Layla had been in the taxi for thirty minutes and still had half the journey to the university to go. The buildings seemed to grow taller and taller the more they travelled. She was excited to go, it was her dream since high school. Her brother was at the same campus so she couldn't wait to see him.

Before she left, her mother cried. Her parents were always supportive of her. Her father was a lawyer and her mother a nurse. Growing up, she had barely seen her mother around because of her job, so her father would raise her and her brother while their mother was gone. Her brother was always the protective older brother. He was always there for her, especially when she was bullied in high school, but as soon as he graduated, the bullying had started up again. Her brother was her rock, her protector, the one who'd ward off anyone who was negative towards her. She missed him.

She really loved the view, although she wished that there was a university in her town and she didn't have to travel five or more suburbs down just to go there. She was quite lucky to be admitted into Wisdom Star University. They only picked students with the best ATAR's and best high school grades, so they were very picky about who they let in.

Her brother used to tell her great things about the school when they used to call back and forth. She had heard the teachers were great, pushy at times, but awesome overall. He would often speak to her about a certain 'Miss Ella' and that led Layla to believe he had a crush on her. She'd often tease him about it and he'd shut her down or talk about something else. She didn't push the matter and would play along. Layla's was keen to meet these teachers and see if her brother was being truthful or not.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, distracting her from her thoughts, so she fished it out. As she looked down at the screen, she saw she had a new message from the group her friends had made years ago.

Luca Devin: 8:55 a.m. When your ass finally decides to show up, we'll be waiting at the café for you.

Layla sighed and looked out the window again. She had no idea how she would find the café or her way around the campus. The university had emailed all the students an aerial map of the place but she was still uncertain.

Layla had not realised they had reached the University until the taxi had come to a screeching stop outside of Wisdom Star University. She was excited but nervous all at the same time. Her stomach was full of butterflies fluttering about.

"Your destination," the taxi man said dully, barely turning to look at her.

"T-Thank you," Layla said with a smile, twirling her long, black hair around her finger. She pushed her hair behind her ear and opened the door.

"I wonder what's up with him today," she thought.

She looked around and took a deep breath in. This would be her university for the next couple of years. She was studying Medical Science. Layla had always been interested in the human body, how it functions and would always pass her science assignments and exams. She felt thankful that a couple of her friends from high school were attending this university as well, so she didn't have to worry about making new friends or having to sit on her own.

The university really was something. Each building seemed to be a different colour, even the pavements were colourful. She had never seen something like this before, even in high school. The place seemed a lot bigger than it seemed on the map sent out.

She took a deep breath, held the handle of her suitcase, and walked through the gates. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and saw signs similar street signs with names on them. The chatter around her was drowning and there were so many people standing in groups.

Layla looked down at her phone and stared at the map. Whoever had made the map clearly didn't do a great job. They missed a few buildings to her left and the pathways were labelled incorrectly. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and stared up at the sign. She tapped her chin and raised her eyebrow.

After a while of staring at the sign, she found it. Calix Café. It pointed towards her right where the purple pavement laid. She sighed and walked onto it. It seems like a long walk, but she didn't mind the exercise.

She had made her way past three buildings before she reached an open space with structures scattered in the shape of a large oval. She shook her head and looked around, her eyebrows pulled together. She was sure the sign lead her here but where was it? She didn't expect there to be so many other buildings too. The wind had picked up and almost sent her flying. Her hair flew all over but mostly on her face and attempted to list her skirt up. Layla had wished she didn't wear such clothing on the first day.

"Damn wind!" she mumbled under her breath. "Why did I choose to wear this short black skirt!"

There were a lot of students who seemed to know where they were going but she did not. The map didn't help her at all. A tall blonde girl caught her eye. She was under a tree, leaned against it, reading a book.

"I'll just ask her," Layla thought.

She slowly walked up to the woman, a dozen things going through her head. She didn't want to intrude but also didn't want to sound like a creep. The woman hadn't noticed her approach, so she was kind of relieved about that.

"Um... S-Sorry, excuse me?" Layla said awkwardly, staring up at the woman's face and then down at her own feet.

"Hi! How can I help you?" the woman asked in a cheerful tone. Her cheeks held a soft rosy hue that gave her porcelain skin a beautiful, cute shade.

"I'm actually looking for the 'Calix Café'. Would you happen to know where that is?" Layla looked up at the woman and noticed her blue eyes.

"Oh yes! You are in the right place. The café can be found over there when you enter that pink building." She pointed to the building across from her and smiled.

"Thank you so much!" Layla beamed and fixed her backpack.

"Anytime!"

Layla began towards the building. She had wasted too much time pondering on finding the damn café that she couldn't waste anymore chitchatting with other students. Once she reached the door, it slid open. She felt dozens of eyes burn into her and she felt like she would melt any second.

The café was bright even for her own eyes. The checkered tiled floor was pink and yellow which ran up the walls. The countertops were gold. The tabletops were white, and the chairs were flamingo pink. She hated the colour scheme and hoped it would undergo renovations soon. It looked like something from her own nightmares. Who would want to walk into a café and look at the colours of pee and carnations every day?

She looked around and finally, her gaze met a head of familiar messy, black, long hair. She instantly knew who it was by his perfect posture and muscular arms. He sported a football jack and from what she could make out, skinny jeans and white sneakers. A bag sat beside his chair. It was her only friend since primary school, Luca Devin.

There were about six others on the table with him and she could already guess who they were. She was so glad that her friends came to the same university as her. As she approached the table, all of the men sitting at the table looked up at her.

"Ayyy, Layla! You finally made it!" Luca half-yelled out, making the tables next to us turn around to look at him.

"Can you yell any louder, dude!" Layla said and whacked him upside the head.

"Hey, Layla," a blond-haired boy said and smiled her way. Layla instantly knew who he was. It could only be Jayden, her friend since high school.

The others around the table greeted her and she had said hello back at them. She had taken a seat between Luca and Jayden. She got a strong whiff of their cologne and both mixed together did not smell too pleasant either. It had the literal smell of farts and she didn't like it especially mixed with the coffee scent but she had to put on a brave face in order to not offend both her friends.

She had met Luca when they were both six years old. She had fallen down the staircase and suffered a scrape on her knee which was bleeding badly, and he had come to help her. Layla still remembered how kind and gentle he had been to her. Since that day, the rest was history.

The way she had met Jayden was in quite a different way. They were fifteen at the time and he had been her godsend. He was an angel, and she was so thankful for him. It was just like any other day, and again, she had a run-in with her bully, Mason. He had started to tease her. He had been doing it for months at that point, ever since he found out about her parents and how well their jobs were. He hadn't laid a finger on her yet until that day. He had grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and shoved her against the wall as if she was some stuffed animal. She had felt helpless and couldn't escape his death grip until Jayden had arrived.

Jayden had stopped Mason and it all happened in a blur that she barely remembered it. All she knew was that Mason had ended up with a broken nose and from then on Jayden and herself had been the best of friends.

The clearing of a throat next to her jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned her head to the source of the sound, Luca.

"Layla, meet Cree Dario. He is studying law." Luca dropped his hand on her shoulder.

She fought the urge to scrunch her face up and yelp in pain. His hand was heavy, and she felt like her shoulder was about to break under the pressure. "Nice to meet you," she forced out and smiled.

"And you too," he said, giving her an equal smile.

Cree looked a lot like Luca with his black hair, muscular arms, and perfect posture. He shared Luca's green eyes and small nose as well. If Layla didn't know any better, she would have thought they were twins. She really wanted to ask but bit back the urge to.

"We are going to celebrate the first day of uni by going to the pub down the road with a bunch of other first years, why don't you join us?" Cree offered, learning forward. He rested his elbows on the table and dropped his head on his hands. His eyes stared into her soul.

"I didn't know there was a pub around here but sure I'll come." Layla felt her face falter, but she forced herself to smile. She broke her gaze and took a sudden interest in the beautiful tabletops.

"Luca can probably send you the address later," Cree said.

Layla looked up at him in time to catch him winking at her.

"It's probably nothing," Layla thought to herself.

He wasn't the first to wink at her, but she knew for certain he would not be the last. She had never seen a pub in the street, and she had never had alcohol before so it would be a first for her. Since it was the first day, they had no class, but they were going to be told what room there's is and where it is located. Layla hoped she would either be on her own or with a friend. She did not want to make new friends or have awkward small talk with a stranger.