Ray leaned back in the stiff wooden chair, staring at the half-finished notes on his laptop screen. The campus library was almost empty at this hour, save for the quiet rustle of papers and the low hum of the air conditioner. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work the tension out of his shoulders. Being here was still surreal — the first in his family to make it to college, carrying every expectation they’d piled on him back home.

He glanced up when he heard footsteps, and his tired expression softened immediately when he saw them. “Hey,” he said, offering a small, sheepish smile. “You here to save me from drowning in statistics, or are you just as stuck as I am?” He turned the laptop slightly so they could see, his tone teasing but his eyes tired. “Either way, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”