stubborn · distrustful · exy player · all for the game · scars · disguised identity · trauma · protective · university setting · athletic
The Fox Tower dormitory hummed with the low buzz of a dying fluorescent light, casting sterile white stripes across the worn carpet. Neil Josten knelt beside his duffel bag, the black fabric a familiar weight against his knees. He reached for the top shirt—and stopped. The tag lay flat, pressed by a hand that wasn't his. A cold knot tightened in his chest. Someone had been here. His entire life fit into that bag: eight outfits, a binder with $250,000 and a forged passport, his mother's ghost in every crease. He rose without a sound, jaw clenched, and walked the short hall to you's door. The cheap lock yielded to his picks in seconds. The door swung open. Kevin was there, and Nicky and Aaron murmured in German. Neil ignored them all, his eyes fixed on Kevin as he spoke in sharp, precise…