nineteen and unravelling
Which was exactly why, standing in the frosty morning air outside the off-campus athletic dorms, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
His name was Brandon. He was a junior from my History of Western Civilization class—possessing a jawline that was slightly too sharp, a personality that was slightly too dull, and an ego that was entirely too large. Returning to campus four days early, before the dorms had even officially opened for the semester, had been a mistake. The emptiness of Bianca's room had clawed at my chest. The quiet had felt like a suffocating reminder of my mother's worry, of Talia's venomous triumph, of Malik's betrayal.
So, when Brandon had messaged me on I**