Nothing much happens for awhile

After the community service event, things settled down.

The rest of the semester passed without any major surprises. I started going to the church group regularly, and it gradually became another normal part of my week.

I liked the people there. Marcus and a few of the others had become familiar faces, and I enjoyed the conversations after the meetings. I wasn’t suddenly a completely different person, but I found myself looking forward to going.

The rest of my routine stayed pretty much the same.

Classes came first. I kept my grades in good shape, went to the gym several times a week, and called Sarah regularly. I still explored campus when I had free time and occasionally went out on my own.

Overall, things were going well.

I hadn’t seen much of Mia or Lily since that night at their dorm. Every once in a while, I’d wonder whether I’d run into them somewhere, but it never happened.

Their absence made things easier.

I didn’t have to explain anything, and I didn’t have to decide what I’d do if Mia approached me again.

As the semester started winding down, I found myself looking back at how different my life had become since the beginning of the year.

I’d arrived determined to keep my head down and focus on graduating.

Instead, I’d built a routine that actually made me happy. I had my classes, the gym, Sarah, my time to myself, and now the church group.

For the moment, everything felt steady.

Finals were approaching, Christmas break was getting closer, and senior year was moving faster than I’d expected.

I just hoped I could keep things that way.