The day finally wound down.
The sun dipped low, casting long shadows through the cafeteria windows.
Brandston finished the last bites of his food, stood up, and casually said,
"I'm heading back."
Joel, halfway through stuffing fries into his mouth, froze like he just heard a horror movie soundtrack.
"W-where you going, man?" Joel said, wide-eyed, like Brandston just announced he was moving to another country.
"I'm coming too! Ain't no way I'm staying here by myself with that Allan demon lurking around."
He wiped his mouth dramatically with a napkin, grabbed his tray like he was escaping a crime scene, and hurried after Brandston, almost tripping over a chair.
Brandston chuckled under his breath but didn't say anything.
He was used to Joel's extra behavior by now.
They made it back to the dorms.
Joel, as usual, climbed up to the top bunk with the speed of a squirrel, tossing his hoodie onto the floor without a care.
Brandston, meanwhile, laid back on his lower bunk, phone in hand, staring at the ceiling for a second.
Then, he unlocked his phone and did what any confused, heart-racing, half-in-denial guy would do.
He started searching for her.
"Audrey Lawson."
He typed her name into every social media app he had — Insta, Snap, even Facebook (which nobody his age really used unless they were stalking people).
He even tried Google for good measure.
Nothing.
No Instagram profile.
No cute TikTok videos.
No "Audrey_Lawson_27" popping up with aesthetic coffee pictures and sunset quotes.
It was like she didn't exist online.
"What is she? A secret agent?"
Brandston thought, a little frustrated and a little impressed at the same time.
While he kept scrolling, Joel peeked his head upside down from the top bunk, hanging there like a bat.
"Ooooooh," Joel grinned mischievously.
"Searching up her name, huh? Lover boy strikes again!"
He made kissy noises while pretending to type furiously on an invisible keyboard.
Brandston shot him a side glare but didn't bother replying.
His fingers paused on the screen.
No luck.
Not even a single selfie.
Joel laughed to himself, satisfied he got a reaction.
Then he yawned dramatically, throwing one arm across his forehead like some exhausted king.
"Man, I'm tired. Gonna call it a night."
He flopped back onto his mattress, muttering something about dreams and food, and within five minutes, Brandston could already hear the soft snoring.
Brandston sighed.
He locked his phone, tossed it gently onto the nightstand, and laid back into the bed.
His eyes stared up at the ceiling for a while, thinking about that look Audrey gave him earlier...the way she brushed off Allan like it was nothing...the way she spoke — smooth, natural, real.
No games.
No fake smiles.
He didn't even know what it was yet.
Was it a crush?
Something more?
Maybe Joel was right.
Maybe it was just...the beginning.
With a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips, Brandston finally closed his eyes, letting sleep pull him into whatever dreams waited for tomorrow.