now playing... beautiful stranger by laufey <3
masterlist. next episode.
TAGLIST 5/50 — @yourdarlingdevotion, @opalescentangels, @kittykittykittysilly, @16lohens, @boreaswrites, wanna be added? send in an ask or leave a comment <3
the lecture hall door creaked open.
you resisted the urge to immediately turn around and leave.
"sorry," you muttered as the professor paused mid-sentence.
the empty seat sat halfway up the lecture hall, directly beside clorinde.
keeping your head down, you hurried over, squeezing past a few students before dropping into the empty seat. your heart was still pounding from sprinting across campus.
the professor continued talking as though nothing had happened.
beside you, clorinde didn't even look up from her notes.
neat handwriting. color-coded tabs. an organized syllabus already tucked into a folder.
a minute later, your pen slipped from your desk and rolled toward her side of the row.
before you could grab it, a hand caught it.
clorinde placed it beside your notebook.
and just like that, her attention returned to the lecture.
you looked down at your own page.
this semester was going to be a long one.
the only good thing about this class is that the professor is kind enough to give you a five minute break before the second hour. off to a great start.
that being said, the five-minute break passed quicker than you'd hoped.
students filtered back into their seats, conversations fading into quiet chatter as the professor adjusted a few slides at the front of the room.
you took the opportunity to finally start writing something in your notebook.
that counted for something.
"before we continue," the professor said, earning the room's attention once more, "i want to go over the semester project."
a collective groan swept through the lecture hall.
you immediately stopped writing.
"you'll be working in assigned pairs for the duration of the semester. your final paper, presentation, and research project will all be completed with the same partner."
the groaning somehow got louder.
the professor ignored it.
"i've already assigned everyone."
you glared at lumine behind you
there went your backup plan.
names began being called.
some students looked relieved.
a few immediately started negotiating trades.
you stared at the front of the room.
the professor continued reading names.
surely you heard that wrong.
beside you, clorinde closed her notebook.
"looks like we're partners."
it was the longest sentence she'd spoken to you all morning.
"i'll send you my notes after class."
"you missed the first twenty minutes."
and just like that, her attention returned to the lecture.
meanwhile, your brain had completely abandoned the lesson.
this semester was already off to a concerning start.
the walk back to your dorm should have been uneventful.
instead, you spent the entire thing thinking about the semester project.
because it was just a project. people got assigned partners all the time.
there was no reason for this one to be different.
you unlocked the dorm room and stepped inside.
lumine was already there, kicking off her shoes near the door.
"you've been weirdly quiet."
you dropped your bag onto your desk.
"i'm just thinking about the project."
it absolutely meant something.
you narrowed your eyes as she returned to whatever she was reading.
a moment later, your phone buzzed from where it sat on your desk.
probably furina. or another message in the group chat.0
with a sigh, you reached over and unlocked the screen.
the notification wasn't from insanity anonymous.
it was from a number you didn't recognize.
for a second, you just stared at it.
then your eyes caught the first line of the message.
who else could it be, other than clorinde!
note: i wasn't sure where to really put clorinde's group messages so take that. its my first smau hi guys your author doesn't know what they're doing.