Story Summary
This page contains spoilers for the entire story so far, so proceed with caution!
Last updated on June 14, 2023, up to Chapter 3 page 39.
Chapter One: Mix & Mingle
Iro Harada and Kit Hawthorne are two college freshmen on their way to their first day at Trueman University, a prestigious institution heavily funded by the tech giant TrueCorp. The two best friends are looking forward to being roommates and starting their college years off strong, but to their dismay, a registrar mixup results in their room assignments being split up. Iro gets put with Ben Greene, a friendly enthusiast for all things nerdy whose father is a professor at the university. Across the hall, Kit begins to unpack alone but gets a call from someone named Zachary, which she rejects. She then meets her new roommate Sonia Trueman, a sweet young woman with an intimidating family, including her grandmother Eloise Trueman. While Iro is optimistic about making new friends, Kit is slow to trust and resents being forced out of her defensive shell.
The two pairs of roommates spend a little time getting to know one another, until Kit impatiently kicks down the boys’ door to reunite with Iro. After some light introductions, the four new friends decide to set out to a dining hall for some lunch. On their way out the building, they are intercepted by the Resident Advisor Carlos Alvarez, who takes his freshman onboarding duties a little too seriously. He is dejected and angry because none of the incoming freshmen came to the dorm’s icebreaker pizza party. People-pleasing Iro promises that they will attend the orientation assembly after lunch despite his friends’ protests.
Interlude Iro
In the past, 9 year old Iro discovers an injured bird at school one spring. He attempts to rescue the creature but is interrupted by his usual bullies, Jimmy Jones and Erica Wang. As Iro narrates, we learn that he has always struggled with society’s rigid adherence to labels, neat racial categories, and gender norms. He has a supportive home life, but his bullies frequently mock him for his long hair and more effeminate traits. Even well-meaning people seem determined to categorize his interests and activities based on what is acceptable for a little boy to like. As Jimmy and Erica take the bird from him, Iro attempts to stand up for himself but gets a black eye for his trouble. In the background, a young Kit watches in frustration.
At home, Iro impulsively begins to cut his long hair shorter, pondering the difference between changing for the better and doing it for other people. He returns to school the next day with his new cut, but as classmates express that he looks more like a boy, Iro does not feel as happy as he thought. When Jimmy and Erica continue to harass him despite his new look, he realizes that changing himself was never going to appease them. He is then rescued by Kit, who furiously beats up the two bullies and gives Iro the chance to stand up for himself. The two become fast friends, and Iro soon learns that the people who matter the most will stand by him no matter how he expresses himself. As the two develop a stronger friendship over time, the rescued bird heals, and Iro releases the creature into the sky where it can soar free of any expectations, just like him.
Chapter Two: Orientation
Back in the present, Kit is annoyed about being volunteered for more freshman orientation activities, but Iro’s patience at her attitude is wearing thin. As the group makes their way to the dining hall, Sonia thinks she notices a strange man trailing them, but he disappears before she can spot him.
Once there, confusion over meal plans reveals Sonia’s identity as a member of the Trueman family, the wealthy owners of both Trueman University and TrueCorp. Ben reacts with ecstatic fanboying, Kit reacts with distrust and hostility, and the university staff reacts by treating her like royalty. Sonia is distraught that she can’t just be seen as normal, but Ben consoles her. Meanwhile, Iro asks Kit to give her a fair chance rather than judging based off of Sonia’s family.
At lunch, Kit continues to be abrasive as they discuss majors, family, and interests, but Ben returns her hostility in stride. Kit realizes that Iro is not backing her up, so she introduces a new icebreaker topic by asking everyone’s sexual orientation. It becomes clear that she hopes Iro revealing himself as gay will help drive a wedge between him and his new roommate. Iro, furious at being forced to out himself, pulls her aside to demand to know why Kit is so against them making new friends. Years of grievances pour out as they argue about loyalty, protection, and embarrassment. Iro finally snaps, saying Kit is a bully who is no different from her family, and that he no longer even wants to be her roommate.
He immediately regrets his words and tries to apologize, but Kit takes them to heart, smashing a nearby machine in anger and self-loathing. Bleeding and crying, she runs out of the building. As she tries to get her bearings outside, her phone rings. She answers and begins to apologize, assuming it’s Iro, but the voice on the other end calls her “sis” and berates her for ignoring their calls all day. She impulsively throws her phone to the ground, smashing it. Dejected and lost, she sets off back to the dorm room to figure out what to do next. In the background, the man from before watches unnoticed from atop a nearby building.
Iro returns to Ben and Sonia, shaken and no longer feeling up to attending the orientation assembly despite the promise to Carlos. They assume they won’t be missed, but we then learn that the assembly auditorium is completely empty, with no freshmen attending whatsoever. While the other R.A.’s are fine with their jobs being made easier, Carlos is infuriated by the lack of commitment to the ideal freshman experience. He becomes determined to make the freshmen have fun whether they want to or not.
Interlude Kit
In the past, 12 year old Kit attends her school’s track and field tryouts one summer. As she crouches on the starting line, she looks out at the crowd anxiously and wonders where her loved ones are. She is so distracted that she misses the starting gun, getting left in the dust behind the others.
Rewinding to the age of 6, Kit narrates her early childhood. She grew up with her rowdy older brother Zach, her overworked mother, and their volatile alcoholic father. Home is a stressful and tense place to be due to how much their parents fight, with her father reacting violently any time her mother implies she might leave him. It soon becomes a habit for Kit to run away during these fights while Zach stays behind. Her unhealthy home life also begins to interfere with her ability to make friends at school, gets her in trouble, and impacts her self-confidence.
This all changes when she takes notice of her classmate Iro, a sensitive boy getting bullied. She realizes she can fight to protect people rather than to hurt them, and after beating up Iro’s bullies the two soon become inseparable. Iro, in turn, helps her learn how to have healthier friendships, and spending time around his parents makes her realize that her own family dynamic is not the norm. As the two grow closer, Kit spends less time with her brother Zach, which makes him grow more resentful and antagonistic towards both of them, reinforcing her distaste for him. At times, however, Kit’s insecurities manifest as being unhealthily possessive of Iro.
One day, Kit’s father comes home with a new TV. Her mother is angry about the expensive purchase, but her father spitefully reveals where he got the money: a secret stash her mother had been saving up in order to leave with the kids. He grows increasingly furious that she lied to him, throwing beer bottles and shoving her onto the couch. As he raises his hand to hit her, Kit runs forward to block the blow, telling him that she won’t let him hurt them anymore. Enraged at this act of defiance, her father turns his anger on Kit, but she quickly smashes the TV as a distraction and ushers her mom outside into the night. As her father goes to stop her, Zach tries to intervene, nervously saying the men of the house will be better off without the women. Kit takes Zach’s dismissal personally and at face value, but after she furiously leaves he privately breaks down into tears.
Finally free, Kit and her mother call Iro on a payphone for help and a place to stay, which the Haradas offer without hesitation. Later that night, the adults discuss what to do next to get Kit’s mom back on her feet as an independent woman. Kit and Iro lie awake listening in as Kit decides what to fight for next. The two friends spend the next few weeks doing lemonade stands, car washes, and mowing lawns to help raise money for Kit’s mom. Iro encourages Kit to pursue hobbies beyond just working and spending time together, and gives her the idea to try out for track since she’s great at running.
Fast forward to the track tryouts, and we learn all of this was why Kit was lost in thought when the starting pistol went off. As she frantically tries to catch back up with the other competitors, she devolves into self-loathing and is close to giving up. Suddenly she hears Iro’s voice cheering her on, and she sees him there along with her mother and Mrs. Harada. She regains her motivation and charges forward, catching up and narrowly making it into third place. As they celebrate, she hugs Iro and reflects on how this is a friendship she never wants to let go of.
Chapter Three: Join Us
Back in the present, Iro is worried about Kit not responding to his calls or texts. Sonia and Ben try to make him feel better, suggesting that some space might be healthy. While Ben and Iro talk, Sonia receives a phone call from her grandmother, Eloise Trueman, who we now know to be the head of TrueCorp. She casually asks how Sonia’s first day is going, but has secretly been watching her and her new friends on an array of TrueCorp security monitors. Her grandmother stresses the importance of good influences, and reminds Sonia that she is expected at a sorority rush event that will be good for future business connections. After hanging up, Eloise calls someone named “L” and expresses her distrust of her granddaughter’s new friends, especially her volatile new roommate Kit.
Meanwhile, Kit attempts to get into her dorm room but is blocked by the movers, who have no record of Sonia having a rommate. The mysterious man that has been trailing the group appears and vouches for Kit, then removes this disguise to reveal L. Surewater: Dean of Students, Sonia’s godmother, and eccentric lover of disguises. Dean Surewater interrogates Kit’s volatile behavior and the mysterious room assignment swap, but determines that Kit isn’t a real threat to TrueCorp or Sonia. As Kit falls into self-loathing, the Dean challenges Kit to make the most of a bad situation by examining how she can better herself going forward. She then indicates that Kit’s brother Zach is outside looking for her.
As Sonia gets off the phone, she regretfully tells Iro and Ben that she has to attend a sorority rush event. They exchange contact information and part ways, agreeing to meet up at the Freshman Fun pool party. Iro and Ben set off to explore the club sign-up fair, but it quickly becomes clear that they have different interests, so Ben suggests splitting up so that he can focus his time on Nerd Alley. Iro is not enthusiastic about exploring alone, but is determined not to let anything else ruin his first day of college.
Kit begrudgingly meets with Zach, who is now a party-loving senior at True U. He is as obnoxious and abrasive as ever, but is determined to spend some time with his sister no matter how hard she has been trying to avoid him. Kit makes it clear she is not interested in catching up, but finally relents as the two set off to make fun of clubs at the sign-up fair.
Dean Surewater watches Kit and Zach from a distance, pleased that they are reconnecting. She then receives a call from the R.A. Kai, who is terrified of Carlos’s extreme attempts to take over the freshman orientation activities. Dean Surewater considers intervening, but decides that it will be a beneficial challenge for the students to face for their personal growth.
Sonia arrives at the Delta Tru sorority house, feeling nervous and out of place. Before she can enter, she encounters Erica Wang, another rushee she seems to have a history with. Catty and condescending, Erica talks down to her and implies that Sonia’s Trueman family connections are all she is good for. Before Sonia can recover from this unpleasant interaction she is accosted by Tasha Vera, reporter for the student-run True U News Crew. Tasha is determined to get an interview with the Trueman heiress despite Sonia’s discomfort with the idea, and Sonia finally relents.
Ben arrives at Nerd Alley, the main hub for student organizations devoted to gaming, anime, and beyond. He is recognized by many upperclassmen as “Lil’ Benny” due to his history of hanging around campus while his professor father was busy working. He is annoyed that they still view him as a little kid, but is determined to play it cool and form a new reputation. He heads to the robotics club and enters the Robo Rumpus in order to make a name for himself.
Iro explores different student organizations on his own, starting with the Creative Writing Club. Dean Surewater, disguised as a janitor, overhears his story ideas and encourages him to keep up his creative passions. Iro has been cheered up by how friendly everyone has been, and guiltily finds himself thinking that it’s even easier to make friends without Kit there. He then notices the Queer Student Alliance, and decides to check it out despite his reservations about being pigeonholed by his sexuality. Upon arriving he is greeted by the club officers and is offered pronoun pins, but is uncomfortable with the emphasis on being assigned literal labels.
Kit and Zach weave their way through the maze of club tents, with Kit still deflecting most of his attempts at conversation. Annoyed, Zach finally asks about the earlier phone call, where she began making an apology before smashing her phone. Kit is too embarrassed to admit it was meant for Iro, but Zach quickly figures out that they had a fight. After he teases her for being a hot-headed control freak, she punches him in the face. She immediately regrets it and breaks down, hating how she can’t seem to stop herself from being mean, impulsive, and violent. To her surprise, Zach expresses that he actually likes her more abrasive traits, and insists that real friends should accept her exactly the way she is. Kit is touched but still doesn’t want to take after their father, which is how she sees Zach after he sided with him when they were kids. Zach angrily denies this version of events, and reveals how hurt he was that Kit and their mother left him behind after he tried to protect them. The two siblings, not realizing how much they had hurt the other, apologize and hug it out.
Sonia is in the middle of her student news interview, feeling deeply anxious about being broadcast across campus. Many of the questions highlight her wealth and family connections, which only serves to make her more uncomfortable. After an overwhelming onslaught of vapid questions about her interests, the interview ends, leaving Sonia dazed. However, before she can leave, Tasha reveals that her official student reporter gig serves as cover to film her independent news show, “Vera Tea with T. Vera”. With cameras rolling, Tasha dives into a hard-hitting investigative interview, her real intent in approaching the Trueman heiress.
And that’s where we last left off! Time to see what Ben has been up to with all that robot stuff…
