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"Yeah." I grin at her. "Starving."

Everything I felt earlier must just be my mind playing tricks on me. I’m ready to get on with my night, my stomach takes that moment to growl and I laugh.

Grounds is busier tonight. It’s like everyone wants to eat here. We take the same table as this morning like it's already ours, with its four mismatched chairs. I still love it.

I drop into my seat, pick up the menu, and look across at Juno, who is already looking at me.

"What?"

"Nothing." She smiles at her menu. “I’m just glad you're here. You fit in well with us.”

I kick her lightly under the table. She kicks me back harder, and we both start laughing.

Cara tells us both to grow up without looking up from the soup options, which only makes me laugh more.

Bree orders before any of us have decided what we want. I’m just happy that she ordered me a burger and fries. This is going to be a good meal.

I lean back in my chair and look up at the amber lights strung along the wood block the lights are hanging from. I glance over to the window and see the sky is turning the deep blue of a campus evening, the noise of the terrace is rising and falling around us. I take a picture of it one-handed without even raising the camera properly.

It'll be blurred, and off-angle, but sometimes these pictures are the best ones to have.

“Has anyone seen a guy they’re eyeing up?” Juno asks. I’ve not known her very long, but one thing I will say is, she needs to find herself a man. Even if she does find one, I’m not sure he’ll be able to keep her. She seems like she wants fun at college.

“Not even had a chance,” I’m the first to reply. I’m not going to say anything about Miles; I’ve only seen him once.

“Once we go to a few parties I think we’ll meet some.” Maya looks over the menu as she replies. “Plus, we have competitions to work for, which should be the main thing we concentrate on.”

The conversation continues about boys though, and not competitions.

“I think I’m going to try my luck with a football player…“

“Good luck, you think the cheerful cheerleaders are going to let you get close to them.” Bree cuts Juno off.

“I’m up for a challenge,” Juno replies which makes me laugh.

She’s a girl who knows what she wants.

This is what I wanted my college life to be: making friends, having fun with them, and talking about boys.

“Party tonight,” Cara starts, and that gets me into the conversation. “Everyone is going, we aren’t going to meet anyone in the gym training all the time, we have to go to the parties.”

“I’m in.” I'm the first to answer. Then I thank the waiter when he places my food on the table.

“Everyone be ready for nine.” Cara points to us all. It looks like she’s taken the mother role for the four of us. I’m not going to complain about it. It’s a good feeling not having to look after someone.

***

I lie down on the couch, my phone to my ear, and breathe a sigh of relief when Dan picks up on the third ring.

"You're alive," he jokes.

"Barely. They're working me hard." I wedge the phone between my ear and my shoulder and reach for the TV remote. "How are you?"

There’s silence for a split second, then he says, "Good." I hear something in his tone, and I know he’s trying to work out a way to sound like nothing is wrong. "I’m tired."

"Tired like you've been doing stuff or tired like…"

"Just tired, Sade." His voice is flat; there’s nothing in it which I can put my finger on. Is he telling the truth? He’d better be with the amount I had to pay to get him into where he is now. "Tell me about the gym."