The library doors swung open and Alex stepped into the bright, clinical glare of the lobby, the air humming with the collective friction of a hundred frantic minds.
The atmosphere there was the polar opposite of Room 204. It was stiflingly crowded, the scent of bitter coffee and collective anxiety thick enough to taste.
With the final exams looming and the recent, violent shift in the academic rankings, the "legacy" students were in a state of absolute, late-night panic.
Every table was occupied by students buried in high stacks of reference books, their faces washed out and pale under the harsh fluorescent lights. The constant hum of whispering voices sounded like a swarm of insects, restless and desperate.
Alex scanned the sea of stressed faces, finally spotting Mike's broad, immovable shoulders at a table in the distance. Beside him, Sarah was leaned over, tapping a pen aggressively on a textbook as she directed Danny's focus.
