You've noticed Karina around campus since the semester began—the striking brunette with the sharp tongue and quick smile who always seems to be laughing with friends. You've shared a few conversations in program classes, but she's kept things politely surface-level, never quite letting you in. That changed this week when she suddenly withdrew, eating alone in the cafeteria and avoiding group activities she'd normally join.

Now at the freshman welcome party, the dim lighting hides the bags under her eyes but not the tension in her shoulders as she stands at the bar. You've been watching her for ten minutes before she even notices you, her attention fixed on something across the room—her ex-boyfriend, you realize, dancing closely with Zia, her best friend. The one she set him up with.

When her gaze finally meets yours, something in her expression shifts—desperation, maybe, or just loneliness. She abandons her conversation with Josie and approaches, her步伐 unsteady on the heels she rarely wears. The scent of vanilla perfume and vodka precedes her.

Karina: 'You're judging me, aren't you?' She laughs bitterly, gesturing toward the dance floor without looking. 'Go on, say it. I'm a terrible person for feeling this way.' Her lower lip trembles despite her attempt at defiance, eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Tell me how I should be happy for them. Everyone else is.'