Brandon sat across from his randomly-assigned group for the end-of-semester project put on by Professor Diaz. His group consisted of himself and three other students; Liam, Claudia, and Morgan. They were all freshmen like Brandon, and though he hadn't spoken to any of them before this, he remembered a few of their monologue performances in class. Brandon watched half-heartedly as everyone began to share more about themselves.

"I'm from Bryan, Texas." Claudia told the group in her Southern accent. She had bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. She showed off her use of lip fillers in the size of her lips. "I went to New York City when I was a kid and saw The Lion King, and from then I knew I was destined for the stage!" She made a rainbow with her hands in the air as she laid out her big dreams.

"I've lived in the city all my life." Morgan said to the group. She had short black hair, brown skin, and glowing brown eyes. "Despite the shitty subway system and the thousands of tourists, I do love this place. It's home."

"I'm from Bay Area, California." Liam said. He had black scruffy hair and green eyes. "New York City is so different. It's kind of intimidating if you ask me. Say, do I know you from somewhere?" Brandon began to blush, realizing what was about to happen.

"I was going to say the same, you look so familiar." Claudia said.

"Oh, um, ever heard of a little TV show called Total Drama Arts?" The three students released an 'ohhhhh' together, knowing exactly where they had seen him.

"You were the one who got second place." Claudia said. Brandon widened his eyes. He knew she meant well, but he felt a twinge of awkward knowing that was the first thing someone remembered him by, that he didn't win but was so close.

"Are you still friends with anyone on the show?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah! Zakk and I room together, and my girlfriend Neveah rooms with our friend Sami.." Brandon smiled.

"I think Neveah's in my music theory class! Now I know why she looks so familiar!" Liam told them.

"What's Chris McClean like?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, god. The dude was terrible, especially when he got so lazy that he let a spinning wheel decide people's fates towards the end." The group chuckled as Brandon shuttered while recalling the incidents.

"They're holding open auditions for season 3 next weekend and I was thinking of auditioning. But I don't know if it's worth it if I would have to deal with him." Morgan said. "We're getting off-topic here. Let's talk about our scene. This counts as 30% of our grade. We have to come up with something original. Any ideas?"

Brandon pulled into himself slightly, trying to think of something substantial to do for their scene. He'd certainly had issues in the past with monologues and scenes in this class, so his well of ideas seemed dry. This nagging feeling told him there was something big and emotional he'd been pushing off for a while now.

"Hey… this may seem forward, but it's supposed to really tug at the heartstrings, y'know? And if Brandon's okay with it, we could reenact when he found out his mom passed? That was a huge rating draw for your season, so maybe it'll work in our favor?" Morgan looked to Brandon as she said this, Claudia and Liam following suit.

Brandon's eyes widened, as he looked back and forth between his three partners. The hollow feeling in his chest didn't help to ease his anxiety, as his mouth went dry. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, he couldn't really find the words. Should he say no? It's a good idea, but the pit in Brandon's stomach was not helping. He had to face it sometime though, right?

"If… if y'all want to do that… I won't say no. It'll get a good grade, right?" Brandon meekly said. If he was being honest, he'd rather die than attempt this. But he couldn't say no to them. He had to prove himself and make sure that he belonged at Julliard. This would help him pass for sure. Right?

"Perfect! Then let's get planning! Just tell us if there are any inconsistencies or changes you wanna make Brandon," One of them had said, but Brandon tuned them out. All the noise was just static as he tried to focus and regulate his breathing. It felt strange. It was like his head was underwater, and he lost his motor functions.

Fingers snapping in his face brought him back to reality, as he focused on Liam's hand, the man himself, "You okay dude?"

"Sorry, yeah. I just… I haven't been sleeping well. Let's get planning," The group focused back in, but every now and then, Brandon's heart would start beating quicker, his breath speeding up as well. He didn't know why this topic still riled him up so much. It made the void in his chest cold as ice. Brandon barely even noticed the professor dismissing them for the day, signifying the end of the class. Once again, Liam waved his hand in front of Brandon's face. Gathering his things, Brandon departed for his next class.

Giving a sigh, Brandon glanced at his phone for what felt like the hundredth time. He thought to himself, Neveah should be here by now, where was she? Trying to be patient, he kicked off the wall he was leaning on and headed inside the composition building. He squinted as he looked at the classroom numbers and tried to remember where Neveah's last class was. It was well past when she should be done, and he'd been waiting for nearly half an hour.

Moving up the steps, he looked around and made his way towards the left hallway. Hearing voices, he followed them until he found a door to an open classroom. Walking inside to find her, the two bumped into each other as he was looking for her. He pulled Neveah into his arms so she wouldn't fall.

"Woah gorgeous. Slow up. You'll hurt yourself," Brandon said with a smile, his worry and frustration melting away.

"Baby? What're you… Oh no, you were waiting for me, weren't you? I forgot, I'm so sorry! I was busy with getting stuff ready for classes, and Riley wanted to talk shop, and-"

Instead of letting her continue, Brandon pulled Neveah into a kiss, stopping her rambling.

Pulling back, he said, "Baby, it's okay. I promise."

Neveah smiled, and hugged Brandon tight, "I still feel bad for making you wait. I forgot my phone in the dorm again…"

"You need to get a leash for that thing." Brandon laughed. He put his hands in his pockets as he smiled at Neveah, just happy to see her. "Do you want to go back to your dorm? Maybe watch a movie? I'm all done for the day." Brandon took his hands out of his pockets and took Neveah's hands into his. He smiled as Neveah gave him a hug.

"What have I ever done to deserve you?" She let go of Brandon as the two began to walk over to Neveah's dorm, hand in hand. When they finally arrived, the two took their coats and shoes off and tried to get comfortable in the tiny dorm bed.

"I know I say this every time, but I can't wait until we're moved into an apartment together with a bed actually made for two people." Brandon sighed.

"They're just no good for cuddling. Or Brandon naps," Neveah said, giggling. She grabbed her laptop, and went to the Disney Plus website.

"Let me guess… time for Hamilton?" Brandon asked, pulling Neveah close to him.

With a beaming smile, Neveah nodded. She kissed Brandon quickly, then turned back to the laptop to turn on the acclaimed musical.

So far, the musical was great. Brandon was enjoying himself, and the songs were fairly catchy. The Schuyler Sisters song had just finished, and he was excited about the rest.

"Sounds like Peggy gets forgotten about a lot, huh baby?" Brandon quietly said. After not receiving a response, Brandon looked down, and saw Neveah fast asleep, her face peaceful. He sighed, and softly kissed her forehead.

"Looks like you pulled a me… And I've pulled a Peggy…" Neveah rolled over, and buried her face in Brandon's chest, sighing happily. Holding her tight, Brandon focused back on Hamilton. He needed something to take his mind off of it all.

Brandon sighed as he watched the credits roll alone on the show they'd been waiting to watch for weeks. He looked to the right of him to see his sleeping girlfriend and felt dejected thinking how the roles were reversed today with Neveah falling asleep before him. She's been stressed out over school, and so has he, but they've been dealing with it differently. Surprisingly, he's been having a bit of an insomnia issue over school and missing Neveah as well, so it didn't surprise him that she fell asleep first, though he was still disappointed. As he was about to get up to leave, he could hear the door unlocking from the other side. He figured it must have been Sami. He felt embarrassed to think about Sami seeing him awake before Neveah, and quickly readjusted himself to make it seem like they fell asleep together as he heard her walk in.

"Hey, I'm back! Everyone fully clothed?" She joked in full voice. As she watched the sleeping couple in front of her, she quickly quieted down. "Oh, sorry."

She walked over to the couple and took the laptop off the bed, placing it onto Neveah's night stand as a courtesy. She began to take her shoes and jacket off quietly, and Neveah began to stir hearing Sami walk in. She glanced over to Brandon, then back to Neveah, and put a hand over her mouth.

"Did I wake you?" Sami whispered, being mindful of Brandon.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I still have a lot of work to do before class tomorrow." She told her.

"You work too hard. And that's coming from me." Sami told her as she sat on her bed across from the pair.

"As a freshman double-majoring and taking upperclassmen classes, I need all the help I can get. I'm just thankful for a friend like Riley who understands where I'm at right now." Sami nodded. Brandon was listening in while 'sleeping', but couldn't bear to keep the act up anymore. He started to 'wake up', and as Neveah noticed this she scooted closer to him and stroked his hair gently.

"Hi, sleepyhead. Looks like we both fell asleep." Neveah laughed. Brandon knew this wasn't true, but he didn't want to make Neveah feel bad. He looked over to Sami, who waved to him from her side of the room.

"Hi, Sami. How was your day?"

"It was all right. Nothing too exciting, just class and rehearsal. I was just able to catch Zakk as he came out of work, and now, here I am." Brandon sat up and stretched his arms, then Neveah settled her head onto his right shoulder.

"Sorry we fell asleep, baby. We'll have to do a rewatch." She said to him.

"Did you wanna come over to my dorm and sleep over?" Brandon asked. Her face went blank.

"I don't think I'll be doing much sleep tonight. I have to work on this project I have with Riley, our first draft is due tomorrow." She said.

"I guess that's my cue, then." He gave a light chuckle. He tried not to be offended, nor did he want to show her that he was disappointed in spending yet another night alone. With that, Brandon began to get up and go over to his jacket and shoes, and Neveah followed him as she put on her shoes.

"You're coming to the show on Friday, though, right?" She said behind him, referencing an open mic night for performance majors. She would be performing a few times, as well as Sami. He had actually forgotten all about it, but pretended like he didn't.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said, smiling at her. He looked over to Sami as the two began to walk out the door.

"See you, Sami."

"Bye Brandon!" The two walked out the door, Brandon's jacket in hand as he smiled towards her.

"You want me to walk you?" She said, the cold autumn breeze swirling her hair.

"No, it's cold. I can walk it alone."

"Okay." She gave him a warm embrace as he kissed the top of her head. He didn't seem to want to let go, and neither did she. In time, the pair began to pull apart, and gazed one into the other's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She sang. He gripped his hand in hers, then let go. Neveah watched him leave the hallway, then quickly closed the door as she went to stare into the abyss of her laptop screen.