ᴇᴄʜᴏᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ

Chapter 2: Ghosts of the Past

Izuko POV

There are moments in life when time just stops. Like when you accidentally double-text your crush or realize you forgot your homework on test day. But running into Sarah? Yeah, that was a whole new level of "Oh no."

For a split second, I forgot how to breathe, how to blink, how to be a functioning human. My brain went into a total meltdown—rebooting every awkward memory from the last year, slamming me with every single reason why seeing her again was the last thing I needed.

Nya, of course, had zero chill. She poked my arm. "Izu, say something."

But what do you say to the person you ghosted for an entire year? "Hey! Miss me?" Yeah, no. Definitely not.

I glanced at Sarah, standing there with that same old confidence she always had—except this time, there was something different. Her eyes, the ones I could once read like a book, now felt closed off, guarded. She opened her mouth, maybe to say something, but then—

"Sarah?" Nya blurted out, her voice cracking the heavy silence. Of course, Nya wasn't about to let this moment pass quietly.

Sarah's gaze flicked to Nya for a second, then back to me. "Izu..."

Great. She said my name. Full-blown internal panic.

I bit my lip, trying to gather myself, but all I could manage was a half-smirk. "Long time no see, huh?"

Nailed it, Izuko. That's totally how normal people greet each other after a year of silence.

Sarah blinked, and for a moment, I thought I saw her mouth twitch—like she might smile, or maybe she was about to throw a book at me. Honestly, I couldn't tell.

"Yeah," she finally said, her voice just as familiar as ever. "A long time."

Awkward silence? Check.

Nya, never one to sit still, nudged me again. "Well, this is...awkward," she muttered under her breath, shooting me a 'do something' look.

I cleared my throat, trying to act casual, like my heart wasn't threatening to punch out of my chest. "So... what brings you here?"

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