After Class is a heartfelt narrative adventure about a college freshman navigating a new city—and her first real friendships. As she settles into campus life, she bonds with classmates ranging from outgoing overachievers to quiet loners, each harboring secrets that unfold as trust grows. But when a long-buried dream resurfaces, she must unravel its connection to these new connections… and decide if chasing it will heal her past or define her future.
The Freshman: Lost, but Hopeful
1. A Clean Slate in a New City: You play as Lila, 18, who moved across the country after a turbulent high school years—family drama, a failed art scholarship, and a sense of being “unseen.” Your new apartment is small but bright; your dorm room overlooks a bustling café where students laugh over lattes. For the first time in years, you feel… anonymous. And that’s okay. Until orientation day.
2. Nerves and First Impressions: Your first class is “Introduction to Creative Writing.” You fumble with your notebook, accidentally sit in the wrong seat, and freeze when the professor calls on you. But then they notice: Mia, a bubbly theater major, leans over with a grin: “Relax—you’ll find your people here.” It’s the first genuine smile you’ve gotten all week.
3. The Old Dream You’d Buried: That night, you dig through a box of old high school art supplies. Tucked inside a sketchbook is a watercolor painting of a sunflower field—one you’d painted the summer before your scholarship fell through. For years, you’d called it “silly.” Now, it feels like a whisper: What if?
The Classmates: Masks, Secrets, and Slow Unfolding
1. Mia: The Performer with a Quiet Side: Mia’s the first to befriend you. She’s always front-and-center in class, cracking jokes during lectures, but one late-night study session reveals her vulnerability. She confesses she’s only at this school because her parents forced her to “pursue something ‘practical’”—but her dream is to write musicals. “I sing in the shower,” she admits, “but never anywhere else.”
2. Elias: The Quiet Observer with a Troubled Past: Elias sits alone in the back, never speaks unless called on. You notice he doodles intricate geometric patterns in his notebook. After a group project forces you to work together, he opens up: his dad left when he was 10, and he’s been caring for his mom, who struggles with addiction. “Art’s the only thing that keeps me sane,” he says, sliding a sketchbook across the table. Inside: haunting portraits of people he’s lost.
3. Zara: The Cynic Who Cares Too Much: Zara’s the campus “know-it-all”—she critiques everyone’s life choices, from majors to coffee orders. But when you mention struggling to afford textbooks, she slips you a stack of her old notes. “Don’t get used to it,” she mutters, but later admits she’s estranged from her wealthy parents and works two jobs to pay for school. “I hate asking for help,” she says. “So I give it instead. It’s easier.”
Bonds Deepen, Secrets Surface
1. Late-Night Talks and Shared Vulnerabilities: As weeks pass, you, Mia, Elias, and Zara form a ritual: post-class coffee at the campus café, then late-night study sessions in your dorm. Mia teaches you to hum show tunes; Elias shows you how to blend watercolors; Zara roasts your terrible poetry (but secretly saves your best lines). You start sharing things you’ve never told anyone: your fear of failure, your grief over losing touch with old friends, your longing to matter.
2. The Dream Returns—Vividly: One morning, you wake up gasping. You’re 16 again, standing in a sunflower field with your grandma, who’d taught you to paint. “You’ll paint the world,” she’d said, “even if it’s scary.” The dream feels real—the scent of sunflowers, the sound of her laughter. When you tell Mia, she gasps: “That’s exactly the song I’ve been writing about!” Elias nods: “I drew that field once. In my notebook. Last year.” Zara stays quiet, but later slides a faded photo across the table: a younger her, grinning in a sunflower field, with a woman who looks just like your grandma.
3. Choices That Could Change Everything: The dream isn’t just a memory—it’s a clue. Mia’s musical script mentions a “sunflower girl” who inspired her; Elias’s sketches include the same field; Zara’s photo ties her to your grandma, who she claims she’s “never met.” Do you investigate the connection (risking awkwardness, or worse, hurt feelings)? Or do you let the dream fade, focusing on the friendships you’ve built now?
