Will wasn’t known for being passive.

He didn’t love being the center of attention, but he wasn’t scared of it, either. The perfect situation for him was when a friend of his, preferably Gabe or Ryan, went on their attention-craving rallies and Will got to stand right next to them, laughing his pants off.

Not quite in the middle of the crowd, but not far away to be just one of the others – that was his favorite position to be in.

Either way, he wasn’t one to shy away from a good party. He happily helped his frat throw celebrations after big wins, and he somehow felt extra content when partying. That’s why it was weird to see him tonight.

It wasn’t a house party tonight – someone had rented out one of the campus bars - but celebrations had definitely been due. The men’s hockey team won against BU, and the women’s team had a good, long winning streak themselves. But instead of mingling his way around, Will stood to the side of the room, completely still and all alone, eyes zoned in on his target.

You, on the other side of the bar, surrounded by a bunch of his idiot teammates.

He’d always loved your laugh, but he hated the fact that they were the ones making you giggle like this. And he’d never had any issues going out to drink with you, but seeing you with a drink in your hand tonight, one that was probably paid for by one of his teammates? You weren’t even 21 yet, goddamn it.

Will didn’t care about getting caught staring; he was far too into it by now. So when a hand landed on his shoulder, he didn’t even flinch. “You okay over here, Smith?” a freshman on the team asked, stepping up next to him.