"Admitting it does no good. Fame just paints a target on your back," Claire said, finishing her breakfast slider.
The taste was surprisingly good, packed with a savory sausage filling.
She offered one to Lex. "Try this. It's actually pretty decent."
Lex didn't refuse.
Nanette used to share food with her, and she would always find a way to return the favor.
Lex decided she would grab a coffee for Claire later to make up for it.
Claire had no idea what her roommate was thinking, but if it made Lex feel more at ease, she wasn't going to stop her.
"How is it?" Claire looked at Lex expectantly.
Honestly, having someone to eat with was a wonderful thing.
Back when she lived with the James family, they rarely sat down for a meal together.
Even when they did, the food was never anything Claire liked, and the dinner table conversations always left her feeling suffocated.
It wasn't like now-relaxed and completely free.
Sharing good food with like-minded people felt amazing.
"It's delicious."
Lex genuinely meant it.
She never got to eat food like this back home.
Even if they bought something nice, her brother, Julian Grant, would always devour
it.
"Have another one, then. I can't finish all of these."
Claire handed another slider over.
Lex hesitated. "Thank you, but you should have just bought less."
"Didn't they say it's cheaper to buy the whole combo?" Claire polished off her last slider and finished her bowl of oatmeal.
"These combos are always priced better when you buy them as a set."
But didn't buying more still mean spending more money?
Lex couldn't quite follow Claire's logic. All she knew was that Claire was likely just being kind, wanting her to eat a little more.
She felt deeply grateful.
After finishing their breakfast, the two walked briskly to the track field to assemble.
As soon as they arrived, they spotted Zara Zeller and Skylar Sommers sprinting toward them.
"Skye."
Claire handed Skylar the extra breakfast and passed Zara an iced coffee picked this up on the way If you don't want it now, you can drink it during the break."
Zara wasn't a fan of eating so early in the morning, but she wasn't about to reject Claire's gesture. "Thanks, Claire!"
Since the four of them were in different majors, they split up to find their respective squads.
Only Skylar and Claire ended up relatively close to each other.
"Claire, want to grab lunch together later?"
"Sure. If your group is dismissed first, come find me."
"Will do. If I get off early, I'll come right over," Claire promised.
Right now, the university was holding a mobilization assembly for the freshman boot camp.
The administration gave their speeches first, followed by the academic advisors for each class.
The university officials were notoriously long-winded, but the advisors kept their focus sharp, emphasizing strict discipline and safety.
Today was all about preparation, including distributing the training uniforms in the afternoon and packing dorm essentials like bedsheets, duvet covers, and
pillows.
All the gear was standardized and issued by the university, the cost already covered by their housing fees.
It was designed to make dorm inspections and management easier during Camp Blackwood.
Although their advisor wasn't the rambling type, the students had a mountain of questions, dragging the session out until half-past ten.
Claire's side finished a bit faster than Skylar's.
Skylar's class had a higher ratio of girls, which naturally led to more questions being asked.
Claire waited for her for about ten minutes before they were finally dismissed.
"Did you guys see that video from
outside
།
do I feel like Skylar's Why
looks exactly like the girl who saved that woman?"
"What are you thinking? There's no way a freshman could pull off a rescue like that.
It has to be an upperclassman."
"True. Her technique was incredibly smooth."
Someone stopped Skylar to ask her about it, and Skylar instinctively glanced over at Claire.
Claire smoothly repeated the same excuse she had used that morning, and her classmates brushed it off without a second thought.