Maria POV
I parked my mom's old car in the nearly empty lot, the sound of the engine cutting off echoing through the quiet campus. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the quad, and the cool evening breeze carried the faint smell of autumn leaves. It was a typical Tuesday night, the campus winding down as students headed off to dinner or settled into their dorms. But here I was, about to step into something that I wasn't sure was a great idea.
As I walked toward the café, I noticed how still everything seemed. The last traces of sunlight filtered through the trees, painting the cobblestones in warm hues of gold and orange. The few students still out were mostly in pairs or small groups, talking in hushed tones. The campus had a kind of serene beauty at this hour, the usual hu
