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THE MORNING AIR WAS AS STALE AS THE LEFTOVERS IN HER FRIDGE, and y/n was sprawled on her bed, caught in that weird space between dream and reality where everything felt heavy and slightly off-kilter. Her parents were travelling again, somewhere glamorous, talking deals and dollars while she'd fallen asleep staring at the same dull ceiling. She'd gone to bed hungry again—too tired to drag herself to the kitchen, too proud to admit she missed a warm breakfast made by someone else. Just four hours into sleep, her phone erupted into life, the buzzing slicing through the forenoon stillness and rattling her brain.
She fumbled around, eyes barely cracked open as she accepted the call without a second thought. The familiar voice on the other end made her heart lurch in relief. "Good morning, beautiful," Aisha's voice chirped, bright and playful, the kind of energy only she could bring.
Y/n let out a guttural groan, throat as dry as paper. "Heyy-" she croaked, words dragging like lead.
"Oh, someone's got morning zombie voice," Aisha giggled. "I knew it. I just had to call and make sure you didn't sleep through your first day... God, I can hear you sulking from here."
A grin cracked through the fog of her exhaustion, small but real. "You know me too well," the girl muttered, forcing herself upright. The room was dim, a grey wash of early dawn light cutting through the half-open blinds. The air was cool, and she shivered, rubbing her arms as she pushed herself to her feet.
"Of course, I do," Aisha said, softer now, a tinge of warmth threading through the call. "I know it's been hard for you. Year two of packing up your life and moving across the globe? That's... it's a lot. But you're tough, y/n/n. You got this."
"Yeah, you're right." y/n's eyes drifted to the packed bag slumped in the corner, already checked and double-checked. The ghost of last year's chaos lingered in the air, tangible enough to cut. "You always know what to say, don't you?" she added, trying to keep her voice light. Aisha had moved too, but not this far. At least she hadn't had to relearn how to breathe in an entirely different location.
"Obviously. I've got the brains and I've got the brawns. Now, hurry up. Get your ass in gear. What time is it there, anyway?"
"Six," y/n yawned, glancing at the clock that seemed frozen at its cold, early hour. "Which makes it what, like--"
"One in the afternoon here... still Sunday." Aisha interrupted, mock impatience dripping from her tone. "I just finished lunch, and I'm going shopping with the girls later. Might pick up something cute—so jealous? I bet you are."
