Invisible String.

12. Among us.

Anna's POV:-

I went home instantly after leaving the library. I don't know why I was so annoyed by how close they seemed together; Sasha and Davis. He was just my best friend, and that was it. Sure, we'd gotten closer since we reconnected and now being in the same college, but that didn't mean anything.

When Alice and Rowan came back from school, we had lunch together. They insisted I join them for a round of Among Us. It was their latest obsession, and although I'd just started playing with them, I found myself getting way too competitive for a casual game of figuring out who the "impostor" was.

I'd always end up getting killed early in Among Us, and without fail, the kids would call me a "noob." Kids these days, I swear. Despite the teasing, I found myself hooked on the game. It became a bit of an obsession—not just with Alice and Rowan but also with strangers online. I played mindlessly until evening.

At one point, my phone buzzed with Instagram notifications. Davis had sent me a string of memes. I opened them, chuckled quietly, and went right back to my game without replying. A few minutes later, another notification came through—a text from him:

Davis: How's your assignment stuff going on?

I stared at it, groaning internally. The truth? I'd done absolutely nothing. I'd left the library in a huff earlier, abandoning all motivation to even look at the assignment. Still, I couldn't admit that. I typed back.

Me: Started it.  

He replied almost immediately:

Davis: That's great. 

He began telling me about his project and how they both were working on it but I was least interested. 

... 

I walked into the cafeteria after my classes, feeling a bit aimless. Addy was off at the sports club selections. She'd urged me to join her, but it really wasn't my thing. Instead, there I was grabbing my coffee taking a break. 

As I turned with my cup, I spotted Davis sitting at a table with his friends—Sasha, who caught my eye first, and a few others: Ryan, Jade, and another guy whose name I could never quite remember. To be fair, I hadn't officially met them, but Davis always told me about them and their antics. I'd seen them during the first week of college when Davis and I reconnected, but back then, their faces had blurred into the sea of newness.

Davis saw me and waved enthusiastically. I waved back, but when all his friends turned to glance at me, I hesitated. It was clear they were asking him something about me. Feeling awkward, I moved toward an empty table in the corner to sit by myself.

Moments later, my phone buzzed. It was a call from Davis. 

I picked it up, glancing toward him across the cafeteria as I answered.
"Why are you sitting there alone?" he asked.
"Uh, Addy's not here. She's doing the sports club tryouts," I explained.
"So? You could come sit with me," he said as if it was obvious.
"You're with your friends," I protested, but he brushed it off.
"So what? Join us."

Before I could think of another excuse, he gestured for me to come over. I grabbed my coffee and reluctantly made my way to their table. As I approached, I tried to muster a casual smile.

"Hey guys... uh, I'm..- I greeted awkwardly, taking the seat next to Davis.
"Anna, we know. Heard a lot about you," Sasha cut me off with a smile, her tone teasing but not unkind. 

"Oh, cool," I said, trying to remember their names. "You're Sasha, Ryan..." I trailed off, pointing vaguely at the others, unsure who was who.
"Kayden," Davis filled in, motioning to another guy. "And this is Jade."

"Got it," I said, nodding, though the names still felt slippery.

They quickly resumed their conversation, diving into talk about upcoming college events. I learned, for the first time, that the college fest was only two weeks away in November. They asked if I was part of any clubs, and I admitted that I wasn't. Their energy was infectious —but I still felt like a spectator.

I sipped my coffee quietly, listening as they swapped stories and teased each other. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I couldn't shake the feeling of not belonging in their group. 

"Why don't you try joining one of the clubs? Music, dance, or art—those were all your things," Davis asked, his voice quieter, meant just for me as the others were caught up in their own conversation.

I shrugged. "I just... don't feel like it."

"Why not? You used to be all about that stuff in school."

"Yeah, but then I left Kinsley and..." I hesitated, my thoughts trailing off.

"And?" Davis prompted, his curious gaze steady on me.

I bit my lip, my mind wandering back to Kinsley High—the place I'd left behind, along with all my friends. After moving away, everything had changed. I'd stopped putting myself out there, retreating into the safety of anonymity. But I wasn't ready to explain all that, so I just shrugged again.

Before Davis could press further, Ryan called out, "Hey, guys, what's your week looking like?"

Davis leaned back in his chair. "Busy, man. Got this project to finish."

Ryan snorted. "Since when did you start taking all this seriously?"

Davis laughed. "It's not me—it's Sasha. She's all about grades and deadlines."

'Wow.' I couldn't help rolling my eyes, though I tried to play it off. Unfortunately, I wasn't as subtle as I thought because Davis raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything.

"Well, then let's do something over the weekend," Kayden suggested, changing the subject.

"Guys, we should go watch Spider-Man: No Way Home," Sasha said, her face lighting up. "I've been waiting for it ever since the teaser dropped."

The others immediately chimed in with agreement, and the conversation turned animated as they discussed their excitement about the movie.

"Anna, will you join us?" Sasha asked, catching me off guard.

I blinked, looking at Davis, who was watching me with an almost pleading expression. His silent urging was enough to make me reconsider the "no" that had been on the tip of my tongue.

"I... don't know—"

"Come on," Davis interrupted, leaning toward me. "It'll be fun."

With a sigh and a small, reluctant smile, I finally caved. "Okay, fine."

Davis chuckled at me like I'd agreed to save the world or something, and I smiled back at him, amused but a little nervous about what I'd just signed myself up for.