31

31

Sophia’s POV

Settling into my seat on the plane next to Jenny, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. The familiar hum of the engines signaled that we were finally on our way back to university. That meant one thing. I could finally see Ian. I glanced at Jenny, her hair which I had curled yesterday was bouncing as she adjusted her seatbelt. She caught my eye and grinned.

“Can you believe the weekend’s over already?” she said, her voice tinged with annoyance. “It feels like we just got here.”

“I know,” I replied, turning to face her fully. “But I’m kind of glad. I missed campus. And our friends. And, weirdly enough, even the library.”

Jenny laughed, shaking her head. “Of course you missed the Campus. Only because you get to see Ian and go to his house. You practically live there.”

“Guilty as charged,” I said, grinning. “But seriously, I’m looking forward to being back in campus. I signed up for that creative writing class we talked about yesterday.”

Jenny’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s awesome! A part of me knew you’d do that. Who’s the professor?”

“Professor Davis. I’ve heard she’s amazing but really tough. I’m a little nervous.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jenny assured me, nudging my shoulder. “You’re one of the best writers I know. Remember that blog you wrote last year that everyone loved?”

I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. “Thanks, Jenny. What about you? What are you excited about?”

“I finally got into the advanced biology lab,” Jenny said, practically bouncing in her seat. “I’ve been trying to get in for two weeks now and I finally did. Oh and I get to see Ronan too, I think.”

“You think? Are you both having issues?” I asked, raising a brow.

She shook her head instantly. “No of course not.”

I stared at her for a little bit then nodded. “You’re going to be so busy, though. How are you going to manage?”

Jenny shrugged. “Same way we always do. Coffee, late nights, and a lot of complaining to you.”

I laughed. “Sounds about right.”

The plane lifted off the ground, and for a moment, we both fell silent, lost in our thoughts. All I could think of were the exams that were about to start, and how I was going to juggle reading for Exams and being with Ian at the same time. Plus the first exam was history, according to the timetable and I was very nervous.

I watched the city below become a patchwork of lights, fading as we climbed higher into the sky.

“Do you ever think about what we’ll be doing four years from now?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“All the time,” Jenny admitted. “It’s kind of scary, isn’t it? We’ll be seniors in a few years. Just a few years, and then we’re out in the real world.”

“Yeah. But it’s exciting too. I mean, think about everything we’ve done so far. We’ve got four more years to make even more memories.”

Jenny smiled. “You’re right. And we’re going to make it the best years yet.”

The flight attendants began their drink service, and I ordered a soda while Jenny got a coffee. We sipped our drinks and chatted about our weekend experiences.

“Did you hear about Mark and Lisa?” Jenny asked, lowering her voice conspiratorially. They were two seniors in our dorm.

“No, what happened?” I leaned in, curious.

“They broke up. Apparently, they had a huge fight right before she left for her internship.”

“Wow, I didn’t see that coming. They always seemed so solid.”

“I know, right? But I guess long-distance is hard. And she’s in New York for the whole semester.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. It’s tough to keep things going when you’re so far apart.”

We fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in thought. All I could think of was how this exams was going to go. How I was going to juggle the exams with my creative writing classes and how I’m going to focus on my studies and mix with being with Ian.

The plane continued its journey through the night, the steady hum of the engines was like a soothing background sound.

“We’ve barely spent enough time together this semester,” I said with a sigh. “And now it’s coming to an end. I do wish we’ll get to spend more time.”

“Same here. But we’ll make up for it next semester. We’ll have movie nights, study sessions, and maybe even a few road trips.”

“Definitely. Oh, and we need to start planning our Halloween costumes. It’s only a couple of months away.”

My eyes lit up. “Yes! I’ve been thinking about that. What if we did a themed group costume with our friends?”

Jenny grinned. “I love that idea. What theme are you thinking?”

“How about classic movie characters? We could be anything from Harry Potter to Star Wars.”

“That’s brilliant. I dibs Hermione!”

“Perfect! I’ll be Leia then.”

We spent the next hour brainstorming costume ideas, laughing and getting more and more excited about the upcoming semester. The conversation shifted seamlessly from one topic to another, from classes to weekend plans to our hopes and dreams for the future.

As the plane began its descent, I looked out the window again, seeing the familiar landscape of our university town coming into view. I felt a rush of anticipation and nervousness. I was going to see Ian. I was excited.

“Almost there,” Jenny said, nudging me gently.

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice filled with anticipation. “I can’t wait to see everyone.”

The plane touched down smoothly, and soon we were gathering our bags and heading toward the exit. The cool night air greeted us as we stepped out of the terminal, and we made our way to the shuttle that would take us back to campus.

As we rode through the dark streets, our excitement was obvious. We talked about our plans for the exams and for the next semester too.

When we finally arrived at our dorm, we stood for a moment, looking up at the familiar building.

“Home sweet home,” I said, smiling.

“Here’s to another horrible few months of the semester,” Jenny replied with a sigh, linking her arm with mine.

I chuckled, shaking my head as we walked into the dorm.