8. Do you have anything to do tonight?

Tommaso could not stop thinking about everything that had happened in the past day: while trying to translate a version of Latin, his mind did nothing but propose words to him that had nothing to do with that language. Tom was interested in nothing but the speech made by his friend Alex, but at the same time also in that damn message from Lorenzo. Thoughts that did not help him finish the task in peace at all, but still managed to overcome those two hours of torture, even if he had not realized how he had done it. Maybe the time had just passed, as it always did.

« How was the exam? » Alex asked him during the recreation when it was all over and the sheets of paper delivered. They were having a coffee together with the nearest machine and both had stopped to talk about the task of the previous hours, as there had been no way to do it before because of a lesson in between. Tommaso took a sip of his coffee, strictly sugar-free, shaking his head after swallowing the liquid in the glass altogether. Before responding, he looked once again at Alex, hoping Matthew would join them very soon. « Not good, bro. I was thinking about anything but. »

« Come on, bro, don’t worry about that. Literature is easier in the end, » Alex exclaimed accordingly and brought the glass upwards, despite knowing full well that Thomas and Latin would never get along, not even in an alternative reality to theirs. One thing he liked about Alessio was that even though he took top marks in all subjects and was great at school, he included himself in the possibility of taking a bad grade with Tom.

Before he could answer him with a joke about it, Matt joined them and greeted them both with a nod. Tommaso did nothing but look for Leonardo with his gaze: he was not at all interested in the conversation that had just begun between the two friends, rather he always looked around, waiting for the boy to pop up at any moment, for no precise reason. Precisely for this reason, he wondered: what would he have told him if he had appeared nearby? Would he have greeted him? Would they talk about what had happened in front of so many people? At the same time, Lorenzo's words rumbled in his head without giving him time to find answers to his questions.

You need to find out more about him. I am counting on you.

How should he have done it? Or, better said, would he have been able to do it, find out more about Leonardo? He didn't even know how to approach him for a simple kiss, how could he look for information about him without making his intent understood? Tommaso had never tried to stand on the side of the handle of a sharp knife like the one Lorenzo represented: having something sharp in his hands also meant having the opportunity to hurt yourself. Tom felt his arm touched and so he managed to get back to reality and put aside his thoughts: nothing more than Matt did it, who was pointing out to him, with a nod of his chin, a very precise point in the schoolyard.

The red-haired eyes opened more and more, seeing the boy he didn’t stop thinking about, right outside the hallway, intending to head out with what we're supposed to be his classmates. He was carrying a cigarette behind his left ear and was quietly conversing with the same girl who, on the day of their meeting, had taken him away from running. Fortunately, he seemed not to have noticed him.

« But... isn’t he the new guy you were with last time, Tommy? » He asked Matteo by nodding in the direction of Leonardo, realizing the thoughts of Alex, who had remained silent to observe the scene that was just being born. Thomas pretended not to be interested in the new presence in the slightest and made it be understood by the rest of his friends by shaking their heads. The truth he hid within himself was quite the opposite, so much so that his thoughts began to get worse: his cell phone seemed to pulsate in his jacket pocket, the notifications seemed endless when there was not even one and his phone was empty. What made the situation more complicated than it already was, was Lorenzo's arrival, just then. Tommaso sweated cold from the first glance exchanging with him, while the others did not seem to worry about anything. Even if he wanted to say something about it, there would no longer have been his intention. « Guys, good morning. »

All three remained silent: no one tried to wind anything other than the word “good morning”, reciprocating the greeting. At one point, Lorenzo turned to the red of his hair with the aim of receiving an almost immediate answer, unlike Tommaso trying to stay calm and not panicked, but he couldn't and Lorenzo seemed to notice perfectly given the little smile that appeared on his face. « Tom, did you get the message yesterday? You didn't answer me. » Tommaso nodded without hesitation and feeling his hands tremble, as he turned his gaze once and for all at the boy who had caused that whole situation of discomfort; Lorenzo, too, a short time later, did the same and chuckled a little. « What are you waiting for? It's over there, haven't you seen it? »

« I was waiting for him... to be alone, » Tommaso replied almost whispering, slightly bowing his head without having any desire to raise it to look Lorenzo straight in the eye or find out if Leonardo was looking at him. The rest of the group seemed to have evaporated because of their silence, yet they were always there next to the red hair, without making any sound. Tom turned to his best friend, seeking a little help from him, but he directed him to do what he was saying with a nod, aware that this was the best thing to do.

Tommaso then went on to raise his head in the direction of Lorenzo: as a sign of respect, printing a fake and small smile on his face, before nodding in his direction. If that was what he wanted, he would have done it breathlessly, as it should be. So much so that, after taking a deep breath and as if everything were going perfectly, Tom approached Leonardo Greco, under the gaze of all his group of friends and Lorenzo, with the aim of reaching the latter and simply talking to him until the bell began to ring to mark the end of their pause. Discover secrets, and get Lorenzo anything he wanted, even if it was difficult to have no clues at hand. He didn't try to turn to them even for a second, it would only be worse and Leonardo would sense something.

« Hey Greco, would you like a cigarette before it rings? » Tommaso asked the person directly concerned to get his attention, pointing to the cigarette in Leonardo's ear, interrupting the conversation the dark-haired boy was having with someone Tom didn't know at all, perhaps someone older than him. The young Greek turned in the direction of red hair and smiled to see who was calling him: he did not even bother to apologize to his friend for the interruption, letting him go with a quick and hasty greeting. Both immediately headed to a place outside the school little attended to light a new cigarette to be divided into two, observing many others as they returned to the institute.

« Should you tell me something? » Leonardo finally asked, wearing a hand in his dark and thick hair, his eyes fixed on those of Tommaso, who would do anything to escape and leave alone that little ‘mission’. Everyone was returning to their classes, and they would only stay in a few seconds. They finally decided to sit on the stairs, where they were free to speak quietly without anyone disturbing or being able to listen to them. The red of hair shook his head, having no idea what to say or where to start. How could he find out something about him if he couldn't even find a way to talk about it? « I wanted to talk to you about last night, I... »

« We don’t have to talk about it now, » Leonardo stopped immediately, letting smoke gray come out of his mouth and shrugging his shoulders. Tom remained with his mouth slightly open, with nothing to say: only an imperceptible sigh came out of his lips, which he didn't even notice. There were a few minutes left and he should have raced into class, otherwise, it would have been the end for both of us. Before he could point it out to him, the dark-haired guy continued with his speech, after taking another shot from the cigarette. « or in general, that’s okay, if you don’t feel like it of course. Otherwise, I would say we have another two minutes before we start running. »

Tom had lowered himself to check the time on the phone and was right, he had two minutes to find a way to know more about him. He thought about it for a moment, groggy by the emptiness that was before his eyes, as Leo tried to figure out what was going to happen. « Do you have to do tonight? »

Tommaso was surprised by his own words, while Leonardo seemed quite satisfied: after dropping the cigarette poop now turned off and finished, he got up from the step and approached the red-haired boy, who walked away a few steps, uncertain. « No, you already know my house. »

The ringing of the bell invaded the entire institute and its exterior, reaching perfectly to the ears of the two boys. As Tom watched Leo come back without saying any greetings, a message was not long in coming. After closing the emergency exit door and returning to class, under the eyes of friends, he took his cell phone and read what he wouldn't want to read.

From Lorenzo:

Great job, Mancini. Keep it up.