Charlotte bounded up, her curls bouncing as she fell into step beside him. She was the kind of person who carried her own sunlight. Loud, unapologetic, impossible to ignore.

Sahara grinned. “Who’s to say I ditched you? I overslept this morning.”

She sighed, “Yeah, sure. I totally believe that you weren’t writing that book again.”

He shook his head.

“Writing is not very manly, you know?” He flicked her forehead jokily, “On that note, let’s go to class.”

Charlotte glared at him, “Finally. For once you aren’t gonna skip?” She jabbed him with her shoulder, 

He rolled his eyes playfully, “Well, the next time I skip they’ll call my parents.”

Charlotte opened the classroom door. “I bet you didn’t even give them the right number,”

Justin pointed at Charlotte secretly in the back.

“She’s cute, right?” He looked at Charlie for support,

Alex sighed. “Maybe if you spent as much time as you spend dating, you would be passing your classes and-”

Charlie added, “What about that guy next to her? He’s pretty tall. Perfect for the team?”

“No.” Justin shook his head. “Not him.”

Alex drew a picture with stickmen, “Why not? He’d work well as a guard. He’s pretty much my height, so our team would be-”

Justin shuddered. “Yeah no. He isn’t a good person. I’ve heard from Simon.”

Charlie said, “He doesn’t seem that bad.”

Alex chuckled, “Simon isn’t even trust-worthy himself.”

The teacher walked in, a clipboard in hand.

“Attendance. Everyone in their seats or I’ll mark you absent.”

She eyed down Sahara when she got to his name, muttering under her breath: “I thought he was some sort of ghost with this attendance,”

Sahara raised his hand.

The door slammed open with a swift wind.

The boy from earlier scratched his head, “Sorry. I got lost.” he gave a half-smile,

The teacher sighed. “Ah. You must be the new student. Sit-” She looked around for an empty desk, which was the one in front of Sahara.

“Sit there,” she pointed.

He threw his bag to the ground, taking a seat.

Sahara sighed, laying his head on the cold desk.

The teacher taught for around twenty minutes of the class, until it was time for them to do their own work.

Sahara opened his eyes.

She scoffed. “Are you joking right now? It’s not freshman year anymore, Sahara. If you don’t pass this class, it’ll show up on your record.”

Sahara shook his head, trying to take the paper. “Yes madam I understand,”

She held the paper firm.

“Detention tomorrow. We’ll make up the rest of your missing work that you seem to refuse to do,”

She let go and walked away.

“Wow. That sounds like it sucks.” Charlotte looked over to her right at Sahara,

Sahara sighed.

“Man. I don’t want to stay after school.”

“Well you never have. That isn’t your first detention of the year.” She chuckled,

He giggled, “It’s like my seventh, I guess,”

She added back, “That’s an understatement. I’m surprised they haven’t sent you down yet.” She finished the worksheet, getting up to hand it in.

Sahara looked down and realized he had no clue what anything on the paper was.

“Need some help?” A familiar voice came from in front of him,

Sahara shook his head, looking at the side to avoid his glaze.

Justin walked by.

“Forget it, he clearly doesn’t want it. Don’t even bother-” Charlie pulled Justin away before he could continue, giving a practiced smile.

“Well, you heard them. I don’t want your help, kid.” The word “kid” accidentally slipped out,

“Kid? What? Did you fail and get held back?” He moved closer,

Sahara felt targeted, “No, I haven’t been held back-”

He pulled the paper off the desk for a closer look.

“Swap papers with me.”

Sahara pulled on the paper.

“No.”

He turned to glare.

The boy put his paper on Sahara’s desk.

“Please?” He begged.

The paper had all the answers filled out.

Sahara realized he was trying to do him a favor.

He wanted to say no, but he wasn’t fond of the idea of detention.

“Fine.” He let go, 

Cute.

Sahara looked at him confused.

“...Did you just call me cute?”

Charlotte sat back down.

“Wow, real chatty today Sahara? Who’s this?” She looked at boy, her gaze not leaving  hm,

The boy smugly grinned, “Yeah I know I’m good-looking, no need to stare,”

“Don’t flatter yourself now,” She giggled,

Sahara sighed.

“Huh?”

“What’s your name?” Charlotte asked him.

He smiled.

“Sahara knows it.”

It felt like he was trying to egg him on to say his name.

What trick was he trying to pull now?

He looked.

S

N

O

W.

Snow.

The boy’s name was Snow.

Of course it was.

The kind of name that sounded like it came from a storybook rather than a roll call sheet.

“Aw man. I thought you’d laugh. Turns out you’re not the joking kind huh?” Snow grinned,

Charlotte looked at Sahara confused, looking at the top of the paper he was holding.

“Snow?” He read it slowly, pronouncing every syllable and letter.

Snow shook his head.

Snow raised an eyebrow, his grin lazy but curious. “Desert and snow? Guess fate’s got a sense of humor.”

Charlotte laughed, a hearty laugh.

The teacher walked over.

“Sahara.”

Sahara froze in place.

The teacher snatched the paper out his hands.

“Cutiing class and now cheating? That’s it. Lunch detention today again as well.”

Sahara tried to explain, “No I was just playing with my-”

She walked away before he could finish his sentence.

The class went silent after that.

Sahara took out his sketchbook and began to draw.

Snow.

The endless winter is soon approaching the crisp summer.

The bell rang.

Charlotte walked over.

“Let’s go,” She looked at him,

Sahara pulled his sketch away, for once, he felt proud of his drawings.

Like it was some sort of silent promise.

And as they walked together down the hallway, Charlotte’s laughter filling the space between them, Snow’s shoulder brushing his now and then Sahara felt it again: that quiet, steady warmth blooming inside him.

He jumped a bit away, like his body was afraid of the close contact.

A small spark, fragile but alive.

Maybe the start of something real.

The hallway seemed brighter than before. Maybe it was the way the light hit the windows, or maybe it was something else, something warmer blooming inside him. For the first time in a long while, the world didn’t feel so heavy.

The lockers didn’t look like cages anymore.
The laughter didn’t sting.
Even the hum of voices around him felt softer, less distant.

Charlotte walked ahead, humming some tune under her breath, while Snow fell into step beside him. Their shoulders brushed again, and Sahara didn’t flinch this time. He didn’t want to.

He caught himself, an unguarded, quiet kind of peace he hadn’t felt in years. The air felt easier to breathe, lighter somehow. The endless ache that clung to him since the pills, since the loss, since her.It all dulled to a faint, bearable hum.

For a brief, golden moment, he let himself believe it could stay this way.

Maybe he could be happy.
That maybe he deserved to be.

But deep down, beneath the warmth and laughter, the truth still pulsed like a hidden bruise, silent, dangerous, waiting.
everything would change.

He just wanted this moment to perhaps last a bit longer.

Chapter one end.