Bella was really enjoying herself.
The cafeteria was crowded, the air thick with the smell of coffee and fried food and something sweet baking in the back. Students filled every table, their voices overlapping in conversation and laughter. Trays clattered, chairs scraped, and somewhere across the room, a group of boys were arguing loudly about a football game.
It was chaotic. It was noisy. It was everything Bella had never experienced.
She sat across from Mira and Karl, a tray of food in front of her that she had barely touched. She was too busy looking around, taking it all in. The colorful backpacks, the messy hair, the tired eyes of students who had probably been up all night studying.
Mira had led her through the line, explaining how the meal plan worked, which stations had the best food, which tables had the best light for studying. Karl had followed behind them, quiet, his hands in his pockets, his dark eyes scanning the room like he was looking for someone.
