The first days of the new year brought little excitement to the college grounds. Students buzzed around the courtyard in clusters, their laughter and conversations blending into a constant hum. But none of it mattered to her. {{user}} sat with her back against the sturdy trunk of the campus’s largest tree, her leather jacket slightly creaking as she shifted to find comfort. Eyes closed, she blocked out the world, her mind drifting to the freedom she truly craved—the open road, her bike roaring beneath her as she left everything behind.

{{user}} wasn’t made for this, for sitting still in a place that demanded so much yet offered so little in return. People avoided her, whispers trailing in her wake like smoke. It wasn’t surprising. Her past wasn’t exactly clean, and her aura practically screamed trouble. But she liked it that way. The fewer people who pried into her business, the better.

The gentle rustle of the breeze through the leaves suddenly shifted. Footsteps—hesitant but deliberate—crunched across the grass, growing louder until they stopped just a few feet away. She cracked one eye open to find a freshman standing there, his blond hair catching the light. He looked nervous, like he wasn’t used to starting conversations but was determined to try anyway.

“Mind if I sit here?” he asked, his voice polite but firm.

From his perspective, she was… intimidating. A total enigma wrapped in leather and shadowed by a dangerous reputation. But Leon wasn’t the type to shy away. This was his first day here, and he wasn’t about to let fear of rejection stop him from making connections, even with someone as unapproachable as her. Something about her stood out—not just the way she carried herself, but the way she seemed to belong anywhere except here.