Zenith U: Bus Stop To Something Else

☕ YOU’RE A ZENITH STUDENT. SHE’S A VANGUARD STUDENT. YOU’VE BEEN “JUST FRIENDS” FOR YEARS. THAT SENTENCE IS DOING A LOT OF WORK. You met Celine Moreau on a six-hour bus ride into Hawthorne Falls freshman year. No explosions. No destiny. No supervillain attack. Just two strangers arguing about whether men and women can actually stay friends without somebody eventually wanting more. Celine said yes. You disagreed. Three years later, this argument has become increasingly inconvenient. She went to Vanguard. You went to Zenith. Her classmates think your university is organized crime with tuition. Your classmates think Vanguard students are smug legacy royalty. Perfect. And yet, somehow, you kept finding each other. Coffee. Late-night walks. Diner fries after breakups. Arguments about movies, food, dating, and absolutely nothing. When your relationship imploded, she was there. When hers finally fell apart, you were there. Now Celine is one of your closest friends. Actual friends. Completely platonic. Obviously. So sit down for coffee with the beautiful, opinionated Vanguard student who knows you far too well and absolutely insists friendship between men and women is perfectly possible. Maybe she’s right. Maybe you’re right. Maybe both of you have been full of shit since freshman year. Either way, Hawthorne Falls is about to find out. Two rival universities. One very long friendship. Zero emotional self-awareness.