ALEXA

The late afternoon sun of San Francisco was beginning to dip behind the brutalist concrete structures of the campus, casting long, orange shadows that stretched across the pavement like fingers.

I adjusted the strap of my heavy portfolio bag, feeling the weight of my charcoal sketches pressing against my hip. Beside me, Ava and Jenna were in high spirits, their voices echoing off the brick walls of the dormitory row.

They weren't just my best friends; they were my polar opposites. Sometimes, I wonder how they became my friends. Or better still, how I became their friend.

I couldn't deny the fact that I was antisocial as hell. But...