"You've got to be fucking kidding me," said Elliot. Any other day, Luca would have nudged against him for his crassness or Anna would have commented about his language. But, today they all stood and gawked; the only noise from around them came from quiet, polite conversation.
Harry hadn't noticed them yet, he was talking to people they didn't recognize. The world moved in slow motion around him as people quietly buzzed in interest, confusion, and excitement.
"What could he possibly be doing here?" some thought.
"I'm so glad he has finally come home," others whispered.
"Who does he think he is," Elliot glared.
"Should we say hi?" Luca panicked.
"If I were him, I wouldn't have stepped foot in here," Nina picked at her nails.
"I thought I'd never see him again," Anna stole another glance.
It was an interesting atmosphere. It didn't feel like a funeral, there was too much excitement seeping into what should have been mourning. It didn't make sense, and it was becoming frustrating the more people noticed. He was dressed in all black, as most were, and it seemed like he had picked his humblest clothes; there was no typical floral pattern adorning his fabric like they saw on videos and paparazzi photos. How humble of him to dress to blend in with the poor.
Luca stepped in front of the three, broad shoulders and height obscuring the view of the scene. He took a deep breath trying to calm his fluster, "we should go inside and get a seat. Yeah? Anna?"
At the sound of her name, her eyes snapped to Luca who tried on the face of confidence. The mask didn't fit right, she saw through it. He was just as anxious as the rest of them. Nevertheless, she nodded and started walking towards the entrance.
The four of them had just made it past his plane of sight when Harry caught a glimpse of a curly mountain of hair. Maybe it wouldn't have stood out to him any other day, but he caught sight of the four familiar builds and his fears were confirmed: they came as well.
The first time Harry saw Nina's mountain of curls was that same day, roughly ten years ago. Elliot had complained about the obstruction of view, Luca kicked him under the table, Nina slid lower in her seat when no one was looking (except for Harry), and Anna turned around to try to put a bandaid on something someone else had wrecked. Over the next few years, Harry would become well acquainted with this habit of hers.
"Harry?" At the sound of his voice, his head snapped up and his cheeks flushed red; he wondered if Mrs. Peters could tell he was looking at Anna's birthmark placed right under her eye. He'd never noticed it before though they've lived in the same neighborhood and they had spent years around each other. It was darker, more prominent than a freckle; unconsciously his pencil dug into his paper and tried to replicate it in front of him. However, in quickly coming to awareness that all eyes were on him, he dropped his pencil.
Completely lost, he raised an eyebrow and tried on a trying smile, "can I phone a friend?" After Mrs. Peters nodded, he called for Elliot. He and Elliot played football together two years prior and it was a relief to see his face when he walked in the room this morning.
Class continued like the clock's hands were moving through maple syrup, each moment sticking to the next and moving very, very slowly. At lunch, Harry sat with Elliot. Eventually, Luca came to sit with Elliot, his cousin, which is when Luca met Harry. Just as the young boys became friends, bonding over how boring class had been, Anna walked over to meet Luca; Anna then met Elliot and Harry. Last but not least, Nina joined the table looking for Anna but locking eyes with Elliot.
