"A Doubtful Heart."

From Jo's Playlist: Chocolate by The 1975

"You lived in Italy, right?" one of Jo's lunchmates asked.

Jo glanced up from the book she had been reading. Another item on her list: Read three fun books before summer break. "Yeah, why?"

The girls all leaned in. Mio was the one who had asked. She was a kind girl. Popular with everyone, knew all of her classmate's names and had some of the highest marks in class. Her strongest subject was literature.

"What did you do?"

"Like hobbies?" Jo dogeared her page.

Mio nodded.

Jo closed her book, tracing the cover with her fingertips. "A lot of hiking. My friends and I would go backpacking sometimes. The Italian mountains are beautiful."

Mai, one of the other extremely smart girls who was on the track team, knotted her brows. "Backpacking?"

Jo struggled to come up with an equivalent word in Japanese, but drew a blank. "It's when you go hiking in the woods for several days. It's a lot of fun,"

Mio gave her a funny look but shrugged her shoulders. "Have you chosen a club to join?

Jo picked at her fingernails. "Kind of. I help Titus with the volleyball club," she said carefully. She glanced over at the boys, who were all stuffing their mouths full of food and poking at one another. She couldn't help the faint smile from forming on her lips at the sight of them.

Apparently it didn't go unnoticed by the girls.

Mai brushed her long hair over her thin shoulders. "I'm sure it'll look good on college applications. How are you doing studying for your entrance exams?"

Jo picked at her lunch box, painfully aware of the difference of her meal compared to everyone else. She tried to replicate the meals but she just didn't have a taste for them. She longed for the comforting lunches of Italy, the heavy noodles made her feel more at ease. "I'm already done with mine," she said.

The girls at her table exclaimed in varying differences of shock. The commotion caught the attention of the boys, who glanced her way. Kuroo raised his brows and Jo pretended to not notice. "You can take them starting your first year in America. I made a decent enough score to enter a few colleges so we called it good enough." Her thirty wouldn't pay for all of college, but it would get her into good state schools.

Mai made an O shape with her mouth. "Do you know what you want to study?"

Jo's stomach twisted. "I'm still deciding. This summer I'll probably decide or just go undeclared for a year,"

Mio nodded. She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. "I don't know what I want to do either. There's so many options,"

Jo felt Kuroo's heavy gaze on her neck but again, she ignored it. They had carefully avoided the topic of college. Was this even more than a senior year fling? Jo didn't know if her heart could take another causal relationship like that. She should have asked him before she agreed to go out what he even wanted. She was an idiot.

Another question for another time. Though her bones burned for her to march over to him and ask him now, she would have to wait. Maybe during their weekend trip. They were leaving right after school and should get there at dinner time.

Yeah. Maybe.

Kuroo didn't sit next to her on the bus either. He settled himself with the other third years and Kenma in the back, a game plan in hand and a lopsided grin on his face. Jo didn't deny the stab in her chest or the tightness in her throat.

Ignoring the pain rippling through her, she rummaged through her satchel for her phone and earbuds.

Summer plopped in the empty spot beside Jo. Her blonde hair was braided back into two fierce braids that fell down her back into her gray hoodie. A silver ear cuff caught the light. "This is gonna be such a long ride," she sighed in English, nodding to the boys behind them. Yamamoto was getting into a first year's face, speaking too quickly for Jo to keep up. Kuroo snapped at him, but never once raised his voice.

Jo adjusted her black track pants and pulled her foot up into the seat. "I've got some earbuds, we can try to drown them out," she grinned, extending a bud.

"Yes please," Summer put the earbud in her right ear while Jo put in the pair. "What do you normally listen to?"

"Anything but screamo," Jo said, scrolling through her playlist. "Do you like country?"

Summer stuck out her tongue. "No thank you. Any 1975?"

"Um, of course," Jo said in a teasing, valley girl tone, selecting Chocolate. Summer leaned her head on Jo's shoulder, looking down at her screen.

Jo pressed play and the synthetic music drifting through the small earbud speakers. As soon as the guitar came in, the bus jolted forward and they were off. Just as Jo was about to close her screen, her phone buzzed and a message flipped by.

I miss you. It read. It was from Matteo.

Jo's heart jolted and her eyes stared at the words. He misses me?

"Who's Matteo?" Summer asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to read it, it sort of just happens," she added sheepishly.

Jo clicked off her screen, tucking her phone in her lap. The damage was done, Summer had seen it. "I dated him in Italy. He started going out with one of my friends from there when I moved,"

Summer winced. "Ouch. I'm sorry about that. But my first impression says he's a piece of dirt. Who says that if they're in a relationship?"

Jo turned her head out the window, watching the trees whizz by. "I don't think he understands how relationships even work," she said, turning back to Summer.

"How's that?" Summer adjusted so that half of her was leaning fully into Jo's side and her legs were stretched into the aisle. She was able to make herself so comfortable by Jo. It eased Jo far more than she cared to admit. Summer held herself in a way that was so easy. She didn't ooze confidence but it definitely poured into her casual gestures and seamless conversation.

"When we were dating he knew I would eventually leave for Japan. But we never officially established it would be a short term relationship." Jo didn't know if she would have turned him down even if he had. His adventurous personality and eyes so blue that they were like the sky charmed her from the moment she saw him. There was no way she would have said no to going out with him.

Summer hummed. Campus melted into the earbuds. "So what about you and Kuroo?"

Jo stared back at her own reflection in the window. Wisps of her pulled back dark hair fell into her eyes. "I don't know. What about you and Oikawa?" She shifted the conversation.

Summer paused for a moment. She picked at one of her rings on her index finger. If she noticed the sudden shift in conversation, she didn't mention it. "The plan is that we make long distance work. We've done it for the past six months and we're both pretty happy with what we have."

The back of the bus erupted into loud yells and barks of laughter. Jo glanced behind her, a smile tugging the corners of her lips up. Yaku had a first year in a headlock while Kuroo filmed the moment, snickering to himself. The coaches blissfully ignored them.

"Would you guys shut up?" she yelled over her shoulder, faking a scowl. They quieted, shushing each other loudly.

"Boys are stupid," Summer decided, folding her hands on her stomach.

"Agreed." Jo sighed, leaning her head back on the headrest. It was going to be a long ride.

Jo didn't get much of a chance to speak to Kuroo on their first night in Miyagi. Nekomata kept her busy running about the place, gathering towels, taking notes, washing water bottles, reviewing workout plans, and helping prep meals. That night, Titus took her to his aunt's house where Summer was staying.

She gave a tired wave to Oikawa and Summer who were cuddled on the couch watching a movie before crashing on the guest bed. Tomorrow at dawn they would begin again. Her muscles seized in her lower back as she tried to get comfortable on her stomach.

Jo picked up her phone, propping her chin on the pillow. The bright screen made her eyes squint as they adjusted.

Her mom had texted her. We miss you, have a good night!

Jo sent back a few heart emojis.

April and Maria had sent her a few song suggestions that she added to her playlist.

Kuroo hadn't sent her anything. Jo's heart fell to her toes but she tried to not blame him. He was definitely exhausted and was probably busy theorizing with Titus and the other third years. His dream to get to nationals was all consuming for him.

And then there was the text from Matteo. Jo stared at the words. Haha, I sure don't, she mentally replied. Should have thought about that before you broke my heart.

Her face fell in her pillow. It could have been a mistake. A text meant for Bri or his parents, perhaps. But a small part (actually, a big part) of her wanted to know. Did he miss her? And if he did, did he realize how late he was? She had moved on.

Right?

Pushing herself on her elbows, she quickly typed out a reply and sent it, then burrowed under the safety of the heavy blankets.

I miss you and the gang too, she said, but I'm happy here.

AN: Here is another one! These will take a while to get out due to work/school/friends/other creative projects. I do want to ask a question! I started a Hawks MHA fic and would you guys like for it to be slowly released or release it all at once? Please let me know!

Guest: Thank you! I have, I hope you have too!

WritingUnderCover: I thought I might bedazzle with some good ol' teenage angst. Looking back on my own relationship with my SO I see how we used to make things harder than needed when we were younger. Hindsight is 20/20 after all :)

Stay safe and healthy!