Page 4 of Anything (Mayberry University #1)

CHAPTER THREE

“Kit, get your juicy butt in here,” Sophie says. “Mia’s turn.”

While my floormates were brainstorming a nickname for me, I’ve been sitting against a pine, catching up with my family text chain. What a bunch of nuts. Two empty benches nearby, but the smell of this tree is almost like home.

I brush pine needles from my shorts. “Coming!”

Mia gives a dramatic bow and takes my place outside as I squish onto one of the waiting room-style love seats in Griffin Hall’s first floor lobby.

“Okay. Floor name for Mia.” Zoe’s still all business. “Suite D, talk to me.”

Tradition!—cue Tevye’s song from Fiddler on the Roof .

I’m getting used to it all, drinking the Kool-Aid.

The night of brainstorming floor names for new G1-ers is clearly a whole thing.

The G1 upperclassmen rock their faded floor shirts as they chatter on the other sofas.

Some of them contribute to the task at hand and many distract from it.

We’ve gone full cult with the hubbub and matching outfits—even we newbies were instructed to wear black—but the giddy atmosphere is contagious.

“Merida,” Sophie says. “Mrs. Weasley. Beyoncé. Ooh, on horseback. In the music video for ‘Run the World.’”

“Love that, but there’s already a ‘Beyoncé’ on campus. Mrs. Weasley? Merida?”

Casual disagreements bubble up around the room.

“Other thoughts.” Zoe raises her voice over the chatter.

“She gets those care packages from her abuela, “ Rosemary offers, barely loud enough.

“Good, good.” Zoe stands in the middle of the room and stares me down. “Kit?”

We analyzed every detail for the other girls’ names, but with Mia being the last, everyone’s losing focus, eager to get to the Flooders’ first intramural football game.

They’re the third floor of Albert Hall, renamed from A3 to “Flooders” after a failed prank years ago.

The G1-ers say they’re our “brother floor”—whatever that means.

Zoe doesn’t wait. “You have a thought, Kit. Suggest a name.”

The room quiets, and my skin heats at the attention.

“If not Mrs. Weasley, we need another character who’s nurturing and sassy,” I say. “Someone strong.”

“Luisa Madrigal,” Ayumi murmurs next to me.

I repeat it louder, pointing to give her credit. “Luisa from Encanto is perfect.”

“Oh, totally,” Sophie says.

The room hums in approval.

“ Luisa for Mia. Any objections?“ Zoe shouts.

None.

“All in favor?”

All the hands go up, and the meeting is adjourned.

I nod to myself. Mia will love her floor name, and it suits her perfectly.

We chose Luna from Harry Potter for Ayumi.

Now that someone suggested the similarity, I can’t unsee it.

Not her appearance, of course, but her vibe.

As for Sophie, we finally settled on Stevie Nicks.

She was first, and we had everyone’s participation.

After tossing around countless singers, we decided Stevie’s free spirit and whimsy fit Sophie best.

“Ki-it,” Sophie calls from outside with exasperation.

Oh, everyone’s left the lobby.

“A beauty but a funny girl, that Belle,” she whisper-sings to Ayumi and Mia.

Mia sends her a look. Spilling a floor name before a newcomer reads it on the back of her first floor shirt is strictly against tradition.

Belle … I do love reading and Beauty & the Beast —and nearly all Disney princess movies. Plus, I have brown hair. I shrug. Works for me.

The relentless summer sun clings to the horizon, and our giggling pack navigates past the gym to the athletic fields where we watch the game in the grass.

The girls gab about classes and gush about boys and giggle about which Flooders earn “cool points” for their performance on the field.

Mia dances, like always. Sophie announces the game in a ridiculous voice between conversations.

Ayumi lends her peaceful presence. All of us G1-ers cheer for the Flooders and revel in the time far from our homework, despite the oppressive heat.

The scent of mud and leaves drifts to us from the pond nearby.

No wonder the mosquitoes are eating us alive.

I’ll remember to bug-spray up next time.

The distraction of mosquitoes isn’t enough, however, to keep me from oh-so-guiltily staring at Levi. As both a wide receiver and cornerback, his strong legs in running shorts carry him rapidly down the field almost every play. I’m winning a one-sided staring contest over here.

“She’s living her best life,” Sophie sings. “Wakes up before sunrise.” It’s almost the Ben Rector song. “Levi’s more dreamy than Kit thought he could be.”

I whip my head around, so busted. Sophie laughs proudly .

Thank you for this, for these girls. You know what’s good for me. You know what I need.

I know the plans I have for you.

The Flooders win their game and, Sophie insists we make a Little League–style tunnel for the guys. Of course they love it. Female attention is catnip for the male ego.

We all head back to the north side of campus where our dorms sit—the guys to Albert Hall, across a field from our Griffin Hall—and I catch Levi watching me on the other side of the group.

No. I know better than to want attention from a guy like that again.

As if to remind me, my memories send a shudder racing down my spine.