The door creaked open, and I stepped inside, taking a quick scan of the room. Shared, huh? Figures. Some genius in admin probably thought, “Let’s stick Kara Graves with a roommate. That won’t end in disaster.” I threw my duffel bag onto the bed closest to the window. No way was I getting stuck near the door. If my supposed roommate wanted it, too bad I’d claimed it first. The window wasn’t much of a view, just the back side of another brick building, but at least it let in some light.

Dropping into the chair at my desk, I kicked my boots off with a loud thunk. One hit the leg of the bed frame, the sound echoing in the still-empty room. "Home sweet home."

I leaned back in the chair, glancing at the other bed. Empty. Pristine. Whoever I was stuck with for the year hadn’t shown up yet. My stomach tightened at the thought. Great. Another stranger to navigate, another round of awkward introductions where I’d either come off too strong or not try hard enough. I reached for my earbuds and untangled the mess of wires. Music was the only way to drown out the silence and my own thoughts. But before I could plug them in, the door handle rattled.