༒𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓑𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰༒

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵

It was January 9th in the afternoon, a Tuesday, and the cold breeze swept through the empty schoolyard. Marco was in his usual spot, whispering with his crew. There was something sinister in his smile, and anyone who knew him well enough could sense that he was hatching a plan. A plan to ruin William. It was a game to Marco—how much pressure could he apply before someone snapped? And today, he was taking the first step in his operation.

Percy was trying to catch William as he was leaving school, heading to his house already. He saw William walking quickly through the front gate as if he was in a hurry to get away. Percy called out, but William didn't seem to hear him over the noise of other students talking and laughing. He sprinted to catch up, his backpack bouncing against his back.

-Got you! -Percy exclaimed, finally hugging William's arm to stop him from walking, almost tripping.

William turned around, a little surprised. He noticed Percy was out of breath, his cheeks flushed from the effort of running. 

-Are you okay? I haven't seen you this tired ever...

-I'm okay -Percy panted, doubling over to catch his breath. -... need a second...

William shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. 

-If you say so... why don't you sit down and tell me why you ran like that?

Percy nodded, still trying to steady his breathing. He sat on a nearby bench, rubbing his side where a stitch was forming. William joined him, waiting patiently for Percy to catch his breath.

-So... what's up? -William asked, curious why Percy had chased him down.

-I just... wanted to see if you're free this weekend -Percy managed to say between breaths -I just noticed you haven't met some of my friends, and I wanted to introduce you to them this Saturday... hanging out?

William hesitated. He'd been avoiding social gatherings lately, but he didn't want to disappoint Percy. He knew how important it was for him.

-Yeah, I'll be there -William replied, trying to sound casual. -Saturday, right?

-Yeah, we're meeting at Brunos's pizzeria, and then we're going to catch a movie -Percy explained, finally catching his breath. -It's gonna be fun. Plus, we can grab some food afterward.

-Sounds good -William said, nodding.

As they sat on the bench, Percy felt relieved that he had caught up with William. He'd been worried that William might back out of their plans because of the stress he'd been under. But seeing his smile, even if it was a small smile, made it all worth it. He knew he needed to keep the momentum going and do his best to be there for William.

-So... who is going to be there? -William asked.

-You'll see! You will love them, I promise, and they will love you as well! -Percy said, grinning.

-Huh... I guess it's nice to dream sometimes, Percy -William replied his tone light but tinged with doubt.

-I mean it! You are like the funniest guy ever! -Percy insisted.

William blushed a little. 

-Well, thank you -he chuckled.

-Still don't believe me? -Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

-Yeah, I don't believe you yet, I'm sorry -William laughed.

Percy tried to laugh too, but instead, he stayed in his thoughts, admiring William's smile and the sound of his laugh. For one second, that was the only thing he could focus on. Suddenly, William stopped laughing as he noticed Percy wasn't laughing.