Content warning: Intense scenes, light discussion of a toxic relationship, and alcohol references.

Mornings weren't usually anything special in the dorm of Avery and her friends. This one, however, had them waking up to the sounds of someone in the kitchenette.

Emerging from the bedroom, they came across Hannah, who was washing dishes after having prepared breakfast for the four of them. She noticed them and smiled.

"Ah, good morning, guys! I'm almost done here, but feel free to dig in!"

"I thought I told you to get outta here before we woke up," Avery grumbled, giving her an icy stare. Hannah remained unfazed, however.

"I know, I know, but I thought I'd at least do something to thank you guys."

Hannah shut off the faucet and gestured to the table, where four plates surrounded an even bigger plate containing a stack of pancakes. With only three chairs available, Hannah pulled up an ottoman from near the couch and sat on that, instead.

A little confused, Avery continued to stare her down, but her gaze softened a bit. Mary and Blair looked much more excited.

"C'mon, Aves!" Mary exclaimed. "How often does this happen?"

She and Blair took their seats and began eating. Avery sighed and followed suit.

"Thank you, Hannah," she said, and Hannah grinned in response.

They ate for a while, surprised about how good the food actually was. Avery continued to eye Hannah suspiciously, and her suspicions were confirmed when Hannah spoke up.

"Now, might I ask you guys something?"

"Mmmm?" Mary and Blair looked up curiously as Avery raised an eyebrow.

"Can I… maybe… stay here for a few more days-?"

Avery suddenly thumped the table with her fist, cutting Hannah off.

"I knew it. Don't butter us up with a nice meal and then ask for more favours. We took you in for a night, you made breakfast, that's that."

Blair tilted her head at her disapprovingly.

"Avery… that's no way to treat a friend in need," she said softly, and Mary nodded in agreement.

"We aren't friends," Avery quickly corrected her. "She's probably the reason they're arguing, anyway."

She turned to Hannah, her face stern. "Thank you for the breakfast, but go sort out your own mess. Keep us out of it."

Hannah's demeanour fell quickly. Noticing this, Mary started to become agitated.

"You're being stubborn again, Aves… She's going to great lengths to get our acceptance, so she must really need our help."

Avery scoffed. "You hit the nail on the head. She's only nice when she needs a favour."

Hannah cocked her head at them, wondering if anyone was going to address her directly. Suddenly, Blair stood up and turned to her.

"If Avery won't let you stay here, then Mary and I will."

"I'm warning you, you guys don't know her like I do," Avery muttered.

"Um… I thought you didn't remember her?" Mary asked, but Avery exhaled sharply.

"Let's say I was forcibly reminded."

Meanwhile, Hannah jumped up and hugged Blair.

"Oh, thank you so much! I promise I won't be a nuisance!"

They carried on for a bit as Avery sat with her arms folded, wondering what she did to deserve any of this. Oh well, she thought, maybe this would be over faster if she stayed out of Hannah's way.

Barbara inhaled deeply and approached Diana, who was seated at their dining table, studying.

Her hands trembled and she tried her best not to sweat nervously. Guilt tore at her stomach, her chest, and her brain, and it was absolutely overwhelming.

It hadn't even been a day since the incidents that split them up, but Barbara couldn't take it anymore. She brushed some stray hair from her eyes and braced herself.

"D-Diana!"

Oh, the guilt. Despite her best efforts, her voice couldn't suppress the immense wave of emotions that threatened to drown her if she didn't cling to hope. Diana didn't look up, but she visibly paused in the middle of the paragraph she was reading, and Barbara took this as a cue to continue.

"Being your friend and roommate is probably one of the best things to happen to me. I can't stand being part of the reason you're upset."

Diana raised her eyebrows and kept reading. Barbara looked away for a moment.

"I know you're angry, and I'm sorry. I don't know what it is about Hannah that makes me do terrible things, but I can't stop myself when she's around."

The rustling of Diana turning the page felt like a knife adding to the carnage occurring in Barbara's psyche. Diana rested her hand on the page and kept reading.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need to make my thoughts clear. I really look up to you, and I've learned so much from you. I didn't want to do what we did."

Breathing heavily now, Barbara trembled more than before, the geyser of words seemingly running dry. Diana sighed and finally met her gaze, her expression unreadable.

"If that's all true, then why didn't you just remove yourself from the plan?"

"It's all Hannah…" Barbara explained. "I can't function if she thinks I'm a loser. Even now, I've already explained myself to her, and I can't sleep or eat."

Seeing Barbara's genuinely remorseful disposition, Diana softened her tone a bit.

"You explained yourself to her?" she asked, stroking her chin.

"Y-Yes. I had enough after that stunt we pulled, and I told her how stifled I felt being friends with her. But my heart hasn't stopped pounding since then."

Barbara stood at attention like a student getting scolded by the principal. To her surprise, Diana chuckled softly.

"You're craving validation. I know what that's like."

"Huh?!"

Diana wondered if she should even continue, since she spent so long keeping this collected persona up around even her roommates. The distress on show from Barbara, however, forced her hand before she even realised it.

"Do you think I enjoy this facade? The perfect student and perfect witch? I'm just filling a void."

Barbara said nothing, but listened intently.

"Constant praise from the people around me keeps my own self-doubts at bay. Praise which I can only receive if I continue this image I've constructed for myself."

She felt a little nervous about confessing this, but Barbara smiled at her.

"Diana, I think you're really cool. I've seen your real personality shine through at times, and I don't think any less of you."

Diana covered her face. "T-Thank you. That means a lot. You're a very talented witch, yourself."

Barbara laughed, her voice still shaking. They remained silent for a moment before Diana suddenly spoke again.

"That's what I like about Akko, you know." she observed. "She doesn't care how I behave, she always genuinely loves and believes in me."

Barbara continued smiling, but she still didn't know what Diana saw in Akko. However, if Akko made her happy, maybe she wasn't all bad.

"If only Hannah saw things the same way…" Barbara mused, and Diana shrugged.

"Well, I accept your apology, Barbara. Even though I'm still frustrated, I understand your reasons."

"Thank you, Diana…" Barbara sighed heavily, relieved that at least one of the things picking at her brain was remedied. "I'll let you get back to your studies."

Diana smiled softly and got back to reading as Barbara headed back to the bedroom. Even though she was happy about how that went, she suddenly felt the full force of her other best friend still despising her, and ice-cold guilt flooded her body again.

Avery didn't get much sleep the night prior. She sat in her lecture, propping her head up with her hands, doing her best to stay awake as the lecturer spoke about whatever. The words melded into an incomprehensible fuzz, and her surroundings seemed intangible.

Her eyelids were heavy. Surely if she shut them for five minutes, nobody would notice.

Elbows on the table, arms sinking lower, her head falling…

BUZZ!

She jolted awake and investigated her wand. A call from Hannah.

The lecturer kept speaking, but some of the other witches turned their heads instinctively to investigate the sound, turning back when Avery's agitated face was all they saw. She stood up and quickly ducked out of the room for a moment, pulling out her wand to answer the call.

"What? I'm in class right now."

"Ummmm, Avery…" Hannah drawled, laying on the couch back where she was staying. "I can't find the TV remote. Where is it?"

Avery sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes. "Don't disturb me with your stupid questions. I'm hanging up now."

"Wait, wait, don't go-"

Back into the holster. Avery took out her bottle of water and took a quick drink to hopefully calm herself down. This couldn't last much longer, she thought. Surely Hannah would feel the need to reconcile with her own roommates eventually.

She re-entered the classroom and took her seat again, trying to focus this time. It was a monumental effort, considering everything on her mind. Every time she finally started understanding the lecture, her mind went back to Hannah.

She's selfish. She uses others for her own gain. She became friends with Barbara and Avery to make herself look better in comparison, and the moment Diana enrolled, she took Barbara and formed a trio with them, instead.

No matter. Mary and Blair were great friends. Probably better that they didn't associate with Hannah anymore. She always picked on Avery's love of singing, caterwauling in imitation of her.

Barbara was nicer. But she should have been smarter than leaving Avery in favour of Hannah and Diana, two pompous overachievers who turned their noses up at everyone below them.

This last thought caught Avery off-guard. Wasn't that exactly how she treated Akko and her friends? Some flop from a non-magical family, an invisible loser, and a total creep? At least they deserved it, right? They're all friends with Diana, and she gives them undeserved special treatment.

Deep in thought, Avery didn't even realise that class was over until she came back to reality and saw that the room was empty and the lecturer was packing up. Quickly, she packed her things up and hustled out of the room, a little embarrassed.

Blair was the last to return to their dorm. Rummaging through her bag for her keys, she heard angry voices from behind the door, and opening it revealed Avery and Hannah in the middle of an argument. The bedroom door was closed, with Mary presumably hiding from the chaos in there.

"If you want me out so badly, just say the word!" Hannah shouted, tears in her eyes.

"GET OUT!" Avery yelled back. They stood at opposite ends of the room, and Blair quickly jumped in between them.

"What's gotten into you two?!"

Immediately, Hannah and Avery frantically tried to explain themselves at the same time. Blair stuck her arms out and shook her head.

"No! One at a time! Hannah, you first!" She sat on the couch attentively, one leg over the other.

"W-Well, I just don't know what the big deal is! I've been nothing but helpful since I started staying here, and I've had plenty of time to think!"

Avery interjected. "Yeah right, think. She came to the decision that she's gonna stay here indefinitely!"

"I can't go back out there! I made a fool of myself!"

"THAT'S what you're concerned about, you absolute-?"

"HEY!" Blair cut them both off, trying to restore order. "Avery, ever since we came to Hannah's aid, you've been nothing but sour. What's wrong?"

Avery sighed and explained her history with Hannah, Barbara, and Diana. Being ditched and only seeked out when Hannah needed something from her, how betrayed she felt by Barbara's decision to join in, and most of all, her vitriol towards Diana for causing it all. Blair folded her arms and listened while Hannah made faces at the explanation.

"She just doesn't get it," Avery concluded. "I want nothing to do with her. And now she's standing in our dorm, yet again expecting my help with ANOTHER mess she made."

"You're one of the only people I can turn to!" Hannah pleaded, but Avery avoided her gaze.

"You'd have more options if you weren't horrible to everyone. You're in a prison of your own making, and I'm not posting your bail."

Blair sat on the couch in thought. Was she wrong to accept Hannah, seeing how worked up Avery was about the situation? Neither Blair nor Mary knew how much history they all had.

Hannah was speechless. She hadn't expected Avery to remember all that, much less take it to heart. A tidal wave of anger and despair washed over her, but she swallowed harshly and headed to the door before anyone could say anything.

"T-Thank you for having me."

Gently, she opened the door and left them. Avery stared blankly after her as Mary cautiously emerged from the bedroom to find out what happened.

Lotte and Barbara sat together in the bedroom in the former's dorm. Since she'd last spoken to Hannah, Barbara felt a little more comfortable being here than usual, but the situation still weighed on her mind. Both witches were holding copies of Night Fall, and had been discussing the finer points of one of the later volumes.

"Um, Barbara… Is something on your mind?" Lotte's voice startled Barbara, who masked her vacant gaze with one of feigned calm.

"Nope, nothing at all," she replied unconvincingly.

"I know you and Hannah had a falling out. It's okay if you're still thinking about it."

Barbara sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Though they didn't talk all that much, Lotte cared about her, and seeing her so distracted bothered her.

"What's wrong with me?" Barbara finally asked. "I cut off a toxic friend, but I don't feel any better."

"Don't worry, it's normal." Lotte put a hand on Barbara's shoulder comfortingly. "You're still shaken up about such a big change, but you'll feel better."

The air suddenly seemed really hot, and Barbara had to roll her sleeves up. There was still something gnawing at her mind about all this, something she wasn't exactly sure about.

"It feels like… like I cut off more than a friend."

Lotte's eyes widened curiously.

"Oh? Do you mean…?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Barbara began to blush furiously and shake her head. "I don't want it to be true!"

"If you're uncomfortable, we don't need to continue." Lotte smiled softly, but Barbara was still flustered.

"It's j-just… Hannah drives me crazy. Y'know? She's such a bad friend, but she's adorable. I hate hanging out with her, but her laugh is so cute and seeing her upset is driving a knife into my heart. I'm so confused…"

She plunged her head into her hands and groaned, and Lotte continued to rub her shoulder.

"I don't think she even feels the same. I'm just being an idiot."

"No, you aren't." Lotte adjusted her glasses. "I know it's hard, but I think you're better off just leaving her in the past and moving on. You'll find someone much nicer."

"D-Do you think so?"

"Remember when Volume 402 came out? Everyone wanted those two to work out their differences and just get together already, me included! But then 403 dropped, and they were terrible for each other. He'd never been so miserable in his immortal life."

Barbara stared at the floor, deep in thought. What exactly was it about Hannah that she found so appealing? Was it just because they were together almost all of the time? They barely even had anything in common, aside from being Diana's roommates and Avery's former companions.

"If someone isn't nice to you, and doesn't want to change. it's not worth keeping them around, I think. Even if you've been with them for ages."

Barbara took a breath and looked at Lotte.

"T-Thank you," she said. "I think I feel a bit better."

Lotte giggled. "Oh, good! I'm getting better with comforting people. And look, you're always welcome to spend time here if you want! I'm sure Akko and Sucy wouldn't mind, if I explained the situation."

"Oh, Diana and I are good now, but I might still take you up on that."

The atmosphere felt a little clearer as Barbara and Lotte got back to reading their Night Fall books.

"I'm tellin' you, they threw the leftovers out."

"Mmm… you never know!"

Amanda and Constanze followed as Jasminka hunted for any food on the campus grounds. Any unclaimed food orders or anything from the trash that looked safe enough was fair game as far as she was concerned.

Turning a corner, they found themselves behind the dorm building, where dumpsters stood like big treasure chests. Just before Jasminka could get searching, though, Constanze grunted to get their attention.

"Eh? What's up, Consey?" Amanda asked, and Constanze pointed next to one of the dumpsters. A figure sat motionlessly, propped against the wall. The trio cautiously approached, and as they drew nearer, the person became clearer.

Hannah's clothes were an absolute mess, and the ribbon in her hair hung loosely. In one hand she clutched a nearly-empty bottle of wine, and she appeared to be asleep.

"What the hell…?" Amanda leaned forward and took in Hannah's sorry state. "Well, she deserves it after the stunt she pulled. C'mon, guys."

She began to head off with Constanze, but Jasminka stayed behind. They turned back to look at her.

"Um, Jazz?"

"I can't leave her here. What happened was partly my fault."

Kicking the bottle of wine aside, she picked Hannah up and slung her over her shoulders with little effort.

"What, you're gonna nurse her back to health?" Amanda groaned, facepalming. "Leave her in the dump where she belongs, dude."

Jasminka stayed firm, carrying Hannah with her towards Amanda and Constanze.

"Consey, what do you think?" Amanda queried. She responded by shrugging and gesturing to Jasminka, leaving the decision to her.

"Ugh… you two…"

Sighing in frustration, Amanda led them back to their dorm and unlocked the door. Once they were inside, Jasminka used her leg to push some takeout containers off of the couch, before all but throwing Hannah onto it. The three of them surrounded her, wondering what to do next.

"Is she okay?" Jasminka asked. Constanze put an ear to Hannah's chest before giving them all a thumbs up.

"What happens when she wakes up?" Amanda folded her arms and looked quite dismayed about the whole situation.

"I'll handle it," Jasminka replied. "Again, I'm to blame. Morals go out the window when food is involved."

"You should go to therapy or something."

Jasminka shrugged, and they kept watching. Suddenly, Hannah began to stir, groaning and shifting her head. Opening her eyes slowly, her glazed-over gaze was met by the three of them looking back at her.

"Oh… mm… Amanda."

She closed her eyes again before jolting upright, shocking all of them.

"AMANDA?!"

She went to climb over the back of the couch in an attempt to head for the door. However, she fell back down and continued laying there, groaning again.

"Oh, God… my head hurts."

"Just stay there, I'll get you something."

Jasminka headed to the kitchenette and searched for a clean glass to fill with water. It had been Constanze's turn to do the dishes that day, and the machine she used to do the job resulted in the kitchenette looking cleaner than the rest of the dorm. Jasminka brought the water over, and Hannah accepted it hesitantly.

"Dionno Sorware!" Jasminka raised her wand and cast a curing spell on Hannah to assist with her aches.

"T-Thank you."

"You drank yourself into a coma?!" Amanda asked incredulously. "That's pretty rad."

"S-Shut up. I'm going through a lot."

Jasminka put a hand on Hannah's forehead to check her temperature before ensuring she drank her water.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked groggily. She shifted into a sitting position, clutching her head and struggling to meet Jasminka's squinted eyes.

"'Cause she's guilty," Amanda casually explained. "She helped you guys with your little revenge prank, and she feels bad."

Hannah looked up at them and shook the loose ribbon from her hair, letting it all rest messily.

"I don't know what everyone's problem is," she remarked, still rubbing her forehead. "Diana's a prissy loser who thinks she's queen of the campus. Why am I the one being villainised?"

Amanda frowned. "Because, uh, people like Diana. And they don't like weird high-schooler pranks."

"You know that isn't the only issue people have with you, Hannah," Jasminka added solemnly. "You have a… reputation."

"A reputation? For what?" Hannah seemed to genuinely not know, and Jasminka searched her mind for the right words to use.

"For, um…"

"Using people for your own gain," Amanda interjected, and Jasminka glared at her.

"What?!" Hannah exclaimed. "Avery said the same thing! Where the hell did people get this idea from?!"

All three of them stared at her blankly.

"Hannah," Jasminka said calmly. "Did you intend to see how I was doing after I smashed into the trophy cabinet? Or speak to me at all after I helped you out?"

"Well, I… n-no, but…" Hannah choked out an attempted sentence. "D-Did Babs?!"

"True, she hasn't come by, either," Jasminka observed. "But since she isn't with you right now, I can assume something else happened after the fact."

Hannah sat and stared at them.

"So what's next for you?" Amanda asked. "Couch-surfing? More binge-drinking? I'm a little jealous."

She chuckled, but Hannah wasn't laughing. It felt difficult for her to feel any sort of emotions. Her world was turned upside-down over the course of a couple of days, and here she was, sitting in the filthiest dorm on campus with three troublemakers she hoped she'd never have to interact with.

"Maybe some apologies are in order for Barbara and Diana," Jasminka mused, but Hannah vigorously shook her head.

"Absolutely not! If they cared at all about me, they'd have come looking for me by now."

She folded her arms and sank into the couch as the others looked at her, a little confused.

"So… you still don't think you're in the wrong?" Amanda asked.

"I'm not wrong for wanting some recognition for my efforts. If people can't handle my personality, that's their problem."

Amanda sighed. "You'd better decide your next move fast, 'cause you sure as hell aren't crashing with us."

"That's fine, I don't intend to," Hannah retorted, looking around at the trash lining their dorm. "I'll probably just go back to my own dorm and see what happens."

"You can't be serious…"

Amanda sighed and facepalmed again as Hannah shakily ascended from the couch. Jasminka's spell had lessened the aching she was experiencing, but she still hadn't fully recovered. She made her way to their front door and let herself out, with Amanda and her friends still trying to figure out what just happened here.

Click!

Hannah unlocked the door to her dorm and entered cautiously. Inside, she found Barbara and Diana, as expected.

Diana's head was buried in a book, as usual, and she was scribbling notes down. Barbara, on the other hand, was seemingly chatting with someone through an owl-centric messenger tool on her crystal ball.

Hannah glanced at both of them, but only Barbara lifted her head to acknowledge her.

"Babs! Diana! I'm home!"

"Hi, Hannah." Barbara returned the greeting, but nothing more. Hannah had expected this, but even still, her demeanour shifted slightly upon hearing Barbara refer to her using her full first name. Holding her head high and shrugging it off, she headed to the bathroom and got ready to shower off after her mini-bender.

Once the bathroom door was shut and the water was audibly running, Barbara lifted her head to address Diana.

"She's finally back… are you okay?"

Diana pushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "I should be asking you the same thing. You look flustered."

Covering her face, Barbara nodded forcefully and tried to laugh it off. "Y-Yeah, I'll be okay. What do we do?"

"Give her space. If she wants to talk, she'll let us know."

Still a bit concerned, Barbara turned her attention back to her crystal ball, wondering if this really was the end of their friendship. Since she'd spoken to Lotte, she felt marginally better, but the winds of change were strong, and her defenses could only hold for so long. This awkward arrangement wasn't ideal in the slightest.

AN: Hi! Some readers may not like how I've chosen to characterise Hannah in these last two chapters, and that's understandable. The reason I've done this is because I wanted to show that unfortunately, not everyone is capable of recognising and fixing their mistakes.
Up until this point, I've had characters having arguments that get resolved after both parties talk it out. This is all well and good, and I'll continue to write scenes like these, but I just wanted to show that this doesn't always work. Hannah just so happens to be the character I've chosen to illustrate this, since to me, she seems the most likely to act this way out of the main cast.
I like Hannah, I think she's a cool character! I don't necessarily think she'd act this way canonically, but this story aims to be just one possible future outcome for these characters, for better and for worse.
Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoy any future chapters I put out!