"‘The most appropriate board I’ve seen here," Jay’s voice rang out as he pointed to the sign in Dan’s hands. "We have to admit, he really is the biggest nuisance to everyone."

Some people laughed openly while others tried to suppress their laughter. It wasn’t that they really believed it, but they enjoyed the ongoing banter between Wave and Jay and found it easier to just laugh at the teasing than to take sides.

"Well, yours would only be accurate if it said ‘idiot’ or ‘bitter,’" Wave reploed, replacing his annoyed expression with a forced smile.

"Guys, guys... Wave, please," Marco urged, making everyone stop talking. "Very interesting, right? Now, let’s do it again, but I need you to switch partners."

Before Wave could start thinking of another person, a girl with short hair and round glasses sat down in front of him. It was Yaya, a friend who had been with him in the group since they were kids. Her eyes sparkled with barely concealed excitement as she leaned slightly forward, her hands trembling a bit as she whispered something in Wave’s ear.

"Please, protect me." She looked around as if she were fleeing from something.

"What’s wrong?" Wave asked, scanning for any potential pursuer.

"It’s Sandee. I was her partner, and I couldn’t write anything on her sign except..."

"What?" Wave asked, looking at Sandee on the other side of the circle, giving them a sharp and almost murderous look.

"Madness. I wrote ‘madness’ on her sign," she admitted, hiding her face in her hands. "I couldn’t help it; I was being honest!"

"I can’t believe it!" Wave couldn’t hold back his laughter, finally understanding why Sandee was glaring at them both. "You know that crazy people don’t like having their craziness exposed, right?"

While still laughing at his friend’s reaction, Wave’s cheerful expression was completely wiped away when he saw Jay sitting in front of Dan.

"What?" he whispered to himself, finding the sudden act and Jay’s strange smile disconcerting. "What is he planning?"

"What are you talking about?" Yaya asked, following Wave’s gaze and focusing on the pair next to them. "Aren’t you and Jay ever going to stop with this madness?"

"You know Jay; he must have some reason for wanting to pair up with Dan."

"He might want to get to know the new guy? He’s being a good senior in the group? There are so many possibilities, Wave!" She shook her friend’s arms. "Stop being paranoid!"

"Alright, everyone! In three, two, one... start again!" Marco announced, cutting off their conversation.

Despite the signal, Wave continued to watch the pair next to him. Dan was serious, returning Jay’s gaze, who still had that peculiar smile on his face. It felt very odd and sparked an irritation in Wave’s stomach. After staring at the scene for several seconds, he felt a pinch on his leg.

"Ouch, damn it, Ya!" he complained to his friend, who looked quite annoyed.

"Look at me!" she ordered through clenched teeth, making him take a deep breath and follow her direction.

Though he was technically looking at his friend’s almond-shaped eyes, Wave’s thoughts and concern were on the pair beside him. After all, he was trying to get closer to Dan to complete the task Marco had assigned, but having Jay in the mix created almost a wall between him and anything else. Was he being paranoid? Maybe, after all, it was just an exercise, clearly nothing bigger.

"Time’s up!" Marco announced. "Now write on the board."

Without thinking twice, Wave wrote 'enthusiasm' on Yaya’s board, as it was the trait he most admired in her. However, his eyes couldn’t stay away from the signs next to him. His mind was racing as he observed Jay and the tattooed guy, trying to figure out what each had written.

When everyone turned their signs, Wave saw that Jay had written 'mystery' on Dan’s sign, while the tattooed guy’s sign read 'interesting'. The impact of the words was like a punch to the gut. How could Jay find Wave a nuisance and, at the same time, consider Dan interesting? The sense of betrayal and displeasure was clear on his face, muscles tensed and jaw clenched. Jay, noticing the change in Wave’s expression, widened his smile, his eyes sparkling with a clear challenge.

"I can’t believe it..." Wave murmured, staring at the grass below him. "I don’t care, I really don’t," he tried to convince himself while shaking his head, struggling to shake off the thoughts.

The rest of the activities passed without many other incidents. Wave decided to bury his irritation, as it didn’t make sense in his mind, and spent the rest of the time with his usual smile and enthusiasm. However, over the hours, he didn’t speak to or make eye contact with Dan.

No matter how much he tried to hide it, deep down, we all know what he was feeling, don’t we? Some things are impossible to conceal. Especially from me, who’s narrating this whole story, and from you, who are seeing everything from Wave’s point of view. It wasn’t full-blown jealousy, more like the seed of that emotion. After all, every feeling has to start somewhere. And Wave, who loved nature so much, didn’t realize what he was starting to cultivate inside himself. If you don't get rid of it, it’s like you’re watering it, right?

The sun was already setting when Marco ended the meeting, and everyone started to disperse to leave. Wave was already in the parking lot when he began searching his pockets for his car keys, without success.

“Damn it!” he muttered, patting down every part of his outfit but still not finding the keys. “Don’t let this get to you, Wave. You probably dropped them somewhere in the park, just redo your steps. Okay? Okay!”

He retraced the route he had taken to the parking lot, using his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the area, which was now dark with the absence of the sun.

“When was the last time I saw them?”

He tried to recall the moment he parked and took Dan’s bike out of the trunk. The image of putting the keys in his pocket was clear in his mind. It was evident that the keys had fallen somewhere between the parking lot and the meeting spot. The area was large, and the darkness didn’t make it any easier to search, but he was determined not to give up.

He was so focused that he barely noticed when he crossed the bike path cutting through the park. As a result, his heart raced in shock when a bicycle suddenly braked just inches from his bent-over body. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, bracing for impact, but the bike stopped in time. When he looked up to apologize, he was surprised to see an uncommon-looking boy in front of him, breathing hard and clearly shocked.

“Sorry for... Dan!” he exclaimed, confused. “What are you still doing here?”

Dan’s hands were trembling, and his face was pale, his wide eyes fixed on the spot where the bike had stopped. The tense expression and distant gaze clearly showed the shock he felt from the near-collision and the effort needed to avoid the accident. Breathing unevenly, he pulled out his phone and began typing. The notification sound from Wave’s phone caught his attention, and he quickly checked it:

[Dan Zanon] 

What's your problem? I almost killed you!

“Almost...” Wave laughed, still looking at the screen. “Don’t overreact, at worst, you would’ve just scratched me up.”

Dan continued staring at him, so Wave added, “But sorry for the scare. I lost my car keys and can’t find them. Anyway, you can go home; I’m going to keep looking.”

He turned on his phone’s flashlight again, leaving Dan behind. He still hadn’t gotten over the irritation from seeing the word 'interesting' written on Jay’s board while his own had 'nuisance'. After pushing those feelings aside, he refocused on searching the ground.

“Focus, focus, focus,” he repeated to himself as he continued to walk. He was taken aback when he felt a hand grab his wrist firmly.

“What the...”

He turned to find Dan’s enigmatic eyes locked onto his, holding him firmly without moving.

“What is it? Did something happen?” When Dan didn’t respond, Wave continued, “Look, Dan... I really need to find these keys ASAP, so let me go, and—”

“I’ll help you,” said the boy in a low, naturally husky voice.

“I’ll help you.”

 “I’ll help you.”

 “I’ll help you.”

The words echoed in Wave’s mind in a strange way, like a slap to the face. He was stunned; Dan had spoken! He could hardly believe what he’d just heard and stared at the boy in surprise, as if seeing a ghost.

“You... you talked to me!”

He couldn’t help but smile and moved closer to Dan with an almost angelic expression. “You actually talked to me!”

His eyes were shining with excitement, and a wide smile lit up his face, feeling like this was another step toward his mission. However, he had no idea where, exactly, these steps were leading him. He didn’t know, but I do, and you all probably have a good idea too.