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Kehlani Johnson stood outside her dorm room with her AirPods in, a tennis bag slung over one shoulder and two suitcases rolling behind her.
"Lord, this is really happening," she muttered.
College.
No more high school.
No more teachers breathing down her neck.
No more people knowing her business.
At least, that was the plan.
Kehlani was pretty, and she knew it.
Light skin, brown eyes, braces that somehow made her smile even cuter, and black hair that changed every few weeks.
One month it was curls.
Next month a quick weave. Then braids.
Nobody could ever guess what style she'd show up with.
As she struggled to unlock her dorm room, somebody came flying around the corner.
BAM.
The collision nearly knocked her phone out her hand.
"Damn!"
"Whoa, my bad!" the guy said.
Kehlani looked up.
Tall.
Like, tall tall.
Brown skin.
Brown eyes.
Long dreads.
And annoyingly handsome.
"You ain't see me standing here?" she snapped.
"I said my bad."
"You ran right into me."
"I know."
The boy shifted his backpack.
"I'm sorry, for real, but I gotta go."
"Uh-huh."
He shook his head and laughed.
"Aight. Again, my bad."
Then he jogged off down the hallway.
Kehlani rolled her eyes.
"The hell."
She unlocked her room and stepped inside.
The dorm was actually cute.
Not huge, but nice.
A few seconds later her phone started ringing.
Mama ❤️
Kehlani answered immediately.
"Hey, Ma."
"Baby! You made it?"
"Obviously."
"Don't get smart."
Kehlani laughed.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"So how's your room?"
"It's cute."
"Cute?"
"Okay, okay. It's nice."
Her mom could hear something in her voice.
"You nervous?"
Kehlani sat on her bed.
A lump formed in her throat.
"A little."
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Her mom already knew why.
A couple years ago, people Kehlani called friends betrayed her trust in one of the worst ways possible.
They put her in a dangerous situation, laughed when she needed help, and lost her friendship forever.
Kehlani reported what happened, and the people responsible were arrested.
But even after everything was over, the memories didn't just disappear.
Crowded parties made her uncomfortable.
New people made her nervous.
Trusting anybody felt like a risk.
"Baby," her mom said softly. "Everybody ain't them."
"I know."
"You don't gotta trust people immediately.
Let people earn it."
Kehlani stared out the window.
Students were laughing outside.
Meeting people.
Making friends.
Doing normal college stuff.
"What if I don't fit in?"
"Girl, please."
"Ma."
"You play tennis, you step, you're smart, and you're funny when you wanna be.
You'll be fine."
A smile finally appeared on Kehlani's face.
"I love you."
"Love you too."
After they hung up, Kehlani looked around her room.
New city.
New school.
New life.
What she didn't know was that the tall boy who ran into her
Caleb Williams
was about to become the biggest part of her college story.
And neither of them saw it coming.
