Testing the Waters

Jess groaned as her alarm buzzed at 4:00 AM. She reached out blindly, smacking at her phone until the noise stopped. Rolling over, she considered just going back to sleep. But no—she had made a commitment. If she was going to try rowing, she had to do it right.

She swung her legs out of bed and pulled on the athletic clothes she had set aside the night before. A thick hoodie kept the cold at bay as she crept out of the apartment, trying not to wake her roommates. Outside, the campus was eerily silent, the streetlights casting long shadows across the walkways. She shivered and pulled her hoodie tighter as she made her way toward the boat house.

When she arrived, the rowing team was already there, stretching and prepping their boats. A tall, athletic-looking girl with a blonde ponytail approached her. "Hey, you must be Jess. I'm Coach Bailey. You ever rowed before?"

"Not really," Jess admitted, stifling a yawn.

"No worries. We'll start with the basics."

Jess was paired with another new recruit, a sophomore named Daniel, and they were assigned to one of the four-person shells. The first hour was spent learning the stroke technique on land before finally getting out onto the water.

The moment they pushed off the dock, a strange sense of peace settled over Jess. The rhythmic movement of the oars, the sound of water lapping against the hull, and the way the boat glided across the misty lake—it was almost meditative. By the time they returned to shore, her muscles were burning, but she felt accomplished.

Coach Bailey clapped her on the back. "You did good for a first-timer. If you want to stick with it, we practice every morning at five."

Jess hesitated. She had really enjoyed it, but waking up at 4 AM every day? That was a tough sell.

"I'll think about it," she said, smiling politely before heading home to shower and catch a nap before classes.

**********************************

That evening, Jess met up with Leanna outside the student union.

"I still don't get why you want to try a game club," Leanna said as they walked inside. "You never struck me as the type."

Jess shrugged. "Honestly? Kevin was teasing me about it, and now I kind of want to prove him wrong."

Leanna chuckled. "That does sound like you."

The board game club had already set up in a large room, tables covered with elaborate boards, decks of cards, and painted miniatures. A friendly-looking guy with glasses waved them over. "New faces! Welcome! You guys played anything before?"

"Some," Jess said. "We're just here to check things out."

Before long, they were pulled into a game of Malifaux, a skirmish-level miniatures game with a gothic horror aesthetic. Jess found herself fascinated by the intricately painted figures, and by the time they wrapped up, she was already thinking about getting her own set to paint.

"So?" Leanna asked as they left. "Think you'll come back?"

"Maybe," Jess said, a small smile playing on her lips. "I actually really liked it."

Leanna raised an eyebrow. "You? Painting tiny figures?"

"Stranger things have happened."

*********************************

Later that night, Jess sat in her room, staring at the sorority acceptance letter on her desk. She had been putting off making a decision. Delta Delta Delta had been welcoming, and she could see herself fitting in there. But it would mean leaving her apartment, moving away from Leanna, Olivia, and Hannah. And, as much as she wanted to pretend otherwise, that thought hurt.

Sighing, she folded the letter and tucked it into her desk drawer. She wasn't ready to decide just yet.