ᴇᴄʜᴏᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ

Chapter 5: The Unspoken Words

Izuko's pov 

Natasha's face scrunched up, clearly not expecting me to bite back like that. She hesitated for a moment before storming out of the room, tossing a half-hearted, "Whatever, Izuko, this isn't over!" over her shoulder. The door slammed behind her, and for a second, the room went completely still.

Then Riy burst out laughing, and it was like a ripple effect. Aysh joined in, and before I knew it, everyone was cracking up. Nya was practically doubled over, gasping for breath. I couldn't help but laugh too, the tension slipping away, if only for a moment. My eyes met Sarah's across the room, and even with everything between us, we shared a small smile. It was like old times—just for that split second.

Then the bell rang, jolting us all back to reality. "We're late!" Nya exclaimed, already grabbing her bag.

I quickly pulled out my phone to check my schedule. "I've got English next," I said, a bit more excited than I should've been. English had always been my favorite.

"Me too!" Riy grinned. "Let's walk together."

"Lucky you guys," Aysh groaned dramatically. "I'm stuck with math. Pray for me."

Nya smirked. "Math isn't that bad. You'll survive... hopefully."

We all exchanged our subjects, laughing at each other's misery, but then Riy yanked on my arm, pulling me toward the door. "Come on, Izu! We're so late!"

Everyone scattered, heading off in different directions. Riy and I sprinted down the hallway, our footsteps echoing as we dashed toward the English classroom. Just as the door was about to close, we slipped inside, sliding into the middle row, fourth bench, trying to catch our breath but grinning all the same.

"Nice seats," Riy said, nudging me with her elbow. "We're in prime napping territory here."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "In English? Please, it's too interesting to sleep through."

We started chatting, talking about everything and nothing—our professors, the chaos of the morning, and how today had already been such a rollercoaster. It was easy talking to Riy, and for a moment, I almost forgot the mess that had unfolded earlier with Sarah and Natasha.

Just then, the door opened, and Ms. Kim walked in. I immediately sat up straighter. Ms. Kim was hands-down the best teacher on campus. Sweet, patient, and always excited about what she was teaching. Her energy was infectious, and I'd always loved how she could make any book come alive.

"Good morning, class!" Ms. Kim greeted us, her voice as cheerful as ever. "I hope you're all ready for some literary adventures today!"

Riy shot me a look, wiggling her eyebrows. I couldn't help but grin. This was my comfort zone. But as much as I loved English, there was still that lingering tension—like unfinished business—that kept tugging at my thoughts. The smile I'd shared with Sarah was still fresh in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder: Could we really go back to how things were?