ᴇᴄʜᴏᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ

Catching Up and Stirring the Pot

Izuko's POV

After all the craziness with the dorm registration and the non-stop group chat drama, Izuko finally got a moment of peace. She slumped down in her favorite corner of the library, scrolling through her texts. The group was still buzzing with excitement about the dorm move, but she had another mission on her mind today—catching up with Alv.

It had been a while since they'd had a proper chat, and things had gotten so hectic lately. Izuko missed those deep convos with her old bestie. Alv always had this way of making things feel less chaotic, even when life was spiraling.

She shot her a quick message:

Izuko:
Meet me in the library in 10?
We need to catch up!

Alv:
On my way.

As Izuko waited for Alv to show up, her mind wandered back to the group chat. The tension between Avy and Jennie was getting more obvious by the day. At first, it had been subtle—little snarky comments, a few side-eyes in the hallway—but now? Now, it was practically a storm brewing, and everyone felt it.

She couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong between them. Jennie had always been the laid-back, cool one. Avy, on the other hand, was bubbly and sweet—but with Jennie, it was like a switch had flipped.

Alv's POV

When Alv finally arrived, she spotted Izuko right away, sitting cross-legged on the floor, her nose buried in her phone.

"Hey, stranger," Alv greeted, dropping her bag beside Izuko.

Izuko looked up and grinned. "About time! I was starting to think you bailed."

Alv rolled her eyes playfully. "You know I'm always late. It's my thing."

The two of them settled into an easy conversation, catching up on everything they'd missed in each other's lives over the past few weeks.

"So," Alv started, leaning back against the bookshelf. "How's life been treating you? Dorm drama already?"

Izuko laughed. "You have no idea. The registration alone nearly gave me a heart attack, and don't even get me started on Sarah and the others freaking out."

Alv raised an eyebrow. "I heard about that. Typical."

Izuko nodded, then paused. "But what about you? We haven't talked properly in ages. How's everything with you?"

Alv's smile faltered for a moment. "Honestly? It's been... a lot. You know how things are with my family, always expecting me to be perfect." She sighed. "But I'm managing. It helps that I've got people like you."

Izuko reached over and squeezed Alv's hand. "You've always got me, Alv. Anytime."

Izuko's POV

Just as Izuko was about to ask more, she saw Jennie walk by, looking pissed. She caught Avy's gaze from across the room, and there it was again—that icy stare.

"What's up with them?" Alv asked, noticing Izuko's distracted look.

Izuko sighed, shaking her head. "Avy and Jennie. Something's definitely going on, but no one knows what. They're like two seconds away from starting World War III."

Alv smirked. "Sounds like a mess. You think it's serious?"

Izuko shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. But the vibe is off, for sure."

Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Nya:

Nya:
Bro, Jennie and Avy are about to blow up.
They're having it out in the lounge. Get here now.

Izuko's eyes widened. "Oh. Shit."

"What?" Alv asked, sitting up straighter.

"Avy and Jennie. Right now. They're going at it."

Alv groaned. "Of course they are. Come on, we can't miss this."

Avy's POV

By the time Izuko and Alv made it to the lounge, things were already tense. Avy stood on one side of the room, arms crossed, her eyes blazing. Jennie was across from her, looking equally fierce.

"You don't even get it, do you?" Jennie snapped, her voice dripping with frustration.

"Maybe because you're too busy acting like you're better than everyone else," Avy shot back, not backing down.

A few people were gathered around, pretending not to watch, but everyone could feel the tension crackling in the air.

"You think I'm better than everyone?" Jennie laughed bitterly. "Wow, Avy. Real mature."

"You're always throwing shade, Jennie," Avy said, voice steady but clearly hurt. "If you've got something to say, just say it. Stop acting like I'm some kind of joke."

Jennie took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "You know what? Maybe I'm tired of pretending everything's fine between us when clearly, it's not. You're so fake sometimes, Avy, it's exhausting."

Avy flinched like she'd been slapped. For a moment, there was a silence so thick you could've cut it with a knife.

Izuko's POV

Izuko exchanged a worried glance with Alv. This was bad. Like, really bad.

She stepped forward, trying to mediate. "Guys, maybe we should—"

"Stay out of it, Izuko," Jennie interrupted, her voice cold.

Great. Now she was in it.

Avy's POV

Avy's chest felt tight as Jennie's words sank in. Fake? She wasn't fake. Why was Jennie acting like this? They had been friends for so long, and now... this?

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but instead of lashing out, she took a deep breath. "You know what, Jennie? Fine. If that's how you really feel, then I'm done pretending too."

Jennie looked taken aback for a split second before recovering her composure. "Fine by me."

Izuko's POV

Before things could escalate any further, Nya swooped in, always the calm one in the storm.

"Alright, everyone chill," she said, standing between them. "This isn't the place for all this. You both need to cool down."

Jennie gave Nya a hard look, but after a few seconds, she sighed, stepping back. "Whatever."

Avy didn't say anything, but her eyes were still stormy. She brushed past Jennie and stormed out of the lounge.

Izuko watched her go, feeling the weight of everything that had just happened. This was not how she expected today to go.