Ep-5

Cherine's Pov:

I hate change.

That’s probably why I noticed it first.

The group chat that once felt alive every second of the day had slowly become quieter without any of us meaning for it to happen.

Life just… got in the way.

Exams. Assignments. Family stuff. Sleep schedules getting worse somehow.

Days passed, and World War 3 no longer exploded with hundreds of messages daily. Sometimes hours went by without a single notification.

Which honestly felt illegal for a chatroom like ours.

Ruaan stayed the busiest among all of us. He still appeared occasionally, but never for long enough anymore. Theon became more inconsistent too, claiming school was “draining his soul dramatically.”

Only Susen stayed around constantly.

And somehow, without planning it, we started talking more privately instead of in the group.

At first it was random.

Me sending her screenshots during class. Complaining about school. Talking about outfits, music, teachers we hated.

Then it just became normal.

I’d wake up to messages from her before checking the group itself.

And honestly?

I didn’t mind.

Susen was easy to talk to.

Even when conversations were about absolutely nothing.

One night we were texting while I lay upside down on my bed pretending to study.

Message

Cherine: I miss when all four of us used to be online together :(

Susen: Same honestly

Cherine: Ruaan disappeared into academic victimhood

Susen: HELP 😭

Cherine: And Theon acts weird lately

Susen: Weird how?

Cherine: Idk… quieter maybe

I stared at the screen after sending that.

Because it was true.

Theon had changed recently.

Not drastically.

Just subtly enough that maybe only someone observant would notice.

He still joked around. Still acted unserious. Still teased everyone normally.

But sometimes there’d be these random moments where he’d go completely silent in calls. Especially whenever conversations drift toward Susen and Ruaan.

At first I ignored it.

Then I started noticing it too often to call coincidence.

And Susen…

Poor Susen still looked at Ruaan like he personally hung the stars in the sky.

Honestly, the whole situation felt like watching one of those painfully obvious dramas where everyone understands what’s happening except the main characters themselves.

Including Theon.

And somehow, while all of us were busy growing up, getting busier, and drifting into our own complicated feelings…Days passed quietly without any of us realizing how much things were beginning to change.

And maybe that was the scariest part about growing close to people online.

Nobody notices the shift immediately.

One day you’re just four strangers laughing in random matches, and the next, their absence starts affecting your mood in real life.

The late-night calls became occasional. The unread messages piled up slower. Even the group chat name—World War 3—felt oddly nostalgic now.

Despite the silence yet none of us officially left the group chat.Maybe because somewhere deep down, we were all still holding onto the version of us that stayed awake till sunrise talking about impossible meetups and fake scenarios.

TO BE CONTINUED~🍀

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