Chapter 3 Becoming Us #2
It amazed me how quickly strangers had become familiar faces.
I still valued my quiet moments, but I no longer felt like an outsider looking into someone else's circle. Somewhere between brainstorming sessions, shared meals, and countless cups of coffee, the six of us had begun creating something stronger than a project team.
We were becoming friends.
That evening, the library remained unusually busy.
Midterm season had officially arrived, and nearly every table was occupied by exhausted students surrounded by textbooks and energy drinks. The fellowship had claimed our usual room on the third floor, but even there the atmosphere felt different. Everyone looked a little more tired than usual.
Professor Monroe had given us another research milestone to complete before the following week. We spent nearly three hours reviewing articles, organizing data, and debating different approaches to our innovation proposal.
Eventually, Liam closed his laptop.
"I think we've reached the point where our brains have officially stopped working."
"I reached that point yesterday," Eli replied without looking up from his notebook.
Kai laughed.
"You've been saying that since orientation."
"And yet nobody believes me."
"Because you keep talking."
"I refuse to apologize for being entertaining."
"You should."
"I won't."
Mason rubbed the bridge of his nose before closing one of his law textbooks.
"If I read another research paper tonight, I might actually forget how to read."
Owen stretched both arms above his head.
"I've got anatomy at seven tomorrow morning."
He sighed dramatically.
"I already miss sleeping."
"You keep mentioning sleep," Eli said.
"I'm beginning to think you're secretly obsessed with it."
"I am."
The room filled with quiet laughter.
Liam glanced around the table before looking toward the small lounge area beside the windows.
"Let's take ten minutes."
"No research."
"No laptops."
"No talking about the project."
Kai looked suspicious.
"What are we supposed to talk about?"
"Anything else."
We carried our coffees across the room and settled onto the comfortable couches arranged beneath the tall windows overlooking campus.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the glass.
Streetlights reflected across the wet sidewalks, turning the empty campus into a painting of gold and silver.
For a while, nobody spoke.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
Everyone simply seemed grateful for a chance to stop thinking about deadlines.
Finally, Eli broke the silence.
"So..."
He looked around the room.
"I have a question."
Kai smiled.
"Should we be worried?"
"Probably."
Mason leaned back.
"Go ahead."
Eli rested one ankle across his knee.
"We all know what everyone studies."
He shrugged.
"But why?"
Nobody answered immediately.
He continued.
"What made you choose your major?"
The question settled over the room.
Unlike discussing assignments or internship opportunities, this felt personal.
Liam smiled.
"I like that question."
Professor Monroe wasn't there.
There wasn't any pressure to participate.
Yet somehow everyone seemed interested.
Kai volunteered first.
"When I was fifteen," he began, "my best friend developed severe anxiety."
His usual cheerful expression softened.
"Nobody knew how to help him."
He looked down at the paper cup in his hands.
"Teachers didn't understand."
"His parents thought he was being dramatic."
"I remember thinking there had to be someone who knew what to do."
He smiled faintly.
"So I decided I'd become that person."
The room stayed quiet.
"That's why I chose psychology."
Owen nodded thoughtfully.
"I think your future patients are going to be lucky."
Kai laughed awkwardly.
"I hope so."
Everyone looked toward Owen next.
He smiled.
"My story isn't nearly as emotional."
"I grew up with my grandmother."
He chuckled softly.
"She believed every illness could be fixed with soup."
Eli raised an eyebrow.
"Could it?"
"No."
"But somehow it always made people feel better."
He smiled at the memory.
"When she got sick, I spent months sitting beside her hospital bed."
"I watched doctors save lives every day."
He looked around the room.
"I wanted to become one of them."
Nobody said anything for several seconds.
Finally Mason nodded.
"That makes sense."
"It felt right."
Eli leaned forward dramatically.
"My turn."
Everyone smiled.
"My family owns a construction company."
He shrugged.
"I spent most of my childhood climbing unfinished buildings before anyone could stop me."
"I'm honestly shocked you survived," Mason muttered.
"So is my mother."
The room erupted into laughter.
Eli grinned.
"I always loved buildings."
He glanced toward the rain-covered windows.
"I think architecture changes how people feel."
"A good building can make someone feel welcome."
"It can make them feel safe."
He smiled.
"I wanted to build places people actually enjoy being in."
Mason crossed his arms.
"I almost hate admitting that's a good answer."
"I'll remember this moment forever."
"You shouldn't."
Liam looked toward Mason.
"What about you?"
Mason's expression became more thoughtful than usual.
"My older sister."
He answered simply.
Everyone waited.
"When I was sixteen, someone accused her of stealing money from the company she worked for."
He shook his head.
"She hadn't."
"But proving that wasn't easy."
"The lawyer who represented her changed our lives."
He smiled faintly.
"Watching someone fight for another person when they couldn't fight for themselves..."
He paused.
"I knew I wanted to do that too."
For a moment, nobody joked.
Nobody teased.
The room felt quieter than before.