The Collision

The campus was buzzing with the usual afternoon energy, students rushing to classes, groups laughing by the quad. But for Luca Davis, the star quarterback, the world felt slightly muted. He stood in front of the vending machine, the familiar hum a low drone in his ears, lost in the dull ache of his body after a tough game. He just needed a simple soda, a momentary escape from the noise. He fumbled with crumpled bills, the machine swallowing them with a mechanical whir.

Then, a sudden jolt from behind sent him stumbling, the soda can he'd just selected clattering to the floor. A wave of annoyance surged through him, ready to snap, but the words caught in his throat. It was Isla Matthews, her face flushed, her hands trembling as she bent to retrieve the can, a small, almost lost figure in an oversized hoodie.