𝐄𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟯

The school's bustling locker room greeted me as I entered on Monday, the sea of students parting to reveal Crissie at the center. Clad in her grey cheerleader outfit, she seemed to command the attention of everyone present.

Feeling the weight of the situation, I made my way to the balcony. It was a secluded spot, tucked away and seemingly forgotten by the student body. The side elevator nearby remained unused, its unassuming location providing me solace. As I stepped onto the balcony, the open sky greeted me with a sense of calm. Sitting on the floor, I allowed myself to bask in the tranquillity, gazing up at the above expanse.

"Dante," a voice called out behind me.

Turning around, I saw Micheal approaching.

"Mind if I join you, man?" he asked.

I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips as he settled beside me. It had been a while since we last spoke, with Micheal's responsibilities as class president and his recent involvement in various clubs keeping him occupied. I was surprised he had discovered this hidden spot.

"It's been too long since we had a proper chat," he remarked.

"Yeah," I agreed, a sense of camaraderie settling between us.

"You knew about this place?" he inquired.

"I stumbled upon it myself," I admitted. "Discovered it after serving detention..."

"Detention?" he repeated, eyebrows raised in surprise. "You don't strike me as the type."

"Mrs. Carillo tried to recruit me for the mathletes club," I explained. "But math isn't my cup of tea, and I didn't see the point in joining."

I paused, reflecting on the memory before continuing.

"Even my mom wasn't keen on the idea," I added. "And when I refused for the second time, things got heated. Accidentally snapped at her."

Micheal let out a soft chuckle.

"Nobody messes with you, huh?" he remarked.

"I guess not," I replied with a shrug.

"We'll keep that in mind," he grinned.

We shared a moment of laughter. The bell rang at that moment.

"We'll catch up later, dude," Micheal said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Sure thing," I replied, returning the gesture. "See you around."

With a nod and a smile, Micheal headed off, leaving me alone on the balcony. The moment's tranquillity was shattered by the realization that I had English class next—an ordeal I dreaded more than anything else. Well, maybe not anything else, but it certainly ranked high on my list of least favourite subjects.

As I turned to leave, a familiar voice called out to me from behind.

"Dude, you skipping class?" Micheal's voice rang out.

I turned back to see him standing there, his expression quizzical.

"I thought you'd already left," I said, surprised by his sudden reappearance.

"Nah, just checking," he replied, flashing a grin before disappearing from view.

Shrugging off his question, I returned inside and into the English classroom, determined to face whatever trials awaited me. Despite my best efforts to arrive early, Mrs. Shell, our English teacher, couldn't resist making a playful comment about my punctuality.

"Dante, early for once?" she teased as I took my seat.

"So are you," I retorted with a smirk, earning a chuckle from some of my classmates.