Every dorm surrounding Sam’s was nearly vibrating with liveliness; speakers blowing, floors echoing with stomps, the faint sound of a bed creaking rhythmically, chatter and laughter that drifted through every hall and seeped under his door. He stared down at the textbook in his lap, trying to refocus his attention on the words so he could have the rest of the book memorized before his exam, but his attempts were futile. Studying felt inherently useless.

His head pounded against his skull, a nagging reminder of all the noise going on next door. How could people party with finals week upcoming? Red solo cups and trash littered their rooms while his was full of scattered papers and textbooks, highlighters and pens mixed in the array of things.

His eyes narrowed at the book helplessly, waiting for the words to start processing in his brain so he could tune out the rest of the noise. Much to his dismay, it stayed a blur. His eyes unfocused, zoning out blankly of the black ink printed of crisp white pages.

Sam abruptly snapped out of it at the sound of knocking on his door. He sighed and shut the textbook, carefully placing it to the side before making his way to the door, silently praying it wasn’t another drunk college student accidentally knocking at his door.