Stella’s POV
"Stella, can you grab me some hangers from the next room? I can’t find any around here," Gwen called out, not even looking up as she continued folding her clothes. "They’re usually stashed in that room where people dump them after using."
I nodded, quickly putting down the last piece of laundry I was folding. “Sure thing.”
I walked into the next room, my arms already aching from carrying a pile of hangers. It was a storage room of sorts, where students dumped the hangers after using them, but the state of it was… beyond tragic. I groaned as I shuffled through the pile, trying to find ones that weren’t bent or covered in weird gunk.
“Seriously, what is that?” I muttered to myself, holding up a hanger that had some kind of sticky substance on it. It looked like someone tried to melt cheese on it or something. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, throwing it back in the pile.
“Is this how people live around here? Are they trying to kill us with the smell?” I continued grumbling to myself, grabbing another hanger and inspecting it. “Oh, great. More mystery gunk. Fantastic. Just what I needed.”
My patience was wearing thin, and I could feel my frustration bubbling up. “Who even leaves this kind of stuff? Like, do they think we’re gonna use it? I swear, this place could be a crime scene—”
“Trying to steal my stuff, I see.”
I jumped, nearly dropping the hangers as I whipped around. Standing there, leaning casually against the doorframe, was Liam. That stupid smirk on his face.
"Your stuff?" I raised an eyebrow, already feeling annoyed. "Please, I don’t see your name written on these hangers. Not unless your name is… melted cheese."
Liam chuckled, clearly enjoying my irritation. “Just teasing, Stella. You look like you’re having the time of your life in here.”
I rolled my eyes, tossing another hanger into my pile. “Yeah, if by ‘time of my life’ you mean trying not to die from the smell in here, then sure.”
He stepped closer, looking down at the hangers in my arms. “You know, not everyone’s cut out for hanger duty.”
“Oh, and I suppose you’re a hanger expert?” I shot back, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “Please, enlighten me with your vast knowledge of laundry room etiquette.”
Liam grinned, leaning against the nearest table. “Nah, I leave that to the pros. Like you.”
I snorted, shaking my head as I tried to gather the last of the usable hangers. “Yeah, well, it’s not exactly a dream job. Gwen sent me in here. If it were up to me, I’d be far away from this hanger graveyard.”
“Gwen, huh?” Liam mused. “That explains it.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Explains what?”
“Why you’re still here. You always help out your friends, right?”
I paused for a second, a little thrown off by his comment. It wasn’t like Liam to say something so… sincere. I blinked, trying to shake off the weird feeling in my chest. “Well, yeah. I mean, friends help each other out. That’s kind of the whole point.”
Liam shrugged, still smirking. “Good to know.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why are you even here? Do you just wander around bothering people for fun?”
He chuckled again, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Maybe. But actually, I was gonna ask you something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What could you possibly want from me?”
Liam pushed off the table, standing a little closer now. “Me and the guys from the band are rehearsing later. Thought you might want to come by and watch.”
I blinked, taken aback. “Wait… what?”
“You heard me. We’re practicing in the music room. You should stop by. You know, if you’re not too busy… handling cheese-covered hangers.”
I stared at him, completely confused. Of all the people he could invite, why was he asking me? Harper would be the obvious choice—she liked him, didn’t she? And she was into music. It made way more sense for him to ask her.
“Why me?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Liam seemed unphased, his smirk never faltering. “Why not?”
I blinked again, completely lost. “Uh… maybe because Harper is way more into this kind of thing?”
Liam shrugged, like it was no big deal. “Harper’s got other stuff going on. Besides, you’re fun. And you don’t have to play anything, just come watch. No pressure.”
Fun? Me? I stared at him, still not sure if this was some kind of joke. “I… uh…”
Before I could even form a proper response, Liam pulled out his student ID and handed it to me. “Here. You’ll need this to get in. Just swing by whenever you’re done… with your hanger heist.”
I blinked down at the ID, completely thrown off by this whole situation. “Liam, I’m not stealing anything. And I didn’t even say yes yet!”
He laughed, taking a step back towards the door. “You didn’t say no, either.”
I could feel my face heating up, and I quickly crossed my arms in a weak attempt to hide how flustered I was. “I’ll think about it.”
Liam’s grin widened. “That’s all I need to hear. Don’t be late, or I’ll be heartbroken.” He placed a hand over his chest, pretending to look pained. “You wouldn’t want to break my fragile heart, would you?”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped. “Oh, please. I’m sure your heart will survive.”
“We’ll see,” he said, giving me a wink before turning to leave. “Later, Stella.”
With that, he was gone, leaving me standing there with a bunch of hangers and way too many questions running through my mind.
I let out a slow breath, trying to calm the strange fluttering feeling in my chest. What just happened? Why was Liam acting so… nice? And why did it feel like he was always messing with my head?
Shaking my head, I quickly gathered my thoughts and the hangers, then made my way back to Gwen. I handed her the hangers, trying to act like nothing had just happened.
"That took a while," Gwen teased, looking up from her clothes. "Did the hangers attack you or something?"
I forced a smile, still thinking about Liam’s invitation. “Yeah, something like that.”
I sat down, trying to focus on the task at hand, but my mind kept wandering back to the music room. Should I go? Would Harper be mad? And what did Liam mean by calling me “fun”? The questions swirled around in my head, and no matter how much I tried to ignore them, they kept coming back.
With a sigh, I folded another shirt and tried to push all those thoughts aside.
---
I had just stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still damp and smelling like lavender soap. The dorm was eerily quiet, and I could feel it immediately. Mia and Harper were busy prepping for the big event next week, leaving me completely alone. Normally, I liked the peace and quiet, but this? This was too much.
I sat down at my desk, towel still draped around my shoulders, and stared at the mess in front of me. Papers, notebooks, a half-finished snack… and then there it was. Liam’s ID, sitting right there, taunting me. I had almost forgotten about it, but now that I was alone, it was practically calling my name.
“Well, what else am I gonna do?” I muttered to myself, picking up the ID. The room was too quiet. Too empty. Too… weird.
I got up, slipped the ID into my pocket, and threw on a hoodie. There was no way I was spending the rest of the night in this ghost town of a room. I grabbed my phone, locked the door behind me, and headed out.
The art music room was in another part of the campus. It wasn’t too far, but it gave me plenty of time to think, which was both a good and bad thing. I started walking, my mind spinning with everything that had happened since I got here. 
First, there was Liam. Always popping up out of nowhere, teasing me every chance he got. And then there was Zeus, suddenly into music and Gwen with her cryptic advice that always left my head spinning. What was I supposed to make of any of this? I wasn’t exactly an expert at figuring out people, and the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got.
Why was Liam bothering me so much? Why did Gwen’s words stick with me? And why, out of all the people in this massive university, was ‘I’ the one constantly getting tangled up with these guys?
I sighed, shaking my head as I made my way across campus. I didn’t have any answers, just more questions. 
Finally, I reached the door to the art music room. I swiped Liam’s ID, hearing the beep of the lock, and stepped inside.
Liam was there, standing with his friends, messing with some equipment. There were four of them in total—two I’d seen before, but one was new. Liam stood out, as usual, dressed in a white sando and those ridiculous jort shorts. I don’t know why, but my eyes immediately went to his arms. His biceps were more defined than I’d realized, and the way he stood, tall and confident, it wasn’t hard to see why girls were all over him.
“Okay, get it together, Stella.” I told myself, feeling a little ridiculous for even noticing.
One of the guys noticed me first, waving like we were best friends or something. I gave a small wave back, wondering if they were always this casual with random students showing up. 
Liam looked over then, his expression shifting from focused to… something else. His smirk was back, but it was softer this time, almost like he was happy to see me.
“Well, well,” Liam said, walking over to me with that usual swagger. “Glad you could make it. We were just about to start rehearsing.”
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, well, didn’t really have much else going on. The dorm’s a ghost town.”
Liam grinned, his eyes flickering over me for a second before he added, “You look pretty tonight.”
I rolled my eyes, trying not to let the compliment get to me. “Seriously? I literally just came from the shower.”
“Still counts,” he said with a wink, making me groan inwardly. He was impossible.
“Come on,” Liam said, nodding towards the other guys. “Let me introduce you to the band.”
I followed him over, trying to keep my cool as he started pointing them out one by one. “This is Janserd Javate, lead guitarist.” Janserd, a tall guy with dark hair and a friendly smile, gave me a little wave.
“Warren Torres, our drummer,” Liam continued, and Warren, who looked like he lived and breathed the ‘bad boy drummer’ stereotype, flashed me a grin.
“And Rencio Atienza, one of our guitarists.”
Rencio, the one I hadn’t seen before, gave me a nod. He was quieter, more laid-back, but he had this calm energy about him that made me think he was probably the glue that kept them all together.
“Nice to meet you guys,” I said, feeling a little out of place but grateful that they all seemed welcoming.
Janserd laughed, nudging Warren. “Man, Liam never brings anyone to our rehearsals. You must be special.”
I shot a look at Liam, who just shrugged, pretending to look innocent. “What can I say? Stella’s got that charm.”
I rolled my eyes again, but I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. “Yeah, right.”
“Come on, sit with us,” Liam said, pulling up a chair for me. “We’re just getting started.”
I sat down, feeling a little weird being the only girl in the room, but the guys were surprisingly easygoing. They joked around, teased each other, and it wasn’t long before I found myself laughing along with them.
As they started tuning their instruments, Liam leaned over to me. “You ever been to one of these before?”
“A band rehearsal?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Nope. First time.”
“Well, prepare to be amazed,” Liam said, giving me that cocky grin again.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I’m sure.”
The boys started playing, and I had to admit, they were pretty good. Liam was completely in his element, focused but relaxed, like this was where he belonged. And the others? They kept up with him perfectly, each of them adding their own unique sound to the mix.
For the first time since I’d stepped into this place, I felt like I could actually relax. The music filled the room, and for a while, I forgot about everything that had been bothering me.
Liam caught my eye once during a break, winking at me like we were sharing some kind of secret. I rolled my eyes again, but this time, I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face.
I leaned back in the chair, my eyes glued to the stage as the boys continued to play. Liam was up there with his friends, singing, beating the drums, strumming their guitars, completely lost in the music. Their sound filled the room, powerful yet somehow so effortless. 
As I looked around, I noticed a few trophies on the shelves nearby, some of them quite big, gleaming in the dim light. They must’ve been for all the achievements these guys had earned. There were also posters and pictures of them performing at various events, standing in front of massive crowds, arms around each other, smiling and holding up their guitars like rock stars. And there were fans—plenty of fans—posing with them, cheering for them.
I felt a small smile creep onto my face. They were impressive. No wonder Liam acted so confident all the time.
Eventually, Liam called for a break. “Alright, guys, let’s take five!” he said, stepping down from the stage and walking towards me, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. His shirt was sticking to his skin, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, but he still had that smile plastered on his face.
“How was it?” he asked as he got closer, grinning like he already knew the answer.
I didn’t answer right away, still taking in how tired and sweaty he looked. “You look like you just ran a marathon,” I said, giggling a little. “You should probably get some rest, grab a towel or something. You’re soaked.”
Liam let out a laugh, reaching up to ruffle his already messy hair. “Yeah, well, the sweat’s part of the charm, right?”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help laughing with him. Time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I glanced at my phone and saw that it was already midnight.
“Wait, it’s midnight?” I mumbled, sitting up a little straighter. “I should probably head back to my dorm. I don’t need eye bags flexing on my face tomorrow.”
That last part slipped out before I could stop myself, and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.
But instead of mocking me, the boys burst into laughter, Warren even clutching his side. “Eye bags flexing—heck, you’re a comedian!” Janserd managed to say between laughs.
“I try,” I said with a grin, standing up and stretching. 
“Alright, let’s call it a night,” Liam said, turning back to the other guys. “But not without a little midnight snack first.”
A few minutes later, we were all gathered around a small table in the corner of the room, pizza boxes and soda cans scattered around. We shared stories, cracked jokes, and teased each other like we’d all been friends forever. The boys were way more laid-back than I expected, and I found myself laughing at their ridiculous stories about high school, embarrassing moments, and their plans for the next big event.
Liam, of course, couldn’t resist poking fun at me. “So, you’ve got a secret comedy career we don’t know about, huh? Eye bags and all?”
I threw a balled-up napkin at him, which he dodged effortlessly. “Please. I’m just naturally funny. You’re the one trying too hard.”
He smirked but didn’t deny it. We all laughed, and for a brief moment, I forgot about all the confusion swirling in my head. It felt good to just be here, enjoying the moment with them.
After our impromptu snack break, it was finally time to head out. Liam walked me to the door, and as I grabbed my bag, he spoke up. “I’ll walk you back to your dorm,” he said, his tone more serious now. “It’s late, and I’m not letting you walk back alone.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the look on his face told me it wasn’t up for discussion. “Alright, fine. But don’t think I need your protection or anything,” I teased, nudging him with my elbow.
Liam chuckled as we started down the hallway. “Yeah, I know you could probably handle yourself. But it’s the gentleman thing to do.”
We walked side by side, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the empty hallway walls. The campus was quiet, with only the distant hum of crickets outside breaking the silence. The air was cool, and the sky above was dark, dotted with a few scattered stars.
Liam suddenly lifted his head, letting out a soft breath as he looked up at the sky. “You ever just look at the stars?” he asked, his voice quiet, thoughtful.
I glanced up, following his gaze. The stars twinkled faintly against the dark canvas of the night. “Yeah, sometimes,” I replied, unsure where he was going with this.
“They remind me of people,” he said after a moment, his voice taking on a deeper, more serious tone. “Each one has its own story, its own place in the sky. Some burn bright, some are barely noticeable, but they’re all there, even when you don’t always see them.”
I turned to look at him, surprised by how… mature he sounded. This wasn’t the usual cocky, teasing Liam. This was different—softer, more introspective.
“People are like that too, you know?” he continued, still staring at the sky. “Everyone’s got something going on, some kind of light inside them. Sometimes it shines bright, and sometimes it’s hidden, but it’s always there. And when you get close enough, when you really pay attention, you can see just how beautiful it is.”
I felt a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. His words were surprisingly deep, and for a moment, I saw Liam in a completely different light. He wasn’t just the guy who teased me all the time or played in a band with his friends. There was more to him—more than I’d given him credit for.
“That’s… really beautiful, Liam,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
He finally turned to look at me, his expression unreadable for a second before a small smile crept onto his face. “Thanks,” he said, his tone back to its usual playful self. “Guess I’m full of surprises, huh?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Yeah, you could say that.”
We kept walking, the mood lighter now, but something about that moment stuck with me. There was more to Liam than met the eye, and I couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises he had up his sleeve.
When we finally reached my dorm, Liam stopped, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Alright, princess, you’re home safe. No thanks necessary,” he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes, smiling. “Thanks, Liam. Really.”
He grinned, stepping back. “Get some sleep, okay? Don’t want those eye bags flexing on us tomorrow.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Goodnight, Liam.”
“Goodnight, Stella,” he said, his voice soft as he turned and started walking away, leaving me standing there, still thinking about the stars.
Maybe they wasn’t so bad after all.