༒𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓑𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰༒

𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳

The next morning, William walked through the school hallways with a sense of dread hanging over him. Marco's threat from the previous night echoed in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get worse. He'd hoped that keeping his head down and following Marco's orders would be enough to keep his secret safe, but Marco's unpredictability was a constant source of stress.

William's steps were slow, each one dragging a bit as he made his way to class. He kept his eyes on the floor, avoiding eye contact with other students. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. The last thing he needed was to give Marco another reason to make his life miserable.

But when he entered the classroom, he found Percy waiting for him, a broad smile on his face.

-Hey, Will! -Percy greeted him with enthusiasm. -I saved you a seat. Come sit with me.

William hesitated for a moment, his anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. Marco's words played in his head: "If he knew your secret, he would get away from you as fast as possible." 

He glanced around the classroom, half-expecting Marco to be lurking somewhere, ready to strike.

But Percy seemed genuinely happy to see him, and it was hard not to be drawn into his infectious energy. William forced a smile and made his way to the empty seat next to Percy.

-Thanks -William said, trying to sound normal. -What's up?

-Not much -Percy replied. -Just thought we'd sit together today. You know, in case you need help with anything -He grinned -Or in case I do. You know how I am with math.

William chuckled despite himself. Percy's humor and easygoing nature were a welcome distraction from the weight of Marco's threat. For a moment, he felt like things could be okay, like he could be a normal student with a normal friendship.

As class started, William tried to focus on the lesson, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Marco. What did he mean by "surprise"? Was he planning something else? And how could William protect his secret without letting Marco control him?

Percy nudged him, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

-Hey, you okay? You look like you're a million miles away.

William forced another smile. 

-Yeah, just thinking -he replied. -I'll be fine.

Marco was at the A classroom in his grade, and William and Percy were at the B classroom, but still, it wasn't an excuse for Marco to look for reasons to spread William's secret to everyone.

 Marco noticed. He noticed everything as weeks passed. Every single day he saw them... together. But he decided to keep quiet for that time, until one day... 

 -Hey, Percy! -Marco greeted Percy with a hand wave and a big smile. 

 -Oh, hey, bro! What's on? -Percy waved back at Marco and smiled. 

 -Nothing much, I've been bored lately, we haven't gone out at the cinema in a long time together with the boys, a long time, don't you think? 

 -Yeah... I've been feeling strange lately, actually, probably need to hang out more. 

 -So, you've been busy -Marco looked up and down at Percy, referring to William in his thoughts. 

 -Kind of... -Percy replied. 

 -Yeah, I see, but, are you free this Saturday? Let's call the boys for a going out, you can invite someone if you want to! 

 -That sounds great! Umh... is there a problem if I bring a friend? He's kind of... 

 -Bring him! -Marco's voice changed all of a sudden. Then he went to his normal voice -I bet he is going to have great fun, new friends are always welcome. 

 Percy smiled and said goodbye to Marco. Marco watched Percy mischievously as he walked away and said: 

 -See you on Saturday, William.