Naomi forced a smile, washed up, and lay down on her bed. She closed her eyes almost immediately.
She’d expected that running into Zebulon would trigger dreams about the past, but surprisingly, she slept soundly and dreamlessly until morning.
“Wow, you look fantastic,” Patricia said, climbing out of bed with two dark circles under her eyes.
She had assumed Naomi would be too restless to sleep well and had pre-ordered coffee for both of them, only to find that she was the one who looked like a panda.
Naomi put a warm eye compress in Patricia’s bag for her, saying shyly, “Maybe because I was working yesterday, I didn’t have time to overthink things and just slept really well.”
“Ugh, I’m so jealous. I want to start working too.”
Naomi offered a casual word of comfort. “Don’t worry, you’ll find something if you take your time.”
After breakfast, they headed to their sophomore major course. Naomi paid close attention throughout the class, then said goodbye to Patricia and headed to the studio for her shift.
No sooner had Naomi left than Patricia saw Zebulon and his friends appear at the classroom door.
Patricia frowned and pretended not to see them, quickly packing her things to slip out the back.
“Patricia!”
Patricia cursed under her breath.
She tried to ignore them and walk away, but Colin and a few others blocked her path.
“Hey, gorgeous, what’s the rush?”
Colin leaned against the doorframe, a playful, mocking smile on his face.
Having grown up with a serious and composed older brother, Patricia instinctively disliked Colin's flippant attitude and frowned.
“I don’t know you. Please move.”
Colin’s smile faltered.

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