The end of summer bled into the beginning of a new school year, a new season that brought with it a sense of quiet, settled permanence. The chaos of the previous year felt like a distant memory, a story that had happened to a different group of people.
They were seniors now. The undisputed, and at times, slightly terrifying, rulers of Northgate High. Their small, renegade club, 'The Aviary', was now one of the most popular and respected institutions in the school. The magazine was a fixture, its new issues eagerly anticipated, its influence undeniable.
Their lunch table was still their sanctuary, but it was a more confident, more relaxed space now. Jake and Ruby were a quiet, stable, and deeply nerdy unit, their relationship a comfortable, well-worn sweater.
