"Julian, wake up. It's closing hours."

I slowly opened my eyes to find the classroom emptying out, backpacks slung over shoulders as students filed out. A gentle but insistent tapping on my head made me wince, and I groaned as I sat up. Magnus, my friend, grinned at me. "Time to go, sleepyhead!"

"What the hell, bro. I was enjoying this position." I said with my gaze on the desk, as I slowly raised my head.

His eyes narrowed, eyebrow raised, gaze fixated on me. "Excuse me?" He muttered with a chuckle. "You know this is twenty, twenty-three. You can't be saying stuff like that.

I ignored him, picked up my writing materials from the desk, and shoved them into my bag. It was my first time falling asleep in class, which happened due to a headache from the unbearable heat, teachers boring lectures...Today's just not the day for me.

****

As we stepped out of the school premises, our group of four fell into our usual routine, walking together since we all lived in the same neighborhood. I hadn't noticed my own silence until a girl with short black hair approached us. Her outfit was understated – a worn out grey hoodie, white tank top, black skirt extending down to her knees, and white sneakers without socks. She handed a textbook to one of my friends, saying, "Hey, you dropped this earlier." Magnus took the book, thanking her. As we prepared to walk away, she asked, "Mind if I walk with you guys? We're headed in the same direction, but no pressure if it makes you uncomfortable."

We exchanged uneasy glances. Before I could respond, Magnus spoke up. "Sorry, we're good. Besides, we don't know you." Gavin chimed in, "She's that girl in class who sits with Cooper, the weird guy." Magnus's expression flickered with irritation before he regained his composure. "Yeah, it's a no." He added, somewhat curtly, "Lady."

The girl forced a weak smile and waved goodbye. I felt a pang of guilt, but it was quickly overshadowed by indifference. She hung out with Cooper, who was pretty eccentric, so I assumed she was probably similar.

I trudged home, feeling drained. The argument between my little sisters didn't help, their high-pitched voices grating on my nerves. I grabbed my dinner and retreated to my room, seeking refuge in video games.

Life had changed dramatically since Mom passed away a year ago. Dad did his best, but the distance between us grew. He'd come home, claim to be busy, and lock himself away. I knew he was trying, but it felt like he was avoiding us.

As the oldest sibling, I was stuck with the responsibility of dealing with my twin sisters' antics. Don't get me wrong, I loved them, but they could be overwhelming. Most of the time, I felt like I was at my wit's end.

As I played video games on my laptop, my screen lit up with an incoming call from Magnus. I hesitated for a moment before answering, not wanting to pause my game.

"Hey, what's up?" Magnus asked, his voice competing with the sound effects of my game.

I tried to balance my attention between the call and my game. "Not much, man. I'm right in the middle of a match."

Magnus chuckled. "You're always gaming. Can't you take a break?"

I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me. "I'm about to win this thing. Just a minute, okay?"

My brows furrowed in concentration, but I still managed to lose the game. "Ugh!" I groaned, frustrated. "This sucks. Way to make me lose."

Magnus laughed. "Not my fault you suck."

I chuckled, customizing my character. "So, why'd you call instead of texting like a normal person?"

"Because it's urgent, and you're barely online these days," he replied, the sound of crunching in the background indicating he was snacking on something.

He continued, "Our exams are due so I'm gonna apply to the University of Arizona."

My gaze snapped up from my laptop. "Which?!" I asked, though I'd already heard him. Magnus sighed, knowing I wouldn't be happy. "I thought we were going to attend St Andrews in the UK together?" I said, my voice laced with disapproval.

Magnus sighed again. "I changed my mind. Arizona has what I'm looking for."

I set my laptop aside, picking up my phone to give the conversation my full attention. "Which is?"

"Career-building infrastructure," Magnus muttered.

"Huh? Never mind. It's cool anyway," I said, not wanting to pry further. I tried to shake off the lingering disappointment and continued chatting with Magnus until we wrapped up our conversation.

As I drifted off to sleep, I checked my messages one last time. That's when I saw Magnus's text: "Hey, guess who just moved in next door to you?" My heart skipped a beat as I read the next line: "The girl from earlier." I rolled my eyes, ignoring the text by setting my phone aside. With a sigh, I settled into bed, trying to shake off the sudden feeling of unease.

A small smile crept onto my face as I whispered, "Moron," under my breath, the playful jab at Magnus a final thought before I drifted off to sleep.

****

As I walked to school, a familiar face waved at me from across the street. Shit, it's her. Was Magnus really spying on me? She walked towards me, and I gave her a small smile. As she approached, I caught a whiff of pineapple scent, reminiscent of my sisters.

"Hi," she said with a wide smile.

"Hi. You live around here?" I asked, my gaze facing forward as we walked to school.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm. Moved in a couple days ago. That's why I wanted to join you and your friends earlier."

I breathed a soft "oh." "Well, I wasn't the one who didn't want you to come with. Plus, we didn't really know you outside of school."

She checked her phone for the time. We were fifteen minutes early. "It's all good. I'm not offended," she said, putting her phone away.

We arrived at the school premises, and she stopped. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways."

"Aren't you going to class?"

She shook her head and waved goodbye. "Hmm... Weird," I whispered to myself.

As I entered the building, Gavin and Magnus approached me, wearing silly grins. I stared at them, confused.

"What?" I asked.

Magnus chuckled. "We saw you walking her to school. Didn't think you'd be into weird girls, bro."

I shook my head. "No, I didn't walk her to school. She just happens to live in my neighborhood, like you said."

Magnus's eyes widened in surprise. "What the... I was only kidding! Does she actually live there? For how long?"

I rolled my eyes. "Go ask her if you're so interested. Don't ask me."

Magnus held up his hands. "Not trying to steal your newly acquired girlfriend. She ain't my type anyway."

Gavin chimed in, "By a great margin."

We turned to him, raising our eyebrows. "What?" Gavin asked.

Magnus shrugged. "Buddy ain't got no girls, and he's speaking. Might as well try her out and see if you're a good fit."

I chuckled. "Yeah, maybe you should. You never know."

Gavin shot us a disapproving glare. "What the hell. I hate you guys."

I snickered, shaking my head.