Chapter 1
The gentle buzz of an alarm filled Maeve Carter’s bedroom.
She reached out from beneath her blanket, fumbled across her bedside table, and silenced it with a sleepy groan.
Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, warming the room.
Her room reflected her personality—organized but lived in. Psychology textbooks were stacked neatly on her desk beside a notebook filled with colorful sticky notes. A small plant sat on the windowsill, somehow surviving despite being forgotten every now and then.
Maeve stretched before glancing at the clock.
“First day of the new semester...”
After getting ready, she headed downstairs.
The smell of toast and freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen.
“Morning, sweetheart,” her mother said as she set another plate on the table.
“Morning, Mum.”
Her father folded his newspaper and smiled.
“Ready for another semester?”
Maeve sat down with a grin.
“Ask me again after my first lecture.”
He laughed.
“Fair enough.”
Breakfast passed with the easy conversations that always filled their mornings—her mum talking about the tomatoes growing in the backyard, her dad complaining about traffic before work, and Maeve trying to convince them she wasn’t going to survive on coffee alone.
“You absolutely are,” her mother said.
“...Maybe.”
They all laughed.
Maeve grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.
“Love you!”
“Love you too!” her parents replied together.
Ashridge University was buzzing with life.
Students crossed the courtyard in every direction, some rushing to lectures while others stood catching up after the break.
“Maeve!”
She turned just in time for Zoey to throw an arm around her shoulders.
“There you are!”
“I’ve been here for five seconds.”
“And I’ve already missed you.”
Priya walked over, adjusting the strap of her backpack.
“You two are attracting attention.”
“We call it being friendly,” Zoey replied.
“We call it being loud,” Priya corrected.
A soft laugh came from behind them.
June approached with a coffee in one hand and a novel tucked beneath the other.
“Morning.”
“There she is!” Zoey smiled.
The four friends made their way toward the psychology building together.
“So,” Zoey asked, “what’s everyone’s goal this semester?”
“Pass,” Priya answered.
Maeve nodded.
“Pass with slightly less panic.”
June smiled.
“I’d like to write more.”
Zoey sighed dramatically.
“I was hoping someone would say ‘change the world.’”
“I’d rather change my grades,” Maeve replied.
That earned another round of laughter.
The lecture passed quicker than Maeve expected.
By the time the professor dismissed the class, the afternoon sun had replaced the cool morning air.
“I think my brain is already full,” Maeve said as she packed her notebook.
“It’s only the first day,” Priya laughed.
“Which is exactly why I’m worried.”
Outside the building, Zoey and June were already waiting beneath a large oak tree.
“Took you long enough,” Zoey said.
“We were busy learning.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
“It was.”
June took a sip of her coffee.
“So... café?”
Maeve smiled.
“I’m in.”
“Always,” Priya agreed.
The four friends crossed the busy campus together, laughing about classes, lecturers, and whose timetable looked the worst.
The city carried on around them.
Cars rolled through the streets beyond the university gates.
Students hurried home.
But for now...
Maeve was simply enjoying the company of her friends as they disappeared into the afternoon crowd.
