slide away

The blonde fanned off her mouth, though she’d be damned if it stopped her from taking another bite. The sudden sound of his voice made her freeze, just brief enough for it to not be obvious. Declan’s voice is one she knew well, but she’d been trying to keep her distance.

declan noticed skylar's momentary pause before she glanced up at him. her playful reply and slight smile caught him off guard, easing his tension. "yeah, grilled cheese is hard to resist," he responded, mirroring her playful demeanor. "i went with something less adventurous—a burger and fries," he added with a chuckle, taking a seat across from her.

noah hesitated, not quite sure if she was welcome. she didn't necessarily see why not. they were friends, right? so maybe she was getting too in her head. she wished she'd stop doing that so much. she approached a little closer, wondering why she hadn't seen him as often lately. it only dawned on her then how much she'd missed spending time with him. maybe this was an opportunity to revive that.

"clear your head," she repeated, nodding. she could really relate to that, she'd come here for similar reasons. "it's a good place for that, isn't it?" she asked, looking out across the pond. she swallowed, letting a few beats pass before she mustered up the courage to ask, "so what's on your mind? something bothering you?" she hoped he still felt comfortable confiding in her.

declan felt a mix of conflicting emotions as noah approached, unsure how to respond to her presence but also inwardly relieved by her attempt to bridge the gap between them. he nodded in agreement with her observation about the pond, its serene atmosphere offering a temporary escape from his racing thoughts.

"yeah, it's peaceful here," he admitted quietly, grateful for the distraction noah provided from his swirling thoughts. her question caught him off guard, though he appreciated her concern. he hesitated, debating how much to reveal, before settling on a vague response."just… everything, i guess. new semester, old stuff," he said vaguely, not quite ready to dive into the deeper issues. despite the tension lingering between them, he found a small comfort in noah's presence. "what about you? or did you just come for the view?"

Another semester, there was always a weird adjustment to settle back into dorm life, but Skyler couldn’t help but feel relief as her shoes clicked against the familiar pavement. The amounts of course work that would soon flood her desk would be worth it, the blonde was free from the pair of eyes that judged every movement she made.

It wasn’t something she needed to worry about anymore, gone, the thought didn’t matter. Skyler looked around the welcoming set up at gsu and spotted that the line for food was nonexistent. Sure, she knew grilled cheese wasn’t typically served at a cookout, thankfully they were willing to make an exception.

declan sat quietly at a nearby table, his gaze drifting absentmindedly across the campus grounds. although he'd returned to gsu several days ago, he still felt like he was readjusting. the semester break had hardly been restful, burdened as he was with unresolved tensions.

his eyes roamed the area until they settled on skyler. she sat alone, fully engrossed in her grilled cheese sandwich. a pang of emotion hit him as he watched her. confusion dominated his thoughts whenever he saw skyler lately; she had been avoiding him ever since, responding to his attempts to reconnect with polite but distant resistance.

noah liked to venture down to the pond whenever she needed some time away from everything, but couldn't necessarily go too far for too long. it was nice to stare at the water, watching the world mirrored back to itself. it made things feel brand new when she felt stuck in one place, kind of like looking at things with her head hanging upside down off of the couch when she was a kid. she could already feel herself relaxing as she approached the water, but as she got closer, she realized someone else was already there. this wasn't strange by any means, she just hadn't been expecting it for some reason. she stayed quiet for a moment, watching the other briefly. she cleared her throat as she moved closer so as not to scare the other. "so, did you toss some quarters? what are you hoping to dream about? you can tell me, don't worry. i've been told i'm good luck," she joked.

declan was caught off guard by noah's approach. he had chosen the pond precisely because he thought he wouldn't run into anyone there, wanting a moment of solitude to gather his thoughts before the semester kicked into high gear. hearing noah's voice brought a mix of emotions—surprise, awkwardness, and a tinge of nostalgia for the times when they were close friends.

he turned to face her, trying to muster a half-smile that came out more as a grimace. "hey, noah," he replied, his voice subdued. her attempt at lightening the mood with a joke didn't quite land with him, though he appreciated the effort. "no quarters, just trying to clear my head, you know?" his gaze returned to the water, ripples distorting the reflection of the sky.

Another semester was beginning, and Leo was anxious to see the GSU once again filled to the brim with life. Other students were all moving into their dorms, reconnecting with old friends, finding their way around. It was nerve wracking.

He couldn't bear the idea of being asked how his summer was, having to give a generic answer.

"I was at an internship, I barely went outside."

Instead he tried to find himself a spot at The Corner, to lurk a little longer before facing his housing assignment. He ordered a coffee, though when his name was called and he was handed a smoothie. He looked at it for a long moment, too uncomfortable to correct the person who had made it.

Instead he turned to the person closest to him.

"This uh... this is not what I ordered... do you want this?"

declan glanced up from his phone, startled by the sudden offer. the guy standing in front of him, looking a bit lost and uncomfortable, was holding out a smoothie.

"it depends..." declan began, eyeing the smoothie warily. "what flavor is it? just making sure because i'm very allergic to mangoes and i'd really hate to die on the first day back." though, truth be told, the thought of not having to endure another year of his major didn't sound all that terrible.

location: bad movie night.

location: gsu, main library.

she hadn’t talked to anyone all summer, opting to isolate & ignore her texts or phone calls — it was easier that way. aj’s grief had peaked at the end of the spring semester, just around what would have been she + michael’s anniversary, if they had been together for another year. that was when she closed in on herself; doubled down on studying & was rarely seen practicing her volleyball skills at the recreation center.

she thought that if she hid, no one would ask her how she was or how her summer went. of course, when hiding in plain sight, that wasn’t an option. the feeling of somebody’s presence removes her from her reverie, brown hues coming in contact with the figure standing near her.

reluctantly, aj broke the silence, “uhm — hey.”

declan lingered near the end of the library aisle, observing aj deep in thought. it had been months since they last spoke, and her absence from volleyball practice hadn't gone unnoticed. after a moment's hesitation, he decided to approach her.