It was all because the bus took an enormous detour going through three different neighborhoods before going downtown where his school was located.
Instead of riding the bus for almost an hour, he could take a "shortcut" and get within walking distance of school in mere 20 minutes.
Of course, that shortcut wasn't really short at all. In fact, it involved jumping over fences, climbing walls, running across roofs, and other similar obstacles. But in the end, Alexander still chose it.
After all, as long as no one sees him doing it, there is no problem. And besides, he enjoyed it immensely. Every obstacle gave him a chance to practice his acrobatics, while every rooftop offered a breathtaking view of the surrounding cityscape.
And it was beautiful.
Even though it was only mid-morning, the sun had already risen high above the horizon. The light reflected off buildings, illuminating everything with a golden glow and turning the sky into a brilliant blue dome. In Alexander's mind, these views were worth risking getting into trouble.
With these thoughts in mind, Alexander finally left his house. Today he wore a casual outfit consisting mostly of dark gray sports clothing; a shirt under a jacket, pants tucked into trainers, and fingerless gloves.
His hair was tied up into a ponytail behind his head, leaving only a few jet black strands hanging down from the top of his skull. After a quick stretch, he faced the direction of the central district and ran.
This part of town was built upon former industrial zones, which meant many abandoned warehouses lay scattered throughout its territory. Many of those buildings were still standing but completely ruined, others had been converted into homes, offices, and various businesses.
Some were simply destroyed and turned into piles of rubble and debris. While most of these structures were in good condition and could easily pass inspection without any renovations needed, Alexander always preferred the ones that were decrepit and falling apart.
They always offered some kind of surprise to them, and the added factor of danger only intensified the adrenaline rush he would get.
Today was no exception. But first, he had to meet someone.
While approaching one such ruinous building, Alexander noticed a familiar figure inside. There stood a young girl, her long black hair blowing in the wind, staring blankly ahead of herself. She seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Hey!" Alexander shouted towards her, hoping she'd hear him.
The girl spun around, surprised to see Alexander. She smiled when she realized who it was.
"Ah! Hey, Alex." Her smile widened. "I knew you would be here."
The girl's name was Felicia. Felicia was a pretty teenager with raven black hair, emerald green eyes, and fair skin. She was wearing the same kind of sporty outfit as Alexander did. On her feet, she had a pair of sneakers, while on top of her shoulders sat a backpack containing textbooks. As one could guess, she was Alexander's classmate.
"You ready to go?" Alexander asked.
Felicia nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah. Whoever is last, buys lunch!"
They both laughed together. Then Alexander led the way toward the entrance of the warehouse. He pushed the door open with his hand. The interior of the building was dim, but not entirely dark due to large windows that stretched across the length of the wall.
They quickly scaled the stairway that led directly to the roof.
The warehouse itself was only about three-story high, but it made for an excellent starting point due to its location and how densely packed were the buildings in the area. From the rooftop, they had an unobstructed view over the whole neighborhood. They could even catch sight of the nearby lake.
In the past year, Alexander learned a great deal about parkour and freerunning thanks to Felicia. It helped greatly that she shared his passion for extreme sports and thrill-seeking activities. Although they weren't best friends, they spent quite a lot of time together during breaks between classes and sometimes after school too.
"Plan for today is to take the bridge route. We didn't go there for some time and since we start early today we can afford a little detour. What do you think?"
"Sounds good," Felicia replied enthusiastically. "But remember, don't fall."
Alexander rolled his eyes and was about to reply with a sarcastic quip when Felicia suddenly took this opportunity to start running first. She jumped onto the nearest edge and started sprinting along the roof, leaping from one ledge to another, until reaching the far side.
"Remember, whoever loses the race is buying!" With a burst of laughter reminiscent of wind chimes, the girl disappeared behind the corner.
"This girl..." Alexander muttered quietly to himself, his face full of exasperation. Then he collected himself and started to run.
He leaped from the roof, landing lightly on the building nearby. He followed Felicia's tracks, taking the shortest path possible. His body felt light and every leap was seemingly effortless. This brought an enjoyable feeling to Alexander's heart.
When he reached the next rooftop, he stopped briefly to check if Felicia was close enough yet to make sure their plan worked. Sure enough, he saw the girl's silhouette in front of him. He picked up the pace and tapped the girl's shoulder lightly.
At once, Felicia came to a stop. Without wasting any time, Alexander leaped forward. Just before he landed, he twisted his upper torso and grabbed the edge of the adjacent rooftop. Then, using momentum, he flipped over the edge.
"When did you learn to do that?!" Felicia exclaimed loudly.
"Last night." Alexander grinned, proud of himself. "Practice makes perfect."
Felicia stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! How am I supposed to compete with this kind of move? Are you a professional acrobat now?"
"No one forced you to make this a bet."
"Oh, shut up! Anyway, I'm hungry!" Felicia announced cheerfully. "Let's buy something delicious from a street vendor and eat it on the way to school."
"This girl is really cheeky." Alexander thought to himself. Still, it sounded like a fun idea, so he agreed immediately.
Their destination was a small market near the main road. Here, vendors sold various foods from different countries around the world, including dumplings, crepes, pizza, German sausages, and much more.