“Good start to school, baby!” Jake’s mom’s voice echoed through the garage, but the sound barely pierced the bubble of nerves surrounding him.

Jake was lost in his own thoughts, his legs moving almost automatically as he pedaled down the street. The morning sun shone brightly, painting his red hair in even more vivid hues, while he pushed down on the pedals, trying to suppress the whirlwind of emotions bubbling in his stomach. The cool morning breeze was refreshing, but it couldn’t calm the racing heartbeat in his chest. It was just another start of the year, right? Nothing to be this tense about... He tried to convince himself of that, but the nervousness continued to tighten around his chest.

A creaking sound from the asphalt brought him back to reality, but he barely had time to react before an upbeat voice appeared beside him.

“Hey, champ! Ready for an amazing year?”

Amelia Bourne had approached with her usual grace, almost noiselessly, like a living shadow that showed up at the most unexpected moments. Her long pink curls bounced happily with each pedal, and her wide, ever-present smile radiated almost electric energy. Wearing a purple jacket that beautifully contrasted with her dark skin, Amelia seemed completely at ease with the start of the new year, like it was an adventure she’d been waiting for.

Jake sighed internally at the sight of his friend. He knew that when Amelia was around, an embarrassing situation was bound to happen soon enough.

“Oh, it’s already starting...” he murmured, trying to keep his balance as he aligned himself next to her. His own green eyes reflected a mixture of resignation and anticipation. Amelia was like that, a force of nature, hard to avoid or ignore.

“I haven’t said anything yet...” she replied, poking him lightly in the arm with a teasing finger, her brown eyes sparkling with fun.

Jake gave a half-smile and pulled away, adjusting the hood of his blue jacket. Amelia wasn’t the type to start a conversation without a reason; she always had something planned.

“So spill it already...” he said, resigned to whatever fate Amelia probably had in mind for him.

“Tyler and I are in the same class this year,” she said, her voice lowered, almost like it was a well-kept secret.

At the sound of Tyler’s name, something in Jake’s chest skipped a beat. He felt the air leave him for a second and gripped the handlebars harder. A surge of heat rose up his face, and he tried, discreetly, to hide the blush creeping up his freckled cheeks. How ridiculous — it was just Tyler, a friend, like always... Why did his name still have this effect on Jake? It was like time was moving slowly, while his thoughts and emotions accelerated.

“Good for you...” he murmured, almost not knowing what to say. What if Amelia noticed? He could feel the heat growing in his face, contrasting with the cold wind cutting through the air.

Tyler. A name that brought so many memories, some he preferred to forget. Jake swallowed hard as he remembered that one night when Tyler’s red eyes had sparked with anger. The discomfort in his stomach was like an annoying stone, and he turned his face away, trying to shake off the memories.

“Watch out for the cars!” Amelia’s voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to reality. She looked worried as she noticed Jake had almost crossed the street without looking. “You’re distracted, huh?”

Jake just shrugged, veering onto the sidewalk, but his mind remained a whirlwind, like a storm inside him.

“You know what that means, right?” Amelia continued, insistently.

“Don’t even try!” Jake responded quickly, his voice firmer as he picked up the pace, almost as if trying to escape the conversation. It was like he wanted to escape not only her words, but all the confusing feelings she seemed ready to expose. The strong wind against his face messed up his hair, but the feeling of escape didn’t relieve him.

Amelia wasn’t backing down. She sped up to match his pace, her pink curls floating like a flag in the wind.

“I can tell Ty about you...” she teased, her voice full of mischief.

Jake almost lost control of his bike, the pedals faltering for a second. His heart raced, and he turned his face, eyes wide and his voice caught in surprise.

“Amelia!” he exclaimed, panic clear in his voice as it echoed down the street. “Don’t even think about it!”

“Why not?” she raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile lighting up her face. “You two would make a cute couple!”

Her words hit him like a punch in the stomach. A couple? Him and Tyler? What was she saying? They were just friends... weren’t they? He shook his head, trying to clear the growing confusion. But as he did, he felt cold sweat trickling down his neck, making him uncomfortable. The cold wind couldn’t ease the pressure building in his chest.

“My God...” Jake muttered, more to himself than to her, his voice full of exasperation. “What kind of fanfics do you create in your head?”

Amelia laughed, but she quickly made her final move, the one she knew would really shake Jake.

“Hyan thinks so too, you know...?” she said casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, but her eyes were gleaming with that characteristic mischief.

Jake felt the ground disappear beneath his feet, and his head spun for a moment. Hyan? He blinked, trying to focus on the road, but he realized they had already passed by BlackOps Bowling, where they used to hang out. The scenery blurred by as his mind spun.

“Hyan knows what, Amelia?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice as his heart raced faster.

“He figured it out on his own, I swear,” she shrugged. “You know he has those weird intuitions...”

Jake knew that. Hyan had always been introspective, someone who didn’t speak much, but whose words always seemed to cut to the heart of the matter. And now, with this?

“The Red Ways are weird...” Jake muttered, trying to rationalize what he’d just heard, while giving a shy smile to himself. But then an idea popped into his head, a way to turn the tables. He looked at Amelia with a lighter, almost playful expression. “But speaking of Hyan... I’ll be in his class this year...”

Amelia, who had been trying to seem uninterested, raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

“And...?” she asked, realizing Jake was about to turn the tables.

“Looks like luck’s turned, huh?” Jake said with a triumphant tone, enjoying the small moment of advantage as they crossed 37th street. “I can tell Hyan about you...”

“Jake!” Amelia shouted, clearly uncomfortable, as she pedaled harder to catch up with him.

Jake just smiled, finally feeling the wind as an ally, leaving her behind, laughing and feeling in control. The morning breeze was refreshing, and for the first time that day, he felt light, like he had won a small internal and external battle.

“Now pedal fast!” he shouted, turning the corner of 38th street with a lighter heart and a satisfied smile. “I don’t want to miss the first day of school!”

Amelia, laughing and flipping him the bird, knew Jake had won that little dispute... for now.