First day at school

I finally arrived at my dorm, the air thick with that mix of nerves and fresh paint that came with move-in day. The hallway buzzed with voices, laughter, and the clatter of boxes, but the moment I stepped inside, a few heads turned. It wasn’t anything dramatic—just that quiet shift of attention I’d learned to recognize. Some people draw the eye without meaning to; I’d been dealing with that my whole life.

Four years in the Marines had only sharpened it. My posture, my walk, the way I scanned a room—old habits that stuck even out of uniform. I wasn’t trying to command attention anymore; it just happened.

Alexander hefted another box through the doorway, my mom hovering at his shoulder like she always did.

“You just came home, baby! Couldn’t you take a full year off?” Jessica sighed, wringing her hands as if she could anchor me in place by worry alone.

I set down a box and smiled. “Ma, it’s not like I’m moving across the country. I’ll visit.”

“Jessica, our boy’s gotta spread his wings,” Alexander said, his voice calm and certain. He’d been my stepdad since I was four, and in every way that mattered, he was my father.

“I know, sweetie,” my mother said, softening a little. “I’ll just miss you again.”

I kissed her cheek. “I know, Ma. But I need this. I’ve been away too long—I need to figure out who I am now.”

Alexander slipped me an envelope before I could protest. “Don’t start,” he said with that tone Marines use when an argument’s already over. I laughed, pocketed it, and walked them out to the car.

When they finally drove off, I stood there for a long moment, letting the noise of campus fill the space they’d left behind. Then I headed back up to my room.

Inside, my new roommate was arranging his side—lean, focused, the kind of guy who probably lived more in his head than anywhere else. He turned when I came in, blinking like he hadn’t expected me to be… well, me.

“Hey, I’m Craig. You must be Manny?” I offered my hand.

“Yeah, that’s me,” he said with a grin, shaking it firmly. “Good to meet you.”

I smiled back. Something about this place already felt different—like a new beginning wrapped in old instincts. Maybe college life would be calmer than the Marines. Or maybe not.