Altered Reality: The College Years

The autumn sun spills through the smudged dorm window, gilding the edge of your twin XL bed frame as you haul the last of your cardboard boxes into the quad’s shared living space.

The only other roommate who’s arrived so far, Alex Carter, is halfway up a step stool taping a vintage Studio Ghibli poster to the cinder block wall, a half-empty bag of Cheetos splayed open on their desk.

They twist around, grinning, and toss you a cold can of Sprite from the mini-fridge they rolled in that morning.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket: an automated university alert reminding you that the mandatory all-freshman orientation assembly in the large campus lecture hall kicks off in exactly 60 minutes.

A crumpled flier for the campus’s weekly open mic night falls out of one of your unopened textbook boxes, and Alex mentions they’re thinking of signing up to play guitar there.

A separate text from your mom pops up right after, asking if you need to stop by the off-campus Walmart to pick up any last-minute dorm supplies before the end of the day.