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I slide the coffee next to her face on the bedside table, and she opens her eyes immediately. She yawns next to me like she’s been dragged out of a coma.

“Coffee,” she mutters, pointing blindly toward my hand. “Before I accidentally shoot someone in training.”

I snort under my breath, handing the warm cup to her. “Maybe don’t say that so loud in an FBI-affiliated building.”

She shrugs, “They know it’s true.” Then her eyes scrutinized me for a few seconds, “Did you sleep at all?” she asks.

“Not really.” I keep my eyes on Blue, who’s sniffing around the room. “Didn’t try.”

She nudges me with her elbow. “You look like it.”

“Oh, thank you,” I say laughing.

“You know I mean that in, like, a loving way, right?” she says. “Your dark circles give you that mysterious, don’t-mess-with-me vibe. It works for you.”

I blink at her. “I look dead.”

“Hot dead,” she corrects.

A tiny huff of air leaves my nose as I shake my head. “You’re going to die if you don’t get used to waking up early.”

“Better than whatever you’re doing,” she says. “You’re on, like, trauma autopilot.”

“Shut up. Know you have thirty minutes to get ready.”

Her eyes fly open as she jumps from the bed. “Thirty minutes? Why are you already dressed?”

I pick up my cat and set him on my lap, sipping my coffee. “I’ve been up for a few hours. Didn’t know what else to do, so I got ready.”

She quickly starts getting dressed and brushing her hair, then spins toward me. “You should’ve woken me up earlier!”

I laugh, knowing she still has an hour before we need to leave. “I thought your alarm would do it for me.”

She takes a quick sip of her latte and starts packing her bag. “What do we need? A laptop should be enough, right?”

“Yeah, that’ll work for this morning’s classes. Don’t forget the little pin they left in the closet.”

She nods; finishes packing, grabs the pin, and puts it to her sweater. After a few minutes of pure chaos, she collapses into the bed beside me, out of breath.

“Okay, I think I’m ready.” She sips her latte and looks at me just as I burst out laughing. “Why are you laughing?”

I grab my phone without saying a word and show her the time. “Well done. You’re early for once.”

“You're such a bitch.”

“I love the dirty talk.”

She laughs and starts talking about everything she wants to visit today as if it was a museum and not an academy.

After a few final sips of coffee and last-minute adjustments, Hayzel slings her bag over her shoulder and checks herself in the mirror one last time. “Okay,” she says, exhaling, “I’m really done now.”

I pick up Blue after finishing my coffee and place him gently back in my dorm. He meows softly, stretching like he knows he’s staying behind. “Don’t cause too much trouble,” I mutter, scratching behind his ears before closing the door.

Hayzel grabs my arm and drags me toward the hallway. The dorms are quiet compared to the cafeteria chaos from earlier, but the sound of heavy boots clomping and distant voices reminds me we’re not alone in this.

“So…” she says, glancing at me with a grin, “first day on campus. Excited?”

I shrug. “Excited is not exactly the word I’d use.”