to stop at the SAC." Lucy buttons up her coat. Ah, the ever-trusty SAC. Students Activity Center for those of you wondering

"Sure," I nod.

"Can't believe how much it snowed last night. Hope they have the heat blasting high. Last semester the Arts hall was freezing," Lucy grumbles.

Lucy is a theater/performing arts major and spends almost all day, every day in the Arts hall.

"I know. It's like that time last semester. Right before break," I say.

"When everyone was supposed to leave, but we all stayed the extra night and the only thing the cafeteria had running was the ice cream machine?" Lucy laughs.

"Exactly. Now when it snows, I always seem to want ice cream," I laugh.

"This is a blizzard. Still calls for ice cream. Let's get it tonight." Lucy says, wrapping her pink scarf.

"Ladies, I thought I heard your beautifully chipper voices." Darren says, meeting us in the foyer. Large neon yellow headphones hang around his neck like an oversized choker.

"Hey, Darren," I say. "Good break?"

"Excellent, so so excellent," he says.

"Why so chipper so bright and early?" Lucy asks, eyeing Darren suspiciously.

"Just happy to be back," Darren shrugs.

"Right. Nothing to do with the party you're throwing tonight?" Lucy asks.

"Tonight?" I ask.

I remember Nikki said something about a dorm party, but I thought it would be the weekend. Not the first night back! And Nikki will make me go and I need to study if classes are just starting. I'll have to review all my syllabi.

"Yes, tonight, girl. And you're both coming, so don't try to pretend you aren't." Darren nods matter-of-factly. "I'm off to the SAC now. Tootles!"

"Wait, I'm going to the SAC too. See ya Elle." Lucy skips away to follow after Darren.

"See ya!" I call after her.

Campus is packed.

It is the first day back, so I shouldn't be too surprised. But it's still early. It seems everyone managed to crawl out of bed and outside for the fresh snow. Don't let academia fool you. We may be college-aged, but evidently half the student body are still kids at heart.

I take my same path to the bookstore coffee shop that I did countless times last semester. Walk out of my dorm hall, make a right and wind around past the business hall and cafeteria in the center of the roundabout. Then cross across the mall lawn.

Everything feels in place. Everything except the snow I'm dredging.

I am twenty feet from the bookstore when I hear someone shouting behind me.

"Hey! HEY! DUCK."

I spin around just in time to be smacked in the face by a rogue snowball. I jump back and almost catch my footing, but the weight of my school bag makes me wipe out on my butt.

A boy stops in front of me, laughing. I look up at him, smiling down at me, holding a stitch in his side.

"Shit! I'm sorry. That was meant for someone else."

"Yea, you seem sorry," I say, struggling to stand up. I brush the snow off my jeans and the hem of my coat, but the freezing cold ice is all down my sleeves.

"Really, I'm sorry. Ball got away from me, you know?"

He runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it off his forehead so it's sticking up. His eyes are dark brown and almost hooded. I can't place it, but something about him seems familiar.

"It's fine," I say and turn away from him. My cheeks are bright red, either from embarrassment or because it's cold. Or both. He's barely wearing a long sleeve shirt and nothing else. Too cool for a coat, I expect.

"Oh, come on. I'm sorry." He steps in line next to me.

"It's fine." My voice doesn't even fool myself.

I can't help but peer sideways to steal a glimpse of him. He's much taller than me, but it's not hard to be since I'm only 5'4". I also can't help noticing how cute he is with his shaggy brown hair and perfect pink lips –no doubt because he's playing in the snow like a twelve-year-old –sans coat.

"You're going to class early," he says, eyeing the now frosted book bag hanging on my shoulder.

"Yup," I say. Avoid eye contact. Get to class. I just keep hoping he'll leave me alone.

"Can I get you a coffee... to apologize again for the incident." He pulls open the door to the coffee shop. He stands aside for me to enter, and instant warmth engulfs me.

"A coffee? I don't even know you." I say, looking up at him.

"I'm Jake." He extends his hand for me to shake it. "Now you know me."

I stare at it, unsure. His hands look big and calloused. He must play a sport here.

"Elle," I mumble, shaking his hand. It easily overtakes mine.

"Elle, I'd like to buy you a coffee. Please." Jake smiles. A perfect, familiar smile. What is it about this smile?

"It's fine, really. I'm all-better. Plus, I'm meeting someone here." I say, looking around for Nikki. Maybe we aren't in this Lit class together or maybe she's still sleeping.

"I'll buy both of you a coffee, then." Jake nods, pulling out his wallet. Man he is persistent. And cocky. And not for me.

"Hey!" Nikki is racing toward me from the other side of the bookstore.

Her cheeks are rosy too and the knitted snow hat matches her scarf. She's pulling Chloe along by the hand. Sometimes when I see them together, I think maybe I wouldn't mind a relationship so much. Maybe.

"What are you doing here?" Nikki says, stopping next to me.

I open my mouth to answer but Jake does instead.

"Making amends for bad aim. You?" Jake rolls his eyes at Nikki.

"I am meeting Elle. Which I see you already did." Nikki rolls her eyes back.

"What?" I ask.

"Elle, this is Jake. My brother."

"Oh! I mean. Hi." I stumble over my words. Jake just smiles at me.

"Okay, well..." Nikki looks between us and then pulls my arm. Chloe smiles at me through her blonde pixie bangs. "Coffee? Then class? We are in the same Lit class after all."

Jake follows us into the coffee queue.

"What are you doing?" Nikki puts a hand up and out to stop Jake. "You're not in Lit."

"No. But it's your lucky day. I owe Elle here a coffee. Said I'd get yours too."

Jake pushes past us and up to the coffee counter. Nikki shrugs and rolls her eyes. I don't have much of a choice if I want my coffee. Still shaking melty snow from my sleeve, I walk up to the coffee bar and fall in line between twins Nikki and Jake.