Chapter Text
ACORN'S POV
Dear Diary,
Rock battles? Survived. Knife fights? Dodged. Finals? Just bury me in the quad.
Honestly, I thought Alien Stage's encore was our curtain call, but apparently the universe said, "Haha, no. Suffer."
The only thing between me and academic oblivion right now is a half-empty bag of salt-and-vinegar chips, which I am guarding like a sacred relic.
The Finals Crunch
Picture this: Library study group, but make it hell.
Mizi: Doodling Alien Stage lyrics on her notes instead of, you know, studying. Girl, triangles don't get you a degree.
Luka: Studying with ten tabs open. Half of them are #JusticeForIvan fan threads. One is literally "How to pass finals without trying."
Spoiler: You can't.
Hyuna: Weaponizing highlighters like throwing knives. Breath too loud near her and she will erase you from existence.
Sua: Reciting formulas like she is auditioning for Serial Killer: The Musical. Freshmen two tables down are trembling.
Hyunwoo: Quizzing us like a mob boss collecting debts. I misspell photosynthesis once and he cracks his knuckles like I owe him money.
Till: Recently out of the hospital, pale as death for lack of sleep, trying to focus while Ibani naps on his textbook like a furry dictator.
And me? Narrating this slow-motion car crash while clutching my chips like the last anchor to sanity. If I fail, I am blaming Ibani's shed fur on my notes.
The #JusticeForIvan Rally
Just when I thought the chaos capped out, the windows start shaking. Not an earthquake. Worse.
A Get Well Ivan rally.
Yes, the campus thread gremlins (looking at you, cheerqueen88 and teaspiller22) gathered outside with signs like Ivan > Iron Claw and Ibani for President. Blasting encore clips loud enough to wake corpses.
Finals are tomorrow, people. Read a book.
Naturally, Mizi betrays us first. She grabs her triangle, charges out like a one-woman army, and screams, "FOR IVAN!" Luka follows, smirking, posing for selfies like he is the chosen one. Hyuna drags him back by the collar, muttering, "You are failing history, you clown."
Me? Attempted invisibility.
Hoodie up, hoodie down, does not matter.
Some fangirl yells, "ACORN, SING THE HIGH NOTE!" Nope. Dive under the table. Chips in tow. Fame is a disease.
Then, the real traitor: Ibani.
He bolts from Till's lap, leaps onto a sign, and steals a megaphone. His yowl echoes like Feline American Idol, and the crowd loses it. Now they're chanting Percussion Kitty Supreme.
Note to self:
Resign from band. Cat has replaced me.
Till and Ivan's Check-In
Meanwhile, Till sneaks off for a quiet corner video call.
Spoiler: We all eavesdrop anyway.
Ivan appears on screen, hospital gown now decorated with "Property of Till" in Mizi's handwriting. Subtlety is dead.
Ivan: Gonna ace finals for me, right?
Till (cracking voice): What if graduation's my peak? What if I drag everyone down?
Ivan (gentle but annoyingly perfect): You carried the band. You carried me. You've got this, emo prince.
Till blushes so violently that I am shocked his phone does not combust. I whisper, "Industrial-strength bleach for my eyes, please."
He returns dazed. Equal parts love song and study guide.
Hyunwoo slams a packet in front of him: "Don’t flunk and make Ivan’s stab wound pointless." Sua slides him tea with her horror-movie smile. Mizi doodles Class of 2025 ♥ on his notes.
And me?
Accidentally thinking: We're not just a band. We're a feral little family. Which is worse, honestly.
Mr. Park's Cryptic Cameo
Because finals were not enough torture, Mr. Park struts by, bruised knuckles visible. He stares us down, mutters, "Focus. Or rewrite your essays. MLA. Single-spaced."
The squad freezes like we have been caught committing tax fraud. I whisper, "Confirmed mafia. Not asking questions."
Then Mr. Kim wanders up, whining, "I could have been at the rally, but someone put me on a leash again." Luka nearly aspirates his coffee. Hyuna elbows him before he starts a conspiracy thread about Park's mystery man aura.
Note to self:
If Mr. Park's a hitman, I will write his Netflix doc title myself.
The Iron Claw Tease
Right on cue, Luka's phone pings. Campus thread post.
Iron Claw's leader: OUT ON BAIL.
Accusation: Alien Stage framed them for the knife fight.
Bonus insult: They're just a popularity stunt with a dumb cat!
Squad's reactions:
Mizi: Triangle solo diss track!
Hyuna: No. Study.
Luka: humming a beat.
Sua: death glare.
Hyunwoo: I will break their guitars after finals.
Till: Not worth it.
Me: Flood the forums with Ibani gifs. Maximum psychological damage, minimal GPA casualties.
Everyone agrees.
Cliffhanger
So here we are: Finals in twelve hours, graduation stalking us, Iron Claw ranting, rallies outside, and Ibani sitting smug on a stolen megaphone.
Dear Diary, if I live through this, I am retiring. To a cave. With chips. And maybe Ibani — unless he ditches me for his fan club first.
Note to self:
Ibani is hijacking my diploma and my spotlight.