A girl just left after announcing that the teacher is in their class adn running a little late.

"Should have asked her to close the door at least," Tara remarked sitting at the very front but extreme left of the class, with a seat empty next to her. She had been keeping her neck edged to the windows for a suspiciously long time.

“Let me breathe fresh oxygen” Oliver, sitting at the very front but extreme right of the class sighs a loud and raises his hands, cupping his face “I am melting here! It’s hot!”

In response, Tara gives her head a sharp turn and scowls at him but he doesn’t notice. "Hey, keep arguing like a doofus and Tara will be whacking your head soon enough” I warn him.

“Yeah, learn to respect a woman" Bro adds. his advice accompanied a loud and hurried snapping opening of a chips bag. Tara and Oliver’s heads slowly turn giving us an indescribable look. My hand hits his head. “Whoops my bad guys!” Leon cackles apologetically “was just running low on salts”. He swings himself on the chair grinning as I fiddle with his chip back trying to get a chip out of his grip.

 At the front, bickers continue and a flying notebook hits the poor guy’s face. Silence echoes in the whole class. Leon stops munching. 

The door opens again this time only hesitantly it creaks. Oliver with his beat red face groans “Close the door please” Malfunctioning from the recent incident he repeats "Close the door, please."

Unsatisfied with his behavior, Tara turned her head away in disapproval. “Now that is mean of her,” Leon remarks not so loud.

 A guy from behind yells, "Let them come in, dude!"

a tiny hand shot out of nowhere, clutching a pink envelope adorned with hearts. Dumbfounded, Oliver took the envelope as the door closed, the sound of running steps fading away.

"Should have known it!" Tara hollered.

“Oh! NO no. Tara nO!” i yell.

“She gave it to him 'cause he is the closest to the door” Bro explains. Shit! Oliver is done for.

Looking at the envelope his mouth slowly opens, realizing it was a love letter. His mouth opened and closed, "Bae, listen I-I-" Before he could finish, she flung her whole bag at him. Not even flinching he took the shot. Like one real man. Rois dashed from his seat. but realizing he had already been hit, he stopped awkwardly halfway. Standing there, he watched as Oliver stroked his nose. Making sure it’s still in one piece he proceeded to flip over the envelope. Leon snickered, "What happened, bro?"

Oliver throws his neck back. His forehead was exposed for once. The dude’s jaw clenched and a vein popped in his neck. 

“What happened dude?” bro dared to ask him.

"Get your ass over here and take it," Oliver snapped at him with dead eyes, his face a mixture of abuse and anger.

He isn’t called to receive an award but after being called he proceeds to get out of the chair coyly but with his chin held high. Speculating something I wait for him to get up, soon as I get a right angle, while sitting, I smash him a kick. Dummy continued to act as if the rear of his back was made out of steel and not aching, he covered his face with his hands and catwalks down the assumed aisle. All shy and coy.

“O Maw gawd! What’s that? Stop acting like that, imma throwing up!” I screech kicking my legs, disgusted to the core. Some girls begin giggling.

bro snatches the letter and dashes right back, still covering his face as Oliver mumbles “jerk” behind him. Taking his glasses off Rois claps sighing and shakes his head at Leon, still standing in the middle of the row.

When the bell rang the physic’s sir hurried to solve another numerical on the whiteboard because he thought he could assign the leftover fifteen numerical for homework which would be due tomorrow. 

“Bold of him to assume-”

“That he can dismiss us. We dismiss ourselves! Not the bell, not the bald heads!” Bro snorts as we tiptoe out of the class.

        …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me and my dude are all vertical and still as we glare enviously at the cafeteria filling up with students. We can’t roll in together. But we can’t roll without each other. Anywhere! 

“Dang it,” he spits.

With her huge eyes, bug's keeping an eye on the line of students. Neither of us can see anyone throwing down, pulling hair, or getting all rowdy. It’s pretty chill in the queue today. 

“why is she not bouncing already?” grumbling I clenched my fist. We've been waiting for her to leave for so long. I peek out from the bush we're hiding behind and take another look. She’s leaning towards some girl and chatting. The poor girl keeps inching away from her. “I can feel the poor girl’s pain, been there,” shaking my head, and bro snorts.

“Seriously, doesn’t she have anything better to do?” he says shrugging.

Hurriedly smacking his round head I make him duck behind the bush again. “We can’t have her see us together. We made her think we’re just classmates, and now if she sees us together…”

“Oh? You just don’t wanna deal with her again?” he smirks wiggling eyebrows. “Are you that scared of her?”

 After I whack him, he gets rid of that smirk and flops calmly on the summer grass. My stomach growls. Instantly, he begins guffawing. I inch away from him.

“She must have weirded you out, considering you’re hungry and still sitting here,” he declares later, sitting all serious and elegant while I got side-eyed by everyone around us when he was going through his phase. 

“Everyone’s staring because of you,” I add, “jerk!”

“Yeah, and that’s how good we look” his smirk makes a grand reentrance.

“You looked like a dying mule, rolling and cackling on the ground and it wasn’t even funny!”

A bit later, we headed into the cafeteria because Bug had to flee. The principal called her for something urgent.

“Two people are getting dumbstruck together later today,” my dude snickers, and I put my elbow on his shoulder, joining his snicker.

“Why are you so talented” I laugh and he winks.

After surviving the queue with tons of patience, finally, it’s our turn. Chill standing right behind the counter, I turn my head and see the long line. At the very end, some senior guys are leaning against the wall. Scratching their necks one moment and crossing their arms the next. Dang. That would have been us if we had waited more.

Feeling all smug, we strut past the long line of students. I puff out my chest, and my buddy side-eyes all those still waiting for their turn. I wish I could look at them and smirk, but I don't dare take my eyes off the ground. I mean, I'm holding a tray loaded with sizzling hot tacos and nothing. Not even my feet with years of walking experience can be trusted in this crucial moment. 

"When are these cheapskates gonna paint the walls?" My buddy scrunches up his nose at the sight and furrows his eyebrows.

We both stare at the walls, and everyone's gaze stays fixated on us, probably wondering why two good-looking guys are fetching their food instead of having someone run errands for them.

"You know what, Leon," I observe the sight again. "That girl... that girl." I rack my brains trying to remember her name. Cursing, I give up. No matter how many times my buddy tells me, I just can't seem to remember it.

"What was her name again?" I sigh and ask him after debating for so long in my head.

Stunned, he looks at me and tuts, then looks away. "Bruh?" rubbing his nose, disappointed, he says, "Can't even remember her name. Her name?" sighing heavily, he looks me dead in the eye. "This is your last chance. If you forget my bijou's name again, I am kicking your butt in public."

Hearing his warning, I gulp down the yummy taco. I'm gonna forget her name the second we walk out of here!

"Repeat after me," he orders. Shaking my head and sighing, I stare at him. So extra.

"Ta-na-ka."

"Tanaka," I repeat and take another bite.

"Yeah? What about Tanaka?"

"What about her?" raising my eyebrows, I lean in as he stares at me deciding whether to whisk the gossip here or not. His mouth opens and then closes. He didn't say a single word. Since the cafeteria is full of ears, I understand his actions, but losing to curiosity, I insist, "Oh come on, buddy!"

"You already forgot what you had to say about her? Dummy!" Tapping my head hard, he puts his hands on my shoulders and nudges me.

 "Watch where you're going," he tells me as I almost trip over a rock. Is this seriously a school? What's this rock doing randomly lying here? I kick it with my foot and it flings away.

"Oh my. Since when are you worried about me?" I blink my eyes at him. The aroma of Tacos fills my nostrils. My stomach rumbling again.

"Since you took the tray from the lady," he hits my head with his fist.

“By the way where’d you place that letter?”

“Shoved it up my nose” he guffaws.

Giving him a look I gasp as it all comes back to my mind. "Oh, I remember it now. I was saying that she should work on those walls!" I squeal, thrilled by the fact that I remembered what I had to say for once at least.

"Huh? That's random. Why?" he asks, sitting on the grass under the tree. Crossing my legs, I notice the weirdly shaped leaves. My upper lip pulls up. Fugly. I reconsider sitting under it. But it's got a perfect canopy and is doing a fine job of protecting me from the sunlight at least.

The dude slaps me. "You there?" he gulps. "You trailed off."

Oh. "She's got refined taste, She was sketching a guy so finely." Gulping, I look at him, and knowing that he's not gonna believe it, I add, "Not to mention he looked like me. She drew me!" 

"Wait, what? She drew you?" he bellows, his eyes wide with disbelief. "My bijou?" He shakes his head vigorously. "Nah, no way. I don't buy it, and you're saying she's got good taste? Come on, man."

I quickly take a big bite of my taco, trying to avoid his skeptical gaze. "You gotta take a closer look, bro. It's gotta be me," he insists, leaning in and eyeing me suspiciously.

I let out a heavy sigh. I knew he wouldn't believe me, but I had to tell him.

"She did," I confess, nodding solemnly. "And guess where I saw it? In her diary."

He dramatically jumps up, declaring, "My cute little bijou would never!" But before he can finish his sentence, I pull his shirt, making him flop back onto the grass "In her diary?" he repeats, baffled. I snatch the last piece of taco from his hand while he's dazed.

"Yeah, man. I got lucky," All his tacos will be in my intestines by the time he’ll realize I was spewing crap. 

"Who got lucky?" a smooth voice interrupts and bro turns to see. His eyebrows furrowed and his nostrils flared. bug? Quickly I turn back to see who it is.

Doe likes blue eyes. Long shiny hair. I'm such an idiot. I thought it was a bug, how could I? I notice her cheeks turning apple-red. Oh, please, let a breeze blow and cool her down. I have no nemesis but summers!

"Could you send me the classwork?" she asks, and I can't tell if it's just in my head or if the wind is making her hair float. My fingers tingle, and I fight the urge to run my hand through her long hair. I glance at my buddy. A sweat drop falls down his forehead. Oh, okay. It's all in my head. No wind is blowing.

"Sure," my buddy answers for me, knowing I turn into a dummy around her.

"Awesome!" she smiles. "See you in class then." She waves and walks off.

He squints at me after she's gone. "Did she come all the way here just to ask that?" he questions.

"Hey!" a stern, rough voice raps on my cochlea. Frowning I look up and my eyebrows drop the moment they see the person looming over me.

The intensity of her stare is gonna get me burned. Having an explosive thought process bro instantly leans over to me but I jerk away. I've never committed any heinous crime, but it feels like she's found out that I harass women at night, choke kids, and lead a cult!

 She stands there, hands in her blazer's pocket, feet slightly apart, glaring. Her short ash black hair sticking to her sweaty neck. Rois had her join us? Crap! 

Since I am generous and he is buff I’ll let it slide but for this once.

I peek at Bro, and he's fiddling with the grass, completely unaware of his felonies. The dude's not walking home on his legs. Wanting to give him a warning for whatever she has got for him in store I try to signal to him. She thinks I hit on her! 

She thinks I hit on her. Having the little leftover air in my lungs I try not to slouch but it’s a flapdoodle!

"Here she comes," Rois says with a big smile. they all turn their heads, but grumpy paws don’t bother. She stays still as if instead of her spine God placed a metal rod.

"Hey, everybody!" Tara beams, carrying a tray with five huge plastic cups. She strolls over to us as a silhouette of a guy peeks out of a faraway tree. 

"We didn't force her to do anything. She insisted on bringing the smoothies," Rois explains.

"And he insisted on giving us a treat," Tanaka chimes in glaring at him with her piercing gray eyes and cracking her neck. I guess she's not a fan of good-looking guys. No wonder she looked more ticked off at me.

"Alright, guys, I picked different flavors. Choose the one you like," the great queen Tara announces, sliding the tray into the center of our little group. Bro snatches the chocolate one before anyone else can even blink and Rois takes mango one. There are only two cups left, both green. Stretching my hand out to grab the cup as I scroll on the phone with my right hand. 

Some rock-like fist hits mine. As if on purpose! “Huh,” my eye twitches.

bro snorts, crinkles, and tosses his empty cup on the grass.

 "That's mine," grumpy paws tell me.

 "Nope, Tara said I could pick whatever I like, "I break her a fact, tightening my grip on it.

"Pull his hair, Tanaka, he's got no manners," bro butts in, giving me a light whack with the tray. "Always remember, ladies first," he pretends to whisper in ear. “Hypocrite. You snatched yours without a care in the world” I snarl at him.

she stops sucking and asks, "What? I thought you wanted that. Did you not want that?" she questions.

I blink at her. "Should I go and get it exchanged?" Concerned Rois asks, and they both shake their head.

"Aw, you're so generous," I tell her, eyeing the mug suspiciously. Sweet my butt. Now that I look at the colour something feels fishy. 

“Look at this guy he can–” forcing the whole glass into my mouth Leon screams delighted.  My throat feels abused. 

“So how was that? Amazing right?” Grumpy Paws asks. I give a thumbs up with the widest smile.

 "Get two of whatever the flavor it was next time. It seems to fit his taste finely," she remarks as a little bit away Oliver helps Leon to get off of the ground. 

"Don’t you worry, I’ll remember," Tara says looking in the distance.

Blinking my tears I pull my wet shirt away to keep it from sticking to my chest. It looks like I just gagged all over myself.

"Yeah, two," Rois says looking at Tara run on her heels because Oliver got a little closer to her vicinity.

“They still angry birdies?” I ask genuinely curious.

 Grumpy paws ignore me, Rois questions whether he should tell me or not so, Bro answers me but with a loud belch. 

Classic Leon.