Lunch Break

The auditorium emptied in uneven waves, rows of freshmen spilling into the bright midday light with lanyards swinging and voices rising all at once. Outside, the campus had fully transformed. Music drifted across the quad from portable speakers near the student organization tents, upperclassmen called out from folding tables, and everywhere there were clusters of first‑years trying very hard to look less overwhelmed than they felt.

Ashley stepped into the sunlight first and squinted dramatically.

"Okay," she announced, slinging one arm loosely over the strap of her bag, "before anyone makes me pretend to care about clubs on an empty stomach, we are getting food."

Tom nodded immediately. "Best idea anyone’s had all day."

"As long as it’s nearby," Asmaa said.

She kept her tone neutral, but Cora noticed the way her eyes carefully did not move toward Tom when she said it.

Chris noticed too, though he didn’t comment.

"There’s a student café just off the quad," he said. "Fast enough that we won’t miss much."

Bronson rolled his shoulders and looked around the campus like he was measuring it against something internal.

"Food first," he said. "Then I need to find the athletics tent."

Ashley glanced at him. "Already?"

Bronson gave her a look like the answer was obvious. "If this school has a wrestling program, I’m not wasting a day."

That caught Malik’s attention immediately.

"You wrestle?" Malik asked.

Bronson snorted. "What gave it away?"

Malik smiled awkwardly. "The cauliflower ear. And the way you look like you could throw a vending machine."

Tom laughed.

"That’s probably fair," Bronson said. "Yeah. Wrestling team, definitely. Or I annoy the coaches until they let me try out."

Malik nodded, but the answer seemed to settle something heavy in his expression.

They headed toward the café in a loose pack.

Chris slowed half a step until he was beside Cora.

Ashley ended up next to her brother for a few moments, Mira hovering just behind them. Tom and Malik trailed together, while Arjun moved in and out of the group like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted attention or control over the pace of the conversation.

Mira stayed a little outside of it all.

Not excluded.

Just not yet anchored.

Ashley glanced over at Chris. "You’re being weirdly quiet."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Compared to you?"

"Compared to anyone with functioning social instincts."

He ignored that. "You talked enough for both of us in there."

Cora watched them for a moment, the rhythm between them easy and old.

Then Ashley’s eyes slid sideways toward Cora and her grin sharpened.

"Also," she said, "I’m very proud of how today is going for you."

Chris sighed immediately. "Do not."

"I’m serious," Ashley went on. "You asked a girl out before lunch on orientation day. That’s efficient."

Cora bit back a smile.

Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "Ashley."

"What? I support growth."

Cora glanced at him. "You do seem very growth‑oriented."

Chris looked at her, and for a second the noise of the quad blurred at the edges again.

"That was one time," he said.

Ashley made a dramatic sound of disbelief. "He’s already trying to seem mysterious. This is exactly what I warned you about."

Cora laughed softly.

Beside them, Asmaa was listening despite herself.

She kept a careful distance from Tom, who had fallen into step just behind her. Not avoiding him so obviously this time. Just maintaining structure.

Tom noticed.

Of course he did.

But he didn’t move closer. He let his voice carry naturally when he spoke to Malik, giving her space to listen without pressure.

It was thoughtful.

Cora saw Asmaa realize that too.

They found a cluster of pushed‑together outdoor tables under wide red umbrellas. The lunch crowd wasn’t too bad yet, so trays came quickly—sandwiches, fries, wraps, iced coffee, greasy campus food that somehow already felt like part of the college experience.

Ashley dropped into her seat like she owned it.

Mira sat on one side of her automatically, then seemed to realize she had done it and looked faintly embarrassed.

Ashley didn’t react. She just kept talking like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Cora sat across from Chris.

Tom ended up near Asmaa, though with enough space that she didn’t tense.

Bronson sat wide and relaxed, one arm hooked over the back of his chair.

Arjun started speaking almost immediately.

"So what’s everyone doing after this?" he asked. "Because the better move is to skip the boring stands and just find the people who actually matter early."

Ashley looked up from unwrapping her sandwich.

"The people who matter," she repeated.

Arjun smiled, encouraged. "You know what I mean. The right circles. Student leadership. High‑level networking."

Ashley took a bite, chewed, swallowed, then smiled pleasantly.

"You say things like a LinkedIn profile that became sentient."

Tom nearly choked on his drink.

Malik laughed before he could stop himself.

Even Chris looked faintly amused.

Arjun tried to recover, but Ashley kept cutting him down with cheerful precision.

Across the table, Bronson finished half his food already.

"So," Chris said, glancing at him, "wrestling team?"

Bronson nodded. "Yeah."

"You wrestled in high school?"

"And before." Bronson shrugged. "It’s the only place where I ever made sense."

Malik looked down at his fries.

Chris noticed.

"What about you?" he asked.

Malik blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah."

Malik hesitated. "I don’t know yet."

Ashley leaned forward slightly.

"What do you like?"

Malik exhaled. "Comics. Sci‑fi. Fantasy stuff. Illustration. Writing."

Bronson looked at him like that answer was obvious.

"So join the nerd stuff."

Tom nodded. "Campus always has three versions of nerd stuff."

Malik laughed, some tension finally leaving his shoulders.

Across the table, Cora found herself drifting back toward Chris again.

"You’re not eating much," he said quietly.

"I am," she replied.

He raised an eyebrow.

She smiled. "Okay. Slowly."

A small silence settled between them.

"You always watch everything like that?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Like you’re mapping exits, people, timing."

Chris paused.

"Mostly."

"Does it ever stop?"

He looked at her for a moment.

"Sometimes."

Warmth spread through her chest for no clear reason.

By the time they finished eating, the campus had become louder.

Rows of tents stretched across the quad—student organizations calling out to freshmen, handing out flyers, bowls of candy, handmade banners waving in the warm air.

"Alright," Ashley declared, standing and stretching, "now we pretend to be well‑rounded."

They moved through the fair together, though the group loosened naturally as they walked.

Debate Society.

Pre‑Law Association.

Chess Club.

Women in Business.

Muslim Student Association.

Veterans Collective.

Gaming Union.

Student Media.

A little farther down, Bronson stopped at a large red banner.

WRESTLING TEAM.

His posture shifted instantly.

"There," he said.

Chris smirked faintly. "Go."

Bronson nodded once. "I’ll catch up."

Then he headed straight toward the tent.

Malik watched him go.

"You should find your version of that," Tom said.

Malik nodded slowly.

Ahead of them, a clean white banner caught Cora’s attention.

WSA.

White Student Association.

Everyone in the group slowed.

"Well," Ashley said quietly.

"That’s direct," Tom added.

Chris glanced at Cora. "Still curious?"

Cora folded her arms instinctively.

"Maybe."

Ashley grinned. "That means yes."

They approached together.