9
Austin pounded the steel spoon on the plate, knocking off mashed potatoes that were as thick as rubber cement. He continued down the line. The mess hall slowly rumbled to life as more students arrived for lunch.
The first day of classes overwhelmed him. His head pounded, and his back ached from the tiny desk chairs lining each room of Terminus. He collapsed like a sack of dirty laundry into his seat at the nearest table. Staring into the potatoes mixing with the juice of the green beans, he thought of the dozens of projects with due dates and upcoming tests.
“Mind if I sit?”
Austin stared. The girl with the blonde hair from yesterday stood over him, a soft expression on her face. “No. I mean yes, of course.”
Laughing, she sat at the table and fixed her ponytail. She grinned and star
