ᴇᴄʜᴏᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ

Tension in the Air

The morning had passed with relative peace. Izuko thought maybe — just maybe — the day would go by without much excitement. But she couldn't have been more wrong. By the time the afternoon sun was hanging low in the sky, the group was walking through the campus grounds, but something felt... different.

Izuko couldn't shake the feeling that eyes were on her and Sarah. Maybe it was just her overthinking — she'd been doing a lot of that lately. But the lingering glances, the whispers as they passed by — it was like everyone suddenly had an interest in their "non-existent relationship."

Sarah, as usual, was completely unfazed. The picture of confidence, she walked with that same magnetic charm she always had, her gaze unwavering, her smirk constantly tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I swear people are staring," Izuko whispered, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt nervously.

Sarah glanced at her, amused. "Maybe they just can't stop looking at you, babe."

Izuko shot her a look. "That's not helping, Sarah."

"You're cute when you're flustered, though."

Izuko sighed, feeling her face burn with embarrassment again. "I'm not flustered."

"Sure, whatever you say," Sarah teased, brushing her shoulder lightly against Izuko's.

The two of them walked ahead of the others — Nya, Avy, Mia, and Hannah — who trailed a bit behind, chatting among themselves. Izuko could hear bursts of laughter, but she was too distracted by the atmosphere of the day.

By the time they reached the main courtyard, the tension between the group had reached its peak. It wasn't anything serious, but it was like a storm waiting to break. People kept throwing curious glances their way, and Izuko could feel her heart beating faster.

"Sarah," Izuko whispered again, "what if people start—"

"They already are," Sarah interrupted smoothly, her voice low. "Who cares?"

Izuko blinked. "You don't care?"

"Nope," Sarah said with a casual shrug. "Let them talk. They can think what they want."

Izuko felt a mix of admiration and frustration bubbling up inside her. How could Sarah be so... so cool about everything? She wished she had even half of that confidence.

Just then, Nya caught up to them, her smirk as sharp as ever. "So, are you two done with your little love-struck stroll?"

Izuko groaned. "Nya, can you not?"

"Not what?" Nya grinned. "Not point out the obvious?"

Before Izuko could respond, Avy and Mia joined them, walking arm-in-arm. Avy gave her a sympathetic smile while Mia, ever the peaceful one, chuckled. "We're just messing with you, Izuko. You know we love you."

Izuko sighed. "I know. It's just... I don't know. Things feel weird today."

Hannah, who had been quiet for most of the walk, finally chimed in, looking confused. "Wait, hold up. Am I missing something here?"

The rest of the group exchanged amused looks, while Izuko shot them a pleading glance to please not start.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Avy said, her tone dripping with playfulness.

Mia bit her lip to suppress a laugh. "Yeah, it's kind of a big deal."

Sarah threw an arm around Izuko's shoulder, pulling her closer in a nonchalant way. "Yeah, Hannah, Izuko and I are basically campus legends now. Apparently, we're the hottest topic of gossip."

Izuko's face went scarlet. "You guys are impossible."

Nya winked at Hannah. "Sarah's right, though. It's kind of a thing now. Everyone's talking about how they're totally into each other."

Hannah blinked. "Wait... seriously?"

Izuko buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god, kill me now."

The group erupted into laughter, with Sarah being the loudest of them all. "Come on, it's not that bad," Sarah said, nudging Izuko playfully. "Besides, you're adorable when you're embarrassed."

Izuko peeked out from behind her hands, her voice barely audible. "I hate you."

"No, you don't," Sarah replied smoothly. "You love me."

Izuko rolled her eyes, trying (and failing) to fight back the smile threatening to break through. "You wish."

The rest of the day passed in a blur of teasing, laughter, and more rumors than Izuko could handle. By the time they all found themselves back in the road, the weight of everything seemed to finally settle.

As they sat in Avy's big ass huge luxurious car, Nya stretched out lazily on the seat. "Well, this day was definitely more dramatic than I expected."

"Dramatic?" Avy laughed, placing her hand on Mia. "More like hilarious. I haven't seen Izu blush this much in, well... ever."

Izuko groaned. "You guys are relentless."

Mia, ever the voice of reason, smiled softly. "We only tease because we love you, Izu."

"I know," Izuko mumbled, her cheeks still flushed. "But seriously, today was... a lot."

Sarah leaned back in her seat, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Get used to it. This is what happens when you hang out with me."

Izuko shot her a playful glare. "I swear, you're the cause of all my problems."

"Nah," Sarah said, smirking. "I'm the solution."

Izuko sighed, unable to hold back the laugh that escaped her lips. "You're impossible."

"And you love it."