Howard wrote down so many stories of the customers. Didn't get much reading done. A dozen times he read the same two pages. Sometimes he'd make it to the third page only to realize he didn't actually know what was happening.

The stories of customers took his focus. He couldn't read. The only reason he had been trying to read at all was so that the customers wouldn't feel awkward being spied on so overtly. And also he wanted to have something to text Ashleigh about later.

He knew the evening would be the loneliest. There was some foot traffic now and people were wanting to get away from their families and he could be a part of that. But once everybody was eating their turkeys, sitting around the fire, watching the game. Then in his room, in the empty giant Campbell hall the emptiness would be heavy.

There might still be some students around. Like Juan. He would probably go see him. Maybe they could play video games or watch TV. It really didn't matter what they were doing so long as they got to not be alone on Thanksgiving day.