BACK AT SCHOOL

CW: this chapter includes strong scenes of abuse and violence, and also homophobic language and behaviour.

If this things trigger you I'd recommend to skip from "The last day of middle school" to " He never told anyone anything".

Flashback.

Year 2009.

Three kids laughed loudly in a dirty playground, where the sun hit fiercely onto the dirt, surrounding another and weaker 12 year old kid lying on the dirty ground.

Their thunderous laughs made Alex's ears hurt. He slowly tried to get up but the taller kid, the one who had punched him and kicked him, stepped on one of his hands, smashing it. The weaker kid ruffled his face as he tried to suppress a painful whine and tears.

'You're such a pussy, Alex' the boy on his hand laughed, and the other two followed. 'You surely look like one.'

The big kid, named Brody, stepped harder on his hand making Alex shut his eyes hard. The kids kept laughing until an adult voice sounded from afar.

'What's going on here!? Why aren't you in class?'

The kids, now in trouble, hushed and lined up to cover Alex, who quickly took advantage of the situation, and tried to stand up.

'Alex fell, and we were trying to help him,' said the taller kid quickly, stressed.

'Go back to class! Now!' the teacher loudly scolded them.

All three ran off scared, as Alex got up completely and shook the dirt off his clothes.

'Alex' said the teacher in a low but severe voice now looking at him, 'you should try to get along with the others and have more friends'.

The teacher left him alone in the playground and went back to his business. Alex felt helpless and frail. He dried the tears off his face with a hand and then went back to class.

When he got inside, he noticed how everyone looked away, avoiding his stare. He had his cheeks scratched and covered in dirt as well as his clothes. He pinned his gaze to the ground and approached his seat, knowing the teacher was looking at him with disapproval.

'You're late, Alex. One more and you are going straight to detention.'

Alex sat saying nothing.

The bell rang for recess and Alex was the first one to get up. He walked as fast as he could to leave the classroom and once out, he started running. He rushed into the bathroom and locked the door of the stall. While trying to catch his breath lowly, *he held the door with both hands - he already knew he was being followed.

A couple of seconds passed and he heard the blaring hiss classmates made as they entered the bathroom. He closed his eyes as they ran inside and he could hear his loud steps as they approached the stall he was locked in.

'He is here!'

Alex startled when they all started to bang on the stall door without hesitation.

'Get out, get out, get out!

' You're such a girl!'

He heard other boys laughing and slamming into the door. He turned and laid his back against the door, firmly, closing his eyes shut and praying to all the universe's gods, so it would be over soon.

The boys kicked and punched the door while shouting at him. The door was going to give in at any moment if the kids kept hitting on it so violently.

'Hey, you hear that?' said the familiar voice of the tall kid. 'I totally hear him crying'.

The others burst into laughter.

'You're such a baby!'

'I bet he's crying. He's totally crying!'

They didn't stop punching the wall.

Alex's heartbeat frightened as he realized the hinges of the stall door were starting to yield from the smashing. He kept pressing against it, now with all his strength, to keep it shut. Tears started to fall from his eyes and his legs trembled. The kids outside kept shouting his name and cursing him - they weren't going to give up until they got what they wanted.

The door started to give in. Alex's blood went cold. Brody realized the door was looser and kicked the door with all his power, making Alex fall over the toilet and hit his head with the edge of it. He felt dizzy and a pinching pain on his forehead. Blood started to flow over his eyes and down his face, but before he could do anything, the boys dragged him out by his shirt and pushed him to the ground.

"See? He was crying!' mocked Brody as he lifted Alex's head from his hair. 'Why are you such a baby, Alex?'

He smashed his head against the floor with a fast move, laughing. The other kids joined him and started to

Alex barely consciously lifted his arms to protect his face. That's when he received a strong kick on his stomach, which made him gag instantly. He was left with no air, gasping, meanwhile, the other boys tried pulling his pants down. They laughed and kicked his bare skin, forming bruises immediately. At that point, Alex could only curl up to hide his face in between his legs, waiting to be over.

They only left when the bell rang.

He stayed on the floor to catch his breath and very slowly relaxed his arms and body. He tried to incorporate and still a little dizzy his eyes caught his blood smeared all over the sole. He turned on the water on the faucet and let it run for a bit. He couldn't dare look at his reflection, so he just poured a bunch of water on his face and cleaned the blood.

Everything stung but he didn't care - everything had to get clean before entering the classroom. He also poured water on his head to make his hair wet too and tried to brush it with his hands. He took a quick peek at the mirror and saw part of his shirt was ripped and some parts were stained with his blood. He'd had to wear his sweater to cover it, perhaps.

When he entered the classroom, some turned their heads but ignored him. No one would look at him. The teacher was looking at the whiteboard as he was writing something.

He went to his seat and looked for his bag to get some band-aids for the wound on his forehead. When he got there, he realized the bag wasn't there. He immediately knew they were pulling a prank on him but didn't dare to look around or ask someone about it.

Alex knew they were watching closely to see his reaction.

Instead, he just sat on the chair, silently, and looked at the table. His ears burned and he clenched his jaw overwhelmed by frustration.

Later that day Alex went home without his backpack and got scolded by his dad because of his clothes and the lost bag. Irresponsible, he was called. He got grounded and was left without video games for a week. He accepted the punishment in silence and went to his room.

His mom sat with him in his bed, where he had spent the whole afternoon, holding back everything that had happened that day.

This whole situation had started the year before, just as he started middle school. The other boys from his class were getting taller and older faster than him and they made fun of him about it. He wasn't as good at sports or wrestling as they did, so he would spend his time drawing anime characters and superheroes in the classroom or talking to a few friends he knew from primary school. Eventually, the jokes about his looks and his preferences started to pick up as the semester passed by. They compared him with girls because of his young face and his gender-neutral name. At first, Alex tried to defend himself, but they'd laugh back at him for his voice or anything he said. He was Alex the little girl the rest of the year.

From there it only got worse as the days passed.

'Was it those boys again?' asked his mom while putting a hand on his shoulder. Alex violently shook it off, with anger and frustration. She pulled back his hand and her face showed evident worrisomeness, which Alex was trying to ignore.

'They say I have a girl's face' he mumbled in between his clenched jaw. 'That I should've been born a girl and go to a girl's school... that I'm not a man.'

Alex hid his face on a pillow *and her mom sat there in silence for a couple of seconds.

"And- And they say I'm a faggot too"

'They're obviously jealous' she finally said with a motherly caring voice.

Alex frowned at this sentence as it wasn't obvious at all. They had nothing to be jealous of. His feminine traits were nothing to be jealous about. *He felt so much anger that his mom would lie only to make him feel good.

'I hate them', Alex stated blurtly. He was so ashamed for saying those strong words since he had never hated someone in all his twelve years of life.

'Don't hate them, Alex,' her mom said softly and tried to stroke his hair. Her caress was all he needed at that moment to soften his heart. He closed his eyes, relaxed, and allowed the tears to flow through his face not caring if mom was there. 'They're probably suffering much more than you are, my love. We should pray for them instead of hating them.'

Alex just cried silently. He didn't want to discuss with his mom that they didn't even deserve to be prayed for. His mom was so used to implicating God in every single problem there was in anyone's life. He had prayed in fear various times and he had never got help. And he wasn't going to act like Jesus Christ, even if that was what mom recommended.

With those thoughts in mind, he fell asleep.

***

Year 2011.

The day before ending middle school, Alex felt exceptionally excited since he would finally leave that place.

High school was at the other end of his area and he knew for a fact those boys were going to another establishment. So he would be able to meet a lot of new people who didn't know him and he would demonstrate to everyone he's a normal boy.

He was still shorter than the other boys but hey, he was still growing. He also had worked hard to leave those supposedly feminine traits behind like cutting all his hair really short so the others wouldn't compare him with girls.

This time everything should be different.

Just before leaving the school building forever, he realized he left his drawing pad under his desk. He had to go get it as it was the last day, and he wouldn't be able to have it back. *He had done some amazing anime art that he had spent hours on.

Alex rushed back to the classroom but slowly stopped when he heard voices coming from the inside. He slowly peeked from the door and saw three classmates around a student table. They were whispering and looked very suspicious.

He stepped inside as quietly as he could but got the boys startled anyways. They turned around, scared, but when they saw Alex, their faces changed fast.

They were Brody and his friends and their faces went from relief to annoyment in a second. Alex stopped on his feet and realized each of them was holding a cigarette and a cloud of smoke was floating around them.

Over the years, Brody had made his life impossible and by the end of middle school, he had gotten taller and gained muscle since he entered the basketball league at school. His hair had grown longer and hints of a mustache could be seen in between his zits all over his face.

'Williams, what the fuck are you doing standing there? Thinking about snitching, eh?' Brody jumped from the table he was sitting on and took a few steps towards Alex.

'Uh...'

'Or is it...' he turned to his friends smiling, 'that maybe he wants to try it too?'

Brody took a drag while his friends chuckled and walked towards Alex, who could hardly think what to say at that moment.

'I forgot my... um... my...' Alex started mumbling while his heart raced and adrenalin was rushing from his head to his toes.

*'Um, Um...' mocked Brody.

Please don't do this. Not today. It's the last day. Please.

'Well, if he wants to try it so bad, we should let him,' he said to his friends, who quickly approached Alex.

'Yeah, that way he's in it too and can't tell on us' one of the boys said with enthusiasm.

Alex started to take a step back but Brody quickly grabbed his arm, firmly.

'I won't say anything' Alex claimed fast. Brody started to press his finger against Alex's arm with great force and it had started to hurt him. He managed to clench his teeth to deal with the pain.

'You bet your ass you're not saying anything. We're just here smoking cigarettes together, as friends' said Brody bizarrely calm, while his fingers kept on pressing harder and harder. Alex flinched in fear.

'Yeah, dude, don't you want to be popular in high school?'

'Everyone knows the coolest guys smoke at school'.

The two twin wannabes laughed in unison and Alex just stared at them with hatred. His breathing started to increase and he started to feel light-headed. He was panicking because he didn't know what to do to leave that situation as fast as possible.

'Grab his other arm, Thomas' Brody commanded.

One of the guys quickly grabbed his free arm. Alex widened his eyes and tried to get away from his grip.

'Thomas, let me g-'

Brody had rested the cigarette on his lips and took a long puff from it, almost finishing it.

"Ah, I guess I'm done with this one" he added after blowing all the smoke. Brody, with eyes pinned on Alex, commanded the other guy, named Riley, to undo his shirt. He froze completely for a second and then started to pull back with all of his body's strength as he realized what was about to happen.

"No, guys, stop" he begged out of breath when they took his shirt off.

'Let's try cigarettes, Alex' Brody said again with the weirdest calmest voice Alex had ever heard. Without even thinking about it he took the cigarette from his lips and pressed the burning tip on Alex's chest, smashing it down.

Alex let his head hang as he bit his lip until it bled from the pain. Then, it was Thomas's turn to put out his cigarette and he chose the side of his ribs. Finally, Riley laughed out loud and told the others to watch closely. He undid Alex's pants and proceeded to put out his cigarette on Alex's belly.

The boys tortured him with burns until they got bored. They did three rounds of it.

They left him in his old classroom and the cigarette buds on one of the desks. He was still standing on his feet, trying to stop his body from shaking.

He redid his pants, carefully so he wouldn't touch the burn. He slowly buttoned up his shirt and rolled his sleeves down. He was going to have the mark of those boys in his body forever.

He didn't cry for help and tried to muffle his whines of pain until the very end, because he wanted to demonstrate he wasn't a little girl, until his last day. He allowed his tears to fall now, meanwhile, he bit his tongue and shut his eyes with all of the strength he had to suppress the pain of the torture. After a while, he started to feel the taste of blood in his mouth.

'That'll make him shut up' Alex heard Brody say from the corridor.

Very slowly, Alex reached what used to be his desk and took his drawing notepad from under it. He opened it and looked at his last drawing - it was his favorite manga character defeating the enemy. He ripped the page and wrinkled it in his hand. He saved his things in his backpack and went out. It probably wasn't worth it.

He never told anyone anything. Eventually, that summer, before high school started, he ended up buying his own pack of cigarettes from a store he knew wouldn't ask for his ID. He sat at the mart's parking lot and played with the box and lighter.

'If anyone ever asks, I burnt myself because I'm clumsy' he promised to himself. That's when he started to wear mostly black shirts with long sleeves, to hide his scars.

He lit one cigarette up, inhaled, and instantly coughed. Embarrassed, he looked at the cigarette as he tried to catch his breath. He tried again and again, until he got the hang of it. He noticed a couple of girls looking at him with curiosity from a corner, as they were waiting for someone inside.

Alex looked away, his cheeks suddenly pink.

Having gone to a school just for boys all his life, made him completely oblivious about the other gender and felt anxious every time he was near a bunch of girls, but as a matter of fact a group of only guys also scared him, so he peeked once more at the corner and saw one of the girls was still looking at him. She smiled and Alex hesitated but then winked and smiled back. Then he took another drag from the cigarette, smiling as it rested on his lips. The girl, surprised, tried to hide a smile by looking another way *but Alex noticed it.

His heart pounded strongly. A voice resounded inside his head:

'Yeah, dude, don't you want to be popular in high school?'

He never stopped smoking after that day.

***

Year 2012.

'Alex, why don't you try a new hobby? Something that will keep you busy after school' said Diana, his therapist from back then. He was very severe with him since the bullying had started and she didn't let Alex complain about high school. 'Are you sure you're trying?'

The phrase reminded him of his middle school teacher. A rush of anger rushed through his veins and he gripped his fists tightly. Diana took notice and shook her head with a disappointing look.

'Alex, say something. Are you still smashing stuff into the floor and punching walls to free your anger?'

Alex looked down with shame.

The almost 15 year old boy got used to agreeing with all of her analysis and lectures just to go home as soon as possible. But at home, he permanently begged his mom to allow him to get homeschooled.

'Please. Mom. Please. I hate it. They all heard about the stuff that happened in middle school'.

He used to follow her around the whole house, begging her. He told her everyone thought he smoked and that everyone thought he was weird for watching anime and drawing.

'But you do smoke,' replied his mom with evident disappointment.

'Right, but not from middle schoo-'

'What did Diana say?' She was cutting some tomatoes for dinner. She asked Alex for a kitchen towel and as he passed it to her, he quietly mumbled:

'That I should join a sport'.

'Oh, yes! Why don't you? You always watched that soccer show when you were little. What was its name?' She seemed beyond excited by the idea.

'But-but the kids from the sports team are going to laugh at me! And-and-and I don't really want to-.'

'You can join the sports club that just opened just around the corner' his mother interrupted, still eager. 'They have a soccer team for kids your age.

Alex blinked, in surprise.

'How do you know that?' Alex asked slowly in confusion as his mom seemed to be hiding something. A second later he added:

'Did you and Diana talk about this together?'

'Alex, just... just try, ok? If you do stuff outside the school maybe you will feel better and won't be so impulsive. It'll give you time to destress and think. Being homeschooled is hard and you might regret it when you're older. Especially when you apply to University. "

Alex couldn't control smashing his fist on the dinner table, making his mother jump with surprise and look at him scared. He instantly felt ashamed and apologized for it, before walking to his room.

When the time came, he seized the last afternoon before joining the new soccer team unwillingly. He enjoyed playing games on his computer and secretly smoking. He felt like a little kid again - his mom had even bought him sportswear and soccer shoes.

'To be like that Captain... Captain Tsubasa!' she said with a wide and proud grin.

'Stop that. That's embarrassing.'

What Alex hated the most was how much he liked the idea of getting good at a sport, like soccer… like Captain Tsubasa. He never had the chance, so perhaps he could be good at it if he really tried. The teachers from PE never paid attention to him, for being skinny and looking fragile. He was actually getting convinced by the hour, especially because no one knew him there.

Once Alex was on the team, he started to have fun and his teammates and the other boys from the older teams were really nice to him. Although he was shy and didn't talk much, the coach taught him cheerfully and patiently. His teammates didn't laugh or make fun of him - they actually helped him improve. Eventually, he started to speak more to his peers and share more time with them. He got to like it so much that every afternoon he couldn't wait for school to be over, so he could rush home to change and go to practice.

One night, Alex stayed a little longer to practice a dribbling technique he was determined to master. The other boys had already gone home, so he took advantage that the gym was empty to play on his own, so no one would look at him. Although no one laughed at him and they'd make fun of themselves when they failed, his anxiousness still lived inside him. After all, years of being bullied did weigh like a ton.

'That looks cool! Can you teach me that?' A soft voice echoed, interrupting his focus and making him drop the ball.

He stopped it with his foot like a pro and looked.

It was a very petite, brunette girl with hair tied up in a long ponytail. It was the first time Alex looked down at someone, as she was two heads shorter than him. She was wearing the girl's soccer uniform. Alex had forgotten the girl team practiced after the boys.

'You sure you can handle it?' he asked, peeking at his petite figure and thin limbs. Alex noticed how she blushed, which made him feel weird on his stomach.

'Look who's talking! You're very thin yourself too'.

Alex frowned slightly, although he knew she was right.

'Okay, you're right. I'm sorry' he apologized as he scratched his nose and the girl smiled, still blushed. 'Um, I can't really teach you 'cause I can't do it myself.'

'Could you still try, please? Or maybe some other technique?' she begged while getting closer and putting her hands together on her chest. She then picked the soccer ball up and looked at him with hopeful, puppy eyes.

Alex swallowed nervously. She was so close, out of nowhere.

'Why? Why do you want me to teach you anything?'

He turned around and walked towards his backpack to grab it and escape back home.

'Because I want to be on the team!' she pouted, with a high-pitched voice and followed him, sprinting a little bit to catch him. She missed a step and tripped towards the bench that held the bags. Alex quickly caught her by the arm avoiding her fall.

She looked up, with wide eyes.

'Would you, please?' She said catching her breath. 'You're good. I always see you practicing after hours'.

Alex let go of his arm and walked away, starting to feel embarrassed and irritated.

'Y-you have those bandages always on you' she kept talking walking towards him again. 'You might get hurt a lot during matches, which means you're very passionate about it.'

'That makes no sense,' Alex mumbled to himself. He turned around, curious, as she was the first person to mention the bandages.

He had started wearing them every day to practice because the uniform was pretty short-sleeved. He never took them off until he got home and changed clothes, to avoid awkward questions. He had more scars in his arms than other places.

'What's your name?' she asked, not giving him time to respond.

Alex grabbed his bag with one hand and his phone with the other. He eyed the strange girl - she looked so happy and her hair was perfectly fixed.

'Alex'.

'I'm Connie. Can you please teach me how to play?'

Alex scratched his neck, feeling awkward. At the same time, it felt nice that someone talked to him outside practice, even if it was about soccer. Weirdly, he didn't feel anxious as he did with other boys. Maybe it was the presence of the girl that didn't trigger him - and he had heard that girls were much more understanding.

Alex shook his head to clear those thoughts away and Connie laughed:

'What?' Is it really such a bad idea? I'm not that bad!'

Alex slipped out a smile, finding the new girl kind of funny. *He looked at her from top to bottom and in a quick movement, and Connie took advantage of his distraction and grabbed his phone. He tried to recover it but the girl was fast enough to move away and unlock it.

'Oh, so you have Twitter' she said giggling and moving around avoiding Alex who was trying to get his phone back. She gave it back and said: 'I added my number. Can we practice together sometime, then?'

Alex stood there speechless with the phone in his hand, which had the screen unlocked and could read 'Connie' followed by a number. She smiled shiningly at him and then stepped on her tiptoes to turn around. Alex stared at how she started jogging to the soccer field and joined her team.

Alex and Connie trained every morning all summer.

They practiced some techniques and movements, then they'd hang around and talk for hours. They had water fights more than once and teased each other like little kids. He liked being around her. She became his best friend.

Connie was two years older, so when school started, she stopped going to the club. She was preparing herself for college applications and taking extra hours at school to study more. Alex, on the other end, had to go back and endure his hell of a school and the lack of Connie's company made it worse. He got used to having his friend around, who could make him laugh and do things.

Back at school, he was just the quiet, just better at sports which was hardly noticed by the other kids, good old Alex Williams. He passed his day at school and did most of his things silently as he felt invisible to everyone. At home, he'd browse the internet and play games on his PC. He tried to start drawing again, to fill his time. He wanted to make a portrait of Connie. But the idea didn't last because since the incident of the cigarettes he hadn't picked up a pen to draw in a while.

As weeks passed by, Alex started to skip soccer practices. He started smoking again and allowed his hair to grow longer, revealing his curls and waves. Not that much though. Not just because his mom bothered him about it, but because he still had the habit of thinking he didn't want to look femenine.

Even with Connie's strict studying schedule, they still texted each other every day and shared funny images. Alex appreciated it so much that she took the time to reply to him and send him stuff. By the end of the first semester, she made some time to hang out with him and met again after months of not seeing each other.

When she saw Alex, her eyes showed an unsettled look that quickly indicated to Alex that she had noticed his change. She expressed her worry and the boy felt a big feeling of caring and compassion.

She cared for him.

Someone cared.

Connie helped him through his worst moments until when he was done with high school, as soon as he graduated, both of them admitted to having feelings for one another and they started dating. Connie became his whole world, his everything. She was his first and best friend, his first kiss, and his first time.

When both of them lost their virginity to each other, Alex was convinced he was going to marry her someday.

The boy always felt he was in debt with her for saving him from his lonely world. He felt he needed to thank her and do everything for her, every time they spent together. In return, Connie let him be the one in charge to take care of her and protect her from others. She liked to pretend to be the princess in distress, so Alex would feel like a "man". After all that time, she had concluded that all the boy needed was to be in control.

***

Back to 2017.

'Connie!' Alex exclaimed in shock.

She looked different since the last time they saw each other.

Alex avoided her on social media, so the fact that she had cut her long brunette hair up to his shoulders surprised him. She was wearing a cute summer dress with small daisies and had a tiny yellow backpack on her hands. She smiled and looked down with shyness.

'It's really good to see you, Alex,' she said in an excited, soft voice. 'You've changed.'

Those last words make Alex's stomach drop for a second. He realized all he had been through these months, and she hadn't changed - she was still the tiny, funny Connie, and her voice was as familiar as always. For Alex, she was like seeing a long-lost friend.

'You too,' he replied and smiled back at her. He grabbed the cup and started making her order. Alex noticed she was still wearing a thin silver necklace with a small key hanging from it in between her collarbones. It was a gift from him for their first anniversary.

'I'll make it right away.'

Meanwhile, he prepared the drink automatically, just like a robot. He couldn't help feeling a little off. He checked behind his shoulder a couple of times to see her standing, waiting while she looked around. She did look kind of cute…

'Here you go,' he called her and handed him the cold cup she grabbed very carefully. 'It was good seeing-'

'When do you finish your shift? she interrupted him. 'Do you have a little time after... for me?'

Alex blinked a couple of times, confused. He felt the exact same feelings he had months after the break-up.

Alex wanted and needed her back in her life. It was as if he craved her presence.

'Uh, actually, a friend told me she wanted to meet up later, um...' He hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Connie's worried eyes the same eyes once saw and took care of him, he added: 'But I'm sure I can tell her we could meet later. Let's get coffee and chat. I'm off at 6.'

Alex smiled at her awkwardly, and in response, Connie, with a satisfied smile on her face, said:

'I'll wait '.

She turned around to sit at one of the tables just by the counter. Alex would be able to look at her all the time. She took out a book and waited patiently. Alex felt like a rush of energy went through his whole spine, giving him a wild feeling. He was so excited about Connie.

When Max came back, Alex took a break and texted Rai, asking her if he could go later. She replied instantly with a sad face, which put Alex in trouble and rapidly assured her he would be there, just a little late. She agreed on it, which made Alex feel more at ease. He knew something was off with her for weeks.

After the party, when Nick beat Mitsu, she slowly became more distant and stopped answering texts. It would be really late if she ever responded to her phone and she would apologize and then disappear again. This made Alex feel bitter at first, as these habits Rai had adopted were very similar to the ones a certain person whose name starts with "M" used to have.

Alex asked Rai directly about what had happened and her decision to stay with Nick, but she didn't say anything.

'It's not that easy. I love him,' Rai said over the phone.

It took days after she dyed Alex's hair for him to make her agree to meet up. Each time he asked Rai, he would make up excuses that weren't very believable. But he respected her space and let her be for the day. He wanted to be there and support her. Rai and Anne were his best friends after Connie had cheated on him and disappeared from his life. Thanks to them, he had progressively become himself, so he owed both girls for helping him so many times and making him feel safe.

'Promise you'll be here,' Rai had texted again.

Alex was moved by the text and responded with a caring text. It was a promise he was determined to fulfill.

But first, he wanted to talk to Connie. He felt so many things inside that he even thought of quitting right away and going to her. He reasoned, took a breath, and remembered not getting carried away. Alex sighed and returned to the counter. He took a peek at Connie - she was still there. He wished the time passed by faster.

At 6 pm, Alex went straight to the bathroom and changed. Max laughed at him for rushing, saying he looked like a cartoon. He rapidly washed his face and fixed his black and reddish hair. Or at least he tried.

He walked toward Connie's with his chest pounding and biting his lip to suppress a smile. After all, she wasn't just an ex-girlfriend - she was his best friend for years.

When they saw each other, their faces lit up, and they couldn't help but smile. Connie stood up and embraced him with a hug, which took him by surprise, but wasn't unwanted. They both chuckled and sat down at the table.

Connie kept giggling to herself.

'What?' Alex smiled, sitting in front of her.

'I...'

'Hey, is that why I'm washing dishes alone?!' Max peeped his head from the counter, 'Did you run away to flirt with another high school girl!?'

Every person left in the coffee shop looked over, making Alex cheek's turn bright red.

'Nonono!' he rushed to say, shaking his head and hands. 'She's my ex! And she's two years older. I'm not a creep!'

'No way that's your ex! She's too pretty for you' Max mocked him loudly.

Alex just rolled his eyes and turned back to Connie, who was chuckling by herself, covering her face with her hand. He was used to Max's jokes and found him really funny, even if it put him on the spot.

'Thank you!' said Connie, directing to Max, 'doesn't Alex look like a high schooler too?'

'Hey, c'mon.'

Max chuckled aloud, winked and smiled at him, then hid behind the counter. Everyone quickly lost interest and turned away. Alex and Connie returned to each other.

'You look good,' she reassured while playing with the straw on her empty teacup. 'Different, but good.'

'You look different but good too,' he replied with honesty. He leaned forward and rested one elbow on the table to rest his face on his hand. He looked at her and felt waves of nostalgia. He had missed that comfort. 'You kept the necklace.' he pointed out.

'Oh' she touched it and pressed it to her chest with embarrassment.

Alex couldn't help but feel as if he had traveled in time. It was her face and her movements. Everything was so familiar that he even felt the gratitude and protective feeling he always had with her.

'Well, yeah,' she continued. 'I'm not taking it off like ever'.

She had her cheeks entirely rosy, making Alex smile and enjoy everything of that moment.

'So, you don't have much time?' she asked after a silence.

Alex responded with a nod, so she added: 'Maybe we can meet another day again?'

She looked away with embarrassment and bit her lip, anxious.

'Yeah?' Alex smiled widely.

'I'd love that. Do you... still have my number?'

Alex took a pause and wrinkled his nose while he thought of something to say, so it wouldn't come off as rude. He decided to tell a half lie and half-truth. He had smashed his phone into the bathroom floor on one of his depressive days after the break-up. But he would never admit that to her - it'd only disappoint her if he told her he had returned to that nasty raging habit.

So, he said that his phone had broken when he dropped it somewhere and she seemed to believe it.

'Can I have it again?'

She chuckled and stole his phone, lying on the table in front of Alex. This brought back the memory of their first meeting.

She was so invasive back then.

'All done,' she said and handed it back. He looked at the screen and noticed she had put a heart emoji beside her name, just like the old times. Alex could feel an aura of comfort between them, and he felt how happiness filled his entire torso. He looked at the time, and it pulled him back to reality. He needed to go as soon as possible to get to Rai's on time. They both stood up and embraced warmly for goodbye. They fit like two pieces of a puzzle, just like before. It was as if all those months apart didn't happen.

'It was really nice to see you.'

'I'll text you.'