new beginning,same struggle

Kelvin followed Viola, struggling to keep up with her brisk pace as she practically strutted down the corridors of the university. His heavy suitcase thumped against his legs with each step, and despite his best efforts, he felt out of place. The university seemed like another world, and he was just a misplaced character in it.

"Are you always this slow?" Viola called back, barely looking over her shoulder as she kept marching ahead.

Kelvin gritted his teeth, trying to catch up. "It would be easier if you helped out!" He puffed, his arms aching under the weight of the suitcase, the zipper threatening to burst open at any moment.

Viola's gaze shot over her shoulder. "Do I look like your mother?" She shot him a filthy look as though his request was an insult. "Carry your own burdens, newbie."

Kelvin let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't as if he didn't want to. But his suitcase felt like it had grown heavier with every corner they turned. And with each sharp, purposeful step she took, he wondered if she was walking faster just to leave him behind.

He huffed and puffed, pulling at the suitcase as if it were the last vestige of his dignity, desperately trying to keep up with Viola. She weaved through the maze-like corridors, making sharp turns that left him trailing behind. It was as if she had a secret map of the campus that he didn't have.

The place was alive with activity. Students hurried in and out of lecturer halls, some with books in hand, others with laptops, chatting away as if they had known each other for years. The buzzing of voices created a constant hum, and the sound of footsteps echoed off the walls. Kelvin couldn't help but feel completely out of place. People brushed past him with ease, laughing, joking, exchanging greetings like old friends.

He tried to keep his head down, trying to be invisible, but Viola's hurried pace only drew more attention to him. From time to time, she would glance back and mutter something about how slow he was.

"Could you move faster? Or do you plan to stand there all day?" she snapped, clearly impatient. Kelvin had never realized how much someone could make walking feel like a race.

"I'm trying," he muttered, though his legs were starting to feel like jelly. The maze of corridors, each more confusing than the last, was beginning to feel like an endurance test. If only he could find a shortcut to get out of this madness.

But no, Viola kept her relentless pace, seemingly determined to leave him in the dust. He couldn't tell if she was purposely walking fast or if she simply wanted him to get lost.

At one point, they passed a group of students near a bulletin board. They were laughing and chatting, oblivious to the fact that Kelvin was struggling to keep up. One of the students, a tall guy with a set of sunglasses perched on his head, glanced at Viola and then noticed Kelvin trailing behind her.

"Yo, Viola!" he called out in a playful tone. "You got yourself a new catch?"

Viola didn't even break stride, but she shot him a dismissive look, the kind that said she had no time for nonsense. "Don't be stupid," she muttered without slowing down.

Kelvin felt a heat rise in his face, but before he could respond, Viola was already at the next corner, moving with the grace of someone who knew exactly where she was going. He felt as though he had just been left to stumble on his own in a place where he didn't belong.

They finally reached a fork in the hallway,one path leading to the men's hostel and another toward the lady's. Viola stopped abruptly and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her bag. She handed it to him without looking at him directly, not even bothering to say anything else.

"Here," she said, her voice colder than before. "Your room number, the key, and your roommate's details."

Kelvin blinked, surprised by how quickly she had shut him out. He looked at the paper in his hands.

---

Room Number: 205

Roommate: Paul Kimani

---

Kelvin could barely take in the details before he heard Viola's voice again, a sharp edge to it.

"That's it. I don't have time for this. Just don't embarrass me, okay?" she said, her tone harsher than he expected. "I won't have my reputation ruined because of you."

Kelvin's heart sank. He hadn't even realized that his mere presence was enough to cause her so much shame.

"Wait, I'm sorry, okay?" He called after her, his voice tinged with frustration. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. The suitcase, the awkwardness—it's just all been a bit much for me. I'm trying here."

Viola didn't look back. She kept walking, and Kelvin felt the sting of her words burn deeper than he expected.

"Sorry doesn't fix anything," she called over her shoulder. "I don't need someone like you around me. Just… forget you know me, okay? If people see us together, it'll ruin my reputation. And I can't have that."

Kelvin stood there, stunned, staring at her retreating figure. He wanted to shout after her, to tell her that he wasn't some random nobody, but the words stuck in his throat.

His heart pounded, and the weight of everything seemed to crush him.

He wasn't sure what hurt more,the fact that she had shut him out so decisively or the realization that, for all his trying, he would always be the outsider here.

As he looked at the paper again, the words started to blur, his thoughts consumed by what had just happened . The echo of Viola's words kept playing in his mind. "Forget you know me."

Kelvin walked along the narrow path toward Mamba Hostel, his heavy bags dragging behind him. The afternoon sun beat down, and the sounds of campus life filled the air,students chatting, laughing, and hustling around. Some students were busy hanging clothes on the laundry lines that stretched across the hostels, their voices rising and falling as they exchanged gossip. The bright colors of clothes fluttered in the breeze, a stark contrast to the concrete grey of the buildings.

Kelvin wiped the sweat off his forehead, struggling with the weight of his bags. He could already feel the sting of exhaustion setting in. As he neared the entrance to Mamba Hostel, the iron door creaked open with a loud groan, and out burst a boy and a girl, looking like they were in the middle of a heated conversation.

The guy was dressed head to toe in black leather jacket, chains hanging from his waist, and boots that looked like they could stomp a hole in the ground. He had that classic biker-gang vibe, his posture cocky and confident. But the girl beside him was the complete opposite,she wore a soft white sundress, her hair ran in waves down her back. She looked lost in this noisy, chaotic world, like she didn't quite belong here.

Kelvin stepped aside to let them pass, but as the guy brushed past him, he threw Kelvin a sideways glance.

"Fresh meat, huh?" the guy, Jim, said with a grin that was half mocking, half amused.

Before Kelvin could even think of a response, a voice rang out from above, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oi, Jim! You better come or you will miss the game!" The voice came from a third-year student leaning over the balcony on the third floor, looking down at the couple. Jim turned and shot the guy a lazy wave.

"Hold on, Brian," Jim yelled.Brian then turned to the girl. "Lily! You forgot something!" he shouted, barely holding back his laughter.

In a bizarre twist, Brian tossed a pair of bright red panties down toward Lily. The underwear sailed through the air like a warped piece of fabric thrown in jest and, with impeccable timing, landed right on Kelvin's face.

Kelvin froze, the soft fabric draping over his face like an uncomfortable slap. He didn't know how to react, but the girl suddenly went red with embarrassment. She rushed forward, snatching the panties off Kelvin's face with such urgency that it almost felt like she was trying to rip his skin off in the process.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" she stammered, her face red,flicking nervously to the laughing onlookers.

Kelvin stood there, dumbfounded. Was this real? Did this actually just happen? His mind was racing with confusion. Was this some sort of twisted initiation ritual? He hadn't even been here for a day land already, he felt like an outsider.

But the awkwardness didn't stop there. Jim, still grinning, couldn't resist, his laugh echoing through the air. "What's wrong, man? Never seen panties before?" he taunted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Kelvin, still red in the face, muttered to himself, "This place is insane."

Jim smirked. "What, are you gonna just stand there staring like an idiot? Get a move on!" he snapped, before turning back to Lily, laughing as they walked away.

Kelvin shook his head, trying to shake off the embarrassment. The whole situation felt like something out of a bad dream. But as he stepped into Mamba Hostel, it didn't get any better.

Inside, the atmosphere was alive with energy. Students sat around on the floor, chatting loudly, laughing, and playing music. Some had headphones on, lost in their own worlds, while others milled about in groups, talking in rapid-fire bursts of conversation. The open space was chaotic,doors lined the walls, and students dashed back and forth, calling out to each other, exchanging jokes and stories.

Kelvin's eyes darted around, trying to take it all in. There was so much happening at once, and it felt like he was the only one standing still.

He climbed the stairs, struggling with his bags. The weight of them was unbearable now, each step feeling heavier than the last. He glanced up at the second floor, where he spotted his room number—205.

"Almost there…" he muttered, his breath short from exertion.

The climb up the stairs felt like a marathon. Each step was a battle. He passed doors marked with bold, bright numbers, the sounds of life spilling from each room. Laughter, shouting, music,each room seemed to have its own soundtrack. One door even had a couple of students sitting on the stairs, passing a bottle of beer between them, joking around.

One guy, a muscular student with a sleeveless shirt, caught his eye as he passed. The guy shot him a quick glance before exhaling smoke from a cigarette, his eyes narrowing slightly as Kelvin walked by.

Kelvin, already feeling self-conscious, kept his head down, trying not to make eye contact. He finally reached Room 205, his muscles aching. He knocked on the door twice but received no answer. He knocked again, harder this time. Still nothing.

With a sigh of frustration, he fumbled for the key in his pocket, his fingers clumsy and sweaty. After a moment of struggling, the key clicked, and the door creaked open.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was hit by an overwhelming stench,a mixture of stale alcohol, cigarettes, and something else that he couldn't quite place. His nose wrinkled, and he instinctively covered his mouth with his sleeve.

The room was a disaster. Clothes were scattered across the floor, bottles and cans of beer were tossed carelessly around the space, and the smell of weed hung heavy in the air. The sight was enough to make Kelvin's stomach turn.

Used condoms lay discarded on the floor like forgotten trash, and the smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the air, suffocating the space.

He could hardly believe his eyes. This was the place he'd be calling home for the next few months? It was nothing like what he had expected. It was a mess, and it felt like a war zone.

There were two beds in the room. One was a complete wreck,pillows tossed on the floor, blankets thrown in all directions. It looked like Paul had been living there in a state of constant chaos. The other bed, the one closest to the window, looked untouched. Dust covered the mattress, and it seemed like no one had slept there in a while.

Kelvin winced, eyeing the mess. He picked up a used condom that was hanging awkwardly on the edge of the bed and tossed it aside, trying to ignore the growing pit in his stomach. He moved to the other bed and sat down. The dust on the mattress settled into the air around him as he flopped back, exhausted.

"This… this is my life now," he muttered to himself, staring up at the ceiling.

The sound of music and laughter from the hallway faded as he closed his eyes, trying to block out the chaos around him. This wasn't what he had imagined college would be like. He'd hoped for a fresh start, but it felt like he was diving into a mess he wasn't prepared for.

With a deep sigh, he let himself fall back against the dusty bed. "Well… here goes nothing," he said, his voice barely a whisper. The weight of everything,his hopes, his struggles,pressed down on him, but in this moment, there was nothing he could do but lie there and try to catch his breath.

As he lay there, a faint beat began to form in his head. He tapped his fingers against the mattress, rhythm building like a quiet storm. He tried to ignore it, but the words just came. Slowly at first, then faster.

"Yeah, life's a game, don't know how to play…" he muttered under his breath, fumbling the lines, trying to get them right. 

His thoughts scrambled like a mess of disconnected beats, but he kept at it. He sat up suddenly, the pen grabbing his attention. His eyes landed on the notebook hanging on the half open suitcase.

"Lost in this maze, don't know how to fight," he scribbled quickly, barely able to keep up with the rush of thoughts.

"But I'm here, I'm alive, gotta make it right," he added, the words now flowing smoother. With every line, the beat inside his head grew stronger, and before he knew it, he was lost in the rhythm.